I created this simple exercise for freshman students learning about the cell membrane. The graphic organizes the two types of cell transport: active and passive. Students then identify the types of transport, such as osmosis and diffusion.
A word bank is included, so students simply need to find the appropriate location for each word. Cell membrane graphics serve as clues, showing endocytosis and exocytosis. The image of the cell membrane reinforced the concept of the phospholipid bilayer and embedded proteins.
You can give students a more detailed cell membrane graphic which also includes facilitated diffusion. In this exercise, students must also determine the direction that molecules will move based on the type of solution: hyper or hypotonic.
If you are looking for a more vocabulary focused activity, check out “Reinforcement: Cell Transport.” where students use a word bank to fill in blanks that describe the membrane and transport.
How do I use these types of activities in class? Mainly, this is a way to pause during short lectures for students to gather their own thoughts. Most of my freshman start to lose their focus if I talk for more then 15 minutes. So here, can can describe cell transport and then students can practice organizing the concepts. I don’t normally grade these, but instead, give them 10 minutes to complete it on their own. Then, we go over the answers together and continue with the lecture of move on to another activity.