
There are realistic online dissection simulations available, but they aren’t free. What I found instead were websites that described the steps of dissections alongside pictures of a real dissection. When I imagined a virtual dissection, I pictured an animated simulation through which a student could go through the process of dissecting.
#FREE ONLINE FROG DISSECTION FREE#
I confess that I was a bit disappointed with the free options available in this category. Here, you can find links to online dissection resources for many different animals (including crayfish, frogs, earthworm, grasshopper, and fetal pick) as well as individual organ dissections (cow eye, sheep heart, and sheep brain for example). The Science Bank is the most complete site I’ve found for virtual dissection resources. If you’d like your student to get a feel for performing a dissection without doing the real thing, virtual dissections may be the way to go. They could watch a video while they go through the steps of dissecting, using the video as a guide. These videos would be great to use even if your kids perform a real dissection. Not only do the videos walk the viewer through the process of dissection, but they also explain the function of each part of the animal anatomy. Here are examples of some of the dissection videos I found. You can find videos for many types of animal dissections, from earthworms to alligators. In my short time looking, I found many high-quality dissection videos, many made by teachers. Luckily, YouTube abounds with dissection videos. Maybe you’re not opposed to the idea of dissections, but the logistics aren’t in your favor. Dissection Alternatives Video Dissections Personally, I’ve never forced a student to dissect a real specimen if they were opposed to it.įortunately, there are some great alternatives to performing dissections on real specimens. I’ve also seen students literally turn green at the sight (and smell) of preserved specimens. For others, the cost of specimens may be an issue.

Some students are ethically opposed to dissecting real animals. While there’s no denying that students can learn a lot from performing dissections, there may be reasons to seek out alternatives to using real animal specimens. Performing dissections is not only a right of passage, but it also is a fantastic way to understand how all the parts of an organism work together.

In high school, students typically perform dissection labs toward the end of the school year after they have learned about how life is organized from atom to cell, from cell to tissue, from tissue to organ, and from organ to organ system. Dissections allow students to better understand animal anatomy and how all of the organ systems work together
