You recently completed a grasshopper dissection in science. Now it is time to think about what you observed, what you found interesting, and what you would like to investigate next.
A dissection is more than just looking inside an organism. It gives you a chance to see how different body structures are organized and how they help an organism survive.
Use the questions below to reflect on your grasshopper dissection experience.
Think Back to the Grasshopper Dissection
1. What did you like most about the grasshopper dissection?
Think about the entire experience.
What part did you enjoy the most?
Explain your answer in complete sentences.
2. What was the most interesting thing you observed?
Think about the structures you saw during the dissection.
You might describe:
- A body part
- An internal organ
- Something that looked different than you expected
- A structure you had never seen before
Explain what made it interesting to you.
3. What surprised you?
Describe one thing you saw or learned during the grasshopper dissection that you did not expect.
What Should We Dissect Next?
Now you get to help decide what we could investigate in a future science lab.
Read about each possible specimen before choosing.
Sheep Eye
A sheep eye dissection would give you a chance to investigate how an eye works.
You may be able to observe structures such as the:
- Cornea
- Lens
- Retina
- Optic nerve
Think about how different these structures must work together for an animal to see.
Crayfish
A crayfish is an arthropod, just like a grasshopper.
Both have an exoskeleton, but they live in very different environments.
During a crayfish dissection, you may be able to investigate:
- Gills
- Stomach
- Digestive organs
- Muscles
- Appendages
This would give you a chance to compare the anatomy of two different arthropods.
Freshwater Clam
A freshwater clam is a mollusk.
Its body is very different from both a grasshopper and a crayfish.
During a clam dissection, you may be able to observe structures such as the:
- Gills
- Mantle
- Foot
- Muscles
- Digestive organs
This would give you a chance to investigate an animal with a completely different body structure.
Your Choice
Respond in the Comments
Post your answers to the questions in the comment section.
Your response should:
- Answer all six questions.
- Use complete sentences.
- Include specific details from the grasshopper dissection.
- Explain why you chose your next specimen.
- Include at least one thing you would like to learn during the next dissection.
Before you submit your response, reread it and make sure another person can clearly understand your ideas.
When you’re finished, check out the rest of our blog for more tips, ideas, and activities to help you learn and grow. Be sure to follow our classroom Instagram page for behind-the-scenes moments, project highlights, and fun updates. Let’s work together to make learning fun, exciting, and something you look forward to every day!
17 Responses
Something fun about dissecting a grasshopper is that i got to see how their body looks from the inside. The most interesting thing I observed during the dissection is that their organs are brown and look like a blob of something. Something that surprised me during the dissection is that all of the organs are brown.
What I liked about the Grasshopper dissection is when I cut it open and took its organs out. Something interesting that I observed was the yellow stuff inside the Grasshopper. Something that surprised me was when it started leaking clear liquid. Honestly I really want to dissect a baby pig but I want to dissect a sheep eye because I think it would be fun and really cool.
The part I liked the most is cutting the grass hopper open,because I never disected anything.I also liked it because it was a cool experiment And I learned the names of the parts inside a grass hopper.The most interesting thing I observed was the skeleton.What made the skeleton interesting was that its not in the body its outside of it.
I picked crayfish because I don’t want to do a sheep’s eye because it’s sound gross and it looks weird and I think it would be to complex to do i don’t care if I have to do the fresh water clam because I think it will be easy but I want to do the crayfish because it might be fun.
What I like most about the grasshopper dissection was cutting it open. The thing that was most interesting about the grasshopper was the brain It looked like an egg. What surprised me was the midgut It looked weird but I could kind of tell it is a mid gut.
What I liked the most about the grasshopper dissection was how we were doing teamwork talking and looking at the grasshopper. The most interesting thing I observed was the body parts of the grasshopper I didn’t know that grasshoppers had so much inside them. What surprised me the most was when I saw the inside I didn’t know it looked like that, brown and mushy. I think we should dissect sheep eye next because its something different and its not gonna be the same as a grasshopper.
I liked doing the dissection with my friends and learning about the internal organs of an arthropod. I also thought that it was interesting how most of the parts were just brown. It surprised me how easy it was to cut open the grasshopper.
What I liked the most about the grasshopper dissection was when my teammates and I started looking at it closely seeing new things I never knew it had. the most interesting part that I observed was probably when I got to see his heart it was small and it didn’t look how I expected it to look.something that surprised me was when we opened it up it didn’t look how I expected it too look everything was all mushy and brown I thought it would have different different colors inside or something else I noticed that I was surprised about was probably when I saw its legs on the side I saw they were bigger then the legs at the bottom.
What I liked most about the grasshopper dissection was when we were trying to figure out what everything is . The most interesting thing was finding the brain because I didn’t know it would look like that . What surprised me is that it didn’t really have as strong of a smell as I thought it would .
The part I enjoyed was taking the organs out and idenifying them one by one. It was fun and it made me more skilled in science and I learned some things about grasshoppers. The thing I found most interesting was the organs. I didn’t know something could be so put together yet so small. Something that surprised me was it being so strong, I was expecting it to break apart easily. We should dicest a sheep eye next because its cool.
What I liked most about dissecting the grasshopper is how we were doing teamwork work. when I cut it open, It didn’t look like I expected. I expected it to look super gross but it wasn’t as gross as I thought it would be. I saw the organs like the heart and stomach. I also saw yellow vessels.
The part I most liked about dissecting is when we were looking at the image in the packet and finding where they belong.
Something else I want to dissect is a crayfish. Because I don’t want to do neither a sheep eye it sounds weird and gross. And a fresh water calm might be hard to do. A crayfish sounds fun to dissect.
I liked that it was easy to view and that its body parts were relatively easy to locate, which made everything easier for me.
I wasn’t here on the day that we dissectedEm grasshoppers, so I don’t know how it was like or what happened. But out of the options of a sheep eye, a crayfish, and a freshwater clam, I chose the sheep eye because it’s way more different from a grasshopper and is different from the other two options too. Another reason that I chose it is because I think it would be cool.
Grasshopper Dissection Reflections (Sample Ideas)Favorite part: Opening the exoskeleton to reveal the internal structure was the most engaging part of the lab because it showed how complex a small insect is on the inside.Most interesting observation: Finding the tiny, silver-looking breathing tubes called tracheae was the most fascinating part because they look completely different from human lungs.Surprise: It was surprising to see how much of the grasshopper’s body cavity is filled with digestive organs and muscle tissue dedicated to jumping, rather than a large central brain.2. Choosing the Next Specimen Crayfish (Arthropod Comparison)What you study: Gills, walking legs, claws, and internal digestive parts [Crayfish].Why pick it: It lets you compare a water-dwelling arthropod directly to the land-dwelling grasshopper you just finished.Best for: Seeing how similar body armor (exoskeletons) adapt to water versus air.Freshwater Clam (Mollusk Study)What you study: The muscular foot, mantle, gills, and filter-feeding parts.Why pick it: It introduces a completely different body plan (a mollusk) with no legs and a soft body protected by a shell.Best for: Seeing how animals live without joints, wings, or antennae.Sheep Eye (Sensory/Optics Study)What you study: The cornea, hard lens, retina, and jelly-like vitreous humor [Sheep Eye].Why pick it: It shifts away from bugs and shellfish to focus on how a living mammal processes light and vision.Best for: Cutting open a real lens and seeing how the eye bends and focuses light.
The thing i like about cutting the grass hopper is seeing the inside like the stomach and the veins. And also the most exciting thing is when i cut the head you could see the brain and eyes. And i think we should dissect the sheep eye it sounds exciting and i would to see the inside.