Fascinating Microscope Images

• Best Microscope Images of 2009

• Summary: Each year Nikon sponsors a competition where scientists send in the best photos taken from underneath the lens of a microscope. This years top ten images include a sea star in the early stages of its life, cross sections of a plant and strands of cotton.
• Lesson Uses: Have your students create a hypothesis or predict what the image is when displayed in front of them on the board. The students could possibly write down their predictions on a sheet of paper or could participate in a think-pair-share, possibly writing down their choices on a master class list. For more advanced students they could hypothesize how the images were taken, using what type of microscopes and method for creating the slide. These images can also be used as a non-fiction writing assignment, where the students would describe the details they see in the images.