ABSTRACT A standard part of biology curricula is a project-based assessment of cell structure and function. However, these are often individual assignments that promote little problem-solving or group learning and avoid the subject of organelle chemical interactions. I evaluate a model-based cell project designed to foster group and indi- vidual guided inquiry, and review how the project stimulates problem-solving at a cellular system level. Students begin with four organism cell types, label organelles, describe their structures, and affix chemicals produced or needed for each organ- elle’s function. Students simulate cell signaling, cell recognition, and transport of molecules through membranes. After describing the project, I present measures of student participation and a rubric, compare individual versus group work, and highlight future modifications, including alignment with the Next Generation Science Standard of “Structure, Function, and Information Processing.” Key Words: Biology; guided inquiry; cell model; group and tactile learning; organelles. Project History ฀฀ J In fall 2008, I introduced a cell-modeling project in a middle school science magnet curriculum. As I used it, I sought ways to increase learning and guided inquiry through group and individual discussion and participation and through tactile work. However, to discover the merit in these changes, they had to be tested in the classroom. The project described here, “A Cellular Encounter,” is titled to avoid confusion and comparisons between it and other cell projects. Topics include cell signaling, membrane perme- ability, chemical reactions and the organelles in which they occur, and a culminating question comparing the study of the cell to life itself. Responding to student feedback, peer review of the project with experts, reviews with teaching colleagues, and insight gained from presenting it publicly (see Acknowledgments), I made further changes for 2013, keeping in mind the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS; NGSS Lead States, 2013). For example, the standard for Cell Structure and Function (MS-LS1-2) states the need “to develop and use a model describing functions of a cell as a whole, and ways parts of cells con- tribute to functions. Emphasis is on the cell functioning as a whole system and the primary role of identified parts of the cell, specifi- cally the nucleus, chloroplasts, mitochondria, cell membrane, and cell wall.” Here, I report on recent modifications, observations, results, and evolution of the project. I also cover learning approaches, par- ticipation, student roles and performance, methods of individual and group assessment, and grading rubrics. Alternatives for Constructing Cell ฀฀ J Models & Projects Depending on the grade one teaches, either a basic or a more advanced lesson describing the structure and function of the cell is required. Many of these lessons include viewing various cells under the micro- scope and an individual cell project. When I first taught the project, students made a model cell, either plant or animal, from Styrofoam. Once the model was constructed, students labeled cell parts and organelles (an example is at http://niki319 .blogspot.com/2008/02/cell-model.html). Another option is to explore cell structure and function through a web quest; one such quest is called “Celebrate Cells” (http://www .can-do.com/uci/ssi2001/cells.html). A dif- ferent approach involves making a “cell city” to explain the functions of organelles and the cell (Grady & Jeanpierre, 2011). Undergraduate options include a group project in which students select a disease and then explain how it affects the cell and its organelles. For this teacher, project-based cell biology moved stu- dents away from a content-only curriculum to one equally focused on The American Biology Teacher, Vol. 76, No. 8, pages 544–549. ISSN 0002-7685, electronic ISSN 1938-4211. ©2014 by National Association of Biology Teachers. All rights reserved. Request permission to photocopy or reproduce article content at the University of California Press’s Rights and Permissions Web site at www.ucpressjournals.com/reprintinfo.asp. DOI: 10.1525/abt.2014.76.8.8 544 THE AMERICAN BIOLOGY TEACHER VOLUME 76, NO. 8, OCTOBER 2014 Depending on the grade one teaches, either a basic or a more advanced lesson describing the structure and function of the cell is required. JOEL I. COHEN INQUIRY & “A Cellular Encounter”: INVESTIGATION Constructing the Cell as a Whole System Using Illustrative Models RECOMMENDATION