Cell Membrane Structure and Function
Students learn about the different structures that comprise cell membranes, fulfilling part of the Research and Revise stages of the legacy cycle. They view online animations of cell membrane dynamics (links provided). Then they observe three teacher demonstrations that illustrate diffusion and osmosis concepts, as well as the effect of movement through a semi-permeable membrane using Lugol's solution. Lastly, students use the associated activity to test their understanding of the cell structure and membrane.
Students learn about cell membrane structure and functionCopyright 2004 Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399 USA. All rights reserved. http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=cell&ex=1#ai:MP900390238|mt:2|
With the evolution of nanoparticle use for drug delivery and many other applications, the cell has become a main focal point of research, making intracellular engineering a specialized area of biomedical engineering. In order for students to understand what is happening inside cells, they must understand how particles gain entrance to cells. Studying the cell membrane's structure and function provides the details engineers need if they are to facilitate the ease of entrance.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Identify organelles in a cell and their function.
- Describe how organisms use physical phenomena to actively transport nutrients.
- Construct and identify cell membrane parts.
- Define osmosis, diffusion and semi-permeable membranes and understand how organisms use them.