Cellular Text Set Collection

Biology4kids.com

            This is a great site for middle schools and even high school students who are lower skilled readers. The site has great information on all the organelles we will go over in class. This site even has quizzes for students to assess their retention from their readings.

http://www.biology4kids.com/files/cell_main.html

The Cell

            This site is more advanced than the other websites. Thus, I would not recommend using this site with students younger than those in high school. However, this site does have great definitions and explanations for some of the processes that take place in the cell. It also has wonderful illustrations and pictures of various cell types.

http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~acarpi/NSC/13-cells.htm

Learn. Genetics

            This is a wonderful site that can accommodate lower skilled readers up to higher skilled readers. However, this site would probably be too advanced for most middle school students. It has short passages, but the content is excellent. This site also has wonderful animations that accompany the text. The site also has audio versions of most of the texts that I found for ESL students.

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/cells/

The Biology Project

This is an easier to read website/ program. Each topic covered in the site takes students to problems that students need to answer and when they do they read more about the topic. I found this site to be good for students to review. The activity and level of the content is aligned with high school students, but honors classes in middle schools could benefit from the use of this site. However, this site would benefit moderate to advanced readers more than lower skilled reading students. This site also has an easy link that takes students to a version that is in Spanish for Spanish speaking ESL students.

http://www.biology.arizona.edu/cell_bio/cell_bio.html

Johnkyrk.com

This online programwas created by biologist and educator John Kyrk and is wonderful for all reading levels. Advanced readers may find it too easy, but the program serves as a great tool. Students highlight over parts of the cell and the program tells the student what it is and what the organelle is responsible for in the cell. This program supports ESL students through seven different language translations.

http://www.johnkyrk.com/

Cells Cells- Parts of the Cell Rap

            This is a fun video created by 6^th grade teachers for their students. The song is catchy and informational. They also included the lyrics so students can read along with the rap and its visuals. It is good for lower skilled readers in middle school. High school students may enjoy it, but may also find it juvenile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zafJKbMPA8

 

Enjoy Your Cells

            This picture book is great for beginning readers. Most high school and middle school students will be beyond its limited concepts. However, younger readers, lower skilled readers, and ESL students may find this book useful.

Balkwill, F. R., & Rolph, M. (2001). Enjoy your cells. (Vol. 1). Cold Spring Harbor, NY: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Cells

            This book is wonderful for young readers in elementary school to early middle school. The book is also useful for ESL students and those with low reading skills. The book also has wonderful pictures and diagrams as it outlines the history of the discovery of cells. In this book, students will also find the vocabulary section of the book to be useful as it has definitions for them to easily see.

Silverstein, A., Silverstein, V. B., Nunn, L. S., (2009). Cells (Science Concepts, Second Series). Twenty First Century Books.

Cell Wars

            This book is wonderful for low skilled readers and ESL Students in higher grades, but it is also good for early readers. This book describes the processes that cells take to fight off diseases. This is also a good book for students who just want a basic knowledge of the immune system’s processes.

Balkwill, F. R., & Rolph, M. (1994). Cell Wars. First Avenue Editions.

Mighty Animal Cells

            This is a wonderful picture book for younger readers. It details how new cells are created, what cells do and what their organelles do. I would not use this book for middle school or high school students unless they were low skilled readers or ESL students.

Johnson, R. L., & Desrocher, J., (2007). Mighty Animal Cells (Microquests). Lerner Classroom.

Cell Craft

            Cell Craft is a game where students build a cell and learn about the organelles and processes required to make it work. The game even includes high level content such as nucleic acids and chemical bonding. This would be a good game for middle school students and high school students but the content, computer skills, and reading level required to move forward in the game are not appropriate for elementary school students.

http://www.biomanbio.com/GamesandLabs/Cellgames/cellcraft.html

Cell Defense: The Plasma Membrane

            This online game allows students to create plasma membranes to defense their cell against the onslaught of the outside world. Students will learn how the membrane works and its parts as well as some of the transport processes of the cell. This game is too advanced for elementary schools, but it would be appropriate for middle school and high school students. If students get something wrong they can correct it but the game points out why they should have done something in cellular terms and why that way is correct.

http://www.biomanbio.com/GamesandLabs/Cellgames/celldefense.html

Cell Explorer: The Animal Cell

            This game is fun and teaches the student about cell organelle structures and their functions while they battle to stop cell destroyers. Once again this game is good for middle school and high school students, but may be too advanced for elementary school students. This game would be helpful to all reading skills as it provides assistance to low readers while high skilled readers can easily just relax and have fun while learning.

http://www.biomanbio.com/GamesandLabs/Cellgames/CellExplorerAnimalCell.html

Basic Cell Biology Game

This is a good review/ trivia game. Students can practice and assess their knowledge of the cell. I believe that this would be good for middle school students. But it lacks the depth of content to make it useful in high school classrooms for use other than quick reviews. This is good for low readers and moderate skilled readers.

http://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz93971ac45f0.html

Cellular who wants to be a Millionaire

This is a fun game that could be used as a competition style activity in a classroom. Students can compete to see who can become the millionaire first. Some of the concepts are more complex than those found in standard elementary or middle school curriculums and text books. I would suggest that this game be used in high schools and it can be used with low skilled readers and high skilled readers.

http://www.quia.com/rr/86966.html