Classroom Resources

This course is designed to provide elementary and high school teachers with knowledge on the chicken's egg, its importance to man, and its role in the reproduction of the species. Course content will be oriented to train teachers to conduct classroom incubation and embryonic development projects. Detailed information on the stages of embryonic development and the preservation of embryos will be included. Instructional methods will include lectures, discussions, demonstrations, and visual aids. Suggestions on how to use classroom incubation and embryonic development projects to enhance programs in science, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and art will be offered.

Units to be included in the course are:

Chickens and eggs in the economy.

The importance of chickens and eggs to man with an emphasis on uses, economics, and nutrition.

What is a chicken?

Origin of the domestic chicken and its development to its present state of high productivity and some of its anatomical features.

What is an egg?

The structure of an egg, its nutrient composition, and its formation will be examined.

The principles of incubation.

The role of temperature, humidity, position of eggs, and chemical, environmental, and genetic influences.

The classroom incubator.

Different types of classroom incubators will be displayed.

Incubation procedures and techniques.

Methods of supplying and regulating heat and humidity, turning the eggs, and "do's" and "don'ts" to be noted will be detailed. Construction and use of a candling light to identify infertile eggs.

The stages of embryonic development.

Slides, drawings, and pictures will be used to examine in detail the day-by-day development of embryos and how the chick emerges from the shell.

Preservation of embryos.

Techniques for preserving and displaying embryos will be explained.

Disposing of the chicks.

This discussion will cover the treatment and final disposition of chicks hatched in classroom project.