Summer Research Program for Science Teachers

Sasha O'Connor

William H. Maxwell Career and Technical High School

Brooklyn, NY

August 2004

How are the eyes of different organisms adapted for sight?

Performance Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Give the eye characteristics of 4 different organisms
• Create a Venn diagram to compare/contrast the human eye to two other organisms
• Identify and describe 4 anatomical eye structures of the human eye and two other organisms
• Discuss the need for sight as a tool for survival

Performance Standards:

Content Standard B, D

Assessment Standard A, B

Teaching Standard B, D

New Vocabulary:  visual images, peripheral vision, visual acuity, submerged, species, adaptation, reflector, compensate

Materials:  Large Pictures of five different animals (cat, owl, hawk, fish, and squirrel), worksheet of blank Venn diagram, overhead projector, transparencies, micro viewers, slides of eye structures)

Procedure

• Students will work in pairs to use the micro viewers to identify the human eye structures.
• Each pair of students will receive a picture of two different animals and a blank Venn diagram worksheet
• Compare and contrast the human eye to the other two kinds of eyes from different organisms.
• Explain the function of each eye structure that is identified
• Explain why the organism’s eyes are suited for their survival.  e.g. why does the eagle have great visual acuity?  What is the purpose of the reflector found at the back of the cat’s eye? 
• What are two differences between the eyes of nocturnal animals and humans?  How do their eye structures compare to their function.
• Students will be given an opportunity to display their Venn diagrams and share some of the differences with the rest of the class

Homework

Choose any two organisms and explain how its eye anatomy affects its physiology?

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