Cell Wall Speech

One may think that I, a cell wall, am useless to a plant cell. When in reality, I’m one of the most important distinguishing features of plant cells. I’m rigid and I give plant cells a very defining shape.

While most cells have an outer membrane, none are comparable to my strength. I am composed of cellulose fiber, polysaccharides and proteins.

I also prevent enlargement of the plant cell and I play an important role in absorption, transport and secretion of substances in plants.

I am the main difference in plant and animal cells. Many animal cells have skeletons to give them body structure and support, however, plant cells don’t have that, and yet they don’t just flop over in a big mess. This is because of me. Together with the vacuole, I provide the “skeletal support”. I also help support individual parts of plants.

In addition to all of that, I provide shape to the different cell types needed to form the tissues and organs of a plant. As I earlier mentioned, I play an important role in intercellular communication. Because of my location, I am important in plant-microbe interactions, which are defense responses against pathogens(germs). In other words, I provide protection from physical injury.

Summarizing what I said, I am needed for protection, support, and for giving a plant cell a defining shape. I’m very important to a plant cell and am used for various functions. 

                                 

Prokaryotes vs. eukaryotes

If I had to choose to be an eukaryotic(plant or animal cell) or a prokaryotic cell, I would choose to be prokaryotic cell.

Prokaryotic cells are a lot less complex then eukaryotic cells.

Prokaryotic cells have no nucleus, because there is no need, since it’s a much smaller size, and it means all the materials are very close together. They do have DNA though. The central region of the cell(nucleoid) is pretty much where the DNA is located. Although, there is no physical boundary enclosing the nucleoid. The prokaryotic cell has only one circular DNA molecule, and it’s simpler because it requires less genes to operate then the eukaryotic cell.

The prokaryotic cells have very small ribosomes compared to the eukaryotes.

The prokaryotic cells have no membrane-bound organelles which are independent of the plasma membrane. It’s a significant difference, because of the complexity of the eukaryotic cell.

The prokaryotic cells can also live in water, air, soil, and most objects.

Some move by flagellum, that is a “tail” made up of proteins, and it allows it to move in its environment.

Prokaryotic cells also live longer and have the “capsule” which protects them. 

"Meals on Wheels"- Team Red

We were assigned to analyze the three menus given to us, as nutritionists, and classify them, say which ones had the most nutrients, which menu we thought was long-term and short-term, etc.

After being assigned our project, our group from the “Meals on Wheel” project had the idea to classify each day from each menu. We were going to say the nutrients that had a lot in each menu and the ones who had barely any. Although, Ms. Silva told us that we had to make it broader, so we classified the entire menus, instead of classifying each day.

We were told to make a presentation, so I was in charge of making the powerpoint presentation(I was as well in charge of helping my group classify the menus and getting all the work together) while the other three members from my group were assigned to classify the menus. Luis Esteve classified Menu 1, Beatriz Jacob classified Menu 2, while Rodrigo Ussier classified Menu 3.

We ended up realizing that Menu 1 was the short-term diet, because it wasn´t very varied, and it didn´t have as much carbohydrates, lipids and proteins one needs. Menu 2 ended up being the long-term diet because it was very healthy and had enough nutrients for a long-term diet. While Menu 3 had lots of lipids, and none carbohydrates. The carbohydrates are the “first burn”(first source of energy you use when you exercise), and the lipids are the “second burn”, therefore the lipids substituted the carbs. Menu 3 is a very unusual diet, although still one. But it isn't very healthy beause it has way too many lipids and it can clog vessels, giving one a heart attack or a stroke, etc.

I learned a lot from this science project. I learned how to classify a Menu-something I had never done before-, I learned how to classify if a diet is short-term, or long-term, etc. This project really added to my science knowledge, I now know more much more about nutrients, and I didn't even know I could learn so much in such a "broad project". 

Referring to my other skills, such as teamwork, it helped a lot, our team was very efficient and all of us worked, we communicated with each other, and divided the jobs equally. When we started this project, we weren't very organized, therefore we wasted two classes, however later, we realized that we needed to be more and made it. As for time management we were a little bit behind, but we eventually caught up, we worked very fast and very efficiently. 


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“What was the purpose of these first two days of school and what are my plans for this year?"

The purpose of these first two days of school were to meet our new teachers, new students, learn our schedule, etc. Ms. Silva introduced us to what we were going to learn this year in Integrated Science, including Biology, Chemical and Physics. I'm very excited for this school year, I think it's going to be great.

For our first science class, we were put in groups of fours and participated in the "Marshmellow Challenge". We had to use 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard string and one marshmellow and build a very tall structure, with the marshmellow on top. I think that the purpose of this activity was to make us get to know each other, because as the video Ms. Silva showed us at the end of the class said, this activity makes us interact.

On our second day of Science, we saw videos and presentations and mostly talked about people who achieved a lot of things, yet they didn't achieve it suddenly, from night to day. They took a long time to do so and the purpose of this class was to show us that we can't expect to learn something fast, we have to practice and practice and practice until we know it for sure. Everything takes practice and work and if you really like something enough to go after it, you will work night and day until you achieve it just like the people we talked about did.