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Microscopy4Kids has microscopy resources for K-12 general science and biology teachers and students.

For Educators (includes lesson plans, images, movies, field guide to microscopes, and supplies and sources.

Lesson plans are grouped K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Many lessons are appropriate for more than one grade range. In Making Biological Drawings, students in grades K-12 make biological drawings. The lesson includes models of good and bad drawings so teachers can point out what is wrong with the bad examples. In Pond Life, students in grades 3-5 examine pond water under the microscope and try to identify different microbes. They observe organisms to identify examples of predation, competition, or mutualism and construct a food web. The lesson includes teacher background, images, expected results, discussion questions, and Next Generation Science and Common Core State Standards. In Fingerprint Lab, students in grades 6-12 examine fingerprints using a microscope. They identify and record loops, arches, and whorls; construct a graph of class data; and analyze the data. The lesson includes handouts.

Images and Movies provide views of molecules, tissues cells, and materials.

For Kids features images of tiny creatures and details, instructions for turning an iPhone into a microscope, and a discussion of what to look for when buying a microscope.

A link on the homepage connects to iBiology Microscopy Course, a free course that teaches the basics of optics, transmitted light microscopy, various methods of imaging fluorescent samples, how cameras work and image processing, and introduces some of the latest advances in light microscopy. The course includes videos of lectures, labs, and tips.


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