S is for Science Class

This year, Emily is studying biology. In order to make it more fun for her and to get some social interaction into our week, I’m doing a Friday afternoon class/lab for 6 students. We’ll primarily be doing the labs from  Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Biology, but will also do some discussion and other (hopefully) fun activities to learn concepts and vocabulary.

Last week we started with Module 1. We talked about the meaning of the word “biology” and some of the branches of biology. Then I explained how to write a lab report.

The students worked in groups of  two to classify various organisms using a biological key. This turned out to be somewhat difficult. A few of the options had me stumped for a bit!

Then, we got to the fun part—learning to use a microscope. After learning the parts of the microscope and how to focus, the students made slides of a letter “e’' cut from a magazine, some colorful thread, and of cheek cells.

It was a successful first class and I’m looking forward to more!