After students have been introduced to the different types of cells and organelles, they get this alien cell challenge. It is a role play lesson where students pretend to be xenobiologists studying an alien transmission where they have to classify the cells and organelles and compare them to their Earth analog to see if there could be an ancestral link. Students work in small teams and write out a report while Dr. Arroway (the teacher) checks each team for their progress. The lesson kicks off with a video announcement from Dr. Jill Tarter, who is an American astronomer and the outgoing director of the Center for SETI Research at the SETI Institute. Working with Jill to make this video was a real treat and adds to the authenticity of this lesson.
Documents needed for the lesson:
Classified Data and Information Report, Ambiguous_Cell_Final, Animal_Cell_Final, Bacteria_Cell_Final, Mitochondiral_Detail_Final, Nucleus_&_DNA_Detail_Final, Phospholipid_Bilayer_Detail_Final, Plant_Cell_Final, Ribosomes_Detail_Final
