General Practical Biology I

1. Operate and maintain laboratory equipment such as microscopes and autoclaves.
2. Prepare temporary and permanent slides for microscopic examination.
3. Collect, preserve, and mount biological specimens.
4. Perform basic dissection techniques on invertebrates and vertebrates.
5. Prepare stains and reagents for laboratory use.
6. Set up and conduct physiological experiments.
7. Identify and classify organisms based on their external features.

13 weeks, about 27 hours in total. Yours will differ.

1. Week 1Module 1:

   • Unit 1: What practical work in biology involves. · 2 hours

     Read the unit introduction to understand the scope of practical biology.. Identify the importance of practical sessions in biology.. List and understand the six hints for successful practical work.. Practice making biological drawings following the guidelines..

2. Week 2Module 1:

   • Unit 2: Laboratory organization · 2 hours

     Study laboratory organization principles.. Itemize available resources.. Plan item placement based on available space.. Draft general instructions for laboratory use..

3. Week 3Module 1:

   • Unit 3: Handling common laboratory equipment · 2 hours

     Study the use of pressure cookers and autoclaves for sterilization.. Learn to operate hot air ovens and water baths.. Understand the handling of centrifuges and laminar air flow systems.. Practice using microtome knives..

4. Week 4Module 1:

   • Unit 4: Microscopy, microscope handling and maintenance. · 2 hours

     Learn to set up a student microscope.. Practice troubleshooting common microscope issues.. Understand setting up microscopes with and without a condenser.. Explore illumination techniques using external sources and daylight..

5. Week 5Module 1:

   • Unit 5: Making microscopic measurements and microscope care. · 2 hours

     Learn to make microscopic measurements.. Understand the oil immersion technique.. Study microscope care and maintenance procedures.. Practice cleaning and maintaining microscope lenses..

6. Week 6Module 2:

   • Unit 1: Procuring animal materials · 2 hours

     Learn how to place orders for specimens and live animals.. Understand the methods for collecting live animals from aquatic and land areas.. Study the collection of aquatic invertebrates, earthworms, and insects.. Review the video demonstration on collecting live animals..

7. Week 7Module 2:

   • Unit 2: Procuring plant materials · 2 hours

     Learn about growing materials for squash preparation.. Understand the collection of lower plants (algae, bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms).. Study the collection of higher plants for making a herbarium.. Practice collecting, pressing, drying, mounting, and labeling plant specimens..

8. Week 8Module 2:

   • Unit 3: Killing, preserving and mounting animal materials. · 2 hours

     Study the methods for killing, preserving, and mounting animal materials.. Learn about relaxing animals in a relaxing box before mounting.. Understand direct and point mounting techniques.. Practice displaying insect specimens and identifying male and female animals..

9. Week 9Module 2:

   • Unit 4: External features of plants observing similarities and differences. · 3 hours

     Study the external features of spirogyra and mucor.. Learn about the external features of ferns and seed plants (gymnosperms and angiosperms).. Observe similarities and differences between various plant groups.. Practice drawing and labeling plant specimens..

10. Week 10Module 2:

    • Unit 5: Preparation of temporary slides · 2 hours

      Learn the general method of making temporary slides.. Practice the smear technique for cheek scrapings.. Understand the squash technique for onion root tips.. Study the preparation of whole mounts of unicellular organisms..

11. Week 11Module 3:

    • Unit 1: Preparation of stains and reagents. · 2 hours

      Study the general rules for preparing and handling solutions.. Learn about the use of acids and alcohol in the laboratory.. Understand the preparation of normal physiological saline, Benedict's solution, and Millon's solution.. Practice preparing fixatives and stains..

12. Week 12Module 3:

    • Unit 2: Techniques for microbial culture and Grain Staining. · 2 hours

      Study techniques for microbial culture and Gram's staining.. Learn about fungal and paramecium cultures.. Understand Gram's staining of bacteria.. Practice preparing and staining bacterial smears..

13. Week 13Module 3:

    • Unit 3: Setting of demonstrations for physiological processes in plants. · 2 hours

      Study how to set up a potometer for demonstrating transpiration.. Learn to set up a respirometer for demonstrating respiration.. Understand how to set up demonstration experiments for photosynthesis.. Practice setting up and operating the apparatuses..