Through the Microscope (SCOP) – CTY Course Syllabus

DAY Goals and Objectives Activities Day 1

Monday • Introduction • Safety & Honor • Class Rules • Characteristics of Life? • What is Science? • Assess Students knowledge and

understanding • Lab notebooks • Introduce Biobottle

• Ice-breaker, get to know each other • Class Rules – brainstorm and post the rules • Syllabus – what are we going to do? Why? • Safety and Honor Code • What is Science? Define as a class – post on the board • Brine shrimp study

- Set up lab notebook – how do you keep a notebook?

• What is Life? Characteristics of Living things • Design own living creature – draw – what characteristics

would it have? • KWL chart – brainstorm • Pre-Assessment • Introduce Biobottle – collect 2L bottles • The Giving Tree – outside in the shade • Journal Writing in Notebook HOMEWORK: Finish the Journal writing,

Day 2 Tuesday

• How do microscopes work – light, refraction, magnification

• Label the parts of the microscope

• Use a microscope • Make a wet mount • Calculate magnification • Identify key steps in history of

microscopy and who made these steps

• Power of 10 video – 9 minutes • Size of Universe animation – what can we study with a

microscope? • Use a ruler to review metric system and understand

relative size of dm, cm, mm • Discuss difference between stereomicroscope, compound

microscope and electron microscope – show images obtained by electron microscope and show picture of electron microscope

• Bend and Stretch lab – light and refraction through different materials (The Microscope Book)

• Parts of the microscope • Take microscope matching quiz – pre-quiz, not graded • Look at various prepared slides, have students rotate

around the room • Show and Tell • Video of protistso – paramecium, amoeba, discuss van

Leeuvenhoek and “Animalcules” – looked at living cells • Show Robert Hooke’s drawings of Cork cells – explain the

name “cell” – looked at non-living cells • Letter “e” drawing – learn how to make a lab notebook

entry, make first entry including drawing Homework: Bring in materials and organisms for biobottles

DAY Goals and Objectives Activities Day 3

Wednesday • Make a wet mount • Use the microscope to make

observations and record specific details in their lab notebook like the color, shape and features of a cell

• Add facts and understandings to KWL chart • Organize materials for biobottles • Develop plan (including list of materials and drawing) of

biobottle • Go outside to collect materials and organisms • Look at objects (dirt, sand, bugs etc.) under the

microscope. - Learn how to make a wet mount

• Construct bottles • Show and Tell Homework: Study for microscope Quiz

Day 4 Thursday

• Design a data table and make observations

• Discuss data versus observations • Understand that different body

tissues have different structures (look different) under the microscope because of their varying functions – should be able to identify various tissues

• Make observations of plant cell - shape

• Construct a data table for observations. Include temperature and pH of bottle

• Make observations and gather data – temp., pH and microscope

• Microscope Quiz • Difference between Eukaryote and Prokaryote • Introduce Cell Theory – PPT • Look at Elodea under the microscope – draw in notebook,

label chloroplast • Cell Videos: Inner Life of a Cell animation, Paramecium

eating, amoeba moving, cardiac myocytes beating • Look at prepared body tissue slides: liver, skin, muscle,

blood Homework: Read p. 26-29 in textbook

Day 5 Friday

• Define the Cell Theory • Label plant and animal

organelles – structures and functions

• Perform Photosynthesis lab – should be able to describe photosynthesis and respiration in general terms

• Make slides of Cheek cells – observe the nucleus

• Explain what the cell membrane does

• Biobottle observations • Cell Theory assessment • Discovery Cell Video • Label Plant Cell parts and discuss organelles • Set up Photosynthesis Lab – Elodea and Bromothymol

Blue - Develop hypothesis - What is photosynthesis? Why are plants the ones

who can do it and not animals? Why do animals need plants?

- Set up lab notebook for results • Look at Cheek Cells, stain with Methylene Blue • Label Animal Cell parts and discuss differences with plant

cells • Cell membrane demonstration – filter paper + model • Check photosynthesis Lab results – write results in

notebook and summarize a conclusion Homework: Make foldable of plant cell organelles – structure and function

DAY Goals and Objectives Activities Day 6

Tuesday • Define Autotroph and

Heterotroph • Discuss why scientists need to

use models • Describe the structure of the cell

membrane and explain the chemical nature of the membrane. They should also be able to explain selective permeability and why cells need this characteristic (discuss diffusion too)

• Construct a cell model • Explain why mitochondria are

required for Eukaryotes and what may happens when mitochondria don’t function

• Review from last week: Plant vs. Animal, Prokaryote vs. Eukaryote, Photosynthesis vs. Respiration – game

• Introduce Autotroph vs. Heterotroph • Make biobottle observations • Discuss models – what are they? Why do scientists use

them? • Learn about the structure of the membrane – diffusion

demo with food coloring. Remind students about selective permeability

• Make a model of the cell membrane • Brainstorm making a cell model - project Mitochondrial

diseases, and amount of mitochondria in different tissues • Mitochondrial diseases and number of mitochondria in

different tissues – analyze graph • Set up bread mold experiment Homework: Begin to collect household materials for cell model

Day 7 Wednesday

• Describe the structure of DNA – nucleotides, hydrogen bonds, base-pairing

• Identify who discovered the structure of DNA – Franklin, Watson and Crick

• Extract DNA from strawberries and observe the rope-like structure of DNA

• Warm-up: Notecard: What is the structure of the cell membrane? How does the cell membrane achieve selective permeability? Why does it need to be a barrier for the cell?

• Biobottle observations – record • Learn about the nucleus and DNA – what is it? Why is it

so important? Who discovered the structure of DNA? Watson, Crick and Franklin - Prezi

• Fill out KWL chart about DNA • Extract DNA from Strawberries • Look at “DNA” under the microscope – why can’t we see

clearly? How do we know so much about it then?? • What happens when DNA is changed? Make a snork

activity – see how DNA are the instructions for living things

Homework: Bring in materials for Cell model – construct tomorrow

Day 8 Thursday

• Construct a paper DNA model • Construct a model of a cell and

identify the parts of that cell with an appropriate key

• Explain why cells are small – tie in diffusion, nutrients and respiration, characteristics of life

• Fill out KWL chart about DNA • Make biobottle observations • Construct paper model of DNA – put together as a class • Construct Cell Model in class • Cell Size Lab with Agar and NaOH – Why aren’t we one

big cell? Surface area to volume ratio. Make cubes with paper first to model surface area and volume

Homework: Finish Cell model if needed

DAY Goals and Objectives Activities Day 9 Friday

• Explain the structure of a chromosome and why DNA needs to condense in order to divide properly

• Describe the stages of mitosis • Identify dividing cells in onion

root tip and explain why these cells are dividing

• Observe various protists and compare characteristic – photosynthetic, heterotrophic, cilia, flagella etc.

• Finish Cell Model/Watch Cracking the Code of Life – NOVA

• Cell Division and Mitosis – Paper Inquiry activity – put pictures in the correct order. Make foldable for mitosis

• Lecture/show videos PMAT • Simulate DNA condensing into chromosomes – each

student is a histone protein and one strand of yarn represents a DNA molecule – wrap around them

• Remind why cells divide • Look at Onion root tip – stain with Iodine, look at mitotic

cells • Observe protists from various sources including their

biobottles, pond water, and stream water • Make Biobottle observations NO Homework

Day 10 Monday

• Describe characteristics of prokaryotes

• Explain the importance of prokaryotes in our environment

• Calculate and Graph the exponential growth of bacteria

• Make wet mount of mold and record observations in lab notebook

• Fill out KWL chart about bacteria and protists • Why do we care about bacterial growth? Ecology,

medicine etc. • Exponential growth of bacteria worksheet – calculate and

graph the data – carrying capacity • Make biobottle observations • Observe bread mold – fungi – what are the results of the

experiment? Look at mold under microscope – make notebook entry

• Assign bacterium to research Homework: Research bacteria for poster – handout with questions

Day 11 Tuesday

• Describe the three main types of fingerprints

• Compare various fingerprints and match them

• Introduce Forensic Science – solving mysteries • Make fingerprints and look under the microscope.

Compare different classmates’ prints • Make wet mount of different hair samples – learn how

the FBI uses microscopes to solve crimes • Make final biobottle observations Homework: Continue Research on bacteria- print any pictures or save to flash drive

Day 12 Wednesday

• Work in pairs to design and carry out bacteria lab – bacteria in our environment

• Construct poster about bacteria that includes basic information on shape, size, physical characteristics plus special features and uses

• Go to Computer lab to type information and get pictures for the poster

• Instructor and PA evaluations • Discuss interdependence of all life: decomposers,

sunlight, and cycles • Set up Bacterial cultures - experiment • Make a poster about bacterium Homework: Study for post-assessment

DAY Goals and Objectives Activities Day 13

Thursday • Summarize their biobottle

observations by describing what they did, what they observed, and what conclusions they can draw

• Make slides of crystals and observe

• Explain what a crystal is made of and be able to identify various crystal shapes

• Final Biobottle observations – deconstruct if necessary • Write Summary of Biobottle in lab notebook

- What did you do? - What did you observe? What happened? - What conclusions can you draw? What questions

do you now have? How would you test them? • Summarize/brainstorm what we’ve learned so far • Post Assessment • Make slides of crystals: NaCl, Epsom salts, sugar Observe

crystals under the microscope – notebook entry • Discussion of chemistry – atoms, molecules and minerals • Characteristics of crystals • Observe fabric fibers under the microscope – why is this

important? • Look at insects – milkweed and pillbugs Homework: None

Day 14 Friday

• Present their bacteria posters by describing special features of the bacteria including whether it is helpful or harmful, where it lives and its physical characteristics

• Record results of bacteria experiment and write conclusions in lab notebook

• Present bacteria posters • Go to Inventions and Robotics • Record Bacteria Experiment Results • Look at prepared slides of bacteria • Prepare for the open house • 1-1:30 – open house