Class IX Practical: Animal Life - Microscopy (Human Cheek Cell)

Objective

To prepare a temporary mount of human cheek cells and observe the structure of a typical animal cell.

Guidelines

1. Sample Collection: Gently scrape the inner lining of your cheek with a clean, sterile toothpick or a blunt end of a matchstick. Avoid vigorous scraping.
2. Mounting: Transfer the scraped material to a drop of saline solution or water on a clean glass slide. Add a drop of methylene blue stain to highlight the nucleus.
3. Coverslip: Gently lower a coverslip over the preparation, avoiding air bubbles.
4. Observation: Observe the slide under a compound microscope at low and high power. Identify the cell membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus. Note the irregular shape and absence of a cell wall.
5. Drawing: Draw a neat, labeled diagram of a few observed cheek cells.

Expected Outcome

Clear microscopic observation of animal cells, highlighting the presence of a cell membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus, and the absence of a cell wall.