Water Biodiversity Lab Work: Microorganism Team: Observing with the Microscope

Observing the Microorganisms

1         Following the guidelines in How to Use a Compound Microscope, focus on an object that might be a microorganism. Look in particular for things that are colored (green, red, or brown), square or oblong, have rough or jagged edges, or are moving around on the slide. Beware of perfect circles—these are air bubbles!

2         On an index card, draw a sketch of the organism you see. On the back of the card, record relevant information (see below), including a description of your microorganism (such as shape, color, movement). In the corner of the card record the number of these types of organisms that you observe.  

3         Repeat this process with as many different organisms as you can find on this slide. When you feel that you have seen everything, rinse the slide with clean water and prepare another sample for viewing.  

Information to record:

• Your name
• Location from where sample collected
• Sampling technique
• Description of the organism
• Picture of the organism
• Number of organisms collected

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