Currently in advanced biology, a class solely reserved for seniors, members of Mr. Young’s class have been working on a week-long cat dissection. The objective of this unit, as well as other dissection units, is to be able to confidently identify various parts of the specimens, including specific muscles and organs.
For the past couple of weeks, Mr. Young has been busy instructing various dissection labs in his biology and advanced biology classes. From frogs, starfish, crayfish, squid, and now cats, students are hard at work to score a good grade for their dissection participations. Jasmyne Harrison, a senior in advanced biology, says, “I’m traumatized. RIP Oswald.” Oswald was the name of the cat Jasmyne’s group was dissecting.
Another reason Mr. Young chooses this dissection unit is to prepare his senior students for biology classes at the college level. By teaching complex labs and units, AHS students are well educated and have exposure to upper level science curriculum when they arrive at colleges in the fall.
One of the most interesting tasks of the seniors in advanced biology this semester was to extract the brain. It was a difficult process that required screwdrivers and hammers! For the practical exam of this unit, each cat will be displayed and a variety of muscles and organs will be labeled. The job of the student is to correctly identify the parts of the cat.
Good luck to the AHS biology students on their dissections this semester, and keep up the good work!