I am always amazed that science teachers do not invest more time teaching their students the parts of a microscope and how they function. Notice I said “invest” and not “spend’. This is because I truly believe that investing the time near the start of the school year on proper use of a microscope will pay dividends throughout the school year in the form of improved performance on future labs and less frustration for both teachers and students.
Yes, I know that your students should have learned how to use a microscope in a prior class. They may have. They may not have. And even if they did have a great science teacher who taught them everything there is to know about , how much of that information do they remember?
Im my biology class we have several labs throughout the year where students will use microscopes so I have found it important to teach them about the parts of a microscope, how to prepare a wet mount slide, and how to stain objects so they can be viewed in more detail during the first part of the semester. Regardless if you are a new science teacher or not, these 3 tips should help your students better understand the parts of a microscope.
Can Your Students Label The Parts Of A Microscope?
Before you send your students to their lab tables to use the microscopes, get them familiar with knowing each part and what its function is. I like to do this both through direct instruction and with a parts of a microscope worksheet like my microscope doodle notes activity. When I am lecturing on a topic I like to bring in stories and teach students how our understanding of cellular life wouldn’t be possible without microscopes. Chances are you are mentioning key scientists like Hooke, Schwann, and Van Leeuwenheok already in your lectures about early discoveries of cellular life. You can add in a few more details about microscopes into this lecture and help students begin to understand their scientific importance.
To build on what was covered in the lecture, I like to use my parts of a microscope worksheet to strengthen my students’ understanding of what each part of the microscope does. If you are already using an interactive notebook, then this is definitely something to consider adding as a left-side assignment. Doodle notes are also a great activity because they can be easily differentiated to meet the needs of your students. My microscope doodle notes also come in a digital version for teachers who are looking to cut back on making copies for their classroom. Finally to check for understanding, I like to use a short 20-question microscope quiz to check for any items I need to reteach.
Make Your Microscope Lab A Standalone Assignment
As I mentioned above, there are several labs throughout the school year when students will be using a microscope. Chances are you will have your students looking at microscope slides when you are identifying organelles in plant and animal cells, studying osmosis, teaching the stages of mitosis, and others. Like graphing, being able to properly use a microscope is a skill that is revisited multiple times through the year. My microscope lab can be done in 1-2 hours (depending on if you want to complete all the parts of it or pick those that are most relevant for your class). For example, if you know you will only be using prepared slides you could skip the sections on how to prepare and stain wet mount slides.
Despite being so important, I have heard from many teachers who don’t make their microscope lab a standalone assignment. Instead they group teaching the parts of the microscope as part of one of the other labs I mentioned above. IMO, many students are going to struggle because they didn’t get a chance to master the skills of using a microscope before they were asked to use them in another lab. Again, this is why I feel teaching the parts of the microscope is an investment. You and your students will both be less frustrated during future labs if they have already completed a full microscope lab.
Review The Parts Of A Microscope Throughout The School Year
While using a microscope won’t apply to every topic covered in your class, there will be plenty of opportunities to use them throughout the year. Even a quick 5 minute review if it has been a few months since you last used microscopes in your class will help students remember proper procedure for using them. Outside of the units that are specifically focusing on cell structures and functions, there are many opportunities to use microscopes when studying both the systems of the body and ecology. You just have to be intentional to not let microscopes be something you use 1-2 times a year and then you put back into storage. Chances are your students will look forward to using them as well in your class.
Final Thoughts…
While microscopes are expensive, they fall into the category of lab supplies that don’t parish and can be used year after year (provided they are taken care of). The same is true of prepared slides. I would encourage you to look at your curriculum and see where you can include having your students use microscopes as part of an assignment. They definitely have the potential to increase student understanding and excitement about science.
