A game is only worthwhile when you have some familiarity with the rules. In order to fully enjoy games on plant and animal cells, teachers should provide students with basic cell vocabulary. Care should be taken not to complicate the material; instruction should be clear and focus on only the essentials. Terms such as Golgi vesicles, druse crystals, and endoplasmic reticula can be tough for fourth graders to digest right away. Using vivid yet simple illustrations is an effective way to introduce these students to the components of cells.
Students will appreciate interactive activities to help them grasp plant and animal cell facts. Their own hands get involved with the creation of model cells. Teachers will need to ensure that each student is equipped with two durable plastic bags, which will symbolize the cell membrane. Corn syrup represents the cytoplasm. Before beginning the model construction, students do research to decide what objects best represent which organelles. Gummy worms can signify mitochondria, for instance, and small balls of breakfast cereal could stand in for the lysosomes.
Another dynamic way to reinforce plant and cell information in fourth graders is to get the students on the Web. Sheppard Software has produced an excellent web site game to help students click their way to cell knowledge success. The company Animal Cell Game, for instance, prompts players to correctly match organelles to the corresponding sign. Those who make no mistakes in their matching enjoy a cool visual reward. Students who struggle a bit can turn to a helpful tutorial for support.
Continuing with virtual teaching aids, teachers can also scout out resources in which the whole classroom can participate. Purpose Games offers a timed labeling activity. Educators could consider staging an in-classroom competition, in which whoever finishes the quiz the fastest, wins a prize. Such a competitive activity, however, should be reserved for when every student in the class displays solid understanding and recognition of the cells' components.