STR Micro-Lesson: Nature Can Laugh
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Question
This may look like a satellite image of the Los Angeles freeway system at rush hour, but in fact it's a structure that is far more complex. It's found not only in the city--and the suburbs--but also in many of the most remote wildernesses of the earth. What is it?
Answer
This blade of grass, viewed at 200x with a handheld digital microscope, shows clearly the cellular structure that is the basis of life on earth. Of it, Thomas Edison said famously, "Until man duplicates a blade of grass, nature can laugh at his so-called scientific knowledge."
Micro-Lesson* Plan
Topic: Cellular structure
Download the enlarged version of the image above and show it to your class (using a projector or a color printout). Ask the question just below the image. You may wish to give hints.
Once you have elicited or presented the answer, ask students to (individually) write detailed descriptions of what they see in the image. They should take no more than 5 minutes to do so, but be as descriptive as possible, so that someone who read their descriptions without seeing the image might be able to successfully visualize it.
Share out some of the answers, and focus the discussion on aspects of the descriptions that refer to the cellular structure (that is, the repetition of the small green "dots"). Discuss or review the advantages of cellular structure for living organisms. (You may wish to draw comparisons to the use of many similar rooms in large architectural structures.)
These links may be helpful:
Plant cells under the microscope (stained)
Cells alive (Internet Explorer or Firefox recommended)
More…
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Comments?
Let us know what you think of this lesson idea, or if you have suggestions for more STR Micro-lessons.
*STR Micro-Lessons™ are designed as "plug-ins" to support and augment standards-based science teaching and learning. For complete lessons using the Scope on a Rope handheld digital microscope, see the STR Teacher Resources page.
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