• Students will be able to articulate the functions of each organelle to maintain cellular homeostasis
• Students will be able to develop and defend a claim to diagnose a patient based on prior knowledge of organelles

Students will be introduced to the jobs of each organelle to keep a cell functioning and learn that sometimes our cells do not work correctly because one or more organelles are malfunctioning. Following this, the student will play the role of a doctor in a scenario with a sick patient. They will have to use clues from what they know about organelle functions, the symptoms of the illness, and the results of any given diagnostic tests to determine which organelles are affected.

Teacher Preparation

Print the Organelles & Disease Guided Notes, and the Mock Patient Chart. If completing both case studies in the Organelles and Diseases Slides, each student will need two copies. Download and open the Organelles and Diseases Slides.

Slide 2
Record/keep track of student ideas to map what the students already know about this topic. While the students are pair sharing, hand out the Organelles & Disease Guided Notes.

Before Slide 6
Ask if students know ways we can get diseases, then reveal the full list once some examples are said.

Slide 7
After reviewing the three parts of cell theory, explain the organization of the body from largest to smallest. Then, mention that while the cell is the smallest unit of life, cells contain smaller structures inside.

Slide 9
After talking about things the cell might need to do, explain that organelles perform these functions for the cell.

Slide 13
Walk through the labeling on the student handout as a large group. Point to arrows and have students posit which structure could be indicated.

Slides 15 and 16
Explain that scientists can use microscopes to look at these organelles inside the cell. We need to use microscopes because of how small they are.

Slide 17
Explain that cells in our body must have a way to duplicate if we need to grow, if we get injured, or during normal cell processes. This is the cell cycle. In the cell cycle, cells must grow, then they will duplicate their genes and organelles. They grow a little more, and then they divide. Then, they might enter interphase, where they do their normal cell job. In between each step in this cycle, there are checks to make sure the cell is healthy. If a cell is unhealthy or it cannot perform its normal function, then cell damage, uncontrolled division (cancer), or cell death could happen.

Slide 19
Hand out the Mock Patient Chart.

Slide 21
Read the patient information aloud with the students. Ask if students know what normal heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, and weight would be for the patient (these vital signs are normal). After recording the vitals, ask what other important information should be noted.

Before Slide 23
Ask the students what tests they would recommend (or questions they might ask) to figure out what is wrong with John.

Slide 23
Explain that an EEG measures electrical activity in the brain and can help doctors figure out if patients have neurological conditions. Explain that an MRI gives a picture of the brain tissue, and that it can show things like tumors, loss of brain matter, and other problems with the brain. Lastly, explain that no mass was visible in a brain scan, which rules out a tumor causing the symptoms. Since his blood test was normal, the doctors decided to take a skin sample to look at what might be going wrong in the cell. This is called a biopsy.

Ask the students to make a final diagnosis of what could be wrong with John.

Slide 24
Emphasize the buildup of lipids in the cell, as this indicates the lysosome is malfunctioning because the lipids cannot be broken down. Ask students to come up with some treatments for John’s symptoms and prognosis.

Slide 26
Have students predict the malfunctioning organelle and share in groups/tables. They should record their predictions using the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning format on the Organelles & Disease Guided Notes. Then, share in a large group.

Slide 27
Explain that a mutation in a gene means there is an error. It is like a typo—the new sentence might not mean the same thing as it meant before.

Slide 28
If a trait is recessive, you need two copies of it for it to be expressed.

Slide 30
Read patient information aloud with the students. Ask if students know what normal heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, and weight would be for the patient (these vital signs are normal). After recording the vitals, ask what other important information should be noted.

Slide 31
Ask why it would be important to know if the patient lives in a home with smokers. Again, ask students what tests they would perform or what more they would want to know.

Slide 32
Explain that a CT scan is like an X-ray but gives a three-dimensional picture of the organ. Nasal nitric oxide is something we normally exhale when we breathe. This test measures how much is exhaled. Ask if students know what a tissue biopsy is and what it could be used for.  Have students revise their initial diagnosis if needed.

Slide 33
Ask students to share treatments they would recommend for her disease and symptoms.

Slide 35
Have students predict the malfunctioning organelle and share in groups/tables. Then, share as a large group. They should record their predictions using the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning format on the Organelles & Disease Guided Notes. Then, share in a large group.