ABSTRACT
Many of the microbiology investigations that are assigned in our middle school classrooms are common to middle schools across the nation. Students learn that the microscope reverses and inverts the image when they observe that the “letter d” becomes the “letter p” when viewed under the microscope. Making animal-cell slides is a little more difficult, because for several years, our district has banned the traditional cheek cell lab due to possible pathogen transmittal. Students are thrilled to look at prepared slides of paramecium, euglena, and volvox. Aside from freshwater that is available near school, a filter from a classroom fish tank is an interesting source for Protista. Every school has a collection of prepared microscope slides that can be organized into stations. As students rotate through the stations, there are task cards at each station that direct the students to observe a specific part of the slide.
