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A Newsletter Exploring Science
& Biomedical Research Issues
For School Educators
Volume 1, Issue 16, Summer 2007

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Let's Focus on Science in the Classroom

By Shirley Wrobleski, BS, LVT, LATG

The science curriculum for second graders in the Saline School District (MI) contains a unit on learning about the eye called "Eye Spy". The teachers present a variety of worksheets, games, and puzzles based on the anatomy of the eye and the students are expected to memorize the specific parts of the eye (See Fig. 1) along with their functions.

During this month long unit their teachers also read fun stories related to "eyes" such as: Spectacles by Ellen Raskin, Through Grandpa's Eyes by Patricia MacLachlan, and Arthur's Eyes by Marc Brown. In addition they learn about Helen Keller, the Braille system, and read Living with Blindness and Seeing. Over the past nine years additional topics such as: facts about the eye, disorders of the eye, and the history of the invention of eyeglasses and contacts, have been incorporated into this study and included in a "Did You Know?" handout (See end of this article). At the end of this whole unit the students take a final test on the parts of the eye. When everyone in the five classes at Pleasant Ridge Elementary School has had the chance to achieve a score of 100%, then the sheep's eye dissection days are scheduled.

Usually formalin fixed sheep eyes (Biological Research Systems, Inc., Belleville, MI) are used because of scheduling purposes and convenience, although fresh sheep's eyes are preferred. The downside of using formalin fixed eyes, besides being a biohazard agent, is that it causes the cornea to become cloudy, the vitreous body to thicken, and the eye to harden. A few days before the students handle the eyes the formalin is removed, the specimens are soaked in 70% reagent alcohol, and they are stored in .9% saline irrigation solution in the refrigerator.

On dissection day, two students are paired with an instructor to help them dissect and discuss the specific parts of the sheep's eye (See Fig. 2). The students put on exam gloves and if requested they may wear a shielded mask and a gown. They use a regular dissecting kit which contains tissue forceps, a small blunt probe, a pair of scissors, an eyedropper, and a #15 disposable scalpel. The students also have the option to watch a peer or instructor do the dissection if they are uncomfortable with doing it themselves.

During the dissection the teachers take action photographs of each child for them to keep. The photos are also sent along with "thank you" notes that the students write to their individual instructor (See Fig. 3).

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