Biology

Labs are not required for completion of the course itself; you may do as many or as few as you like. However, you must complete of 20 of the lab assignments to receive lab credit for the course. If you are planning to take the AP exam, you must complete the 12 AP labs or their alternative forms; these count toward your total of 20 labs. You should attempt to complete labs for credit as assigned, although in some cases you may arrange to complete labs during the summer. All labs for credit for the previous academic year must be completed by 15 August. pr

Many lab assignments will be available from the web site at the start of the session; several will be added through the course of the year. Most labs will be associated with specific topics, and you are encouraged to complete the lab and send in the report during during the assignment period. Field labs must be done in the order and at the intervals specified, but you make make arrangements to complete the other labs out of sequence if you have trouble obtaining equipment or weather conditions prevent completion at the scheduled time.

For safety reasons, both you and your parents must read the safety procedures before starting the lab sequence. Your parents must sign and send a copy of the lab permission letter to me before I can accept any lab reports from you for credit.

Lab Equipment

In addition to the equipment listed below, many labs will use common household items, such as paper, pens, rulers, cups or jars, food samples, plastic bags, etc. These will be listed in the equipment section of the individual labs. In addition to equipment, the field labs require that you have an outdoor area which you can study throughout the year.

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FALL TOPICS

• Microscope. Good microscopes are expensive, and I know not everyone is in a position to buy one. If you can do so, get one which has good optics over one with high magnification. For our purposes, 100-120X is sufficient to identify cell structures. The Radio Shack Slide Microscope (illuminated, 100X), is quite reasonable (around $15).You may also be able to borrow a microscope through your local school district . If you are really adventurous, you may be able to make a microscope sufficient for our purposes!
• Slide making kit. You will need 5-10 glass slides, cover slips and tuolene fixer or gum media. Small kits are available from educational toy stores and science museums (Science and Nature Discovery Series has a good one).
• Staining kit. You will need stains; these are available in some slide making kits, or you may buy the stains separately. You will need at least one of eosin (red), gentian violet, or methylene blue.
• Microtome. This is a holder used for cutting very thin slices of a tissue sample, which can then be mounted on a slide. Instructions for making one from some simple hardware is included in one of the labs.
• Field microscope You should have a magnifying glass you can take into the field for viewing specimens you cannot bring home. A good magnifier of 5X to 30X is sufficient.
• Specimen boxes are used to hold specimens collected in the field. Educational toy stores sell small glass or plastic boxes with low-magnification lenses built into the lids. Any small jar can hold specimens; use screen or cheesecloth to cover the top and fasten it with a rubber band so that your live specimens can breath without escaping.
• Iodine will be used to detect starches in plants. You need a small amount of brown iodine, not the colorless kind frequently sold in drug stores for first aid.

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  SPRING TOPIC

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  If you choose to do dissections, you will need the following:

• Dissection kit. Should include scalpel, tweezers, teaser, and pins.
• Anatomical specimens. Edmund Scientific sells a representative set of small specimens for dissection. You may also procure specimens from the grocery store, or collect them yourself.
• Live animal observation. If you choose to keep an animal for observation, you will need proper equipment and instructions. An especially good source of information is the book Animals Alive! by Dennis Holley, which discusses how to catch and care for many kinds of wild animals. Remember that you act as God's steward for His creation when you are caring for captured animals; treat them carefully and release them back into an appropriate environment.

Sources

Lab equipment may be borrowed from schools or purchased. Sometimes local college bookstores or medical schools carry dissection kits; staining kits and other supplies are often available from educational toy stores and science museums. You may also want to check my growing list of mail order suppliers.

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© 2011 This course is offered through Scholars Online, a non-profit organization supporting classical Christian education through Internet-based courses. Permission to copy course content (lessons and labs) for personal study is granted to students currently or formerly enrolled in the course through Scholars Online. Reproduction for any other purpose, without the express written consent of the author, is prohibited.