Mississippi Science MAQ.6.6
The Standard
- MAQ.6
- Students will investigate characteristics of aquatic invertebrates.
Dissect representative taxa (e.g., clam and squid), collect data, compare their internal and external anatomy, analyze, explain, and communicate results.
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Invertebrate Consumers
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students dissect a clam and a squid. They measure and sketch visible structures, then use their observations to compare how the animals feed and move.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can locate the gills in both animals, the clam’s foot, and the squid’s siphon and beak. They can use measurements and labeled sketches to explain a similarity and a difference.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think the clam’s foot is attached to its shell rather than part of its soft body. They may mistake the squid’s siphon for a feeding tube, though it pushes water out for movement.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Using your dissection notes, name one structure both animals have. Name one structure that differs, and explain how that difference helps one animal move or feed.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Dissect a clam and squid, measure shell and mantle lengths, and label the gills, clam foot, squid siphon, and beak.
Ask students to write: Which dissection observation best explains how a clam or squid moves?
Give pairs cards labeled foot, siphon, gills, and beak; have them match each structure to its animal and function.
Show photos of whole and cleaned seafood-market squid; ask students which organs are no longer visible and why.
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Printable MAQ.6.6 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to MAQ.6.6, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- ZOO.10.5
Dissect representative taxa and compare their internal and external anatomy and complexity.
- ZOO.4.6
Dissect representative taxa and compare their internal and external anatomy and complexity.
- ZOO.5.9
Dissect representative taxa and compare their internal and external anatomy and complexity.
- MAQ.7.5
Dissect representative taxa (e.g., shark, fish); collect data; compare their internal and external anatomy; and analyze, explain, and communicate results.
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