Part 1: Investigation Procedure

Question: Do the tested items show evidence of being made of cells?

Work with your team. Record observations, not opinions. Use the categories evidence of cells, no evidence of cells, or inconclusive.

1. Put on safety glasses if your teacher tells you to use them. Review the station directions.

2. Examine the first prepared image or sample carefully. Use the microscope, hand lens, or image provided.

3. Record only what you can see, such as boundaries, repeated structures, a nucleus, or a membrane.

4. Decide whether your observations show evidence of cells, no evidence of cells, or an inconclusive result.

5. Record one observation that supports your classification.

6. Repeat Steps 2–5 for all six items. Do not change an observation to match a prediction.

Word bank: cell   living   nonliving   evidence   observation   nucleus   membrane   conclusion

Part 2: Results and Analysis

Complete one entry for each prepared image or sample.

Sentence starter: A pattern I notice is that...

Sentence starter: This result may be inconclusive because...

Part 3: CER Conclusion and Exit Response

Write one claim. Include two specific observations as evidence. Explain how your reasoning connects to cell theory. Acknowledge an alternate or inconclusive interpretation.

Sentence starters: My claim is...   The evidence shows...   This supports cell theory because...   An alternate or inconclusive interpretation is...