The document provides instructions for using compound light microscopes and dissecting light microscopes to examine various cell and tissue samples. It outlines activities for several days of an AP Biology class, including examining plant cells, animal cells, and bacterial cells under the compound microscope and drawing diagrams. It provides tips for producing clear microscope drawings and details how to make wet mount slides of onion cells, elodea cells, and cheek cells to view under the microscope. Basic microscope techniques like focusing and adjusting light levels are also covered.

1. Today
Compound Light
Microscope
• Examine and diagram at
least 1 each:
• plant cell
• Choices: elodea, onion,
prepared slide
• animal cell
• Choices: your cheek, prepared
slides
• bacterial cell
• Prepared slide
• Optional:
• hair
• tank water
• magazine paper
• letter “e”
Dissecting Light
Microscope
• Examine and diagram at
least 1 thing such as:
• paper money
• a leaf or a flower
• an insect
• fabric
• sand/sediment
• your fingerprint
• tarantula exoskeleton
• other ideas?

2. AP Biology Plans for the week of Sept. 6
th
through Sept. 9
th
, 2016
o Tuesday 9-6-16: Cell-vivor (#organellewars) project sign ups, Cells Lesson (Ch. 4)
o Wednesday 9-7-16: Microscope work (and mini skills lesson on proper microscope
drawings)
o Thursday 9-8-16: Cells Lesson, continued
o Friday 9-9-16: Cells quiz, skills lesson on developing and using models
 coming up next week - presentations

3. Pro Tips
• Coverslips
• Focusing
• Adjusting the light

4. Tips for Producing High-quality Microscope Drawings Name: Class: Period: Date:
Phylum: Sarcodina (Drawing & labeling: 31/2 points)
Title: An Amoeba Eating Another ProtistGenus: Amoeba
Observations: The amoeba was a single cell
and seemed to move by oozing over the surface.
It was the largest organism on the slide. It would
push different parts of its body along to try and
catch other organisms. One Paramecium got
stuck as it tried to move over the slide and the
amoeba wrapped itself around the Paramecium
and engulfed it. It was rad! The Paramecium still
struggled inside the Amoeba for a long time. The
amoeba had tiny particles that flowed throughout
its cytoplasm - maybe food being digested in
vacuoles?? It was hard to see the nucleus
because everything was so transparent. The
amoeba actually "peeded" by squirting water out
of its contractile vacuole! I dropped a tiny salt
crystal in the water and the amoeba actually
turned away and seemed to shrink. What was
the salt doing to the amoeba? Will the same thing
happen with other protists??
How NOT to do a Microscope Drawing!
Phylum: ?
Genus: ?
Observations: Couldn't see much. It was
gooey-looking and looked cool. It grabbed
something. No nucleus.
(Too short, few or inaccurate details, no time
spent in thinking about what was being seen; no
analysis of what might be going on; no important
connections to vocabulary or major concepts for
the unit. Won't help much as a study aide.)

5. How do we make a slide?
You will be making
3 slides
1. Onion Cells
2. Elodea Cells
3. Cheek Cells
You will be looking
at one prepared
slide
1. Bacteria Cells

6. How to make a cheek cell slide
1. Put a drop of iodine
on the slide
2. Gently scrape a
toothpick over the
inside of your cheek
3. Swirl it in the drop of
iodine to stain the
cells
4. Add a cover slip

9. Draw 2 cells and
label what you can

11. How to make an onion cell slide
1. Bend the onion
back against the
curve
2. Get the thin film
layer that holds
the 2 sides
together on your
slide
3. Lay it on slide.
4. Smooth it out,
add iodine +
coverslip

14. Draw 2 cells and label what you can

17. How to make an elodea slide
1. Cut a small piece of
elodea leaf.
2. Lay it on the slide.
3. Add 1 drop of water +
coverslip.
4. NO STAIN

19. You are not an expert…
• I don’t expect you to be an expert with the
scopes but…
• You need to try your best
• You need to show me when you think
you’ve got it.

20. Clean Up
• Rinse and PAT dry slides and coverslips
– DO NOT WASH PREPARED SLIDES
• Throw away onions & toothpicks
• Put microscope on low power
• Turn off microscope
• Put dust cover on microscope
• Return microscope to cupboard