We did this today=Great success!

My high school anatomy and physiology class used this activity today in preparation for their histology unit. It was a splendid success. Not only did my students enjoy getting their own spe... See More

My high school anatomy and physiology class used this activity today in preparation for their histology unit. It was a splendid success. Not only did my students enjoy getting their own specimen in "paraffin." At the end of the activity, when drawing their 3-D representation from all their cross sections, it clicked. Everything about which I had been explaining about tissue preparation made sense to them.

Mastering Spatial Reasoning

Students enhance their spatial reasoning by modeling how thin sections of tissues are made and viewed. Using alphabet refrigerator magnets and foam alphabet letters, students identify a 3-D ... See More

Students enhance their spatial reasoning by modeling how thin sections of tissues are made and viewed. Using alphabet refrigerator magnets and foam alphabet letters, students identify a 3-D specimen when they are only given a 2-D representation. Next, students encase a playdough letter in a block of playdough and cut the block into thin sections. Finally, Students are challenged to identify the letter from the thin sections. Reconstructing 3-d forms from 2-d data is a difficult skill for students to acquire. This hands-on activity gives students the tools they need to master this skill.