We have all been there! Dissections specimens are expensive or could be on back order. A squeamish student is reluctant to participate in an animal dissection. You find a plastic-lined box or pail of preserved specimens from a previous teacher and are unsure of the quality or of what you will find. The environmental impact of animal dissection is a concern. Regardless of the reason for seeking alternatives to preserved-animal dissection, a common theme emerges: teachers need effective learning tools to illustrate similarities, patterns, modeling, and variation. Scienstructable 3D Dissection Models, both paper and digital, of invertebrates and vertebrates, by Getting Nerdy with Mel and Gerdy provide a valuable resource to explore animal biodiversity.

Melissa Zaher and Gretchen Vikingson are former secondary school science teachers with a passion for innovative lesson plans that engage and excite students. Many middle and high school teachers will be familiar with Zaher and Vikingson’s...

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