Rubric 
Purpose:​ ​To use microscope to view slides to determine whether they are 
biotic or abiotic using evidence. 
 
Background Information:​ Microscopes help us look at things at a much 
more zoomed in image. Things that are crucial to know when looking through 
a microscope is how to use a microscope safely and correctly. You need to 
know how to use it because if you don’t the microscope will not work and you 
might get confused when you look at the objects. You will also need to know 
what are the parts of a cell and ther function, you will also need to be able 
to identify if a cell is an animal cell or a plant cell. The cell organelles are the 
cell membrane, cell wall, chloroplasts, cytoplasm, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), 
golgi bodies, lysosomes, mitochondria, nuclear membrane, nucleolus, nucleus, 
ribosomes, vacuoles. You will also need to know if something is biotic or 
abiotic and also the meaning of both biotic and abiotic. Abiotic is something 
that is not or never was living. Biotic is something that was or is living. 
 
Hypothesis:​ ​If we look into a microscope to view slides, then we determine 
if the slide is abiotic or biotic because biotic slides will have cells and the 
abiotic slides will have particles. 
 
Materials: 
● Microscope 
● Slides (4 slides) 
● Chromebooks 
● Ipad or phone 
● You! 
 
 Procedures: 
1. Make sure the Microscope is on, Flip the On switch, It is next to the 
Light source.  
2. Put the Objective to the lowest power, which is the red one. 
3. Pick  a  Slide  to look at and clip it under the stage clips and make sure it 
is  perfectly  clipped,  also  the  circle  that  has  the  content  that  you  will 
be  looking  at  should  be  aligned  with  the  circle  in  the  center  of  stage 
with light projecting out of it.  
4. Look through the microscope and focus the image so that everything is 
visibly as clear as possible, focus the image by turning the coarse and 
fine adjustment knobs, turn the course adjustment knob torward you 
to zoom out and turn the fine adjustment know torward you to change 
it’s focus. 
5. When your done, move the clips and put the slide in the box 
6. Turn off the microscope 
 
Data: 
Slide  Observations (Qualitative  Visual  Biotic or Abiotic 
and Quantitative)  (Evidence) 

Goldfish Scale  It’s a very tan sort color  It is abiotic because it 
and has a bunch of very  has no cells. I Just saw 
skinny ovals.  particles. 

Potato Starch  It has a bunch a blobby  It is abiotic because it 

figures and has a green and  has no cells. The 
white side. It also has  particle were shaped 
many particles.  mre like blobes than 
circles. 

 
Pumpkin Ovary  It has big red blobs. It  It is biotic because it 
also has many little dots  has cells. It also has 
which are cells. It looks  organells inside the 
like it has a lot of  cells. 
scratches on it. 

Onion  It is blue with black lines in  It is biotic because it 

Epidermis  a pattern. It also has a lot  has many cells. It also 
of small dots which are  has organells inside the 
cells.  cells. 

 
 
Analysis Questions: 
1. Which slides were biotic? How did you know? Use Evidence 
The Pumpkin Ovary and the Onion Epidermis were biotic becuase it had 
cells and inside the cells there were organells. They had cell walls. If they 
have cells they could breath and live. 
 
2. Which slides were abiotic? How did you know? Use Evidence 
The Goldfish scale and Potato starch were Abiotic because there were no 
cells or organelles so that means that there were no signs of life since all 
life has cells which means they were Abiotic. 
 
3. What were some similarities between your biotic slides?? How did you 
know? Use Evidence 
All my biotic cells had sign of life because there were cells and organelles. 
 
4. What were the most common organelles you could see? How did you 
know? Use Evidence 
I couldn’t really get an exact image on the organells, it was hard to see 
them so I couldn’t see which organells were the most common. 
 
Conclusion Questions: 
1. How can you tell if a slide is biotic or abiotic? Explain 
I can tell if a cell is Biotic or Abiotic because all Biotic cells mean they 
were or are living and have signs of life by the cells or organelles and 
Abiotic slides don’t have cells or organelles so they don’t show any form of 
life. 
 
2. What is the purpose of a microscope? 
The purpose of a microscope is to be able to view things that are at such a 
tiny size that it is not clear to the human eye so microscope comes in to let 
us view the slides at a much more zoomed in way. 
 
3. How do microscopes help scientists discover new information? 
Microscopes help scientist see the small parts on small objects that are 
not visible to the human eye. 
 
4. What did you learn from this lab? 
I learned how to identify and observe small details on small objects 
through the lens of a zoomed in microscope.