Animation by Travis

Plant and animal cells are different.  Animal cells have these parts:  Nucleus, cell membrane, vacuoles, mitochondria, and cytoplasm.

The nucleus is like a person's brain. It tells the cell how to do its job. The membrane is like skin. It lets things in and out of the cell. Vacuoles store water for the cell. They also store waste products. Cytoplasm is like water or liquid and fills the inside of the cell. It holds the other parts of the cell in place. Mitochondria break down food molecules to give the cell energy.

Plant cells have these parts:  Nucleus, cell membrane, cell wall, vacuole, chloroplast, cytoplasm, and mitochondria.

The nucleus is like the brain. It has the instructions to tell the cell how to do its job. The membrane is like skin. It lets things in and out of the cell. The wall is like the membrane, but is thicker. It gives the cell shape. It also lets good things in and keeps bad things out of the cell. The vacuole has water and waste materials. Chloroplast holds the chlorophyll that lets the plant make its food. Cytoplasm fills the inside of the cell. It's a liquid and helps hold all of the other parts of the cell in place. Mitochondria break down food molecules to give the cell energy.

Animal and plant cells are similar because they have some of the same things, but animal cells don't have cell walls or chloroplasts. Can you think of other ways animal and plant cells are different or the same?

Compare:  Draw a Venn diagram on a piece of paper. In one circle, list the things in an animal cell. In the other circle, list the things in a plant cell. Which things do they have in common? Which things are different?