Tissue and heart lab
Safety gate · before any work
- Preserved specimens contain fixative chemicals (formaldehyde or formalin substitute): wear nitrile gloves and goggles at all times at the heart station; work in a well-ventilated area.
- Do not inhale deeply over an open specimen container; if you feel lightheaded or notice strong fume odor, move away and notify the teacher.
- Histology slides are glass: handle by the edges only; place cracked or broken slides in the designated sharps container immediately.
Do now
Examine histology slides under the microscope and observe gross heart anatomy following an SOP.
- Hand in
- Lab notebook pages: four histology sketches (one per tissue type, magnification labeled, one feature identified), a labeled heart diagram with chambers, valves, and major vessels, and one limitation and one error source noted.
- Where
- Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
When you sketch a slide at 400x and then hold a preserved heart, what can you actually observe that would help explain how this person died?
Examine slides under the microscope and observe gross heart following an SOP.
- • I can identify the four types under magnification.
- • I can locate the major structures of the heart.
- Why is a drawing of a cell useless to another scientist if you do not write down the magnification you used?
- Before you touch it, predict: how will a preserved heart look, feel, or smell different from a fresh one?
- 1Read the microscopy SOP and set magnification and focus correctly.
- 2Identify , , muscle, and nervous on slides.
- 3Sketch each with magnification and one identifying feature labeled.
- 4Examine a preserved heart and locate chambers, valves, and vessels.
- 5Record one limitation of slide-based identification and one error source.
What did this day actually feel like?
Tissue and heart lab
LAB Microscopes and histology slides, then gross heart anatomy. I had to identify all four tissue types on slides and sketch each with the magnification labeled and one identifying feature marked.
Getting the microscope focused at high power took me most of the first twenty minutes. I kept driving the objective down past the specimen. My partner had done microscopy in another class and showed me to focus at low power first, center the thing I want, then move up magnification. Obvious in retrospect. I was too proud to ask for about ten minutes longer than I should have been.
The heart was the part I will remember. Four chambers, two circuits, and once you see the muscle wall thickness difference between the left and right ventricle, the reason for it is unavoidable.
Turned in: notebook pages with four sketches and heart diagram → Lab Reports folder
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
The same day, drawn.
I kept driving the objective down past the specimen. Twenty minutes lost because I was too proud to ask.
PARTNER
Focus at low power first. Center it. Then go up.
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
🛠 Get unstuck · pick your level
Lab day: Tier 1 is the whole class at the bench. No extension today.
🔑 Today's words · 5
Tap a word in the lesson for a plain meaning and one example. Recycled into next week's Do-Now.
Do the work · 80-minute blockfirst 5 min = hook▸
💡 Big idea: You must record magnification on every microscopy sketch because apparent size means nothing without it, so an unlabeled sketch cannot be trusted or compared by another scientist.
- 0:00Review SOP for microscopy and heart examination; PPE check before anyone opens containers
- 0:10Microscopy station: four prepared slides; identify and sketch each at 40x and 100x
- 0:40Heart station: examine preserved heart; locate and label four chambers, four valves, major vessels
- 1:00Record one limitation of slide-based identification and one error source in lab notebook
- 1:05Station cleanup per SOP: cover specimens, return slides to tray, clean microscope stage
- 1:10Preview Thursday analysis; brief debrief on what surprised students
- • Today is the first major hands-on lab of this unit. You are going to look at real under a real microscope and examine a preserved heart.
- • Before you touch the microscope: read the SOP. Set your stage at the lowest magnification first, focus, then increase. Skipping this step cracks slides.
- • The preserved heart is in fixative. The fixative keeps it from decomposing, but it is a chemical and you will wear gloves and work in a ventilated area. The smell is formaldehyde or a formalin substitute. Do not put your face near the container.
- • You are scientists today. Every sketch goes in the notebook with magnification labeled. Every heart structure you identify gets labeled on a diagram. This is your evidence.
- • Magnification must always be recorded with a microscopy sketch because the apparent size of a structure is meaningless without it.
- • The heart has four chambers (right/left atria and ventricles), four valves (tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral, aortic), and its wall is primarily cardiac muscle .
- • Preserved specimens have altered texture, color, and smell compared to fresh ; fixative chemicals require PPE and ventilation.
Unit 1.2 Master the Morgue: Body systems, toxicology evidence, tissue microscopy, gross anatomy, preserved-heart/autopsy alternative. · and heart lab
Day 3 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (find it in Clever, Microsoft sign-in), then do the work below.
Do this: In myPLTW, open the Lesson 1.2 Master the Morgue lab activity and record your slide observations and heart- labels.
Mark the Lesson 1.2 lab observation task started in myPLTW.
You took notes on types Tuesday. Today all four tissue sketches and the heart- diagram should be in your notebook before cleanup.
Notebook page with four labeled sketches (magnification noted) and a labeled heart diagram submitted through the tracker.
The official PLTW activity stays inside myPLTW. If myPLTW will not open, use F1 and E1-E3 on this page to complete today's local evidence decision, then make up the official activity when access returns. Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
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 through the submission route shown below.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
Unit 1.2 Master the Morgue: Body systems, toxicology evidence, tissue microscopy, gross anatomy, preserved-heart/autopsy alternative. · Tissue and heart lab
In myPLTW, open the Lesson 1.2 Master the Morgue lab activity and record your slide observations and heart- labels.
You took notes on types Tuesday. Today all four tissue sketches and the heart- diagram should be in your notebook before cleanup.
This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.
🎯 Examine slides under the microscope and observe gross heart following an SOP.
- Read the microscopy SOP and set magnification and focus correctly.
- Identify , , muscle, and nervous on slides.
- Sketch each with magnification and one identifying feature labeled.
- Examine a preserved heart and locate chambers, valves, and vessels.
- Record one limitation of slide-based identification and one error source.
Lab report: Lab notebook pages: four sketches (one per type, magnification labeled, one feature identified), a labeled heart diagram with chambers, valves, and major vessels, and one limitation and one error source noted.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Use the checklist just below and upload by 11:29 PM for full credit. Absent with an excused absence? You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| Read the microscopy SOP and set magnification and focus correctly. | _______ |
| Identify , , muscle, and nervous on slides. | _______ |
| Sketch each with magnification and one identifying feature labeled. | _______ |
| Examine a preserved heart and locate chambers, valves, and vessels. | _______ |
| Record one limitation of slide-based identification and one error source. | _______ |
Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.
- I can identify the four types under magnification.
- I can locate the major structures of the heart.
- 1Do thisExamine histology slides under the microscope and observe gross heart anatomy following an SOP.
- 2Use this resource
- 3Submit thisLab report: Lab notebook pages: four histology sketches (one per tissue type, magnification labeled, one feature identified), a labeled heart diagram with chambers, valves, and major vessels, and one limitation and one error source noted.
- 4Submit it here
- 1Open the drop folder.
- 2Sign in with your district Microsoft account, not a personal one.
- 3Upload the file, named Lastname_Firstname__Assignment Title.
- 4Your own upload panel says Uploaded with a green check: that is your receipt.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Principles of Biomedical Technology (Principles of Biomedical Science) › Unit 1.2 Master the Morgue: Body systems, toxicology evidence, tissue microscopy, gross anatomy, preserved-heart/autopsy alternative. › Lab reportOpen the drop folder
Learn it · deck, reading, and vocabulary▸
The deck carries the prior idea forward, lets you inspect an analogy, maps the rule to biology, and ends with the same evidence decision and exit ticket used on this page.
Generated from this lesson's canonical data with a red-team citation check.
A pathologist studies just four types instead of 78 organs because every organ is built from those four, so learning how each tissue breaks lets you read damage anywhere in the body.
You must record magnification on every microscopy sketch because apparent size means nothing without it, so an unlabeled sketch cannot be trusted or compared by another scientist.
A mechanic studies a tool whose shape allows one job but limits another.
- Which feature makes the tool work?
- What changes if that feature bends or breaks?
- Which observation shows function rather than appearance?
Structure creates possibilities and limits for function.
Living tissues adapt and interact with other systems; a metal tool does not.
- • Tool shape maps to .
- • The job maps to physiological function.
- • Damage maps to a predicted functional change.
Driving question: When you sketch a slide at 400x and then hold a preserved heart, what can you actually observe that would help explain how this person died?
What you already know: A pathologist studies just four types instead of 78 organs because every organ is built from those four, so learning how each tissue breaks lets you read damage anywhere in the body.
New idea: You must record magnification on every microscopy sketch because apparent size means nothing without it, so an unlabeled sketch cannot be trusted or compared by another scientist.
Visual or model: F1. F1. A lesson illustration or teaching diagram for Tissue and heart lab. Use it with E1-E3; it is a model or context image, not experimental or patient data. What to notice: Trace the labeled observation or evidence sequence before choosing an explanation.
- Observe or measure the relevant feature in and heart lab.
- Organize the observation with a stable evidence ID.
- Apply this rule: Structure creates possibilities and limits for function.
- Choose the option the evidence supports and state the limit of the conclusion.
Real biomedical example: When you sketch a slide at 400x and then hold a preserved heart, what can you actually observe that would help explain how this person died?
What the evidence supports: E1-E3 and F1 support the daily take-home when the response meets the stated success criteria.
What it cannot prove: The package does not support claims beyond this lesson's or any real patient diagnosis.
- • : The body's ongoing process of keeping internal conditions like temperature, blood sugar, and pH steady despite changes in the outside environment.
- • : A group of similar cells working together to perform a shared function, such as muscle, nerve, or .
- • : A group of organs that work together to carry out a major body function, such as the digestive or circulatory system.
- • toxicology: The science of how chemicals and other substances cause harm to living things, including the dose at which they become dangerous.
- • : The study of the microscopic structure of tissues, examining thin stained slices under a microscope to see how cells are arranged.
- • : The specific physiological breakdown inside the body that directly ends life, such as a fatal heart rhythm or blood loss, separate from the underlying cause.
Use it now: Choose one decision option. Cite E1 and E3, then explain how the rule connects the evidence to your choice.
Go further, optional: The source links below are optional enrichment. Every fact required for today's local evidence decision appears in this lesson package.
Magnification must always be recorded with a microscopy sketch because the apparent size of a structure is meaningless without it.
Limit: E1 supplies context or an observation; it does not by itself establish the explanation.
You must record magnification on every microscopy sketch because apparent size means nothing without it, so an unlabeled sketch cannot be trusted or compared by another scientist.
Limit: E2 is a teaching statement or comparison and must be checked against the task evidence.
I can identify the four types under magnification.
Limit: E3 supports only the result or product criterion named here; it cannot justify a broader clinical or causal claim.
PLTW-PBT-2026-09-24 · Simulated classroom evidence scenario
Your role: biomedical investigator
Decision: Your team must decide what the evidence from and heart lab supports before submitting the lab report named on the lesson page.
- • Proceed because the readiness evidence is complete.
- • Pause and correct the named setup or gap.
- • Repeat the measurement because quality controls are not acceptable.
Response: State one choice, cite at least two evidence IDs, explain the rule that connects them, and add one limitation. Submit it as the lab report.
Claim ceiling: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about and heart lab. It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
Reason for review: Your team must decide what the evidence from and heart lab supports before submitting the lab report named on the lesson page.
Context: links the microscopic and the visible, so a slide and a whole heart together give a pathologist the evidence one alone cannot.
- • T1: Read the microscopy SOP and set magnification and focus correctly.
- • T2: Identify , , muscle, and nervous on slides.
- • T3: Sketch each with magnification and one identifying feature labeled.
- • T4: Examine a preserved heart and locate chambers, valves, and vessels.
- • T5: Record one limitation of slide-based identification and one error source.
- • E1: Magnification must always be recorded with a microscopy sketch because the apparent size of a structure is meaningless without it.
- • E2: You must record magnification on every microscopy sketch because apparent size means nothing without it, so an unlabeled sketch cannot be trusted or compared by another scientist.
- • E3: I can identify the four types under magnification.
Measurements: No patient measurement is supplied unless it appears explicitly in E1-E3 or F1. Do not invent a value.
Figure finding: Teaching diagram for and heart lab. Trace the labeled observation or evidence sequence before choosing an explanation. This is a teaching model, not patient or experimental data.
Uncertainty: This is a composite classroom scenario. Missing history, measurements, or confirmation tests remain unknown and limit the conclusion.
- • The solution must address the stated need in and heart lab.
- • The decision must be supported by E1-E3.
- • The final product must make the success criteria visible.
- • Complete the work inside the 80-minute block.
- • Use only supplied or teacher-approved materials and evidence.
- • Do not trade , accessibility, or privacy for speed.
- • and evidence quality: must pass before scoring other criteria.
- • User need and effectiveness: highest scored criterion.
- • Time, cost, and ease of use: compare only after and effectiveness pass.
Test evidence: For each option, record the E1-E3 result that supports or fails each criterion. Do not assign a score without a named observation.
- Version or option tested
- Criterion met or missed
- Evidence ID and result
- Revision made
- Reason for the revision
- Need and user
- Criteria and constraints
- Chosen option and evidence
- Test result
- Revision and reason
Students often think Students think a microscopy sketch stands on its own, so writing the magnification is just an optional formality the teacher wants.. The trap: That is a trap because apparent size is meaningless without magnification; the same structure looks ten times bigger at 400x than 40x, so a sketch without magnification cannot be interpreted or compared by anyone else.
Histology sketches (Andre, Period 4):
- Epithelial at 100x: tightly packed cells, labeled.
- Connective at 100x: scattered cells in a matrix, labeled.
- Muscle at 100x: long striated fibers, labeled.
- Nervous at 100x: branching cell with extensions, labeled.
Heart diagram: labeled right and left atria, right and left ventricles, tricuspid and mitral valves, aorta and pulmonary artery.
Limitation: A thick slide section overlapped cells, making one tissue hard to identify. Error source: focusing at the wrong magnification could make a structure look larger than it is, so I recorded magnification on each sketch.
| Structure | Type |
|---|---|
| Right and left atria | Chambers |
| Right and left ventricles | Chambers |
| Tricuspid and mitral | Valves |
| Aorta and pulmonary artery | Major vessels |
This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: Notebook pages with four histology sketches (magnification and one feature labeled) and a labeled heart diagram with chambers, valves, and major vessels, plus a limitation and error source.
- State the question and method.
- Present the observations and data with units.
- Explain the result, limitations, and next investigation.
Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.
Also due today: Photograph your notebook pages and upload to the tracker before leaving class.
- 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. Find it in Clever with your Microsoft sign-in, right next to Schoology.
Tap the speaker to hear a term. Add two of these to your notebook glossary with a definition and an example in your own words.
Pick just 2 or 3 words from today and make them yours: write what each one means in your own words, name the context clue or evidence that helped, then give one example from what you actually did in Tissue and heart lab. Try your own words first; the glossary is there if you get stuck. This is voluntary and counts as extra credit, so keep it short.
Saved on this device. Show Mr. Mendoza or add these to your notebook glossary to claim the extra credit.
Hand-picked readings and interactives for this lesson, from authoritative open organizations and PLTW's own public course outline.
Check yourself · commit, then reveal▸
Claim ceiling for this check: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about and heart lab. It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
How many chambers and how many valves does the heart have, and which tissue type makes up most of its wall?
Write an answer and pick a confidence to unlock the key.
Fast retrieval with instant answers, not the commit-then-reveal check above. Try each from memory first: write what you remember about the earlier units, then check yourself here.
Go further and get help▸
I can name the procedure's purpose and the evidence I will record. I can identify each named hazard and the control that reduces it: Preserved specimens contain fixative chemicals (formaldehyde or formalin substitute): wear nitrile gloves and goggles at all times at the heart station; work in a well-ventilated area. My data table is ready before materials are handled.
Finish the checklist before you handle any material.
- • Preserved specimens contain fixative chemicals (formaldehyde or formalin substitute): wear nitrile gloves and goggles at all times at the heart station; work in a well-ventilated area.
- • Do not inhale deeply over an open specimen container; if you feel lightheaded or notice strong fume odor, move away and notify the teacher.
- • Histology slides are glass: handle by the edges only; place cracked or broken slides in the designated sharps container immediately.
- • Never touch the microscope lens with anything other than lens paper; do not use paper towels or your clothing to clean optics.
- • After the heart examination, seal the specimen tray, remove gloves using the glove-to-glove technique, and wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- • Dispose of all gloves, paper towels, and disposable materials used at the heart station in the labeled biological-waste bag, not the regular trash.
- 1Before materials are handled, identify the purpose, variables or comparison, controls, measurement units, and stop-work condition.
- 2Read the microscopy SOP and set magnification and focus correctly.
- 3Identify epithelial, connective, muscle, and nervous tissue on slides.
- 4Sketch each tissue with magnification and one identifying feature labeled.
- 5Examine a preserved heart and locate chambers, valves, and vessels.
- 6Record one limitation of slide-based identification and one error source.
- 7Record each result in the prepared table before interpreting it. Mark missing, repeated, or invalid results truthfully.
- 8Complete the named cleanup and waste route, remove PPE safely, wash hands when required, and confirm the station is ready for the next group.
| Trial or sample ID | Independent condition | Measured result with units | Observation before interpretation | Quality-control note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Before the procedure, predict the result and cite the rule behind the prediction.
After the procedure, compare the result with the prediction and name one limitation or source of uncertainty.
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.
Use the virtual and heart- resources to identify all four types and label heart structures, submitting sketches with magnification noted.
learn.genetics Inside a CellThen submit your Lab report. Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
Khan Academy: human body systems (Health and medicine)- 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, on the class site or handed to Mr. Mendoza in class, and confirmed. Not in Schoology: that is where the report-card grade appears later.
- Error analysis and method · counts doubleName a specific limit of the method and how it moved your result, and compare what you predicted to what happened. "Human error" does not count; say what about the procedure or instrument caused it.