Private Christian school Classical University Model School SC Lake Wylie  York  Rock Hill  Clover  York County   29710  29745  29732  29715

Marine biology from the inside out

Students reached a milestone in their semester studies of swimming creatures. Marine biology became up close and personal when classes gathered for dissections, first for a perch and then for a shark.   
    "Look at the size of that liver," 5th grade science instructor Heather Dixon said excitedly, holding up a dog nose shark. "Our human liver is much larger, but proportionately -- for this size creature, the liver is huge! Does anybody know why?"
   Some students pulled back from the sight or smell, but then leaned forward again quickly to see.
   Mrs. Dixon went on to explain how sharks use a greater than normal oil production to help its buoyancy. Upper elementary students have been studying all types of swimming creatures this term, from seals and whales to dolphins and sea snakes, and from fish, skates and rays to turtles and plankton. Next up: the science scholars come out of their shell to examine crustaceans!