1. Figure 6.1 shows Robert Hook's cork slide. Use a piece of cork and ask how it is that such a substance would lead someone to be inquisitive about its composition.

2. Bring together a collection of items that are alive: plants and insects work well here. Discuss how all living things are comprised of cells and focus on the range of organisms, from unicellular to massive organisms like whales. Slides or pictures of bacteria, algae, and protozoa provide excellent contrast and some are extremely beautiful.

3. Show modern photographs, slides, and micrographs of all kinds to illustrate how hard humans have worked in order to be able to see and study the cell. An understanding of the cell at its most basic level is a better understanding of life.

1. Figure 6.3 illustrates the plasma membrane. Without it, there are no cells. Use a plastic food container to illustrate that it is simple to merely "contain" something, but it is very difficult to build a container that contains and allows movement across the boundary.

2. Use slides of animal and plant cells to illustrate the obvious differences in their external structures. Allium root tip slides are good for showing the plasma membrane surrounded by a cell wall. Slides of animals cells, such as whitefish cells undergoing mitosis, show the plasma membrane and highlight the absence of a cell wall.

1. Use a wooden meter stick to demonstrate the size of cells. Be prepared to show centimeters, millimeters, micrometers, and nanometers in a comparative way. The use of an ocular micrometer is one of the best mechanisms for this. Figure 6.4 shows detailed information about the metric measurement system.

2. Use balloons to illustrate the surface to volume ratio consideration in cell size. Fill one balloon slightly and tie it off. Fill the other as fully as possible while leaving yourself able to handle it without its breaking. Toss the balloon with very little water to a student. Demonstrate that with a higher surface to lower volume situation, the balloon (cell) is more likely to remain intact if stressed. Ask students to consider the situation with the very full balloon (throw it if they don't respond). Ask how large a cell can be before its existence is threatened by its size.

1. Microscopy is responsible for our ability to look into cells. Discuss different types of microscopy and show images of what one can see with each type of microscope. Compound, dissecting, phase contrast (Figure 6.10), dark field, SEM, and TEM should all be included.

2. Discuss the idea of magnification. Figure 6.6 shows how increased magnification does not increase resolution.

3. Students have a difficult time understanding what they are looking at under a microscope. One reason for this is that they do not understand how the section on the slide was achieved. Use a round fruit like a cantaloupe and an elongated fruit, like a cucumber, for a demonstration. Slice sections of the cantaloupe with a large knife, beginning at one side. Point out to the students that the section is a solid one because the center of the cantaloupe hasn't been reached yet. Then show them a center section of the cantaloupe. To help with the understanding of oblique sections, first cut the cucumber in cross section, then long section. Then cut an oblique section and show the students how each type of section displays a different view of the vegetable. Relating this to fixed tissues in a microtome or on a slide will help students understand sectioning perspectives and can also be helpful with body plane topics.

4. Prepare a wet mount of water with a cover slip, and be sure to include a bubble of air under the cover. Show students how this bubble can be misinterpreted, and discuss artifacts that commonly result from preparation of slide sections.

1. Show pictures, diagrams, and EMs of procaryotic and eucaryotic cells. Discuss the difference between the nucleoid and the nuclear envelope.

1. Use whatever means available to show students pictures of the many and varied organelles currently known.

1. Figures 6.25, 6.26, and 6.27 depict various features of the eucaryotic cell surface.

2. Diatoms and sponges are examples of organisms that incorporate silica.

1. Use laser video discs to show video footage of magnificent protozoans; often these clips show their organelles as well.