Connect students directly to the concept in a personal way. Capture students' attention by initiating a group problem-solving activity before delivery of instruction. Begin with a situation that is familiar to students and builds on what they already know. Construct a learning experience that allows diverse and personal student responses. Facilitate the work of cooperative teams of students.

Students look at their own cheek cells under the microscope. They draw what they see.

Objective: To have students personally realize that all living things, including themselves, are made up of cells.

Activity: The students begin this unit by looking at the basic structure of their bodies by doing the classic "cheek cell" lab. Having reviewed the parts and techniques of using a light microscope, the students gently rub the inside of their cheeks with toothpicks. They then make wet mounts and stain their specimens with methylene blue. They should see flat, irregularly roundish squamous cells with lavender cytoplasm and dark purple nuclei. They will also see strange foreign particles and even bacteria. The students should be provided with the materials necessary to draw what they see and color it. (It proves useful to provide students with a worksheet which has circles approximately 6cm in diameter representing the microscope field.)

Assessment: Attentiveness of the class to the activity, success in finding their cheek cells and excitement at looking at a piece of themselves.