Mississippi Science ZOO.7.7
The Standard
- ZOO.7
- Students will understand the structure and function of phylum Chordata, classes Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes, and how they demonstrate the characteristics of living things.
Dissect representative taxa and compare their internal and external anatomy and complexity.
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Phylum Chordata, Classes Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students dissect a preserved dogfish and perch. They identify external structures and internal organs, then compare how the fish support their bodies, protect their gills, and stay afloat.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student labels the dogfish’s gill slits and liver and the perch’s operculum and swim bladder on specimens. They identify cartilage in the dogfish and bone in the perch. They explain how each fish stays afloat without calling one more advanced.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may mistake a dogfish’s gill slits for cuts rather than openings to its gills. Some think cartilage cannot support a body or assume every fish has a swim bladder.
How to Assess It
- Give students unlabeled dogfish and perch diagrams. Ask them to label the gill slits, liver, operculum, and swim bladder, then write how each fish stays afloat.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Dissect preserved dogfish and perch on trays; locate the gills, liver, and swim bladder, then sketch and label each specimen.
Ask: How does each fish stay afloat? Have students write a claim supported by two observations from the dissections.
Give pairs shuffled organ cards and dogfish and perch outlines; have them place each card and justify one choice.
Show photos of a shark and perch caught by anglers; ask which has a swim bladder and how that affects buoyancy.
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Printable ZOO.7.7 Worksheet
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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.6.7
The Grades 9–12 version of this standard.
- ZOO.5.9
Dissect representative taxa and compare their internal and external anatomy and complexity.
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