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Life Science

Plant vs. Animal

Plant vs. Animal
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   7.62

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    amoeba, cellulose, chlorophyll, chloroplasts, eukaryotic, membrane-covered, organelle, organelles, photosynthesis, prokaryotes, prokaryotic, protists, vacuole, nucleus, classification, survival

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Plant vs. Animal
By Cindy Grigg 		  
1     Cells can be found in all living things. There are several types of cells. They are usually separated into prokaryotic (pronounced "proh-KAR-ee-AH-tik") or eukaryotic (pronounced "yoo-KAR-ee-AH-tik") and are either plant or animal cells. An "animal" cell could be anything from a tiny, one-celled microorganism like an amoeba to a nerve cell from your brain. Plant cells are cells found in any plant that uses photosynthesis to make its own food.
 
2     The first classification of cells is whether they are prokaryotic or eukaryotic. Prokaryotic cells are simpler cells. They were probably the first cells on earth. Prokaryotic cells do not have a nucleus or any membrane-covered organelles. The only cells on earth that are prokaryotes are bacteria. Eukaryotic cells have a nucleus and membrane covered organelles. Things that have eukaryotic cells include animals, plants, protists, and fungi. Organelle means "little organ." Organelles are the parts inside a cell that have specific functions or jobs. Just as the human body has organs that do specific jobs, cells have organelles, or little organs, that do specific jobs in the cell. In the human body, the heart is an organ whose job is to pump blood. In a cell, the mitochondria are organelles whose job is to convert food into energy.
 
3     Plant cells and animal cells have many of the same characteristics, but they are different in some ways. Plant cells are easier to identify under a microscope because they have a rigid cell wall made of cellulose outside the cell membrane. This gives the plant, and the cell, structure and support. Animal cells do not have a cell wall.

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