B11.

1 AT Practical (foundation)

Observing cheek cells under a microscope

Setting the scene
Every living thing is made up of cells. You are made of millions of different types of
cells. Today you will observe some of your cells under a microscope. You should be able
to identify some of the features of your cheek cell and calculate how big the cells are.

Aims and outcomes

In this practical you will:

 use a microscope to observe a microscope slide of cheek cells

 draw a microscope diagram of your cheek cell

 calculate the magnification with support.

Skills
You will be working scientifically to:

 communicate ideas

 construct explanations

 use appropriate techniques, apparatus, and materials during fieldwork and laboratory
work paying attention to health and safety.

Safety
 Sterilised swabs should be used and disposed of in a container of
disinfectant.

 Students should only take samples from their own mouths.

 Slides and cover slips should be disposed of in a container of disinfectant

solution and autoclaved.

 Methylene blue is an irritant and harmful, disposable gloves should be

worn.

Equipment and materials

 Sterilised cotton swabs

 Disposable gloves

 Light microscope

 Microscope slides and coverslips

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B11.1 AT Practical (foundation)

 Dropper bottle containing some stain (methylene blue)

 Shared large container of alcohol or disinfectant to put used swabs and slides in

Results
Draw what you can see when you look through the microscope in the space
below.
Use a sharp pencil.
Draw two or three cells.
Try to include the different parts of the cell that you can see.

Method
1 Gently scrape the inside of your mouth with a clean cotton swab.
2 Smear the cotton swab on the centre of the microscope slide.
3 Wear gloves and add a drop of methylene blue solution and place a coverslip on top.
4 Remove any excess solution by touching a paper towel on one side of the coverslip.
5 Place the slide on the microscope, with 4× objective in position and find some cells using
the coarse focus knob.
6 Once you have found your cells, turn the fine focus knob to bring the cells into focus.
7 See if you can view at higher magnification.

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B11.1 AT Practical (foundation)

8 Once you have focused on a few cells, draw them in the space above.
9 When you have finished, dispose of your slide and cotton swab in disinfectant provided.

Questions

1 Choose one cell in your diagram.

Draw label lines with a ruler and label the following parts of the cell.

a cell membrane (1 mark)

b cytoplasm (1 mark)

c nucleus (1 mark)

2 Calculate the magnification you have used.

objective lens magnification = (1 mark)

eyepiece lens magnification = 10

Total magnification = objective lens magnification × eyepiece lens magnification

= × 10 (1 mark)

(2 marks)

3 Explain why you used methylene blue solution on your slide.

(1 mark)

4 Draw lines to match the parts of the cell with their function. One has been done for you.
controls the cell and contains the
cell membrane
genetic material

controls what comes in and out of

cytoplasm
the cell

jelly-like substance where chemical

mitochondria
reactions take place

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B11.1 AT Practical (foundation)

nucleus where respiration happens

(3 marks)

5 Describe two things that you did to ensure your practical was safe.

(2 marks)

Follow-up questions

1 a Label the diagram of a plant cell with the following labels.

cell wall chloroplast vacuole

(3 marks)

b i Complete the table by using ticks () to show which components animals and
plants cells have.

cell cell
chloroplast cytoplasm nucleus mitochondria vacuole
membrane wall

animal
cell

plant

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B11.1 AT Practical (foundation)

cell

(2 marks)

ii Name the components that both animal and plant cells have.

(4 marks)

c Explain why animal cells don’t contain chloroplasts.

marks)

© Oxford University Press 2017 www.oxfordsecondary.co.uk/acknowledgements

This resource sheet may have been changed from the original.