Which Cell Parts Can You See With the Microscope?

Name: _________________________________________________ Date: ________________ Period: ____
Which Cell Parts Can You See With the Microscope?
Introduction: Living things are made of cells. All cells have parts that do certain jobs. Cells have an outer covering called the cell (plasma)
membrane. The cell membrane controls what can enter/exit a cell. The clear jellylike material inside the cell is the cytoplasm. The nucleus is the
control center of the cell. Plant cells have a thick outer covering called the cell wall. It is found on the outside of the cell membrane.
Cell parts can be studied by making wet mounts slides. A wet mount slide is a temporary slide. It is not made to last a long time. You can make
wet mount slides of living and once living materials to study cell parts.
Materials:
• Glass slides
• Droppers
• Onion skin
1. Place the specimen in
the center of a CLEAN
slide.
1. Place a drop of stain at one end of the
cover slip.
• Cover slips
• Forceps
• Various prepared slides
Procedures: Making a Wet Mount Using Water
2. Place a drop of water
on the specimen.
3. Place a cover slip on the
slide. Put one edge of the
cover slip into the drop of
water, and slowly dower
the cover slip over the
specimen.
Procedures: Staining a Specimen
Identify Microscope Parts: Read page R8 of your textbook and label the microscope picture below.
1. Which two parts do you think should be held when carrying a microscope?
___________________________
2. Which microscope part:
a. Adjusts the amount of light that enters the microscope?
_____________________
b. Focuses the image under high power?
_____________________
c. Holds and turns the objective lenses?
_____________________
• Microscopes
• Elodea leaf
• 50 ml beaker
4. Remove any air
bubbles from under
the cover slip by gently
tapping the cover slip
Filter paper
5. Dry any excess
water before placing
the slide on the
microscope stage for
viewing.
2. Hold a piece of filter paper with forceps at the
other end of the cover slip. The stain will flow
underneath the cover slip and stain the specimen.

Specimen #1: Prepare a wet mount of onion cells.
1. Obtain a clean slide and place a drop of iodine in the middle of the slide. If needed, rinse your slide with water and wipe dry
to clean.
2. Peel a thin layer of cells from the inside of an onion as seen in the
picture to the right. If the onion layer is not thin, peel another layer.
3. Place the onion peel in the drop of iodine.
4. Add a cover slip over your onion.
5. Examine the onion under medium and high power and using a pencil,
draw your observations below.
6. Be sure to find and label the Cell wall, Nucleus, Cytoplasm, and Nucleolus (optional).
Onion Analysis: Best Writing Skills (complete sentences)
1. Onion cells (and skin cells) are flat and seem to overlap. Explain why this arrangement is beneficial.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Specimen #2: Prepare a wet mount of Elodea cells.
1. Obtain a clean slide and place a drop of water in the middle of the slide. If needed, rinse your slide with water and wipe dry to
clean
2. Pick a leaf from the Elodea plant and place the leaf in the drop of water. Make sure the leaf is flat.
3. Add a cover slip over your elodea cell.
4. Examine the elodea under medium and high power and using a pencil, draw your observations below.
5. Be sure to find and label the Cell wall, Chloroplast, and the Cytoplasm.

Elodea Analysis: Best Writing Skills (complete sentences)
1. In what particular process do the chloroplasts function?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Using the fine adjustment with high power, focus up and down on one particular cell. As you focus, some of the chloroplasts go
out of view and others come into view. How can you explain this?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Why do you think it is important to have plants like Elodea in a balanced aquarium?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Specimen #3: Prepare a wet mount of your cheek cells.
1) Obtain a clean slide and add a drop of methylene blue in the middle of the slide. If needed, rinse your slide with water and wipe dry to
clean.
2) GENTLY rub the flat end of the toothpick against the inside of your cheek.
3) Rub the used toothpick in the drop of methylene blue to transfer your cheek cells.
4) Add a coverslip and observe under medium and high power of your microscope.
5) Draw a picture of your cheek cells and label the parts you can see.
Cheek Analysis: Best Writing Skills (complete sentences)
1. Review your drawing of an elodea cell. What differences do you notice between an animal cell and a plant cell that can carry on
photosynthesis?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Specimens 4 and 5: Examine prepared slides of cork and blood.
1. Obtain a prepared slide of cork and blood from your teacher.
2. Place the slides under the microscope and observe. Draw the power that best shows the cells.
3. Draw and label the parts you can see on the next page.

Cork Analysis: Best Writing Skills (complete sentences)
1. Knowing that cork is the remains of dead plant cells, which part (or parts) were you able to see? What is the function of this
(these) part(s)?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Blood Analysis: Best Writing Skills (complete sentences)
1. What is the function of red blood cells? How does their shape allow them to do their job?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
General Analysis: Best Writing Skills (complete sentences)
1. When first viewing an object under the microscope, explain why you should always find it under the lowest power available.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Why do cells have different shapes?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________