Wacky History of the Cell Theory- 6th Grade Science

MS-LS1-1

Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells; either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on developing evidence that living things are made of cells, distinguishing between living and non-living things, and understanding that living things may be made of one cell or many and varied cells.] This is one lesson in the unit teaching this standard.

Did you know that Newton and Hooke had a serious feud or that Leeuwenhoek looked at the bacteria on his teeth? We learned lots of goofy facts along with the history of the cell theory from the TedEd video: Wacky History of the Cell Theory. Rubric here.

Students created poster projects on their scientists showing their contribution to what we know about cells. Great job 6th graders!

Scientists: Each group/student was assigned one below. This worked best in groups of 1 or 2.

1. Zacharias and Hans Janssen
2. Robert Hooke
3. Anton Van Leeuwenhoek
4. Matthias Schleiden
5. Theodor Schwann
6. Robert Remak
7. Louis Pasteur
8. Rosalind Franklin
9. Jonas Salk

Research: What contribution did the scientist make to the discovery of cells.

For 1-6: Watch the TedEd talk  “The Wacky History of the Cell Theory”

Louis Pasteur- TedEd talk “More Than Just a Milkman”

Rosalind Franklin- TedEd talk “DNA’s Unsung Hero”

Jonas Salk- http://www.biography.com/people/jonas-salk-9470147

Poster: Create a poster about the scientist and his/her contribution to what we know about cells. The poster should…

• Have each group member’s name in the top right corner
• Have the scientist’s name large enough that it is easy to see
• The year the scientist made his/her discovery or the years he/she lived.
• A large drawing showing the scientist’s contribution
• One sentence telling about how the scientist contributed to our knowledge about cells.