Using Light Microscopes Lab

Description

Using a Light Microscope Lab Preview

SNAPs Lab Stations Activities require students to use science, math, literacy, problem-solving and engineering skills. They are designed to enhance students’ understanding of scientific concepts and help students apply scientific ideas to the real world. Each station activity promotes skills so to develop students into proficient and competent scientific thinkers.

SNAPs lab activities have five components:
• Science Skills Station to develop science skill proficiency
• Narrative Station to build science literacy
• Assessment Station to evaluate learning and understanding
• Problem-Solving Station to foster engineering design
• Synthesis Station and Project to inspire higher-order learning

DIGITAL LABORATORY – DISTANCE LEARNING & DIGITAL CLASSROOMS
• This lab is offered in a digital format to support digital classrooms & distance learning.
• The digital lab activity is designed to work with Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint
• The digital lab activity CANNOT be edited. However:
– Students can manipulate text boxes
– Students can create tables, graphs and diagrams
– Students can insert images and drawings

GOOGLE FORM ASSESSMENT STATION
• The assessment station is offered as a self-grading Google Form.
• Questions are all short answer and are 100% editable.
• Suggestions for use are included in the download.

DISTANCE LEARNING COMPATIBILITY
SNAPs lab activities are rated for their ease with distance – independent learning. Refer to the preview for more information about how well this laboratory works in a fully digital classroom and with distance learning.

EDITABLE DOCUMENTS
This download includes an editable word document (docx file) of all lab components:
• Pre-Lab and Post-Lab Activities
• The Lab Overview
• Lab Station Activities and Questions
• Directed Synthesis Project (when applicable)

Important Notes:
• Diagrams, illustrations, tables and graphs essential to lab activities are included
• Illustrative clipart is NOT included
• Editable documents and rubrics are included with the FREE SNAPs Setup Guide

Editable files allow you to:
• Edit the scope of the activities so to suit your students’ needs
• Edit the materials required based on resource availability
• Create single-period “mini-labs” using activities at the individual skills stations

The activities at each station in this lab are detailed below.

Using Light Microscopes Lab Stations Activity Learning Objectives
1. Prepare a specimen to view with a light microscope.
2. Center, magnify and focus a specimen.
3. Calculate total magnification.
4. Manipulate the parts of a light microscope so to optimize the view of a specimen.
5. Identify and solve problems that may arise when using a light microscope.

Science Skills Station
Students will make a wet mount of the letter e from newsprint. Students will observe the sample with the scanning, low power and high power objective. With each objective, students will center, focus and adjust the lighting to optimize the view of the sample.

Narrative Station
Students will read about how to use a light microscope. They will read about how to prepare a wet mount of a specimen, how to center a specimen in the field of view and how to magnify and focus the specimen.

Assessment Station
At this station, students will answer questions about key terms and ideas relating to the use of a light microscope. Students must employ lower, mid and higher order thinking skills to answer these questions.

Problem-Solving Station
Students will evaluate and solve problems that may arise while using a light microscope. Students will identify the problem, possible solutions to the problem and how to best solve or address the problem to optimize the use of a light microscope.

Synthesis Station
Students will compose a CER (claim-evidence-reasoning) report to summarize the lab. Students are provided the claim statement and must support the claim with observations, data and other information gathered in the lab. Students will explain how the evidence supports the claim using scientific reasoning.

Synthesis Project
Students will have a choice of 11 projects. Refer to the SNAPs Lab Stations Best Practices and Setup Guide for directions and suggestions on how to conduct the project.

This download includes:
• A pre-lab assignment and post-lab reflection
• Directions and questions for each lab station
• Student recording sheets
• Teacher Key

Additional Materials Required:
1 Light microscope
Glass Slides (1 per group)
Coverslips (1 per group)
Dropper
Beaker of water
Newsprint of the letter “e” (lowercase)

LINKS TO VIDEOS
This laboratory requires internet to access videos. Videos are hosted on SafeShare.TV so to safely watch and share educational YouTube videos without ads, comments and other distractions. Full and shortened links to original YouTube videos are included.

NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS
This laboratory does not address a specific Next Generation Science Standard, but it complements NGSS concepts. It combines the three dimensions of science learning – science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts – in order to meet the standard. This laboratory also makes interdisciplinary connections to STEM, Math CCSS and ELA CCSS to build the appropriate skills.

TERMS OF USE
• All rights reserved by Stephanie Elkowitz.
• This product is to be used by the original purchaser only.
• Intended for classroom and personal use only.
• Copying for more than one teacher, classroom, department, school, or school system is prohibited.
• This product may not be distributed or displayed digitally for public view.
• Failure to comply is a copyright infringement and a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).