Ninth graders dissect frogs

Jolee Smith

In ninth grade classes there are various dissections of different things. In biology classes there are different dissections depending on the teacher. Some dissect things like crayfish, frogs, worms, flowers, owl pellets and beans. The human Systems and Disease class  also dissects things like fetus pigs, eyeballs, etc. Dissecting is a way to learn about things by cutting them open.

“We dissect frogs because they are the closest anatomically to humans,” ninth grade biology teacher Jessica Hogan said.

Wow! Ninth grade students Alesca Cooper, Gretchen Messner, Sierra Kemper and Abigayle Williams perform the external dissection. Frog dissections are split into two days, internal and external. Photo by Jessica Hogan
Cool! Ninth graders Grant Corso, Major Greaser and Ben Walls examined the eyes of the frog. The external dissection comes first to examine things on the outside of the frog such as the length, the width and the eyes. Photo by Jessica Hogan
Hold this! Ninth graders Dan Kennedy and Jolee Smith start the internal dissection by examining the mouth. Frogs use their eyes to aid in swallowing their food. Photo by Jessica Hogan
Fascinating! Ninth graders Kayli Barefoot, Emilee Stirk and Grace Osmolinski work together in their internal dissection. The largest internal organ in a frog is the liver, it has three chambers. Photo by Jessica Hogan
Help! Ninth grade biology teacher Jessica Hogan answers questions from Marinah Fochler on the post-dissection worksheet. Students are responsible for using what they learned in the dissection to complete a packet with their group. Photo by Jolee Smith