Frequently Asked Questions Thousands of web sites for educators and students. Support for long-term classroom planning and professional development. Information covering important topics for today's educators and parents. This unit is designed to provide students with a wide spectrum of scientific investigation to enliven their curiosity about many different fields of science. In an initial activity, Up Close, students construct their own water drop magnifiers and use water and other transparent objects, including vials and marbles, to investigate and understand the properties of magnifying lenses.
Further activities allow students to use magnifying lenses in scientific explorations.
For example, in one activity they examine their own fingerprints for the identifying features used by experts to determine if any two are alike. In another, they explore how dots of a very few colors can be combined to give the appearance of a range of other colors through observing various printed items. Students are also introduced to the uses of magnification to study animals and plants through activities that range from studying the structures of insects to making diagrams of the various lifeforms found in pond water. A summary activity encourages students to make connections between what they have discovered and what other students have discovered in their explorations at the various learning stations. The guide features tips for organizing the learning stations as a festival.