Science Skills Unit Part 1: Lab Safety, Magnification, Microscope Use

This unit consists of 7 lessons of about 50 minutes and 15 pages of printable work bundle. The work bundle chronologically follows the entire set of interactive slideshows (hundreds of amazing slides). Students record fill-in notes on the red slides, answer questions, conduct hands-on activities, learn how to use magnification, includes video links, built-in assessments, games, and much more. The slideshows are engaging and interactive throughout. Everything can be uploaded to Google Classroom if you wish, and arrives fully editable.

Lab Safety

This PowerPoint begins with a few slides discussing how studying science can be very exciting but some important safety protocols need to be followed. A series of step by step slides unfold to present the following safety precautions. Each of these topics provides visuals that help to reinforce text.

- Treat Everything as if it pathogenic.

- Do not breathe vapors.

- Avoid any bodily fluid.

- Check glassware prior to use.

- Clean Spills (From outward in) Activity on a simulated spill for each table group.

- No food or drink (Other things in mouth etc.)

- Keep flammable solutions away from flame. (Long hair should be put up on these days)

- Instructions with visuals for how to use fire extinguisher.

- Keep electrical equipment away from water and vice versa.

- Use proper safety protection (gloves, goggles, apron).

- Know where eyewash station is and how to use it.

- Clean Glassware before and after using.

- Be precise in measuring chemical reagents.

- Avoid cutting yourself, cut away from body

- Use commons sense (no horseplay, squirting, etc.).

A neat link is provided to a great lab safety video that is informative and entertaining. A quiz 1-10 is provided after the video which reviews all of the above. This quiz is challenging but not overwhelming. Most students do very well on it. The answers are provided in PowerPoint form so the students can self assess. The question is previewed before the answer is revealed so the teacher can call upon students or table groups for the answer / gather understanding. This is a great PowerPoint that I use early in the year. Please see the larger Science Skills Unit that this PowerPoint is a part of described below.

Magnification

This PowerPoint begins by describing magnification and demagnification with important visuals. A questions is then presented which asks the students to brainstorm uses of magnification and optical devices. A series of slides with visuals is presented as several important uses of magnification are addressed. A neat activity has students try to identify the counterfeit bill. Students then learn about the hand lens and they are asked to search for the hidden owl on a 1$ dollar bill (Teacher has to supply the dollars to the class) They are also asked to draw two neat sketches of things they observed with the hands lens. This activity is really neat because students get really into all of the cool things on a dollar bill. Convex lenses are then described. The next several slides describe different types of microscopes and their uses. A series of challenge questions slides ask students which specimen should be used with what magnification device (stereoscope vs microscope vs hand lens vs electron microscope) The electron microscope is described and a series of great electron microscope pictures are shown. Many have the students try and guess what they are looking at. A neat activity follows that has the students take a quiz on the parts of the microscope using only deductive reasoning. The students always object to taking a quiz on something they haven't learned yet (They are given a word bank). The great part is when they realize that they can do well on the quiz if they use reasoning skills. The answers are then revealed one by one. Steps on how to use the microscope, objective lenses, focusing, and how care for / travel with / put the microscope away when done using it are addressed. 10x, 40x and 100x are all addressed in a series of challenge questions that has students determine the magnification. An activity concludes the PowerPoint that has students make wet mount slides to make detailed sketches of the letter e, hair, and other great prepared slides that you have. Students are also asked to use stereoscopes to look at neat objects such as specimens, plant life, seeds, etc. This is a great PowerPoint that is full of neat activities and learning objectives. Please see the entire unit that PowerPoint is a part of described below.

This PowerPoint includes critical notes (Red Slides), exciting visuals, challenge questions, activities with directions and more. Text is usually placed at the top of the slide so it can be read from all angles of a classroom. Color coded slides, as well as a shade technique is used to increase student focus and allows the teacher to control the pace of the lesson. These PowerPoints are meant to be interactive as possible and ask many questions, provides built in review opportunities, explains directions to activities, and much more. 

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