Cell Catalogs

Modified from an activity by Leylonda Maines, Front Range Community College

Purpose: Practice LO 4: Describe the structures and functions of plant and animal cell
organelles

Task:
1. You are going to make (your choice) a catalog or menu selling parts of the cell. As always,
please make sure that all of the descriptions you use are in your own words and any
pictures are either your own drawings or clearly cited somewhere.
a. While you are working, note which organelles you are struggling with.
2. Share a portion of what you designed in your discussion post.
3. Read through your classmate’s posts and find ones that help you with the organelle you are
struggling with – in your reply, explain what you understand better. OR your replies may
note good analogies your classmates made, but explain why the analogy represents that
part of the cell well (not just “I like your ...”)

Your menu or catalog should include:

o The name of your store/restaurant
o These structures
o Cytoplasmic membrane (plasma membrane)
o Endoplasmic reticulum (offer smooth and rough options)
o Golgi apparatus
o Ribosomes
o Mitochondrion/a
o Nucleus
o Cytoskeleton
o Price of each structure (have fun with this and don’t stress too much- there is no right
answer, just a chance to think about their “value”)
o For each structure, make a description that tells the client what the organelle/structure can
do for them. It may help to use the general function categories below as a starting point,
but do give more specific info.
 Information  Energy (breaking down food)
 Processing (making  Storage
biomolecules/polymers)  Movement
 Structure  Other (what is it then?)
 Also Include at least two of the following structures:
 Cell wall  Cytosol/cytoplasm  Vacuole
 Chloroplast  Lysosome
 Chromosome  Nucleus
 Creativity/presentation
I will ask you to share the name of your establishment and the best “items” you are selling – sell
them to us!