Engaging the Student (Entry Task) 

Checking for Understanding (exit ticket)

1 class period 

Have students watch the following video and answer the questions below:

Video:

• The Cure: Medical Pioneer Ronald Ross

Entry Task Questions:

1. Where was Ronald Ross when he was conducting his mosquito experiment?
2. What does Mal'aria mean in Italian?
3. Who first thought malaria might be connected to mosquitos?
4. In 1902, Ross was the first Britain to win what? 

• Mosquito Dissection Lab
• Blood Smear Activity 

In this lesson, students will recreate Ross’s steps, by going through the careful process of dissecting a very small organism, and learning where the parasite lives within the mosquito – the midgut and the salivary glands.  Mosquito dissection offers an exciting introduction for discussions pertaining to the work being done in laboratories at our own local Seattle Biomedical Research Institute.

There is no lesson plan for this lab, rather use the student handouts to guide your preparation. You may choose to show the instructional video (see Materials) to the entire class first, or if students have computers they can access it and follow it along as they progress in their dissection.

The Blood Smear Activity can be an optional activity for those students who complete the lab early.

Mosquito Dissection Lab: 

• Dissection Instructional Video
• Dissecting Microscopes
• Petri Dishes
• Tweezers, Forceps or Syringe needles for probing
• Dead Mosquitos 

Blood Smear Activity:

• Pipettes (0-10 uL) 
• Pipette Tips (0-10 uL)
• Faux Blood (mixture of red food coloring, dish soap and water)
• Microscope slides
• Cover slips 

1. Describe the part that the midgut and salivary glands of the mosquito play in spreading malaria.
2. Draw a diagram to support your answer.