What others say

"We talked about the discovery of cells and the cell theory and this activity made for the perfect lab afterwards! I loved how it followed the timeline!"

Melissa M.

"My students were highly engaged in this. It was the perfect thing for their first time using microscopes. Since they are a little younger than the intended audience, we used specimen cards rather than slides."

Jennie G.

Description

Instead of just talking about the scientists that contributed to the cell theory, have students "travel through time" and see first hand what these famous scientists discovered. In this activity students will rotate through 5 microscope stations, draw what they see, and make qualitative observations. Please note this lab is not editable.

For this lab, you will need:

1. Microscopes- at least 5 but a class set is ideal

2. Prepared slides of cork cells or make your own wet mount (Hooke)

3. Pond water sample or make your own hay infusion (Leeuwenhoek)

4. Prepared slides of plant cells or make your own wet mount (Schleiden)

5. Prepared slides of animal cells or make your own wet mount (Schwann)

6. Prepared slides of onion root tip mitosis or make your own wet mount (Virchow)

Prior to completing this lab...

- Students should know how to use microscopes.

- Students do not need to know cellular organelles or cell basics. This activity is intended to introduce them to cell types.

You might also be interested in:

Cell Theory Powerpoint

Microscope Worksheets

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Cell Theory Microscope Stations Lab

Name: Cell Theory Microscope Stations Lab
Brand: Science Lessons That Rock
SKU: 4928119
Price: 4.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.83 (144 reviews)

Science Lessons That Rock

10.5k Followers

$4.00

Highlights

Digital downloads

PDF

Grades

8th - 10th

Subjects

Biology, General Science

Standards

NGSSMS-LS1-1

What others say

"We talked about the discovery of cells and the cell theory and this activity made for the perfect lab afterwards! I loved how it followed the timeline!"

Melissa M.

Jennie G.

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Cells Unit Bundle for high school biology

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195

Description

For this lab, you will need:

1. Microscopes- at least 5 but a class set is ideal

2. Prepared slides of cork cells or make your own wet mount (Hooke)

3. Pond water sample or make your own hay infusion (Leeuwenhoek)

4. Prepared slides of plant cells or make your own wet mount (Schleiden)

5. Prepared slides of animal cells or make your own wet mount (Schwann)

6. Prepared slides of onion root tip mitosis or make your own wet mount (Virchow)

Prior to completing this lab...

- Students should know how to use microscopes.

- Students do not need to know cellular organelles or cell basics. This activity is intended to introduce them to cell types.

You might also be interested in:

Cell Theory Powerpoint

Microscope Worksheets

Be sure to follow my TpT store by clicking on the "follow me" button next to my seller picture to receive notifications of new products and upcoming sales.

Don't forget to leave feedback to earn TpT credits that can be used for future purchases!

Want free tips and resources sent to your inbox once a week? Subscribe to my newsletter! You can also...

♻️ Check out my blog

♻️ Follow me on facebook

♻️ Follow me on instagram

♻️ Follow me on pinterest

Report this resource to TPT

Reported resources will be reviewed by our team. Report this resource to let us know if this resource violates TPT's content guidelines.

4.8

Rated 4.83 out of 5, based on 144 reviews

144
ratings

119

Mostly used with 7th and 9th grades

Reviews

6th

7th

8th

9th

10th

11th

12th

All verified TPT purchases

Great Resource

Rated 4 out of 5

May 27, 2026

My students enjoyed doing this lab and being able to see the discoveries that help lead to the Cell Theory.

Just Teach

(TPT Seller)

249 reviews • North Carolina

Grades taught: 6th, 7th, 8th

Cell theory microscope stations

Rated 5 out of 5

April 19, 2026

Met expectations

Great value

Standards-aligned

Seventh grade students loved the interactive microscope lab.

Lisa A.

304 reviews • Indiana

Grades taught: 3rd, 7th

Amazing Resource

Rated 5 out of 5

January 8, 2026

Met expectations

Great value

Standards-aligned

Thank you so much for this resource! This is just what I was looking for!

Sara D.

763 reviews • California

Grades taught: 6th, 7th, 8th

Engaging Activity

Rated 5 out of 5

November 25, 2025

Met expectations

Great value

Standards-aligned

Very easy to use. Students were engaged from start to finish. Thank you!

Jessica Shepherd

(TPT Seller)

605 reviews • Pennsylvania

Grades taught: 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th

Student populations: Autism, Learning difficulties, Mild to severe disabilities

This was perfect!

Rated 5 out of 5

October 9, 2025

Met expectations

Great value

Standards-aligned

We talked about the discovery of cells and the cell theory and this activity made for the perfect lab afterwards! I loved how it followed the timeline!

Melissa M.

237 reviews • Florida

Grades taught: 7th

Rated 5 out of 5

June 25, 2025

Thank you for an excellent resource!

Daniele P.

1,195 reviews

Grades taught: 9th

Rated 5 out of 5

April 20, 2025

My students were highly engaged in this. It was the perfect thing for their first time using microscopes. Since they are a little younger than the intended audience, we used specimen cards rather than slides.

Dust Bunny Creations

(TPT Seller)

125 reviews

Grades taught: 6th

Rated 5 out of 5

April 6, 2025

What a great way to introduce cell cycle and introduce microscope skills! Loved this station lab.

Cher J.

413 reviews

Grades taught: 8th

Questions & Answers

Standards

to see state-specific standards (only available in the US).

NGSSMS-LS1-1

Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells; either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells. Emphasis is on developing evidence that living things are made of cells, distinguishing between living and non-living cells, and understanding that living things may be made of one cell or many and varied cells.