Cells (plant and animal cells) and magnification

A KS3/KS4 lesson on labelling and describing the difference between plant and animals cells, calculating the magnification of objects viewed under a microscope and rearranging the magnification equation to calculate image size/ actual size.

The lesson features:

• A starter activity where students think about what processes all living things must do
• A link to a video providing students with a catchy ‘rap’ about the names and parts of a cell
• A worksheet that can be easily differentiated (currently has missing words) on labelling cells and describing their function
• An extended writing task to describe the difference between plant and animal cells and explain why plant cells need additional organelles. The task comes with a model answer on the powerpoint to allow for peer/ self assessment
• Fun introduction to magnification with a ‘guess the object’ game. Students are shown magnified images and must guess what the object is
• Scaffolded step-by-step methods and questions for calculating magnification, image size and actual size. On the questions slide for each type of calculation there is a worked example to guide pupils/ for reference