A team of students, educators, and researchers has developed new materials to teach cell signaling within its cellular context. Two nontraditional modalities are employed: physical models, to explore the atomic details of several of the proteins in the angiogenesis signaling cascade, and illustrations of the proteins in their cellular environment, to give an intuitive understanding of the cellular context of the pathway. The experiences of the team underscore the use of these types of materials as an effective mode for fostering students' understanding of the molecular world and the scientific method used to define it. (Contains 8 figures.)