Under the direction of Ms. Bolio and Mrs. Redondo
Kiosk show and copy by: Tara van den Akker
When you think of students dissecting a marine
animal, what grade do you guess is doing it?
Most of you would say middle school or even
high school.
However, our 3rd graders rose to the challenge
and did just that. Under the direction of Ms.
Bolio and Mrs. Redondo, two classrooms of 3rd
grade students learned all about the Squid, and
took it apart!
The Dissection took place in our
Richardson School Cafeteria. We made
use of the Projector, Screen, Document
Camera, as well as the Audio System.
Our Custodial Staff and Administrative
team helped everything come together.
Mrs. van den Akker became the staff
photographer for the event.
Ms. Bolio secured the squid specimens
we used for the dissection. Yummy!
The Students came down and put on
their protective gear- Lab clothes
protection, gloves, and goggles were
all available as needed. Students had a
tray with the various tools they would
need to complete the task.
Our staff were ready to rock and roll
as well!
Our Teachers had a firm procedure and
game plan in place. Following Scientific
method, they were prepared to help our
students discover through the scientific
method.
Students had basic worksheets to keep
notes and record observations.
Soon enough, the squid were handed
out. Students were able to make
visual and tactile examinations, fill out
their observation sheets, and make
predictions about what they would
find as the dissection progressed.
Reactions varied, but excitement
carried the day!
Ms. Bolio, our Squid Expert, got things
rolling. She reviewed some notable
features they should have given
attention to during their observations,
then had them remove the Spine, or
pen. They later used this to write with
the squids’ ink!
Our students were able to quickly
succeed in this first part of the
Dissection.
Next, the students cut up the Mantle
of the squid and separated it,
exposing it’s inner organs to a visual
examination. The students figured out
if their specimen was male or female.
See the difference? Lady squids have
a clear section up top. Gentlemen
squid are a solid color clear through.
One of the students favorite parts
came next. They found the ink sac,
punctured it, and used the pen (the
spine) to write with the ink. Students
speculated about if people ever
harvested squid ink to write with.
Do you know the answer to that
question?
Students were guided through the
rest of the squid. They identified gills,
mouth, tentacles, and more. They
filled out their diagrams with a
drawing and label. They helped clean
up the space before we left.
We are so proud of how well our 3rd
graders handled their 1st dissection!
As always, a large amount of people
are owed our thanks for making this
all possible. This list includes but is not
limited to:
Richardson Administrative Team
Ms. Bolio and Mrs. Redondo
3rd grade students
Custodial staff
Mrs. Mazzeo and Mrs. Bianco
Mrs. van den Akker