Teaching about Cell Transport – Animations and Other Resources
Cell Transport is one of my favorite topics to teach. Usually it’s late October and my students have gotten through biochemistry and the organelles and are wondering how it all fits together. Watching the light bulbs in my students’ heads go on when they finally understand how materials get in and out of the cell is exciting!
This subject really lends itself to showing animations. Fortunately, there are some really great free videos and animations on Youtube! Here are a bunch that I have used in the past. I find that the more animations I show during this unit, the better students understand the unit. They really love them and I know many of my students like to have a link list to study from at home! (These links work as of 12/30/2020)
Youtube video covering all of the types of transport:
Here is another one I like from the Amoeba Sisters:
Other Resources for Teaching Cell Transport
There is a limit to animations and videos. Some students have limited access to a computer at home that will play these animations. Smartphones often have trouble playing online animations (at least in my experience). I also firmly believe students need something in their hands, a paper resource to write on, take notes on, in order to absorb the material. This is why I created my Cell Transport Coloring Activity Pages.
Each process, diffusion, osmosis, facilitated diffusion, active transport, and endo/exocytosis, has its own coloring page and questions that are meant to get students thinking on a higher level.
Within this bundle of activities, I have my favorite resource for teaching about the sodium potassium pump. I have a page with 6 diagrams that show students step-by-step what happens in the sodium potassium pump cycle and another coloring page connecting this important transporter to the sodium glucose transporter.
I also have a whole pack of cell transport homework pages that cover everything from diffusion, osmosis, to endocytosis and exocytosis. I created it so that my students can have thoughtful, creative homework assignments to complete, yet respectful of their time.
I also have a whole set of doodle diagram notes that you can use to help students understand all of the cell transport processes. They work perfectly as little anchor charts in their notebooks! I also have interactive diagrams that can be really useful if you’re teaching over Zoom or Google Meet.
Thanks for stopping by my blog! Please check out my other posts for more information on teaching tough topics!
