Students in Tappan Zee High School Science teacher Nicole Farish’s Anatomy and Physiology class are learning about the different types of tissues in the body. This week, they are making models of the five types of epithelial tissues out of play-doh!
For this project, students had to construct simple cuboidal, simple columnar, stratified squamous, stratified cuboidal and pseudostratified columnar tissues and identify the nuclei, basal surface and basement membrane in their model. Students then took pictures of their completed models that they will include in their report about the functions and locations of each tissue. Following this activity, students will view microscope images and try to identify the type of tissue based upon their notes and models that they created.
“Part of our curriculum in this unit is to identify various types of epithelial tissues and to know their various locations and functions throughout the body. Anytime I can get students to do something hands-on in class is a huge win for motivation, increased comprehension and application of knowledge to clinical situations,” Farish explained. “Having students construct different types of epithelial tissues helps them visualize and better understand the microscopic components. Not to mention we have a lot of fun expressing our artistic talents while we are learning!”