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Microscopic Marvels: Explorations in Historical & Modern Microscopy

In this 16 week lab science course, we will observe specimens under the microscope, record discoveries in our scientific journals, read and write research abstracts, and identify the tools for historical and modern microscopy.
Class
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What's included

16 live meetings
12 in-class hours
Assignments
1 hour per week. I will demonstrate how to prepare a slide and how to observe the specimen under a microscope. Then students will try with their own microscopes and work in their scientific journal. There will be weeks when students will need to do some reading and writing outside of class and turn it in. If your student needs alternatives to writing or needs to read with audio, we can work with that. My goal is to get your teens thinking like a scientist and to keep a scientific journal in a way that aligns with their strengths.
Letter Grade
1 after class completion

Class Experience

US Grade 7 - 10
Beginner Level
The course includes demonstrations, tutorials, and instructions for using many kinds of microscopes in your home along with the lab skills, scientific thinking, and record keeping needed for college prep science. And all of it is provided to you in a way that is friendly to out of the box and neurodivergent teens. 

Each class time will include teaching and discussion time with me and the opportunity for students to ask questions and get help with their own microscopes as they work.

Topics covered include:
Types of microscopes and which ones are easiest to use at home
Parts of a microscope & safe handling
How to prepare a specimen for a light microscope
Making Wet Mount Slides
Making a Dry Mount Slide
Collecting Specimens
Observing using high and low power
Cell biology- including plant and animal cells (including some of our own!)
Mycology- the study of fungi
Entomology- the study of insects
Microbiology- the study of bacteria and other very small forms of life
Pathology- the study of the causes and the effects of disease (pathologists use microscopes to help identify disease)
Art, Photography, & the Science of Snow- we’ll learn how to photograph snowflakes under a microscope
Ecology- the study of relationships between living organisms
Fiber Science- the study of the design of textiles, fabrics and other materials aided through the concepts of chemistry and physics. We’ll learn how to identify fibers with our microscopes.
The History of Microscopy- and the people who developed and made important scientific progress with a microscope
Advanced Microscopy- electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy

Learning Goals

Students will identify the parts, care, and handling of microscopes.
Students will make wet and dry mount slides with stain and without and record observations in their scientific notebook.
learning goal

Syllabus

Curriculum
Follows Teacher-Created Curriculum
Standards
Aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
16 Lessons
over 16 Weeks
Lesson 1:
Introduction to Microscopes, Safety, Care, and Keeping a Scientific Journal
 Type of microscopes, how they work, what kind we will use, how to care for them and use them safely, and we'll set up our Scientific Journals 
45 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
Making a Wet Mount Slide & Field of View
 Making a wet mount slide with a typeset lowercase e and observing it under our microscope to experience field of view at low and high power. 
45 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
Robert Hooke, Dry Mount Sides, & Observing Cork
 Learning about Robert Hooke & his contribution to microscopy, making a dry mount slide, and observing cork under our microscope 
45 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
Observing Household Objects under the Microscope
 Gathering some items to view under the microscope, preparing them to be observed, and making a data chart to record information in our scientific journal 
45 mins online live lesson

Other Details

Learning Needs
This class provides accommodations for neurodivergent learners with ADHD, ASD, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, and other learning differences. Students can record their learning with audio, video, and/or writing, ask questions, etc.
Parental Guidance
Microscope use does require some safety precautions in handling the microscopes, the materials used to make the slides, the chemicals, we'll use in slide preparation (in two lessons), and the petri dish with agar that we'll grow bacteria on. In each case, I will remind students of the precautions and make sure they have written instructions and the proper safety gear for the labs. We'll be using some videos via YouTube to reinforce the course content, especially when we cannot make an observation on our own.
Pre-Requisites
none
Supply List
A microscope which can be a compound light microscope or a digital microscope. It doesn't have to be the most expensive, but the quality of the microscope will determine how much you'll see and the quality of your image. 

Students will also need a notebook like a composition book for their scientific journals. Coloring supplies like colored pencils will enhance their journal keeping.

I will distribute the class material list once you sign up for the class and it will have a kit you can buy with most of the materials we'll use in the course, other than the microscope.
 1 file available upon enrollment
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
Primary source books from scientists' original research, research journals (ones that are available without a paywall), on location field trip for advanced microscopy which will be a video made by me and hosted on YouTube or I may be able to greet you live from the location for class time.
Joined December, 2024
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Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in Education from McDaniel College- formerly Western Maryland College
Bachelor's Degree in Biology/Biological Sciences from UMBC- University of Maryland Baltimore County
My Bachelor of Science degree is in Biological Sciences and a I have a Master of Science in Curriculum & Instruction, Secondary Education. I've been teaching middle and high schoolers for over 30 years in various settings, teaching science in public school, homeschooling my four children through high school, teaching at homeschool co-ops, and teaching self-paced online courses for homeschoolers through my website. Microscopes are my favorite and I can't wait to share my tips, tricks, and knowledge with students. 

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Live Group Course
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$19

weekly

1x per week, 16 weeks
45 min
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-16
3-12 learners per class

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