Assignment - Infographics - 148

A Note on What Makes This an Infographic

A labeled diagram of an animal cell names the parts. An infographic explains what the cell is actually doing. Each organelle is not just a structure - it is a working machine with a specific job. Your infographic should tell the story of the cell as a factory: who does what, how the parts depend on each other, and what would happen if one part stopped working. A reader should finish understanding how the cell stays alive, not just what its parts are called.

Objective

Create a narrative infographic in Canva that maps the organelles of an animal cell, explaining the function of each and how they interact to carry out the cell’s work.

Content to Cover

The Cell as a Factory

Open with this framing: An animal cell works like a factory. It takes in raw materials, produces proteins and energy, manages waste, and controls all its own operations. Each organelle is a department with a specific job.

The Organelles

For each organelle, include: its name, a one-line analogy (optional), its function, and one consequence of it failing.

Cell Membrane The outer boundary of the cell. Controls what enters and leaves through selective permeability. Receives signals from outside. Without it, the cell cannot regulate its environment and will die.

Nucleus The control center. Contains the cell’s DNA - the instruction manual for every protein the cell makes. Directs all cell activity. The nuclear membrane protects the DNA. When a cell divides, the nucleus divides first.

Nucleolus Found inside the nucleus. Produces ribosomes. Without the nucleolus, no ribosomes are made, and protein production stops.

Cytoplasm The gel-like fluid filling the cell. Suspends all organelles, allows molecules to move through the cell, and hosts many chemical reactions.

Mitochondria The powerhouse of the cell. Carries out cellular respiration - breaking down glucose to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the cell’s energy currency. The more active a cell, the more mitochondria it has. Muscle cells have thousands.

Ribosomes Tiny structures (not membrane-bound) that build proteins from amino acids, following instructions from the nucleus. Proteins carry out almost every function in the body.

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) A network of membranes connected to the nucleus.

• Rough ER (studded with ribosomes): processes and transports proteins made by ribosomes.
• Smooth ER (no ribosomes): produces lipids, detoxifies chemicals.

Golgi Apparatus Receives proteins from the ER, modifies and packages them, and sends them to their destination - inside or outside the cell. Acts as the cell’s postal service.

Lysosomes Contain digestive enzymes that break down waste materials, old organelles, and foreign particles. Keep the cell clean. When lysosomes fail, waste builds up and the cell dies.

Vacuoles Store water, nutrients, or waste. In animal cells, vacuoles are small and temporary.

Centrioles Play a role in cell division by helping to pull chromosomes apart. Not found in plant cells.

Design in Canva

• Large animal cell illustration in the center with all organelles shown.
• Callout panels for each organelle surrounding the cell, with connecting lines.
• Each callout: organelle name, function in one sentence, and one supporting detail (analogy or consequence).
• Color-code organelles by function: energy (mitochondria) in one color, protein production (nucleus, ribosomes, ER, Golgi) in another, waste management (lysosomes) in another.

Required Elements

• All 10 organelles listed above with functions explained.
• The factory analogy as the opening frame.
• Functional color-coding.
• Title: “The Animal Cell.”