7

Science
Quarter 2 – Module 2
Preparing a Wet Mount, Focusing
Specimen and Magnification
Science– Grade 7
Quarter 2 – Module 2: Preparing a Wet Mount, Focusing Specimen and Magnification

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The publisher and authors do not represent nor claim ownership over them.

Regional Director: Gilbert T. Sadsad

Assistant Regional Director: Jessie L. Amin

Development Team of the Module

Writer: Clarie Vie C. Sapalaran

Content Editors: Marissa O. Co, Carlo Magno P. Pamorada, Sarah Jane B. Mabini,
Marjorie R. Plazo, Kristel Gail L. Brillante, Aileen T. Obias,
Maricris D. Caigas and Cynthia P. Montero

Language Editors: Jhaebie N. Obleada and Mercy N.Biescas

Illustrator: Francis S. Durante

Layout Artist: Jose P. Gamas Jr.

Reviewers: Agnes B. Barsaga, Jose Roy Aguilar, Nerisa I. Baldo, Eva Joy A.
Molina, Jose A. Austero, Marisol U. Valeza, Mary May L. Arnesto,
Mark Miko S. Mendoza and John Sherwin V. Santelices

Evaluators: Helen Z. Cornelio, Jocelyn P. Navera, Jezrahel T. Omadto

and Ronaldo C. Reyes
 Self-Learning Module for Junior High School Learners

LESSON
Preparing a Wet Mount, Focusing Specimen and Magnification

In a compound microscope, the objects to be magnified are

mounted into microscope slides. It is called a wet mount when
the sample to be viewed is suspended in a drop of liquid which
is between the slide and cover glass. The water plays an
important optical function and without it the resolution is lower.
Resolution is one of the requirements for a microscope to be most effective together
with the adequate magnification and clarity of the image.

The world is full of wonderful things. But many of these

are not seen with our naked eyes.
Isn’t it an exciting prospect to see how a single strand of
your hair would look if magnified, or see what microorganisms
look like? Ever wondered what microbiologists see every time
they are using the microscope? What does corona virus look
like?
These are all possible with the use of a microscope- that
is if you know how to manipulate it and how to prepare
microscope slides specifically wet mounts properly!
How do we prepare wet mounts? Do you know which
parts of the microscope are responsible for magnifying the
specimen? How do we focus the specimen under the
microscope? What is magnification? What are the things that we
should follow to properly do all of these?
Read on and perform the activities prepared for you in this
module and let us see those wonderful things up close!

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

Focus specimen using the compound microscope

(S7LT-IIb-2)

• Prepare a wet mount;

• Make a DIY (Do It Yourself) microscope;
• Describe the image produced under different objectives;
• Compare the images produced;
• Solve for the total magnification of the specimen under different objectives; and
• Familiarize with some practices in taking care of the microscope.

1
 Directions: Identify what is asked or described in each item. Encircle
the letter corresponding to your answer.

1. Which of the following refers to the type of mount that uses liquid during its
preparation?
a. dry mount
b. pet mount
c. prepared mount
d. none of the above

2. Which part of the microscope is responsible in enlarging the specimen?

a. Magnifying parts
b. Illuminating parts
c. Mechanical parts
d. Supporting parts

3. Which of the following statement best describes magnification?

a. It is the ability of a lens to enlarge specimen.
b. It is enlarging image of a specimen.
c. It is displaying details of enlarged specimen.
d. It is separating image details.

4. What is the position of the image produced by the microscope with respect to the
original position of the specimen?
a. upright c. inverted
b. landscape d. portrait

5 What is the formula in computing the total magnification of the image in a compound
microscope?
a. total magnification of the specimen =
(magnification of the eyepiece) x (magnification of the objective)
b. total magnification of the specimen =
(magnification of the eyepiece) / (magnification of the objective)
c. total magnification of the objective =
(magnification of the eyepiece) x (magnification of Specimen)
d. total magnification of objective =
(magnification of the eyepiece) / (magnification of the specimen)

Hi! How did you find the test?

Please check your answers at the answer key section and
see how you did. Don’t worry if you got a low score, this just
means that there are more things that you can learn from
this module. So, hop on!

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 Have you heard about wet mounts?
How are wet mounts prepared?
Let us see if you will guess this right.

Practice Task A: GUESS HOW!

Directions: Arrange the sequence of the steps on preparing a wet mount by writing
letters M O U N T inside the box. M for the first step followed by O
for the second step and U, N, and T for the next steps.

1. Make the bubble move towards the edge of the cover slip by
tapping it with the eraser-end of a pencil.

2. Slowly lower the other edge of the cover slip until it rests on
the water and on the piece of newspaper cut out.

3. Using a dropper add a drop of clean water over the

specimen.

4. Using forceps or tweezers, place the cut out in the center of

a glass slide with the printed side up.

5. Cut out a small letter “e” from a newspaper page.

So how did it go?

Are you now ready to prepare

wet mounts on your own?

Check your answers on the

answer key portion of the
module to find out if you have
aced this!

If you got this correctly,

3
 You are now just a few steps closer to making your own
microscope. Do you know the function of each part of the
microscope? How does each part contribute in producing
an image of the specimen? Let us first master how a
microscope is used because everything is easy if you
know what you are really doing.

Practice Task B: Manipulate Them!

Direction: Listed inside the box are names of the parts of microscope. Choose
which part of the microscope should be manipulated based on the
situations given.

Mirror Fine Adjustment Knob HPO

Diaphragm Coarse Adjustment Knob LPO

1. A microscope with a prepared slide is ready for viewing

but looking closely the image was a bit blurry. Using
HPO, what knob should be adjusted in order to view the
specimen clearer?
2. The teacher asked Bea to set up the microscope for
her classmates. She viewed the specimen, but it was
dark, which part should she adjust to make the image
brighter?
3. Leandro was curious about how the specimen would
look like “zoomed in” to the microscope’s ultimate
magnification. What part do you think Leandro must
adjust?
4. The glass slide was already placed on the stage.
Maria adjusted the objective to scanner then she
viewed through the eyepiece, yet she cannot see the
specimen. Which knob should she adjust to focus the
specimen clearly?
5. Lorenzo viewed the specimen placed under the
microscope, but it was too bright that she cannot
clearly see the image, which part should he adjust?

If you got this correctly,

Congratulations, you
already mastered the
know-how of a
microscope.

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 The main purpose of a microscope is to magnify
the specimen. Do you know the characteristics of
the images formed by the microscope under
different objectives?
Let’s do this to check.

Practice Task C: ColorDEFINEd!

Directions: Read the word inside the first box and color its
definition by choosing on the second set of boxes as well as the sample
image on the last set of boxes.
NOTE: Inverted – Red Enlarged – Blue Upright – Yellow Reversed – Green
Please refer to the image presented below as a guide.

a Original object

Set A Set B Set C

Inverted
The image is larger a
than the object.

The image is formed

Enlarged switched from left to
a
right.

The image is upside

Upright down.

The image is right side

Reversed up.

How was it going? Were you able to color code

them correctly?
These will help you once you had the next activity.
Check your answers at the answer key section
and see how you did.

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 Do you know your Math well?
Let’s check your Math skills through this activity and learn how
the numbers indicated in the objectives and eyepiece affect the
total magnification of the specimen.

Practice Task D: LET’S DO THE MATH!

Direction: Given the formula, solve the following word problems. Put your solution inside the
box provided under each item.
FORMULA:
𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛 = ×
𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑒𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒
Note: Microscope has typically three objectives. These are the scanner, LPO and
HPO.
PROBLEM NO. 1:
A student examined an object under the microscope the eyepiece is 5x while the LPO
is 10x. How many times was the object magnified?
SOLUTION:

PROBLEM NO. 2:
You were given a slide which contained a microorganism. You were asked to examine
the microorganism under the HPO. Your eyepiece is 10x and the HPO is 45x. How many times
was the microorganism magnified?
SOLUTION:

PROBLEM NO. 3:
A student studied a prepared slide of an animal cell. The eyepiece is 5x and the HPO
is 60x. How many times was the object magnified?
SOLUTION:

Got it?
Solving word problems
is not easy but once solved, it is
all worth it!

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 All the tasks you have completed will be most
helpful for the next activities.
Ready for the challenging yet amazing part?
Read on and let the fun begin…

DIY: Microscope in the House!

Directions: Prepare the materials needed and follow the

instructions stated.
Materials Needed:
✓Clear plastic drinks bottle ✓Scissors / Cutter ✓Water
✓ Small Box (example: Shoe Box) ✓ Tape ✓Dropper

Procedure:
1. Cut a narrow strip of the thin plastic
bottle, about 10 by 3 centimeters.

2. Next, tape one end of strip firmly to the

side of the box, with the other end
hanging over.

3. Put at least three drops of water to the

hanging end of the plastic strip.

4. To use the water lens microscope, put

your eyes close to the water lens.
5. Hold an object under it. Move the object
up and down until you can see the object
clearly.

Photos taken by Clarie Vie C. Sapalaran

Activity taken from: Science Encyclopedia.Parragon.1999 page 233

Did you make your DIY Microscope successfully?

Have fun observing specimens! You can also
observe ants, leaves and other things, give it a go
and enjoy while learning!

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 Now that you have your DIY Microscope, let’s use
it in this activity.
DIY: Wet Mount Preparation Just follow the steps and surely, you’ll see how
wonderful it is!

Directions: Prepare the needed materials stated below and carefully follow the
instructions.
Materials Needed:
✓ Clear empty plastic bottle ✓ Water ✓Newspaper
✓ Scissors / Cutter ✓Dropper ✓Tissue/Clean Cloth
✓Tweezers ✓Pencil

Procedure:

1. Cut a strip of plastic from the bottle

preferably 3” by 1” for the glass slide and
another strip with 1” by 1” measurement
for the coverslip. Look for the part which
is clear and flat.

2. Using a tissue or clean cloth wipe the strip

to make it free from finger stains.

3. Cut a small letter “a” in the newspaper and

place it in the center of the slide using a
tweezer.

4. Using a dropper, add a drop of clean

water over the specimen.

5. Slowly lower the other edge of the cover

slip until it rests on the water and on the
piece of newspaper cut out.

6. Make the bubble move towards the edge

of the cover slip by tapping it with the
eraser-end of a pencil
7. Now, observe the specimen under your
DIY microscope.
Photos taken by Clarie Vie C. Sapalaran

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 Preparing wet mounts for the first time can be
quite hard so congratulations for pulling it off
perfectly.
Now let us completely accomplish this activity by
supplying the required answers based on your
observations.
Good luck!

Specimen observed: __________________________

Illustrate:

Image seen by your naked eye Image seen under DIY Microscope

Guide Questions:
1. What differences did you observe from the object as seen by your naked eye and
under the DIY microscope?

2. Have you encountered any problem while doing the activity? If yes, state the problem
and your solution.

Did you enjoy the activity? Did you try observing

other specimens? How was it? Hope you had fun!
You are halfway done with this module
. Keep going until everything is clear for you!

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 In an actual microscope, images produced in different objectives vary.
Have you ever investigated using a microscope? Is the image you see
the same when you are just looking at it by your naked eye?
“Focus on Me!” Carry on with this activity and you will find out how it differs. Have fun!

Images

Seen by Seen under Seen under Seen under

Eyepiece naked eye Scanner LPO HPO
(5x) (5x) (10x) (40x)

Observation
(Describe the
image)

Photos taken by Clarie Vie C. Sapalaran

Directions: Observe the specimen and answer the guide questions.

Guide Questions:
1. Compare the image of the letter that you see using your unaided eye with what you
see through the microscope.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

2. How does the view of specimen change as you increase the power of magnification?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

3. In which objective can you see the whole letter “e”?

___________________________________________________________________

4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of viewing specimen under HPO?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
5. Compute for the total magnification of the specimen under LPO and HPO.

Did your eyes hurt? Have you seen the difference?

It’s amazing, right?
You’re almost there! Keep going!

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 In a wet mount, the specimen is suspended in a drop of liquid which
is usually water and is located between the slide and cover glass.
The water improves the quality of the image and supports the
specimen. Wet mounts cannot be stored over long period of time
because the water evaporates. For this reason, water is often called
as the temporary mount to differentiate it with the permanent mounts, which can be stored
over long period of time.
There are different types of wet mount. Water, immersion oil and glycerin can be used
but water is the most used.

The DO’s and the Don’ts in preparing a wet mount.

a. Avoid touching the cover glass area. Slides should be held by the edges.
b. Add only one drop of clean water over the specimen.
c. Excess water should be wiped with tissue paper.
d. Use a sharp blade or scalpel in extracting a specimen to avoid damage in it.
e. Do not apply pressure on the cover glass. It can cause breakage.
f. Wash the soiled slides with soapy water or isopropyl alcohol.

Here are the steps in Observing Specimen under a Microscope:

1. Put the slide on the stage. Make sure that the specimen is in the center of the hole on
the stage and hold firmly with the stage clips.
2. Watching from the side, carefully lower the body tube until the end of the objective
almost touches the cover slip.
3. Look through the eyepiece. Slowly turn the coarse adjustment knob upwards to raise
the objective until the image appears. Continue until you see the image clearly. Turn
the fine adjustment knob until you see the clearest image.
4. Observe closely the image.

Magnification is the amount or degree of visual enlargement of a specimen. For certain

purposes we need to know how much the specimen has been magnified. One way to express
this is through total magnification of the specimen.

The formula in computing for the total magnification:

𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛 = ×
𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑒𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒
Where, Magnification of the Eyepiece is the number indicated on the eyepiece while
the Magnification of the Objective is the number indicated on each objective.

Learn how to compute for the Magnification of the Specimen taken from Techan’s
Triangle in Mathematics. It is a technique which can be used in getting the total magnification
of the specimen, magnification of eyepiece and magnification of objective.

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Procedure:

1. Carefully read and study first the problem in order to determine the required component.
2. Cover the required component that you will look for.
Follow the two (2) Conditions. . .

a. If the remaining components are side by side, multiply it.

b. If one component is on top of the other, divide.

Total
Magnification of the
Specimen

Magnification Magnification
of the of the
Eyepiece Objective

3. Formulate the equation/formula to be used in solving the problem.

Note:
In using Techan’s triangle you must consider the following:
1. In order to get the total magnification of the specimen, the magnification of
eyepiece should be multiplied to magnification of objective.
EXAMPLE
Given:
Magnification of Eyepiece = 4x
Magnification of Objective = 10x
Solution:
Total Magnification of the Specimen = Magnification of Eyepiece x Magnification of Objective
= (4x) x (10x)
= 40x or 40 times
2. To determine the magnification of eyepiece, the magnification of objective is
divided to the total magnification of the specimen.
EXAMPLE
Given:
Total Magnification of the Specimen = 40x
Magnification of Objective = 10x

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 Solution:
Magnification of Eyepiece = Total Magnification of the Specimen / Magnification of Objective
= (40x) / (10x)
= 4x or 4 times
3. To determine the magnification of the objective, the magnification of the eyepiece
is divided to the total magnification of the specimen.
EXAMPLE
Given:
Total Magnification of the Specimen = 40x
Magnification of Eyepiece = 4x
Solution:
Magnification of Objective = Total Magnification of the Specimen / Magnification of Eyepiece
= (40x) / (4x)
= 10x or 10 times

Reading is one thing, but understanding is

everything. I hope everything is clear to you now.
Always remember that using the microscope is fun but
keeping it damage-free as well as observing safety in
manipulating it is always a top priority.

Direction: Read the situation given below and

accomplish the tasks presented.
Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take
you everywhere.
-Albert Einstein
Note: This part is optional.

Juan is a Grade 7 student. As part of their lesson on Microscopy they have a

group activity which is to view a specimen under different objectives. The microscope
assigned to his group has a 5x eyepiece magnification, scanner 4x, LPO 10x and HPO
at 43x. Each group must focus a specimen using the assigned microscope. Juan’s
group was assigned to view a prepared slide of a preserved wing of a yellow butterfly.

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 Now, imagine that you are Juan. As Juan, please do the tasks below:
Task 1: Draw a yellow butterfly wing and color it.
Task 2: Look at the prepared slide of the butterfly wing under scanner and illustrate.
Task 3: Change the objective to LPO. What would the image look like? Illustrate.
Task 4: Draw the image of the butterfly wing under HPO.
Task 5: Compute for the total magnification of the specimen under HPO.

Task 1 Task 2 Task 3

Task 5 Task 5

“Congratulations on finishing the Self-Learning Module!

This time, share your final insights by completing the
following sentence prompts.”

I have learned that …

___________________________________________
__________________________________________.

I wish to ask my teacher about …

___________________________________________
__________________________________________.

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 To strengthen what you have learned in this module, please
answer this.

Note: This part is optional.

There are a lot of things we are curious about. Using your DIY microscope, slide and
coverslip observe one specimen that you find interesting in the house. Using the format in
the explore activity Wet Mount Preparation, record your observations and answer the guide
questions below. Use an extra sheet of bond paper for your output and attached it to this
learning module upon submission.
1. What makes your object of choice interesting to be observed under the DIY
microscope?
2. What differences did you observe from the object as seen by your naked eye and
under your DIY microscope?

The following terms used in this module are defined as follows:

Enlarged – the image is larger than the object

Glycerin- also known as glycerol, a natural compound derived from vegetable oils or animal
fat; helps the specimen from drying out.
Immersion Oil- oil placed on a slide of the material to be examined which results in higher
brightness at high magnification and high image resolution
Inverted – the image is upside down
Magnification- a measure of the ability of a lens to magnify.
Permanent Mount- a mount that uses a mounting medium which turns solid.
Real image – the initial image of the specimen formed by the objective
Reversed – the image formed is switched from left to right
Specimen - a part or sample of any material e.g. plant, animal, paper, or mineral, for study
or examination under the microscope. It should be small and thin for light to pass
through it.
Virtual Image – the second image of the specimen once the real image is projected to the
plane of the eyepiece.
Wet Mount- a glass slide holding a specimen suspended in a drop of liquid for microscopic
examination.

Directions: Identify what is asked or described in each item.

Then, encircle the letter of the correct answer.

1. How do you place the cover slip into the slide?

a. tilt the slide at 45° and place the coverslip on top of the specimen
b. drop the coverslip on top of the slide to cover the specimen
c. slowly lower the edge of the coverslip until it all covers the specimen
d. place the coverslip on top of the specimen by adding water above it

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 2. Which of the following are the characteristics of an image formed through the
microscope?
a. Upright, enlarged c. Upright, inverted and enlarged
b. Reversed, enlarged d. Inverted, reversed and enlarged

3. Why do we need to store the microscope away from chemicals?

a. The smell may stick to the microscope.
b. The fumes may corrode the microscope.
c. The chemicals clog the lenses.
d. None of the above.

4. The following are characteristics of an image produced by a microscope under LPO

and HPO except _______.
a. Enlarged c. Inverted
b. Reversed d. Upright

5. What is the magnification of the objective if you are magnifying the specimen 300x
while using a 5x eyepiece?
a. 40x c. 30x
b. 80x d. 60x

Let’s Check Your Performance!

Direction: Check your answers using the answer key provided on the next page. Add your
total score from Practice Task A-D, Explore, and Post Assessment above then use the rubrics
below to check your performance for this module.

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TRY THIS:
1. B 4. C
2. A 5. A
3. A

DO THIS
Practice Task A: Practice Task B:
1. T 1. Fine Adjustment Knob
2. N 2. Mirror
3. U 3. HPO lens
4. O 4. Coarse Adjustment Knob
5. M 5. Diaphragm

Practice Task C: (Three points each) Practice Task D: (Five points each)
*Solution plus final answer
1. 5x X 10x = 50x
2. 10x X 45x = __450x__
3. 5x X 60x = __300x__

Explore: DIY Microscope

Answers may vary.
Explore: FOCUS ON ME!
Naked Eye Scanner LPO HPO
Normal size Bigger than the Inverted and Only a portion was
normal size, reversed, much visible and detailed.
inverted and bigger than the on
reversed. seen on the
scanner.
Answers to Guide Questions:
1. Inverted and enlarged.
2. Increases its size.
3. Scanner/ LPO.
4. Advantage: Closer look of the details of the specimen/larger image.
Disadvantage: Only a small portion of the image can be seen.
5. LPO :50x
HPO: 200x

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APPLY WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED
Answers may vary.
REFLECT!
Answers may vary.
REINFORCEMENT
Answers may vary.
ASSESS WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED
1. C
2. D
3. B
4. D
5. D

Abramowitz, Mortimer and Davidson, Michael W. Anatomy of the Microscope: Introduction.

Accessed June 20, 2020. https://www.olympus_lifescience.com/en/microscope-
resources/primer/anatomy/introduction/

Image Formation Revisited. Accessed July 1, 2020.

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/refrn/Lesson-5/Image-Formation-Revisited
Making a Wet Mount Microscope Slide. Accessed June 21, 2020
www.microbehunter/making-a-wet-mount-microscope-slide/
New Biology Science II. Dynamic World of Life. Marren Publishing House, Inc. 9-11

Science and Technology II, Biology Textbook. NISMED. 2012 pages 13-15
Science Encyclopedia.Parragon.1999 page 233
Science 7 Learner’s Material. 2017. Pages 113-115
Talaro. Foundations in Microbiology 6th Edition. McGraw Hill. 2008 page 73
Abramowitz, Mortimer and Davidson, Michael W. The Concept of Magnification. Accessed
July 3, 2020. https://www.olympus-lifescience.com/en/microscope-
resource/primer/anatomy/magnification/s

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