Plant & Animal Cells Complete Lesson Plan - MS

Everything you need for an engaging, ready-to-teach unit on plant and animal cells is right here! This fully editable, multiday resource includes presentations, worksheets, student-choice projects, and assessments—all designed to minimize prep while maximizing student learning.

With differentiated, student-led activities, your students will stay engaged and curious while you focus on supporting their success.

Essential Questions

• What is the difference between structure and function in plant and animal cell organelles?

• What roles do the cell membrane, cell wall, nucleus, cytoplasm, mitochondria, chloroplast, and vacuole play?

Texas Teachers: This lesson aligns with the 2017 TEKS (not updated for the 2021 TEKS).

Why Teachers Love This Lesson

• Differentiated materials to support learners at all levels

• Multimodal learning that keeps middle schoolers engaged

• Maximum flexibility—use printable or digital versions

• Editable PowerPoints to customize for your class

• Spanish translations of vocabulary, reading passages, and notebook pages

This lesson is built on the proven 5E Instructional Model (Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, Evaluation), ensuring a research-based structure for deep learning.

What’s Included

Engagement

• Lesson objectives and Word Wall Cards (English & Spanish)

• Teacher file with discussion prompts, activities, and common misconceptions

Exploration – Student-Led Station Lab
Nine differentiated stations let students explore plant and animal cells through multiple learning styles:

Input Stations (learn content)

• Explore It! Hands-on demo or experiment

• Read It! Differentiated passages (English & Spanish) + comprehension questions

• Research It! Online exploration with guided tasks

• Watch It! Short video with reflection prompts

Output Stations (show understanding)

• Organize It! Printable or digital card sorts

• Write It! Open-ended response questions

• Illustrate It! Sketching and visual modeling

• Assess It! Task cards + vocabulary-in-context activity

Bonus Station – Challenge It!
Extension tasks like crosswords, games, and mini-projects for early finishers or enrichment

Explanation

• Editable PowerPoints (standard & interactive)

• Interactive notebook templates (digital & print, English & Spanish)

• Guided note-taking templates

Elaboration

• Student-choice projects to extend learning in class or at home

Evaluation

• STAAR 2.0–style assessments (standard & modified versions)

• Review questions and worksheet for practice or homework

Flexible for Any Classroom

This lesson is ready for in-class or virtual learning. Station labs, interactive notebooks, and PowerPoints are fully compatible with PowerPoint and Google Slides for easy integration.

This is a finished product; it will be updated with formatting or corrections as needed. Future improvements and new features will be sold as a separate product.