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6th grade · Science · Unit 11 of 17

Cells: Life's Building Blocks

All living things are made of cells.

What your child practices

Practices evidence that living things are made of cells, the parts of plant and animal cells and their jobs, and how the cell works as a system.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 6.13(A) · cell theory: all organisms are made of cells that come from other cells

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. All living things are made of cells. Most cells are seen with a microscope.
  2. Cell parts have jobs: the nucleus holds the instructions and mitochondria release energy from food.
  3. Similar cells working together form a tissue. Tissues form organs.

Example: Which cell part releases energy from food? The nucleus is the control center. Mitochondria are the cell's power plants. Answer: mitochondria

Cells: Life's Building Blocks in Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 11 of 17 in 6th grade Science, after Biodiversity and before Seasons & Tides.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which part captures light to make food?

    • Chloroplast
    • Cell membrane
    • Nucleus
    • Mitochondria

  2. Question 2

    Ribosomes in a cell make…

    • proteins
    • light
    • sugar
    • water

  3. Question 3

    Which structure is found in plant cells but not animal cells?

    • Cell membrane
    • Mitochondria
    • Cell wall
    • Nucleus

  4. Question 4

    A group of similar cells working together forms a…

    • organelle
    • organism
    • tissue
    • molecule

  5. Question 5

    Which is NOT made of cells?

    • A worm
    • A mushroom
    • A rock
    • A tree

  6. Question 6

    A cell is like a city. Mitochondria are like…

    • the power plant
    • the library
    • the garbage dump
    • city hall

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