A Very "Ribbiting" Science Lab

by: Emily Darby, 7th grade

Would you like to dissect a frog to find out what is inside? Well, that is exactly what the seventh grade did in science class today. Our teacher, Mrs. Wingard had us dissect a frog to find out more about the organs and bone structures. She put us into groups, gave us our materials, and we started working. The frog had many interesting parts inside its body that we got to have a closer look at. First, we got to look at the liver which was way bigger than most of us thought it would be. It was a greenish color which I for sure did not expect. Next, we looked for the stomach. The stomach looked like a giant J shape and was connected to the esophagus. We also looked for the kidneys, gallbladder, heart, ears, eyes, large intestine, and small intestine. Also, we got to see the backbone of the frog, which was behind all of the organs. This frog dissection was one of the most interesting dissections our class has gotten to look at.

Seventh graders in the middle school science lab.

The frog has many adaptations to help it not just live in its environment, but thrive too. The frog has adapted in many ways to make sure it has a way of surviving in both land and water. For example, when frogs are young, they have gills to help them breathe underwater. Yet as they grow older, they develop lungs to breathe air. Frogs can still absorb the oxygen in the water through their skin. This way they can still breathe underwater even in adulthood. Frogs also have a tail that

helps them propel themselves through the water when they are tadpoles, but as they get older they grow strong legs which help them jump on land and swim in water. Frogs have also

developed a very sticky tongue that helps them catch flying and swimming prey. Frogs’ skin also helps them to survive in their tough environment. Their skin helps them blend in from both the top and bottom, so that predators have a harder time spotting them. On the bottom, frogs have lightly colored skin to blend in with the lightly colored water, but on the top, they are dark, so that they blend into the dirt and ground. Frogs have adapted in many ways to help them survive in their environment. #wearesaintjamesschool