Unit 3 Reflection

Throughout this unit, there were a variety of topics some of which I found to be fairly straightforward, and some which I found difficult. Coming fresh off of the macromolecules unit, I found it helpful to see some of the ways in which carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins are found in cells. Carbohydrates are found in chains around the cell membrane, the cell membrane is made up of phospholipids. Channel proteins as well as proteins made by ribosomes that are found inside the cell.
We also discussed the different parts of a cell; we likened the cell to a factory. There are many organelles that have very specialized jobs: the nucleus holds the DNA that contains instructions for all the cell's activities; the mitochondria are the "powerhouses" and carry out cellular respiration; the ribosomes do protein-synthesis; the ER packages and completes protein-making...etc. I found this topic to be one of my strengths because the different functions of how each organelle works is easy to remember by comparing it to a job in a factory; such as comparing the Golgi Apparatus to a UPS.
We also studied how the cell membrane is selectively permeable, and only some substances can pass through. I felt as though diffusion was definitely one of my strengths: understanding how particles move from a high concentration to a low concentration until equilibrium is reached, at which point particles move back and forth in every direction. I feel as if I have a grasp on the differences between osmosis, diffusion, and facilitated diffusion. Active transport requires energy to be put in from the cell, whereas passive transport does not.

Photosynthesis and respiration were very detailed and went far beyond what I had learnt in the past about them, and in this unit we learnt a lot more about the chemistry behind the basic reactions. Photosynthesis was difficult to understand at first, but with more drawings and with reading the information from multiple sources, I began to grasp it. Inside the mesophyll cells, inside the chloroplasts, photosynthesis occurs. The "photo" part of the reaction happens in the thylakoids of the granum, and the "synthesis" part happens in the stroma of the chloroplast. I feel that I still do not have a full understanding of cellular respiration, although I basically understand that it takes place in the mitochondria and that the three stages are glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the electron transport chain. I think with more practice and more re-reading of the topic, I will be able to strengthen this weak area.

From this unit, I learnt that drawing diagrams (and color coding them) is extremely helpful and is great for really understanding the information. I learnt how to properly focus a microscope and reinforced the do's and don't's of how to use it. I learnt more about the structure and function of cells as well.  I want to learn more in the future about the chemistry behind the Krebs Cycle and the Calvin Cycle. I wonder how the first scientists even imagined that cells could exist, and I think it is fascinating how they designed the microscopes. In order to study, I am going to re-draw the diagrams and look at unlabeled diagrams to try and name all the parts.