Today I am supposed to explain mitosis.  Mitosis is the process that eukaryotic cells perform to divide body cells and is broken up into six phases.  Interphase is the time when the nuclear membrane hasn't broken down and the DNA is still in loose strands.  Then the DNA thickens into chromosomes and the nuclear membrane breaks down.  This is called prophase.  Once the chromosomes have thickened they bundle up tightly in the middle and the spindle fibers form then attach themselves to the chromosomes, which is the third phase called metaphase.  The next phase is called anaphase.  Anaphase is where the spindle fibers pull the sister chromatids away from each other, and then disintegrate once the chromatids are separated.  Then comes telophase which is basically the beginning of the last phase which is cytokinesis.  It is where two new nuclei begin to form.  Then cytokinesis is the last phase where there are two new cells, that are exactly copies as the parent cell.

A bacteria cell is very simple, but still has a well developed structure.  Bacteria is prokaryotic which means that they do not have a nucleus.  They do have a nucleoid though which is a central region that holds the DNA, but is not bound by a membrane.  Bacteria cells perform all the same functions as every other kind of cell, including mitosis, meiosis, and DNA replication.  In fact every type of living organism replicates DNA the same way which leads scientists to believe that every living thing is related.  

Plant cells are a type of eukaryote which means that they do have a membrane- bound nucleus.  They are like animal cells, but have a cell wall and mitochondrion which animals do not have.  Also, animal cells have a very small vacuole, but plant cells have vacuoles that take up about 90% of the cell.  One other difference between plant and animal cells is that plant cells have more of a rectangular shape whereas animal cells have a round shape.  These are the main differences between animal,  plant, and also bacteria cells, which have very obvious differences.

The edible cell was a group project we did in science class.  We had to build a cell with all its organelles using only edible materials.   Each person was responsible for bringing some of the things that we would use for a certain part of the cell, and then we brought it all in to class and put it together, then ate, after it was graded of course.

  This project was designed to help us learn more about cell structure since that was what we were studying at the time.  I think this is a good way to help students learn about the structure of a cell, because you actually have to put it together and see what it is supposed to look like.  Also it is fun, and keeps you interested, whereas just reading a textbook can put you to sleep. So that is why I think this project was effective, and would definitely advise the seventh grade science teachers to continue it.