Grade 4 students are studying how the nervous system and vision are connected. In the unit they are identifying different parts of the eye and how they connect to the brain. Students are dissecting the eye of a cow because it is most similar to that of a human being.

This comprehensive science lesson includes the following (among other components):

-Students take turns holding the eye and observing it.

-Students take turns cutting the eye in half around the sclera.

-Students take turns observing the front of the eye, holding it up to the light and looking through the pupil.

-Students gently remove the lens from the vitreous humor, then look through it.

After the lesson, students have the opportunity to write about their dissection experience in their lab book.