Plant and Animal Cells

By: McNutt & Brown

Essential Questions

• What are the basic cell parts?

• What is the function of cell parts?

• How are the structures of the animal

cell and plant cell similar? And

different?

Vocabulary to know

• Cell

• Cell wall

• Cell membrane

• Nucleus

• Chloroplasts

• Cytoplasm

Did you know that you and oak

trees are both made of cells?

What is a cell you ask…???
A cell is a tiny part of a living thing.

Your cells and the cells in oak trees
are different from each other, but not
as different as you think.

A plant cell actually has

more parts than an
animal cell.

What is a cells “job”?

• Its job is to take in nutrients and get

rid of waste.

What does a plant cell look

like?

Do I have to know all of that?

NO…

• You need to know: cell wall, cell

membrane, nucleus, chloroplasts,
and cytoplasm

What do all of those things

do?

• As you can see in the diagram, a

plant cell is surrounded by a cell
wall. This is what protects the cell.
The walls of a plant cell sticks to
each other to give the plant its
shape.

Cell Membrane

• Just inside the cell wall is the cell

membrane. This thin membrane
allows water and nutrients to pass
into the cell. It allows wastes,
including oxygen, to pass out of the
cell. It also stops things from
entering that could harm the cell.

Nucleus

• Near the center of the cell is the

nucleus. The nucleus controls the
cell’s growth. The plant’s genes are
in the nucleus of its cells.

Chloroplasts

• The green chloroplasts in the cell

produce food for the plant. The
chloroplasts combine sunlight, water,
and carbon dioxide from the air to
produce sugars which in turn give the
plant energy to grow.

Cytoplasm

• The rest of the plant cell is filled with

cytoplasm. This is much like jelly.
Much of the cell’s work takes place in
the cytoplasm.

What about an animal cell?

• As you can see, animal cells have

some of the same parts as plant
cells.

They are very similar in the

fact that they both have…

• Nucleus
• Cytoplasm
• And a cell

membrane

How are they different?

• They do not have cell walls. This is

actually an advantage. With no cell walls,

animal cells can take different shapes.

For example, animal cells can become

nerve cells, muscle cells, blood cells, etc.

Heart Cell Skin Cell

Animal cells do not have

chloroplast

• This is not an advantage…as you

know, animals cannot produce their
own food. They must get energy from
eating plants, and other animals.
Therefore animals depend on plants,
and animals that eat plants, to
survive.

Does size matter???

• No, but both plant and animal cells

are very small (you cannot see them
with out a microscope).

• Animal cells tend to be smaller than

plant cells. Even though the largest
plant cell is only about 100
micrometers wide. (A micrometer is
1/1,000,000 meter. WOW!! That’s
tiny!!

So let’s review…

• Both kinds of cells contain cell

membranes, cytoplasm, and a
nucleus.

• A plant cell also contains chloroplast

and a cell wall.

Quiz Time!

Which of these is NOT made of cells?

A. a rock

B. An ant

C. Moss

D. A stick

Which part is NOT found in an animal

cell?

a. Cytoplasm

b. Cell wall

c. Cell membrane

d. Nucleus

Which statement is true?

a. The nucleus gives the cell its shape.

b. Plant cells are filled with jelly-like

chloroplasts.

c. An animal cell can become a bone

cell.

d. A plant cell can become a nerve

cell.

Which statement is true?

a.

The cell wall allows materials to pass in

and out of cells.

b.

Both plant and animal cells have a cell

membrane.

c.

The genes for plant cells are in the

cytoplasm.

d.

A plant cell produces food in its

nucleus.