Cells: The Basic Unit of Life

Cells: The Basic Unit of Life Worksheet (Grade 6 Science, TEKS 6.13A)

What are all living things made of? This one-page sheet teaches that every organism is made of one or more cells, that a cell is the smallest unit that can carry out the jobs of life, and that new cells form only when an existing cell divides. Short sections with doodles of plant, animal, and dividing cells keep the reading simple.

What's Inside

• A Big Question box: "What are all living things made of?"
• A short reading in four parts: made of cells, one cell or many, structure and function, cells come from cells
• Activity 1: Five true or false sentences
• Activity 2: Three circle-the-word sentences
• A visual answer key with answers marked in red

How Teachers Use It

Use it as practice or a quick check for TEKS 6.13A. The sheet takes about 10 minutes, needs no prior knowledge, and prints clearly in black and white.

This worksheet is part of the Reading in Science series for grade 6. It supports TEKS 6.13A: describe the historical development of cell theory and explain how organisms are composed of one or more cells, which come from pre-existing cells and are the basic unit of structure and function. It is one of eleven connected TEKS 6.13 sheets: cell theory (6.13A), the basic characteristics of organisms (6.13B), and variation and survival (6.13C), plus a vocabulary review.

Why It Works

Each sheet opens with a Big Question, teaches the key terms in plain words with simple black-and-white doodles, and then asks students to use only what the page taught. Activities stay at the circle, sort, match, and fill-in level, so students can finish in about 10 minutes, and the visual answer key lets teachers check work fast.