Summary
Shark dissections are a classic zoology lab. This lesson is best not only after students have had some gross anatomy but also when you trust students enough to have them use scalpels in the classroom.
Essential Question(s)
Why do sharks have some adaptations but not others?
Snapshot
Engage
Students engage in a Kick Me over anatomical positions
Explore
Students dissect a shark.
Explain
Students follow along as the teacher points out the organs of the shark.
Extend
Students generate questions and research answers to those questions
Evaluate
Students critically analyze the answers to their questions.
Materials
Copied Kick Me labels (Engage); enough so each lab group has one
Lab Handouts for dissection (Explore); enough for each student
Sharks for dissection (Explore); see resources for shopping options
scalpels for dissection (Explore)
Dissection pans (Explore)
Gloves (Explore)
Safety googles (Explore)
Dissection pins (Explore)
Document camera or projecting dissection microscope (Explain)
Blank lined paper (Extend)
Chromebooks, or other technology with internet browser access (Extend)
Engage
Print out enough of the "Kick Me" labels so each group can have a set of words (it's three sets per page). The students will be doing a modified Kick Me. That is because they will NOT put one word on each other's back. Rather, each lab team will race to put the anatomical positions on one of their lab group members correctly.
Explore
Have students stay in their groups from the Engage activity. Direct them to put on gloves and goggles. Just remember that safety needs to be the first priority.
Give a lab handout to each student and a shark to each lab group. The handout has step-by-step instructions of how to dissect the shark, so try to allow them some autonomy to follow the instructions without turning it into a whole group dissection.
There are also images of the dissection here, so you could print these off for references for the students as well.
As the students work through their dissections, walk around and help as needed.
Explain
After the students are done with their dissections, pick a particularly good dissection (either from the students or one that you have cut open yourself) and put it either under a document camera or a projected dissection scope so all the students in the class can see it. Guide the students by pointing out the different organs to clear up any questions the students had—especially with hard to identify organs.
Extend
Students will start with the strategy Generating Questions. Post this list on the board:
Shark versus Human Anatomy
Shark versus Fish Anatomy
Cartilage versus Bones
Survival
Reproduction
Have students write one question that relates to each of the items on the list. Then, have them crumple up their paper and throw it across the room in a Commit and Toss activity.
Direct students to find a ball of paper, un-crumple it, and use their Chromebooks (or any other technology with Internet access) to answer the questions they picked up.
Evaluate
Have students return their answers to the person that wrote the questions. The person who wrote the questions needs to determine if the answers are good enough and write in feedback. Then that feedback is given back to the person who wrote the answers. Once students have received their feedback, give them time to change what they need to before turning it in (possibly for a grade).
Resources
Shark Shopping (Explore): http://www.carolina.com/preserved-dogfish/dogfish-sharks-preserved-22-to-27-inches/FAM_226790.pr?intid=srchredir_shark&question=&jl_ctx=
K20 Center. (n.d.). Commit and Toss. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/d9908066f654727934df7bf4f505b3d0
K20 Center. (n.d.). Kick Me. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/d9908066f654727934df7bf4f505b77c
K20 Center. (n.d.). Question Generating. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/d9908066f654727934df7bf4f5076f00