Plant and Animal Cells Worksheets

About this resource

A complete plant and animal cells kit for grades 6-8, built for the table where students need different amounts of support. Students read a one-page reference of the cell parts, label an animal cell and a plant cell (both drawn for this file), match each part to its job, fill in a paragraph from a word box, sort words into a Venn diagram, answer multiple-choice, true-or-false and circle-the-true-sentence questions, cut and paste features into plant only, animal only or both, and write short answers and explanations. Every student page has a name line, one short instruction and real room to write. Answer keys, a tracker, a class grid, a progress note and a family page are included, so nothing has to be written from scratch.

EVERYTHING INSIDE (26 pages)

• 12 student pages in 12 page types: Cell Parts at a Glance, Label the Animal Cell, Label the Plant Cell, Match the Part to Its Job, Fill In the Blanks, Compare in a Venn Diagram, Multiple Choice, True or False? Fix It, Circle the True Sentence, Cut and Paste Sort, Short Answers and Explain It
• 90 scored items on 11 pages, every answer read from the same lists that draw the pages
• 2 labeled diagrams drawn in code: an animal cell (cell membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus, mitochondria, ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosome) and a plant cell (cell wall, cell membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus, chloroplast, central vacuole, mitochondria, Golgi apparatus), 8 numbered parts each, with a word box of 10 (two are not used) and two questions on each page
• 11 cell parts to match to 11 jobs, with a letter box for each part
• 10 blanks in a paragraph, from a word box of 12 (two are not used)
• 1 Venn diagram with 3 regions (plant cell only, both, animal cell only) and a word box of 11
• 8 multiple-choice questions, 8 true-or-false statements (with a line to fix each false one) and 6 pairs of sentences where the student circles the true one
• 12 cut-and-paste pieces on one three-box sort mat (plant cell only, animal cell only, both), edge to edge, each piece 1.75 in by 1.15 in
• 5 short-answer questions with 4 writing lines each, and 3 explanation prompts with 5 or 6 writing lines each
• 2 answer keys, checked against the questions
• 1 tracker (page, page type, items right, date) and 1 whole-class progress grid
• 1 progress note (a hand-off page between team meetings) and 1 family page
• 1 filled example (an invented student, Jordan T.), 1 phrase bank (15 starters in 5 groups), 1 binder cover and 6 divider tabs with a spine label to cut out
• Start Here page with a "which page, when" chooser

The Page Types

1. Cell Parts at a Glance: all 11 cell parts with what each one does, a line on what is the same and different, and lines to write what the student knows.

2. Label the Animal Cell: 8 numbered parts, a word box, and two questions with writing lines.

3. Label the Plant Cell: 8 numbered parts, a word box, and two questions with writing lines.

4. Match the Part to Its Job: 11 parts, 11 lettered jobs, and a written question about what could happen if a part stopped doing its job.

5. Fill In the Blanks: a paragraph with 10 numbered blanks, a question about one word the student used, and the two words that were not needed.

6. Compare in a Venn Diagram: sort 11 words into plant cell only, both or animal cell only, then write one sentence about how the cells differ.

7. Multiple Choice: 8 questions with four lettered choices each. The right letter moves from question to question.

8. True or False? Fix It: 8 statements, a T or F box, and a line to rewrite each false one.

9. Circle the True Sentence: 6 pairs, circle the true one and write its letter.

10. Cut and Paste: Sort It: 12 pieces to sort into plant cell only, animal cell only or both, then a sentence about how the cells are alike.

11. Short Answers: 5 recall questions with 4 lines each.

12. Explain It: 3 prompts (what plant and animal cells share, why a plant cell can make its own food, a classmate's mistake about a cell wall) with 5 or 6 lines each and sentence starters.

How To Use It

Hand out the reference page first, then any page in any order. Use it as a unit, as stations, as a quick check or one page a day. The Start Here page maps what you want to do (introduce, review, compare, check, write) to the page to use.

Built For The Student Holding The Page

A big "My name" line, one short instruction, body text at 11 point or larger, answer boxes you can type in or write in, and writing lines at a size that fits middle school handwriting. There are no cartoon characters or baby-ish borders. Nothing on a student page is written for an adult; the keys, tracker and notes are on separate teacher pages. The file prints clean in black and white.

No Guessing The Answer

Wherever a student picks among printed spots (the lettered choices, the order of true and false, the letters on the matching page, the order of the cut pieces) the position of the right answer is checked in code so it does not sit in the same spot three times in a row.

Type In, Or Print

The name line, every answer box, blank and writing line is a type-in field in any PDF reader: click one, type, then save. The same goes for the tracker, the class grid, the progress note and the family page. This is a fillable PDF; it is not a Google Slides or PowerPoint file. The cut-and-paste sort is for pencil, scissors and glue.

Who This Is For

Middle school science classes, resource rooms, co-taught classrooms and special education teachers who need a complete plant and animal cells unit at grades 6-8 content with room for support: a word box, sentence starters and a reference page. It can be used as a unit, as stations, or one page a day.

What This Is, And What It Is Not

A plant and animal cells worksheet set with the record-keeping around it. The science is the standard middle school textbook version. It is not a timed test, a screener, a clinical tool, or a claim about any student's age or rate of progress. There is no IEP goal language or eligibility wording anywhere in the file.