The lab my 6th and 7th grade scientists have either dreamed of or dreaded all year long is finally here- the Dissection Lab. The number of middle school scientists who fear this lab is pretty darn small and, for the most part, once they get over the smell of the preserved organisms the initial hesitation just disappears. So, what are my scientists dissecting? Let me give you a few clues… they are marine organisms- an echinoderm and a cephalopod. The echinoderm likes to eat bivalves by inserting their stomach into their prey and using their digestive acids to break down the meat for easier eating. The cephalopod is a great appetizer you often find fried and served with tarter sauce at seafood restaurants.
Do you need more clues? See if you can guess from these pictures!
Do you think you know what we are dissecting? If you guessed sea stars and squid you are so wonderfully correct! Nice job!
Dissecting takes a little practice, so we spread this lab out over two days. Since my scientists are new to the whole dissecting thing all I really hope to see is that they are comfortable with the tools, that they learn to identify the sex of the organism and the major organs, and that they can remove organs and other body parts from their specimen cleanly. How do you think they did?
The coolest part about dissecting squid is piercing their ink sac and using the squid’s quill to write a little note. One student knew how to get me blushing with their note!
Did you notice there are a few words underlined in this journal entry? Do you know their definition? If you do not, make me a happy teacher and please look ‘em up!
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