Structure–Function & Adaptation Matching Challenge

An online microscope lab for elementary school, middle school and high school science on StudyScope. Students work through 4 real prepared microscope slides in order: Female Mosquito Mouthparts (Whole Mount), Male Mosquito Mouthparts (Whole Mount), Honeybee Foreleg (Whole Mount), and House Fly Leg (Whole Mount).

Two pairs of insect slides, each showing the same body part built for a different job: mosquito mouthparts (female vs. male) and insect legs (honeybee vs. house fly). For each specimen, students describe the structure first, predict its job, then check against labeled features. You drive the slides; students follow on their own screens and can pan and zoom. Have students keep a two-column table: "Structure I see" and "Job it does." About 30 minutes.

Grade level
Elementary school, Middle school and high school
Time
30 minutes
Subject
Physiology & Organs
Slides
4
NGSS
4-LS1-1, MS-LS4-4, HS-LS4-4

NGSS alignment

Lab steps

  1. Pair 1, Specimen A: female mosquito

    Slide: Female Mosquito Mouthparts (Whole Mount)

    • Pair 1 compares two mosquito heads. This one is a female. Before zooming in, look at the long tube coming off her head. Describe its shape. What might a tool like that be good for?
    • Follow the tube to its tip. It is a sheath with fine, sharp stylets packed inside. What job could a long, sharp, hollow, needle-like tool do?
    • Check the labels. Record three features in your table: the proboscis, the short palps beside it, and the antennae with only a few short hairs. You'll compare each one to the next specimen.

  2. Pair 1, Specimen B: male mosquito

    Slide: Male Mosquito Mouthparts (Whole Mount)

    • Now a male mosquito. Look at the antennae first. How are they different from the female's? The extra hairs are very sensitive to vibration. Make a guess about what he might be sensing with them.
    • Male mosquitoes drink nectar and never bite. Compare his mouthparts to the female's. Finish Pair 1 in your table: for each feature, write how the male's differs from the female's and what job it does.

  3. Pair 2, Specimen C: honeybee front leg

    Slide: Honeybee Foreleg (Whole Mount)

    • Pair 2 compares insect legs. This is the front leg of a honeybee. Start at the top and trace it down to the claws at the tip. Which parts are covered in hair? Where is the hair the thickest?
    • Zoom in on this joint. There is a half-circle notch lined with a comb of tiny bristles, with a small flap beside it. The bee pulls one of its own body parts through this notch to clean it. Which body part do you think it is? Why would it need to be kept clean?
    • Check the labels. The notch is an antenna cleaner: bees smell and feel with their antennae, so pollen and dust have to come off. Add the leg's features and their jobs to your table.

  4. Pair 2, Specimen D: house fly leg

    Slide: House Fly Leg (Whole Mount)

    • Now a house fly leg. Trace it from the base to the tip and compare it with the bee leg. Which parts look similar? Do you see a cleaning notch on this leg?
    • Zoom in on the foot. You'll see two hooked claws and soft, pale pads beneath them. Flies can walk on glass and upside down on ceilings. Which part do you think grips rough surfaces, and which grips smooth ones?
    • Check the label and finish your table. Both insects use their legs, but for different jobs. Write one sentence explaining how the shape of a structure matches the job it does.

Slides used in this lab

Teach it live

Present the lab live and every student screen follows your slide, zoom, and current step, with students joining by room code on Chromebooks, iPads, or any browser, no student accounts. Add the lesson to your library to edit the steps, reorder slides, and add your own teacher notes.

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