Who doesn’t like the smell of dead preserved frogs?

At Doherty Memorial High School, we recently had the opportunity to dissect a frog in Biology. We had just finished learning about body systems, so this was just the cherry on top to finish the unit. As soon as you walked into the biology lab, the first thing to greet you at the door was the smell. It was not a very pleasant smell. You could just tell that we were in for a ride and had no idea what to expect. While to others it might not seem like a fun thing to do, the experience was very memorable and interesting.

Students learned about different body systems and how organs worked together, and dissecting the frog and seeing its organs in real life really put things into perspective. Seeing the frog in person and just being able to hold it was remarkable. It was very different from looking at diagrams and pictures. Students were able to do something hands on and experience something they may have not experienced before.

Students worked in groups with about three to five people. Pretty much all of the students were grossed out, but there was lots of laughter because there is something funny about seeing your peers disgusted and genuinely scared for their well being. Some students were dramatic and made faces, and a couple screamed, which kind of made the lab more interesting. Even though the smell was unbearable and the frogs were gross, we had a lot of fun.

The most surprising thing was seeing all of the frog’s organs. Although there are models of organisms, it is not the same thing as seeing them in real life. We could see how everything fit together in the frog. It helped the students understand the material more and clearly get a better picture.

And while the class was only one period, it’s something many of us will remember throughout the rest of our lives. Though it was not the most pleasant smelling thing to do, it really helped us engage with others and really understand the body systems, and reading or pictures do not do the same thing as a hands on activity. This was not something that you experience every day, and it was a really cool opportunity. We would also like to give a huge thanks to Ms. Wroblewski for providing us with the frogs. Without you we would not be able to have this amazing experience!