SJHS Biology Students Learn About Cells

Cells are the basic unit of life. So, in biology, a class during first through third period at SJHS that focuses on living organisms and they way they work, cells are one of the first and most important things students learn about. Unfortunately, many students feel they are also one of the most difficult subjects to learn about. Mr. Shawn Hatfield, the biology teacher at SJHS, has come with several ways students can memorize the complex organelles inside of cells. One of these ways is drawing them.

Students in biology recently finished a project in which they drew basic pictures of all three types of cells, and then went into detail on several flashcards showing various organelles. According to Mr. Hatfield, the drawings helped students memorize the differences between different types of cells, while the organelle flashcards helped students learn the functions of cell organelles, and the relationships between those organelles.

This is not the first time students have created representations of cells. In seventh grade, students made three-dimensional models of cells. Mr. Hatfield said, “There is more detail on the flashcards, but three-dimensional models show relationships in cells better.” One reason that the flashcards may have more detail is because students in seventh grade learn a simple overview of cells, while students in biology go into more detail.  According to Emily Jay, a biology student at SJHS, ninth-grade students are more capable and used to having difficult assignments, so it is easier to learn more specific information about cells.

Because of the large amount of material covered in biology, students must memorize the cell organelles and functions in a short amount of time. To accomplish this daunting task, students have come up with several strategies to help them memorize cells. Emily said, “I organized the organelles in my mind like a city, so I could remember what organelles the cell had by what things a city would need.” Many students use this strategy. Students compare lysosomes to garbage trucks and mitochondrion to power plants to help them remember organelle functions. Other students try to remember what the organelles do by their color, shape, and size.  Whatever way students choose to use, the information will certainly be useful to them. Emily said, “Even though cells are very small, they’re a pretty big deal.”