Diving into Dissections

Marine Biology students research animals

Emily Wheldon | Staff Reporter

Marine Biology classes dissected crawfish on Jan. 17, under the supervision of science teacher Taylor Malewicki.

Dissections provide students with hands-on experience in research of animals.

Students dissect a crawfish in Marine Biology class.

“They’re fun,” junior Sean Madigan said. “It’s a really good hands-on way to see the anatomy of the stuff we’ve been studying.”

Dissections this school year have included clams, squids and crawfish, and they improve the students’ knowledge of the roles that these organisms play in the environment.

A group dissects a Perch fish.

“One of my favorite dissections was the squid where I got to examine it up close and look at all the structures,” junior Mary Smith said. “Squid have a kind of ‘back bone’ called a pen; this provides structure for the squid’s body, and it’s actually super thin.”

In order to prepare for dissections, students study the animals in advance to better understand what they’ll be observing. First, students take notes based on Malewicki’s presentations of the animal’s internal and external anatomies.

Students begin by gathering equipment, including aprons, safety goggles and gloves. Then, students split into dissection groups and watch a video together about the dissection they will perform.

There are typically three to four members in a group: one who takes notes and reads questions from his or her iPad, while the rest of the jobs switch between dissecting and observing.

When the students finish dissections, Malewicki tests each member individually on their iPad about what they observed. Students take labeling and vocabulary quizzes in order to test their knowledge.

Performing dissections, students say, helps them understand the material better of how the animals function, and grades also improve, according to Malewicki.

“It gives the kids a hands-on experience, which helps them remember information they have learned.”