In sixth grade science, we are using microscopes to investigate different types of cells. We spent the past couple weeks getting used to working with microscopes, and now we are ready to put our skills to the test. This week, students made wet mount slides with the leaves of the aquatic Elodea plant, and we observed the cells of these leaves at different magnifications. The sixth graders made drawings of what they looked at and identified several parts of the cells. They also observed cytoplasmic streaming, which causes the chloroplasts to move around the cytoplasm of the cells. Using their knowledge of the widths of the fields of view, they also did some math to figure out how long these cells are. Next week we will be looking at paramecia under microscopes, and we will compare these single-celled organisms to the Elodea plant cells. Hopefully the paramecia will stay still long enough for us to make some good observations and size estimates. Maybe we will even spot them eating!