What can I do with the SOAR?

The LSU-HHMI Scope-On-A-Rope Program and its partners have developed several lesson plans utilizing the SOAR in a variety of grade levels and subject areas. All activities are linked to Louisiana Grade Level Expectations and/or National Science Education Standards with a focus on inquiry and science process skills. Don’t have your own video microscope? You can borrow a SOAR from numerous sites around Louisiana through LSU’s lending program. 

• View activities designed for elementary students (PreK-5) 
• View activities geared for middle to high school students (6-12) 

Other Curricular Resources for SOAR use in classrooms:

Hand-Held Microscope User’s Guide 

This guide provides detailed, step-by-step instructions for setting up and using the Scope-On-A-Rope, L2, and ProScope microscopes. Download PDF

SOAR Into Inquiry 

LSU SOAR Coordinator partnered with RealCurriculum, Inc. to publish twelve activity booklets for grades K-5. Topics include fingerprints, color mixing, seeds, flowers, photosynthesis, cells, and more! They are available for purchase from School Technology Resources [https://www.southernsciencesupply.com/product-category/microscope-accessories/teaching-resources/]

SeaScope Folios 

Five curriculum booklets are available for download FREE from Louisiana Sea Grant [http://lamer.lsu.edu/soar/lessons.htm] Topics include anatomy and behavior of snails, squid, and crawfish, mosquito life cycles, and properties of sand.

Virtual Museum activities 

There are 6 sets of activities available (in both English and French!), as well as PowerPoint presentations of background information on each topic related to collections at LSU’s Museum of Natural Science: http://appl003.lsu.edu/natsci/education.nsf/$Content/Virtual+Museum?OpenDocument

A dollar bill magnified 30x

Human hair magnified 200x

Sand from Hilton Head, SC, magnified 30x

Stomata on a lily leaf magnified 200x

 

“My fourth graders, of course, love it. But I got a chance to use it with my middle schoolers... I used it for figurative language. Instead of writing similes, metaphors, hyperbole, et al about the grass, the sky, the birds, et al, I had them use SOAR to take a picture of an object and then write an example of figurative language for that picture. First picture: the mealworm. They hated (LOVED!!) it!!! When my middle school students, who had little prior exposure to technology of SOAR, saw their world up close and then were challenged to think creatively about that world, they were eager to finish the assignment and even more eager to share what they had written. I wanted to tell you thanks for giving my kids this opportunity to become engaged with something as intangible as figurative language.” – Margret Atkinson, Zachary Community Schools

 

“My students, in almost every instance, were overwhelmed by first near disbelief and then surprise at the awesomeness of seeing live in digital image the microscopic views of items they normally do not get to see up close, such as the parts of a flower, plant roots, flatworms, animal coverings, household items, and much more. From first grade to seventh, students are amazed and appreciative of being able to utilize such a powerful tool in the context of classroom learning experiences.” – gifted science resource teacher