In this microscope lab activity, students will learn how to use a microscopes and prepare slides for viewing. Your student are going to love this microscope lab.
For this microscope lab, your students will gain a better understanding of how to easily find a specimen using a simple procedure that is included as a bell ringer in our Full Biology Curriculum.
In the microscope lab bell ringer, students look at the step below out of order and try to place them in the proper order. After going over the proper order listed below, students can then use the procedures as a guide as the complete the microscope lab.
Step for using a microscope:
- Plug in and turn on the microscope.
- Lower the stage so it is farthest from the objective lens.
- Adjust the objective lens to the lowest magnification
- Place the prepared slide on the center stage
- While looking into the ocular lens, slowly move the stage towards you using the course adjustment knob until the sample comes into view.
- Use the fine adjustment knob to focus your image better. You can also adjust the diaphragm to let in an optimal amount of light.
- Move to a higher power if necessary. DO NOT LET THE OBJECTIVE LENS TOUCH THE SLIDE when switching to a higher power. You may need to lower the stage.
You can download a copy of the microscope lab activity here . This is a great lab activity to introduce your students to using the microscope. This is written in a way that you can step back and just let the students have fun and explore the microscope.
Some Hilarious Misconceptions
When doing this microscope lab I love stepping back and listening to the students and answering their questions.
I created a post on my Facebook Page about some of the comments teachers make when students are using a microscope. Many of my followers loved this post and added their own comment that you can read below.
[Never assume using a microscope is intuitive for students.]
If you need a good laugh read below.
Frequent quotes of Biology teachers to their students using microscopes:
“You may want to turn on the microscope, it works better that way”
“Are we looking at stars?, No?…..then this is a microscope”
“Hmm it seems as though your nose piece is not in the proper place”
“Yea….I am not surprise you do not see anything, you have not placed anything on the stage to view yet”
“Totally just an air bubble and not a crazy new species”
“That light is broke? It seems like it just needs to be plugged in”
“Stop screaming… it is just your eye lashes!”
“Hmm can’t see anything on the slide? Why don’t you put that dissecting microscope back in the cabinet and grab a compound microscope”
“You have to start on low every time”.
“That’s the edge of the coverslip”
” Coverslips cover. We don’t make slide sandwiches.”
“That’s not a coverslip, that’s the piece of paper that keeps the coverslips separated in the box.”
“Yes, there is a line in there. It’s called a pointer!”
“Of course you can’t see anything now. You zoomed into a blank spot on the slide. You have to MOVE your slide so the specimen is dead center.”
….as kid holding slide up to light on the ceiling ” I promise there is something on the side, it’s microscopic you won’t see it that way”
“Turn the little knob if you want to see it better.” “If you turn down the light you’re gonna see more detail” “”move the slide slowly the OTHER WAY” “you’re not Dexter use a real coverslip”
“The drop of pond water goes under the coverslip, not on top of it!”
” The slide goes under the clips, not on top.”
“Losers Can’t Have Fun! Losers – Low power
Can’t- Course Adjustment Knob
Have -High Power
Fun – Fine Adjustment Knob
It’s how we teach the order of how to use a
🔬! Kind of awkward when admin walks in, but they remember! 🤣”
“The specimen has to be thin enough for light to pass through it, that’s why all you can see is a black blob.”
See the post here! Don’t forget to follow us!
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#biologyteaching #teachingmicroscopes #biologycurriculum