Microscope Worksheet

Step 1. Familiarize yourself with your microscope. Learn the parts, their names, and what they do. (40 points)
In the space below draw a picture of your microscope. Make your drawing large, neat, and simple. Artistic skill not needed.

Label the following parts in your drawing. Their names should help you figure out what they are and what they do. If not, experimentation will. Parts of a Microscope Eyepiece Revolving nosepiece Objective lenses Stage Stage clips Diaphragm Light Base Course focus knob Fine focus knob What it does

Step 2: Make a slide (40 points)

Make 3 or more slides using whatever you think will be interesting to look at.

1) Describe an order of operation that worked well for you, starting with choosing a specimen and ending with getting a good look at it. List every step. __________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 2) What is the advantage of using a coverslip? Try without one. _______________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 3) What happens when you try to look at a thick specimen? __________________________________________ Think of 3 things you can do to improve your view of a thick specimen (hint: think about light and magnification). What 3 things did you change and how did they affect your ability to see your specimen? __________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 4) What is the relationship between light and magnifying power? _____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Extra credit: (10 points each)

1) Make a slide of onion skin. The inner skin of each onion layer is only a couple of cells thick. Check out what it looks like under the microscope. Stain your slide and take another look. Draw what you see on a separate sheet of paper. Can you label any of the cell parts? What magnification works best?

What other specimens do you think will respond well to stain? Try a couple and describe/draw what you find.

2) Make slides of plant and animal cells (cells scraped off the inside of your cheek with a toothpick works well). Describe and draw the differences you see.

3) There are 1000 micrometers (m) in 1 millimeter. Find a way to calculate the size in micrometers of three different things in your slide. Show your work.

4) Design your own microscope investigation. Describe what you investigate, why it is interesting, how you proceed, and what you discover. Visuals encouraged.

Clean slides and coverslips with hot soapy water and set to dry on paper towels.

Clean up any other materials.

Teacher notes: Although two students could work together at one microscope, this activity will be best if each student has her own microscope. Students working at separate microscopes can still share ideas. To make sure that every student has sufficient time with a microscope (a whole class period), rotate the class through the number of microscopes available. Students should be self-directed with this activity and the rest of the class can be engaged in other work. Materials: 1 microscope per student 5 slides and coverslips per student 1 onion Toothpicks Stain or iodine Anything else in or out of the classroom that students find to look at

The point system is set up so that students can earn 80 for the basic worksheet but 120 if they complete all the extra credit problems. Additional time beyond one class period should be made available to complete this.

This exercise would be a jumping off point for further class investigations involving cells, cultures, and microscopic organisms.