Students usually end the comparative anatomy unit with a dissection of a frog specimen. Though some schools have decided to opt out of this project, it remains one of the most remembered activities of the school year. I can understand why this project may seem like a relic, but it is still in our curriculum.
The pandemic of 2020 derailed this activity, and a percentage of students chose remote learning in 2021. I had to come up with a way for online learners to experience the dissection. In the past, I have used virtual interactive versions of the dissection, but many of those have been lost when Flash content was removed from sites.
I created this version to be interactive, though not as flashy, as those lost pages. I relied on my portfolio of frog dissection images to create a Google Slides version of the lesson. Each slide has an image, a description, and a task for students to complete. Most of these tasks ask students to drag labels to the image or answer questions about what they observe. In addition, students also view a video of a dissection and answer questions (EdPuzzle).
In-Person Dissection Option
Students in class will still be able to dissect a real frog specimen, though they will have the option to do the virtual version. I use this handout with directions for students to learn about the structures found on the frog and how to cut it. Students usually work in pairs or groups of three.
In both version, students will label a full image of a frog, though with slides, this was converted to a drag and drop version. The in-person students will label the frog on paper, though I do provide them with a word bank. You can find all of the labeling images on this page. The dissections focus mainly on the external anatomy of the mouth and head. Then students examine the digestive system, circulatory system, and urogenital system. I did include both male and female frogs in this exploration.
I look forward to an eventual replacement for the old Flash pages where students have a more interactive experience. Unfortunately, I don’t have the skills (or the time) to create it. There are several virtual apps for human anatomy, but I haven’t found one for the frog that is free and high quality. All the images used in the slides are my own personal photos I’ve taken over the years.
Jeannette Quinn
I just wanted to thank you for sharing your wonderful resources! The frog dissection caught my eye and now I’m looking through the other contributions you’ve made. I’m excited to try some of them with my students!
Admin
You are welcome! I think some of this stuff may work past the pandemic for students who are absent or unable to do in-class work.
Joseph Anthony Bartolotta
Fascinating, the correlation between colored properties drawing a link between animal and human DNA
Laura M Hanson
Thank you for sharing! This is exactly the assignment I was looking for to end this weird year!
Charissa Greenwood
Thank you so much for sharing! I have enjoyed all of your resources for both biology and anatomy!
Admin
Thanks! I’m counting on now having remote students next year, but think some of these remote versions can work for kids who are absent or for practice.
Carrie Maslow
This is wonderful. I am confused about the drag and
drop feature works though on google slides. When I made a copy, I wasn’t able to drag and drop- let me know if you know the fix to this.
Carrie Maslow
Never mind prior question. I figured it out. This is a truly wonderful resource. Wow! Thanks for creating it.
Admin
You are welcome! It was a handy way to make things for students to do online without having them download new apps.
Jeremiah Gordon
Thanks so much. I am wanting to use this before my students do the actual dissection. This is great. Is there any version of the slides where I can actually drag the answers over to the choices?
Admin
Students can do that with these slides, but they need to make a copy so it can be edited.
Leslie Jensen
Hi there,
This activity is awesome, but after I made a copy I still can’t drag and drop. Suggestions? I really want my students to do this before the actual dissection. Thank you!
Admin
So when you go to this link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/15YuNH9bHEEaC62c-00RO4eqjK0Udx0t5QJaJvzCOQno/edit?usp=sharing are you able to see the document in Google docs?
Erin Cramer
Hello! I’m having the same issue. Even when I make a copy, I still can’t use the drag and drop. Any ideas? It’s probably user error on my end, but just want to check. Thanks!
Admin
So, when you make a copy, on your google drive, it will copy it as “Copy of Frog Dissection…” Make sure you’re on that document and not the original. Are you able to edit in other ways? Like change fonts or fill in text boxes?