Making Science Safe

Longfellow science teacher, Sarah Lichey, was awarded a $5,769 Education Foundation of Wauwatosa (EFW) grant to supply the science classes with cordless microscopes. In addition to investing in new and updated equipment, the cordless microscopes help to make the classroom a safer environment. With multiple microscopes around the room at work stations, the old equipment required extension cords all over the floor which was a tripping hazard.

Both 6th and 8th grade students are utilizing the microscopes this year. In 6th grade they have been studying light and how it reflects or scatters off of surfaces depending on the smoothness of the surface. The students looked at objects with the naked eye that appears to be smooth but when examined under the microscope they saw that it was really an uneven surface. In the biology unit they will use them to look at hair follicles of humans versus animals and will also use them to look at cellular differences.

8th grade used the microscopes to look at different types of cells. They made prepared slides of an onion, their own cheek cell, and a plant leaf. They looked at both plant and animal cells to determine what the differences are between them. The microscopes can also be used for the DNA/heredity unit.

For more information on this and the other 15 EFW grants, visit our website at www.tosaefw.org.