My students need: frog anatomy dissecting sets to exam the organ system; composition notebooks to log progress; and digital cameras to capture phases of the dissection.
As educators, we often tell students how important it is to take care of their bodies. There have been so many campaigns promoting good health: You Are What You Eat; and Dare To Say No To Drugs. I wanted a unique approach to teaching these invaluable lessons: dissecting frogs!
Our school is not only located in an economically challenged area, but also a gang and drug infested area.
There have been many incidences when our school has been on "lock down" due to gang wars involving shootings and fights on the school's campus. But despite this all, our students have a high attendance rate and have been achieving their local and state goals. Although this task has not been easy, I have learned several strategies that help to assist our students to achieve their academic goals. Student engagement is highly essential!
What could be more engaging then examining the organ systems of a complex living things?
My Project
Dissecting frogs with these materials including frog anatomy dissecting sets to exam the organ system; composition notebooks to log progress; and digital cameras to capture phases of the dissection, will provide a good overview of the organ systems of a complex living thing - one with many similarities to our own.
This also reinforces students' respect for their own bodies and the choices they make regarding what they eat and drink and the drugs they might introduce into their amazingly complex bodies! While science has come a long way, we continue to be very limited in our ability to fully repair or replacing most parts!
Dissecting a frog also reinforces the understanding of ecology, classification, and evolution. Students will notice many adaptations which allow frogs to survive in specific habitats and to fill certain niches. They will also observe some of the traits the frog shares with its predecessors and descendants.
Learning and remembering are more effective when we use more of our senses in the process.
During the dissection process, the brain receives information from the eyes and ears, the muscles in the hands, the touch-sensitive nerves in the fingers, and even the smell receptors inside the nose! As educators, we will never exactly know the direct impact lessons have in influencing students making right decisions and/or their career choices.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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