Old Project, New Kids

I love biology.  I could talk about cells and bacteria and chromosomes and trees all day...well I do since I'm teaching it :)  I want my students to love it at least a little bit.  They don't have to be fanatics like I am.  I try to do things that are exciting for them and get them to learn with out knowing they actually are.

One project that I did when I was a biology student in high school was making a model of a plant cell.  (I think we have all done this or a variation of it at some point in our high school days...right?)  Well, I can't be the only biology teacher in the world that doesn't assign a cell model....so I did.

I didn't want to give to many guidelines, but I did want to give a rubric.  I also thought that it would be best to come up with a rubric with my classes.  My only requirement that I knew I was going to impose was it couldn't be made with food.  (I didn't want it stinking in my room or somebody eating someone else's project!)  We worked on a rubric that made us all happy.  They had creative freedom and I would have a nice clean room!

The projects that they brought in were beyond my wildest dreams!  I wouldn't have thought to use some of  the items that they did.  We live in a small community.  We have a Dollar General and that is it.  The closest Wal-Mart is thirty minutes away.  Most of the things they used they found in their homes.  One cell had hair gel as the cytoplasm (not a good idea...but very cool), one had yellow softballs as chloroplasts, and another had a decorative heart shaped box as the nucleus.

Needless to say, I truly enjoyed this project.  I think my students did too.  I know that they did very well on their test that covered cellular structure.  I will certainly continue to use this idea in following years.  I am, however, considering letting my classes do all food ones next year and having a party the day they are due and eating their cells...YUM!