Microscopy image baseline
Use cell and tissue images to establish a baseline for normal versus abnormal morphology and a diagnostic workflow.
Two-column morphology comparison (benign vs. malignant), one-line metastasis explanation, and a three-step diagnostic workflow sketch.
- 1Do thisUse cell and tissue images to establish a baseline for normal versus abnormal morphology and a diagnostic workflow.
- 2Use this resource
- 3Submit thisLab report: Two-column morphology comparison (benign vs. malignant), one-line metastasis explanation, and a three-step diagnostic workflow sketch.
- 4Submit it here
- 1CMSD website. Go to clevelandmetroschools.org and click the Clever button.
- 2Clever. Clever opens. Sign in if it asks.
- 3Microsoft (district) login. Use your district Microsoft account (the one for school).
- 4Schoology. Open Schoology, then your class, then Assignments, and find the file named below.
The file to submit is named: Genetics of Disease (Medical Interventions) › Cancer as loss of regulation; tumor types; diagnostic workflow. › Lab reportOpen Schoology
- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning — make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure — the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities — you open it through Schoology.
Minute-by-minute · 80-minute block
💡 Big idea: How does the shape and arrangement of cells under a microscope reveal whether cancer has begun to invade?
- 0-8Hook micrographs; establish normal tissue as the baseline; review lab safety for image analysis
- 8-25Open labeled images; identify normal tissue features; record cell size, shape, arrangement
- 25-45Compare benign vs. malignant samples; record differences in two-column table
- 45-58Mark metastasis image; write one-line explanation of how it differs from local tumor
- 58-72Sketch three-step diagnostic workflow: image acquisition, classification, clinical report
- 72-80Submit morphology comparison and workflow sketch; confirm break submissions complete
- • Hook: Show side-by-side micrographs of normal colon epithelium and colon adenocarcinoma; ask what differences students notice without being told which is which.
- • Why it matters: Pathologists read these images to classify tumors and guide treatment; the vocabulary you learn today is used in every cancer diagnosis.
- • Today's work: You compare normal, benign, and malignant images and build the three-step workflow that connects the image to the clinical call.
- • Exit goal: Morphology comparison and workflow sketch submitted before the bell.
- 1Open the labeled microscopy images in the shell and identify normal tissue first.
- 2Compare a benign and a malignant sample, noting differences in cell size, shape, and arrangement.
- 3Mark one image showing metastasis and explain in one line how it differs from a local tumor.
- 4Sketch the diagnostic workflow from image to tumor classification in three steps.
- 5Submit your morphology comparison and workflow sketch as your daily evidence.
- • You'll be able to tell normal from abnormal tissue morphology.
- • You'll be able to outline a basic cancer diagnostic workflow.
- • Normal cells are uniform in size and shape and maintain orderly tissue architecture; cancer cells are pleomorphic with disorganized arrangement.
- • Benign tumors grow locally without invading surrounding tissue; malignant tumors invade and can shed cells into the bloodstream or lymph.
- • Metastasis is the spread of cancer cells from the primary site to a distant organ via blood or lymph; it is the leading cause of cancer mortality.
Your PLTW work today
Cancer as loss of regulation; tumor types; diagnostic workflow. · Microscopy image baseline
Day 2 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (reached through Schoology), then do the work below.
Do this: Open Activity 3.1.3 Understanding Cancer in myPLTW and use the labeled microscopy images to compare normal, benign, and malignant tissue morphology.
Mark the microscopy image activity complete after your comparison and workflow sketch are submitted.
Monday debate should be posted; morphology comparison and diagnostic workflow due today before Thanksgiving break.
Two-column morphology comparison, metastasis explanation, and three-step diagnostic workflow sketch submitted.
All PLTW activities are completed inside the PLTW course environment — this page only gives direction. Submit producibles on Schoology.
Today's PLTW tracker
Check things off as you work, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible on Schoology.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
Cancer as loss of regulation; tumor types; diagnostic workflow. · Microscopy image baseline
Open Activity 3.1.3 Understanding Cancer in myPLTW and use the labeled microscopy images to compare normal, benign, and malignant tissue morphology.
Monday debate should be posted; morphology comparison and diagnostic workflow due today before Thanksgiving break.
This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.
🎯 Use cell and tissue images to establish a baseline for normal versus abnormal morphology and a diagnostic workflow.
- Open the labeled microscopy images in the shell and identify normal tissue first.
- Compare a benign and a malignant sample, noting differences in cell size, shape, and arrangement.
- Mark one image showing metastasis and explain in one line how it differs from a local tumor.
- Sketch the diagnostic workflow from image to tumor classification in three steps.
- Submit your morphology comparison and workflow sketch as your daily evidence.
Lab report: Two-column morphology comparison (benign vs. malignant), one-line metastasis explanation, and a three-step diagnostic workflow sketch.
Submit on SchoologyUpload by 11:29 PM for full credit.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| Open the labeled microscopy images in the shell and identify normal tissue first. | _______ |
| Compare a benign and a malignant sample, noting differences in cell size, shape, and arrangement. | _______ |
| Mark one image showing metastasis and explain in one line how it differs from a local tumor. | _______ |
| Sketch the diagnostic workflow from image to tumor classification in three steps. | _______ |
| Submit your morphology comparison and workflow sketch as your daily evidence. | _______ |
Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.
- You'll be able to tell normal from abnormal tissue morphology.
- You'll be able to outline a basic cancer diagnostic workflow.
Teacher-posted resources
Classroom documents for this lesson. Ones marked “Open the file” open right here; the rest are posted in Schoology. Use the label on each card to choose the right move.
Open this when the class reaches this activity and use it to complete the required lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Cancer launch, biopsy, diagnosis workflow by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-3_How-to-Conquer-Cancer/3.1_Detecting-Cancer; keywords:cancer, tumor, biopsy. Score 146. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Use this if you were absent, got stuck, or need another pass before you submit the lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Cancer launch, biopsy, diagnosis workflow by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-3_How-to-Conquer-Cancer/00_Unit-Overview; keywords:cancer, diagnosis, osteosarcoma. Score 142. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Use this if you were absent, got stuck, or need another pass before you submit the lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Cancer launch, biopsy, diagnosis workflow by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-3_How-to-Conquer-Cancer/3.1_Detecting-Cancer; keywords:cancer, osteosarcoma. Score 138. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
How to get there: open the CMSD website, click Clever, sign in with your Microsoft (district) account, then open Schoology from Clever.
Lab & supplies
- • All materials are image-based; no wet lab hazards today.
- • Microscopy images are de-identified patient tissue samples; treat them as clinical data and do not photograph or share beyond the class.
- • If using a light microscope to view prepared slides, follow school lab safety protocol: carry microscope with two hands, report broken slides to the teacher immediately.
WebXam practice
Cumulative WebXam review
A quick mixed-review pulling questions from earlier units plus today, so the WebXam material stays fresh.
Where this leads — careers
What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.
What to do if you were absent
From home, work through the labeled morphology packet: compare normal, benign, and malignant images, mark the metastasis example, and sketch the three-step diagnostic workflow.
Labeled cancer morphology packet (PLTW course shell)Then submit your Lab report on Schoology.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
National Cancer Institute: What Is Cancer?Optional extra credit (async)
You've passed Unit 2, so the optional extra-credit track is open. Complete reserved-unit work from home (virtual labs included) for extra credit, all submitted on Schoology.
Open the extra-credit track- CompleteEvery required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
- AccurateThe science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
- Scientific reasoningYou explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
- Professional communicationClear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
- SubmittedTurned in the right way (Schoology for routine work) and confirmed.
Drop your Fri, Nov 13, 2026 · Microscopy image baseline here. Use a clear file name (your initials + project). Routine work still goes to Schoology (via the CMSD portal).
Upload a project