VAAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY FACULTY OF HUMAN SCIENCES DEPARTMENT: EDUCATION
LESSON PLAN
School: Realeka Secondary School Student’s name & number: Ramathelesa N.M 221383344 Subject: Natural Sciences
Class: Grade 9 Date: 17 January 2023 Time: 07:45 – 08:45
Key Learning Area: Cells as a Basic Unit Lesson Topic: What Are Cells?
of Life
Key Words/Concepts:
cell
cytoplasm
eukaryote
membrane
microscope
microscopic
nucleus
organism
prokaryote
Prior Knowledge Required (Specific knowledge/concepts, skills and values students must possess or have experienced to be successful in this lesson):
Grade 4: Living things
Work schedule outcome(s): One or two Indicators of learning for this lesson: Behaviours that contribute toward Assessment: Strategies which will be used
only (write out in full). achievement of outcome(s). Must be clear, specific, observable. By the to assess learners’ attainment of learning
end of this lesson, the students will able to: indicator.
This lesson focuses on the basic
explanations of what cells are, how Define the term cell. Learners will be assessed after we have
different they are and how they Explain why cells can only be seen under a microscope. done more work on the topic.
can be viewed on a microscope. Know how cells look like under a microscope.
LESSON SEQUENCE
Lesson content/Indicators of learning Timing Teaching strategies/Learning experiences (How it is Resources and organisation:
(What is taught): (mins) taught):
INTRODUCTION: Describe how you will capture students’ interest. How will you establish a positive learning environment? How will you connect current lesson to
prior learning/experiences/knowledge? What kind of questions should the students ask themselves after the engagement?
Begin the lesson by checking if all 5 mins Brainstorm with learners what they think cells are Chalkboard
learner books have been marked and what are the different types of cells they know. Chalk
and are up to date with the Duster
learning content. Learner’s prescribed textbook
Learner’s exercise book
Pen
Lesson content/Indicators of learning Timing Teaching strategies/Learning experiences (How it is Resources and organisation:
(What is taught): (mins) taught):
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT/EXPOSITION OF THE NEW LEARNING CONTENT: Introducing new learning or extending/reinforcing prior learning. Providing
opportunities for practice and application of learning (guided & independent). Helping students demonstrate what they have learned. Providing opportunities for
consolidation and reflection of key concepts learnt. Differentiation (addressing all learners’ needs)
Explain to learners what cells are 35 mins What are cells? Chalkboard
and what their functions are. All living organisms, including plants, animals, Chalk
bacteria and fungi, are made up of cells. Duster
Cells are the smallest parts of all living organisms. Learner’s prescribed textbook
If we look at all the living organisms in the world, we Learner’s exercise book
see that there are two main types of organisms Pen
based on the structures of their cells.
The most important difference in structure is the
presence of a nucleus.
Cells that contain a nucleus are classified as
eukaryotic cells, while those without a nucleus are
prokaryotic cells.
In this chapter we will specifically look at eukaryotic
cells that make up organisms such as plants and
animals.
Examples of organisms with prokaryotic cells are
bacteria.
We can say that cells are the basic structural and
functional units of all living organisms.
You cannot see individual cells with the naked eye,
because they are too small - you need to use a
microscope to be able to see cells.
We say cells are microscopic because they can only
be seen under a microscope.
Robert Hooke was the first cytologist to identify cells
under his microscope in 1665.
He decided to call the microscopic shapes that he
saw in a slice of cork "cells" because the shapes
reminded him of the cells (rooms) that the monks in
the nearby monastery lived in.
Show learners a picture of an
ancient microscope.
Show learners what cells look like
under the microscope.
Different types of cells
Teach learners that there are
Your body is made up of many different kinds of cells.
different types of cells and show
We say your cells are specialised to perform a
pictures of two different cells.
specific function.
Depending on the function of the cell, it can be
specialised by having a different shape or size or
may have some components which other cells do not
have.
Have a look at the differences between nerve cells
and red blood cells in the images.
These nerve cells appear green under a
fluorescence microscope.
Red blood cells have a round, biconcave shape.
Even though there are many different types of cells,
there are components of the cell structure which are
common to all cells.
There are also some structures which most, but not
all, cells have.
CLOSURE: Closure provides a review of what has been presented and an indication of how it will be extended into the next lesson: how do you alert students that it
is time to wrap up? How do you consolidate/reinforce major points to help students retain key concepts or skills? What work can you assign in preparation for the next
lesson?
Summarise the what has been 20 mins Give learners a class work and mark it after. Chalkboard
learnt thus far. Chalk
Duster
Learner’s prescribed textbook
Learner’s exercise book
Pen
LESSON EVALUATION/REFLECTION: To what extent were the lesson outcomes achieved (What learning took place? Which aspects of lesson went well? Which aspects
could be improved upon?). How will students demonstrate that they have achieved the lesson objective? This should be embedded throughout the lesson as well as
at the end of the lesson. What have you learnt from the lesson? What do you recommend for future lessons? Comment on your effectiveness in the light of the
outcomes of the lesson and yourself development focus for the lesson, referring to both strengths and areas to be addressed.
The outcomes of this lesson were achieved successfully. Learners were interactive in class. I used the learner centred method of teaching in class and that seems to
have worked well. Learners did well in the class work that they wrote and that suggests that they have grasped the learning content.
