Organelles: The Jobs Inside a Cell

0:00All living things are made of one or more cells, the basic units of life. So what goes on inside a cell?

0:09Let's zoom in on one plant cell from a leaf.

0:13Inside are organelles, tiny structures that each do a job. Think of the cell as a factory.

0:20The nucleus holds DNA, the cell's instructions, and directs the cell, like a factory's control room.

0:28The cell membrane is a thin layer around the cell. It controls what goes in and out, like a security gate.

0:36Plant cells also have a stiff cell wall outside the membrane. It supports and protects the cell, like a factory's strong outer walls.

0:45Mitochondria release energy from sugar in a process called respiration. They work like a power station.

0:53Ribosomes, the tiny dots, build proteins, like workers on an assembly line.

0:59Chloroplasts capture light energy, like solar panels, and use it to make sugar. This is called photosynthesis.

1:09The large vacuole stores water and other materials, like a storeroom.

1:14Every part of a cell has its own job, and together they keep the cell alive.