The size and scale of cells: the basics
I can describe numbers and sizes of cells using appropriate units.
The size and scale of cells: the basics
I can describe numbers and sizes of cells using appropriate units.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Most animals and plants are made up of millions or billions of cells.
- Cells are usually too small to see with the unaided eye.
- Comparison of the sizes of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, and cell structures, in micrometres.
Keywords
Million - 1 000 000, or one thousand thousand.
Billion - 1 000 000 000 or one thousand million.
Micrometre (µm) - One millionth of a metre, or 1 m / 1 000 000.
Magnification - Making small objects appear larger in order to see more detail.
Common misconception
Pupils commonly convert units incorrectly, multiplying when they should divide or dividing when they should multiply.
It can help to relate the unit conversions in the lesson to an everyday example, e.g. pounds to pence.
Equipment
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
