Explore the Microcosmos: Use Your Microscope!
In this ongoing course, we will explore the world around us using our microscopes! Any compound microscope from a $10 Foldscope to a more standard compound microscope works! #academic
Dr. Robin
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(485)
Star Educator
Popular
What's included
1 live meeting
50 mins in-class hours per weekHomework
1 hour per week. Homework will never be required but I will always suggest additional exploration that students can do after class to enhance their enjoyment of their microscope. You can record this exploration in your lab notebook and share it with the class by replying to the question in the classroom.Class Experience
US Grade 3 - 6
👉 I am not currently offering this class but I am offering my Anatomy Coloring Book Club as a self-paced course! You will get the same lessons as I teach live but with a lot of extra material. While I love my live classes, the self paced ones provide more time for one-on-one interactions in the classroom. And there's also a whole new dimension of applying what we learn! I've chosen real-life application videos on YouTube and created discussion questions to really dig in to the topic in more detail. 😊 https://outschool.com/classes/anatomy-coloring-book-with-a-physician-learn-like-a-medical-student-part-1-KuuIC5Kg ❓Dr. Robin Created a Coloring Book❓ Yup! I had to because there wasn't anything good enough to use with my students! Anatomy coloring books meant for students are either silly clip art or throw lots of random information at you. Mine is designed to teach important concepts and give just the right amount of information. When it came out, it was the #1 new release in kids science on Amazon! 👉 click here to see/purchase the book we use in class: https://www.amazon.com/Robins-Anatomy-Coloring-Serious-Scientists/dp/B0DDVY1GPQ/ Microscopes are an amazing way to see the world that's too small to see with our eyes! Every week we'll look at something different under the microscope so it's important to look at the supplies you need so you can look at the same thing at home. If you aren't able to, no worries! I have a camera for my microscope so you can see what I'm looking at. My classes all follow the same format but with this one we have something extra — microscopes and lab notebooks! --a warm up question --class discussion and teaching on the topic --microscopy time and record our observations in our lab notebooks --share our lab notebooks, if time permits --a short video to dig deeper into the topic A little more about your lab notebooks: --Bring your lab notebook to class to draw what you see under the microscope --I will provide an optional assignment to do after class that builds on what we did during class --You can use your lab notebook between classes to record any other times you use your microscope and what you see --Share photos of your lab notebook or tell us what you saw with your microscope between classes in the class discussion in the classroom Schedule of Topics: Week of May 7: Soil, sand, dirt, etc Week of May 14: Cheek cells Week of May 21: Yeast Week of May 28: Biofilm from a drain or behind a kitchen sink etc Week of June 4: Salt and sugar Week of June 11: Spit and tooth gunk Week of June 18: Water from alongside a road Week of June 25: Onion cells Week of July 2: Pond water (moving or still) Week of July 9: Plant parts (from a flower, grass, etc) Week of July 16: Toenail gunk and/or bits of nail Week of July 23: Different types of thread or yarn Week of July 30: Hair Week of August 6: Fabric Future weeks will be added as we get closer to them! Requests are always welcome. :-)
Learning Goals
Students' natural curiosity about the microcosmos will be encouraged and they will gain confidence in using their microscopes to make observations and comparisons. Students will also learn to keep a lab notebook that they can reference later or share with others.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Nothing in this class will be or is intended to be medical advice. This is merely educational in nature and will be a surface-level overview. Your student will not be coming out of this class knowing anything about how to diagnose or treat any conditions and we will not be discussing any personal medical questions/needs. Students should come with general questions about the topic.
As mentioned in the supply list, many microscopy supplies are glass so you should closely supervise your child until you're sure they can manage on their own. Also make sure they know that if they drop a slide, they should get you right away to help with the broken glass! I can give general suggestions on using a microscope but it will be important that your learner have a general idea of how to use one safely before class and/or you're there to help. Remember that according to Outschool rules, you have to stay off camera (not be visible on zoom).
Most of my classes make use of the wealth of information available on YouTube. In most class sessions, this is 2-3 minutes of an experiment or activity that we aren't able to do over zoom. Occasionally there will be more if that's absolutely necessary for getting the best educational experience. During class I only use the YouTube videos on screen share from my ad-free YouTube account in order to prevent students from seeing inappropriate ads or other materials. Your learner does not need to have an account. If the entire video we watched is kid-appropriate, I will post a link in the classroom after class. Watching it is entirely optional. If I selectively showed an appropriate portion of a video but the rest goes into medical details that are inappropriate for children, I will not post the link. Parents are able to message me directly for the link if desired.
Supply List
Each week we'll be looking at something different so you should check the schedule in the course description. Everything is chosen to be easily obtainable for the majority of students around home, at a park, or at a grocery store. ***Every Week Supplies: Microscope, slides, coverslips, lab notebook, and pencil*** ---Students will need a microscope every week. I have tested my lesson on my compound Omano microscope (which I use during class because it has a "third eye" where I can attach my camera), a small clip-on microscope with my phone, and a Foldscope (https://foldscope.com/). Please make sure that your learner's microscope is working before class and that they know the basics of how to focus as I cannot help with that over zoom. If you choose to purchase a Foldscope, I'd recommend the fully assembled version as they are a bit fiddly to assemble. ---Most microscopes will come with a few prepared slides (with something on them to see) and some blank slides and cover slips. We will not be using prepared slides in class as we will be preparing our own. If you don't have blank slides and cover slips, you can purchase them easily online. Any brand is fine! (This is one example: www.amazon.com/AmScope-BS-72P-100S-22-Pre-Cleaned-Microscope-Coverslips/dp/B00L1S93PS/) Most slides and cover slips are glass and will break so please supervise your child with these until they are ready to use them carefully and know to get you immediately if one breaks. ---We will be using a lab notebook every week to record our observations. This can be a simple drawing pad, spiral lined notebook, or grid notebook. I will be using a grid notebook that lies flat but truly anything will work (www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07X97CH51/). I do recommend something bound so your learner can look back through their observations. ***Frequently Used Supplies*** ---Disposable plastic transfer pipette (such as these but any brand is fine: www.amazon.com/Disposable-Transfer-Calibrated-Essential-Laboratory/dp/B08CMPRNC3/). These are used for putting a few drops of water or our specimen onto a slide ---Cotton swabs (for obtaining specimens) ---Wooden toothpick (for obtaining, lifting or adjusting our specimen) Suggested Supplies: ---Your learner can use any container to obtain the specimens each week but empty pharmacy medicine bottles (the semi-clear kind) can make ideal specimen containers because they are plastic and fit in your pocket. Not all of them are leak-proof so if we're collecting a liquid, please don't drop the specimen in a backpack or purse where you could ruin your things! I'd recommend labeling each specimen with what it is and the date you collected it. This will help you manage your child's collection and make sure they throw out anything that will get nasty. ---Tweezers can be helpful with positioning a specimen Books: There are a number of excellent microscopy books out there. Different learners will appreciate different formats and we won't be using any of them during class. If you are able to, I would recommend having a small library of 2-3 different books for your learner to explore. Here are some of my favorites: What's Smaller Than a Pygmy Shrew? by Robert Wells--this book helps put into perspective how very small the microscopic world actually is. I use it with students of ALL ages because I've never found another book that does such a nice job. See Inside The Microscopic World - An Usborne Flap Book--while it appears to be meant for younger learners, it's a fun and accessible introduction that can be more fun than a book with too much information; a lot of older kids will look at this more than a book officially meant for them because it's not overwhelming All in a drop : how Antony van Leeuwenhoek discovered an invisible world by Lori Alexander--the title says it all, this is a history of the beginning of microscopy The Usborne Complete Book of the Microscope: Internet-Linked by Kirsteen Rogers--has information about how to use a microscope as well as lots of beautiful photographs of the microscopic world The Ultimate Guide to Your Microscope--if you can only get one microscopy book, I'd get this one or the next one. If your learner wants instructions for how to explore more after class, you'll probably find what you need in here. The World of the Microscope A Practical Introduction with Projects and Activities--This is another great option for how to use a microscope and get the most out of it. Micro Life: Miracles of the Miniature World Revealed from DK and Smithsonian--absolutely gorgeous! But make sure your learner knows they won't be able to see with their microscope anything like the photos in here! The Hidden Beauty of the Microscopic World by James Weiss--another beautiful book of photos Online Resources: These will not be used during class (except for YouTube) but can enhance your learner's experience. Journey to the Microcosmos YouTube channel is fascinating and inspiring: www.youtube.com/@journeytomicro Nikon's Universcale helps students understand the comparative sizes of everything in the universe: www.nikon.com/about/sp/universcale/ Microcosmos documentary (1996)--shows mostly insects of various sorts but is a great teaser for the world smaller than us
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Degrees
Doctoral Degree from Unviersity of Colorado School of Medicine
Bachelor's Degree in Science from University of Denver
As a family physician with a decade in private practice, years as a guest lecturer and adjunct faculty at a medical school, and over 1000 hours of classes completed on Outschool, I love teaching young people about how their bodies work. I believe that people who understand their bodies will take better care of them. I teach students from Outschool all the way up to medical school and am honored to be a part of their learning process, not just the information but HOW to learn and UNDERSTAND the information.Reviews
Live Group Class
$22
weekly1x per week
50 min
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-12
3-8 learners per class
