Science News

Third Grade FruitFly Mutation Lab

Third-grade students at Landing and Connolly Elementary Schools recently participated in an engaging, hands-on genetics experience through a visit from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. During the fruit fly mutation lab, students used microscopes to closely examine real fruit flies and identify variations in traits such as eye color, body structure, and wing shape. This interactive experience directly supported their current phenomenon-based science unit on genes, inheritance, and variation, aligned with the New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS). The lesson was thoughtfully adapted for third graders through the collaboration of Amanda McBrien, Assistant Director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s DNA Learning Center, and Glen Cove Science Coordinator Ms. Victoria Curtis. Throughout the lab, students made strong connections between their classroom learning and real-world science, using scientific language to explain how genetic variations can impact an organism’s survival. The partnership sparked curiosity, encouraged critical thinking, and brought abstract genetics concepts to life in a meaningful and memorable way.