Zoom into Microscopy

As a component of a larger study of the characteristics of life, students will explore characteristics, traits, and structures of microscopic organisms.

Students will already have learned how to operate a light microscope with three objective lenses and will have had experience with focusing, measurement, and technical drawing.

Materials required for each lab group include:
paramecia
ameoba
ueglena
flagellates
brineshrimp
protoslo
microscope and slide kit
digital camera
computer with Power Point software

Using their eyes, then a hand lens, students will document observations and photograph each of the organisms in their medium. (As these organisms are microscopic, there should be little to see!)

Using a microscope, students will focus on each organism at 4x, 10x, and 100x power. Written observations, focusing on characteristics of life, physical characteristics, traits, and structures, will be noted in lab journals. Holding the digital camera to the eyepiece, students will capture an image of each organism at each power.

(The following URL shows video and images of a zebra fish embryo taken with a digital camera held to the eyepiece of a microscope. Many photos on this site were taken by myself and my lab partner during a workshop held at Notre Dame. http://ndercbioeyes.wikispaces.com/Photos+and+Videos)

Havinggathered observational and photographic data, students will locate additional sources of information about each organism and create a Power Point presentation that can be printed for use as a picture book or displayed electronically for peer review. Each page will include photographs of exactly what the student saw and what he or she observed. Additional information gathered from academic sources will be included to extend learning.

Each presentation/book will include:

Title Page
Table of Contents
Unaided observation (naked eye)
Hand lens observation
4x microscopic observation
10x microscopic observation
40x microscopic observation
Works cited

Student work will be assessed using a rubric designed to evaluate lab notes.