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Teacher'Guide'
Dissection'on'Demand:''
Fetal'Pig'
18Hour'DL/In8House'Lesson'
Grades:'6'8'12'
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Description'
Observe!the!dissection!of!a!whole!animal!whose!organs!match!up!closely!with!human!anatomy.!
A!museum!expert!will!quiz!students!on!organ!structure!and!function!throughout!the!dissection,!
as!well!as!point!out!interesting!traits!and!features!students!may!notice!on!their!own!bodies.!!
Real!human!specimens!will!be!displayed!for!comparison!with!animal!samples,!and!students!will!
discuss!habits!that!may!lead!to!health!concerns!of!specific!organs.!
• Option'1:'Class'participation.!!Teachers!are!welcome!to!obtain!fetal!pigs!&!dissection!
equipment,!and!have!our!educator!guide!the!students!in!both!technique!and!anatomy!
identification.!We!recommend!no!more!than!3!students!in!each!dissection!team.!
• Option'2:'Class'observation.!!If!your!students!are!observing!our!dissection,!we!will!
engage!them!with!physical!exam!skills!such!as!finding!their!pulse,!identifying!veins!&!
arteries,!and!clinical!percussion.!!There!is!a!diagram!of!fetal!pig!internal!anatomy!at!the!
end!of!this!guide;!students!may!copy!this!and!use!it!for!notes!during!the!program.!
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Before'Your'Visit'
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•
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InFHouse!programs:!The!Museum!will!provide!all!materials!for!dissection!
Distance!learning!programs:!if!class!will!be!participating!in!the!dissection!please!make!
sure!fetal!pigs!are!ordered!and!will!arrive!prior!to!program.!Please!have!students!already!
separated!into!pairs!or!groups!of!3!and!prepared!with!all!dissection!tools.!!
Objectives'
Students!will:!
•!Review!anatomy!and!physiology!of!a!whole!animal,!covering!parts!of!the!
cardiovascular,!respiratory,!neurological,!digestive,!endocrine,!hematological,!
musculoskeletal!and!renal!systems!
•!Discuss!tieFins!to!human!health!and!diseases!at!each!major!organ!
•!Examine!anatomical!landmarks!on!your!own!body!
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Revised'Ohio'Academic'Content'Standards'
Grade!6!Science:!Life!Science!–!Cellular!to!Multicellular!!
• Cells!are!the!fundamental!unit!of!life!
• Cells!carry!on!specific!functions!that!sustain!life!
• Living!systems!at!all!levels!of!organization!demonstrate!the!complementary!nature!of!
structure!and!function!
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Grade!8!Science:!Life!Science!–!Species!and!Reproduction!
• The!characteristics!of!an!organism!are!a!result!of!inherited!traits!received!from!
parent(s).!!
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HS:!Biology!–!Cells!
Cellular!processes!(characteristics!of!life!regulated!by!cellular!processes)!
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National'Health'Education'Standards:'
Grades'688:!1.8.1,!1.8.3,!1.8.5,!1.8.6,!1.8.8,!1.8.9!
Grades'9812:!1.12.1,!1.12.3,!1.12.5,!1.12.8,!1.12.9!
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Vocabulary'
alveoli!–!tiny,!thinFwalled!sacs!of!the!lungs!where!oxygen!and!carbon!dioxide!are!exchanged.!
anatomy!–!The!structure!of!an!organism!or!the!science!of!the!structure!of!animals!or!plants.!
aorta–!the!largest!artery!of!the!body,!sending!blood!from!the!heart!to!the!rest!of!the!body!
appendix'8'A!narrow!vestigial!process!projecting!from!the!cecum!in!the!lower!rightFhand!part!of!
the!abdomen!of!some!mammals,!including!humans.'
atrium'(atria)–!the!superior!chambers!of!the!heart,!receiving!blood!from!veins!and!sending!the!
blood!down!to!the!ventricles!
artery–!a!muscular!blood!vessel!that!takes!blood!away!from!the!heart!
cardiovascular'(circulatory)'system–!the!system!of!the!body!composed!of!the!heart!and!blood!
vessels,!meant!to!deliver!vital!components!to!and!from!all!the!cells!of!the!body!
cecum!F!The!large!blind!pouch!forming!the!beginning!of!the!large!intestine.!
cell–!the!smallest!unit!of!life!in!all!living!organisms!
colon'F!The!section!of!the!large!intestine!extending!from!the!cecum!to!the!rectum.!
diaphragm!–!a!muscle!between!the!chest!and!abdomen!that!moves!up!and!down!to!push!air!in!
and!out!of!the!lungs.!
esophagus'8'The!muscular!membranous!tube!for!the!passage!of!food!from!the!pharynx!to!the!
stomach.!
heart'attack–!damage!to!the!heart!due!to!low!oxygenation,!usually!from!poor!blood!flow!from!
a!diseased!coronary!artery!
hepatic!–!Of,!or!relating!to,!the!liver.!
physiology!–!the!science!dealing!with!the!functions!and!processes!of!living!organisms.!
pulmonary!–!Of,!relating!to,!or!affecting!the!lungs.!
rectum'8!The!terminal!portion!of!the!large!intestine,!extending!from!the!sigmoid!colon!to!the!
anal!canal.!
renal!–!Of,!relating!to,!or!in!the!region!of!the!kidneys.!
spleen!–!A!large,!highly!vascular!lymphoid!organ,!lying!in!the!human!body!to!the!left!of!the!
stomach!below!the!diaphragm,!serving!to!store!blood,!disintegrate!old!blood!cells,!filter!foreign!
substances!from!the!blood,!and!produce!lymphocytes.!
thymus!F!A!small!glandular!organ!that!is!situated!behind!the!top!of!the!breastbone,!consisting!
mainly!of!lymphatic!tissue!and!serving!as!the!site!of!T!cell!differentiation.!The!thymus!increases!
gradually!in!size!and!activity!until!puberty,!becoming!vestigial!thereafter.!
thyroid!F!A!twoFlobed!endocrine!gland!found!in!all!vertebrates,!located!in!front!of!and!on!either!
side!of!the!trachea!in!humans,!and!producing!various!hormones!
tissue!–!the!substance!of!a!living!organism!that!is!made!of!cells.!!A!doctor!might!take!a!“tissue!
sample”!of!an!organ!that!they!suspect!is!diseased!in!order!to!look!at!its!cells!under!a!
microscope.!
trachea!–!A!thinFwalled,!cartilaginous!tube!descending!from!the!larynx!to!the!bronchi!and!
carrying!air!to!the!lungs.!
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Suggested'Activities'
1) Comparative'anatomy!–!have!students!choose!another!nonFmammal!animal!and!look!up!
some!images!of!its!internal!anatomy.!!Ask!them!to!prepare!a!report!on!what!organs!are!
similar!or!different!in!location!or!function!compared!to!mammals.!
2) Preserved'vs.'Fresh'Organ'Dissection!–!in!the!past,!the!Museum!has!purchased!fresh!sheep!
and!cow!hearts,!brains,!eyes,!and!other!organs!from!local!butchers!for!our!students!to!have!
on!hand!while!dissecting!preserved!organs.!
3) Suture'Practice!–!On!YouTube,!the!key!words!“surgical!knots”!will!bring!up!lots!of!good!
tutorials!on!how!to!tie!one!and!twoFhanded!knots!while!suturing.!!Students!can!use!thread!
or!yarn!to!practice,!then!try!suturing!on!either!their!pig!after!dissection,!or!on!a!thickF
skinned!fruit.!!Companies!like!Carolina!Biological!that!sell!preserved!animals!for!dissection!
also!sell!suture!needles!&!thread.!
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References''
Here!are!some!sites!that!we!have!used!in!the!past!as!resources!for!program!content.!!Please!
note!that!the!Museum!is!not!affiliated!with!and!does!not!endorse!these!websites.!
http://carolinascienceonline.com/index.php/resources/fetal_pig_anatomy_interactive_science_activity.
html#.UmGs8SRAVXs!!F!free!interactive!fetal!pig!dissection!from!Carolina!Science!Online.!
http://www.whitman.edu/academics/coursesFofFstudy/biology/virtualFpig!!F!!Very!nice!virtual!fetal!pig!
dissection.!
www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/!F!their!interactive!body!is!really!cool.!
www.innerbody.com/!F!may!take!some!time!to!load!images,!great!content.!
www.medtropolis.com/!F!home!of!“the!virtual!body”!!
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Science'Resource'Center'(SRC)''
The! Science! Resource! Center! has! books,! kits,! animal! dioramas! and! more! for! loan! to! area!
teachers.!Contact!the!Science!Resource!Center!at!216F231F4600!ext.!3211!between!3!and!5!PM!
Monday!through!Friday!and!9!AM!to!1!PM!on!Saturdays.!Visit!our!website!to!view!resources.!!
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Produced!and!published!by!the!Education!Division,!The!Cleveland!Museum!of!Natural!History,!1!Wade!
Oval!Dr.,!University!Circle,!Cleveland,!OH!44106!
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September!2013!!
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Used!with!permission!from!Biologycorner.com!
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