VIRTUAL LAB / INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM

Beneath the surface.

Cut. Release. Grip and lift. Release. Peel aside. You control every movement.

45 MIN
Guided classroom lab

Start here: explore first, then 3–2–1

First 5 minutes · Work independently. Explore the virtual hand before your teacher explains it. Try Rotate, Close-up, and the available tools. If you cut, follow the on-screen tool order. Use virtual tools only.

3 things you notice

2 things you find interesting

1 question you have

Write all six responses in your science journal. Use your own words; you do not need scientific names yet. You do not need to finish the dissection during exploration.

Next 2 minutes · Discuss. Share one observation and your question with a partner, then with the class. After discussion, follow your teacher into the Fab 5 hook and guided lab.

Keep all answers and drawings in your journal. No Google Form is required. During guided dissection, partners take turns controlling the model and each completes their own report.

Open the 3–2–1 journal directions ↓

Learning objectives & model limits

Content objective: Identify epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis and connect their structures to protection, sensation, and temperature regulation.

Language objective: Use layer names and evidence from the model to explain structure–function relationships in writing and with a partner.

The external hand shape comes from a real 3D scan. Skin color and material textures are reconstructed; the internal tissue layers and structures are educational models, not scanned human anatomy. The cut area follows the curved back of the hand. Guided cuts and flap separation are simplified, with enlarged tissue thickness and structures for visibility. This is not a surgical trainer. The four microscopic strata of thin-skin epidermis are not modeled separately; skin proper is epidermis plus dermis. Hypodermis lies underneath.

Dissection order Step 1 of 7

1Cut the epidermis
2Grip & lift the epidermis
3Peel the epidermis aside
4Cut the dermis
5Grip & lift the dermis
6Peel the dermis aside
7Inspect the exposed layers

Cut the epidermisChoose Scalpel. Press the bright tip and follow the U-shaped guide to 100%. The skin will stay closed.

HAND SCAN DORSAL VIEWIntact surface

Loading the real hand scan…

Choose Scalpel. Press the bright tip and follow the U-shaped guide to 100%. The skin will stay closed.

Keyboard / trackpad controls — same steps, no dragging required

Select the correct tool first. These controls do not skip the cut → grip/lift → peel order.

Epidermis · cut 0% · flap 0%

Find a structure

Click a large name button for an exact selection and close-up. Inside structures unlock after the epidermis is fully peeled. Inspect makes the dermis transparent; it does not remove it.

Outer skin layer

Epidermis

Closely packed epithelial cells form a protective, water-resistant barrier. The epidermis itself has no blood vessels.

What to look for: A thin surface flap, with no vessel network inside it.
Why it matters: A scratch restricted to the epidermis does not cut a blood vessel.

SURFACE → DEEP

Know each layer

Open a layer for tissue type, smaller regions, and functions. Labels follow the specimen as you rotate. Hidden layers become labeled when exposed.

Epidermis · the barrier

Keratinized stratified squamous epithelium

Many layers of tightly joined cells limit water loss and entry of harmful material. Keratin is a tough structural protein.

No blood vessels: nutrients diffuse from the dermis. Melanocytes make melanin; immune cells help defend the surface.

Stratum corneum — Dead, flattened, keratin-filled cells at the surface.
Stratum granulosum — Cells flatten and develop the water-resistant barrier.
Stratum spinosum — Strong cell connections help resist stress.
Stratum basale — Deepest stratum; dividing cells replenish the epidermis.

Surface → deep. This dorsal hand has thin skin: four strata. Thick skin on palms and soles adds stratum lucidum between corneum and granulosum. These microscopic strata are explained here, not separated into cuttable flaps.

Video reference: Epidermis ↗

Dermis · support and supply

Connective tissue beneath the epidermis

Collagen resists pulling; elastic fibers permit recoil. Vessels, nerves, hair follicles, and glands occupy this layer.

Papillary region — Upper, loose areolar tissue. Small projections called dermal papillae meet the epidermis and contain capillary loops.
Reticular region — Deeper, dense irregular tissue, with interwoven collagen and elastic fibers for strength and flexibility.

These regions join continuously, not as two peel-away sheets. Select Inspect to reveal embedded structures through the translucent teaching view.

Video reference: Dermis ↗

Hypodermis · cushioning below skin

Subcutaneous loose connective and adipose tissue

Fat lobules cushion, insulate, and store energy. Connective tissue anchors the skin while allowing movement.

Larger vessels and nerves pass through this region. Deep pressure and vibration receptors may occur here or in deep dermis.

Below skin proper—not a third layer of skin itself. Skin proper = epidermis + dermis. The model enlarges depth for teaching; yellow lobules represent groups of fat cells, not single cells.

Video reference: Hypodermis ↗

SCIENCE JOURNAL LAB REPORT45 MINUTES

Explore independently first. Write and draw in your science journal.

After the 3–2–1 and discussion, work with one partner for the guided lab. Each student completes their own report. Keep the six numbered headings below. No Google Form is required.

7 min · 0–5 independent exploration; 5–7 discussion

1. Explore first: 3–2–1

For 5 minutes, work independently before the teacher explains the structures. Open your science journal. Write “Skin Dissection Lab,” your name, date, period, and “3–2–1 Exploration.”
Explore the virtual hand. Try Rotate, Close-up, and the available tools. Follow the on-screen cut, release, lift, release, and peel order if you try a cut. Use virtual tools only; never cut or pull real skin. You do not need to finish the dissection now.
Write 3 things you notice, 2 things you find interesting, and 1 question you have. Use your own words. Scientific names and correct explanations are not required yet.
Then spend 2 minutes discussing: share one observation and your question with a partner. Listen for a similarity or difference. Be ready to share with the class. Keep your question to revisit later.

If you need help or finish early

Use “Show my next action” for the correct tool order. If dragging is difficult, open the keyboard controls below the hand. “Reset hand” restarts the model only.

Finish early? Add a sensory nerve to your drawing and explain its function. Write one limitation of this virtual model.

Earlier typed answers — not required for this lab

Today’s report belongs in your science journal. This section preserves typed work from the earlier version. You do not need to fill it in.

45-MINUTE LAB NOTEBOOK0/11 responses

NamePeriod

5 min · 0–5 · Independent

Bell ringer

Do not cut yet.
Spend 1 minute rotating the intact hand.
Spend 3 minutes writing your prediction in the yellow box, using what you already know.
In the final minute, reread and add a reason. Finish with two predicted structures, one skin function, and your reasoning.

What two structures do you expect below the surface? What is one job of skin? Explain why you made those predictions.

Teacher pacing & early-finish task

0–5: independent model exploration and 3–2–1 in science journals. Give navigation help only; save explanations and sample answers for later. 5–7: partner/class discussion; collect observations and questions. 7–10: Fab 5 hook. 10–12: report setup and prediction. 12–14: demonstrate the tools. 14–25: partners dissect and record observations; pause around minutes 17 and 24 for evidence. 25–35: partner drawing. 35–42: independent analysis. 42–45: conclusion and revisit the opening question.

Keep the class together at each checkpoint. If finished early, rotate the model, find a sensory nerve and sebaceous gland, and add one structure–function explanation for each to your comparison response. Ask what this simplified model cannot show. Do not advance simply to finish the cutting.

Loading your device-local notebook…

On a shared device, download your work, then clear your notebook before the next student.

Need the downloadable offline model?

Take the dissection offline.

The download contains the model, tools, and explanations only—not the six-stage journal guide above. Follow your teacher’s directions and write in your science journal. Open the saved HTML file in Chrome or Edge, not a Drive or Classroom preview.

No answers are copied or submitted. School devices may require IT approval.

Download the Offline Lab Download opening instructions

Model & science notes

External geometry: Hand by Artec 3D ↗, used under the CC BY 3.0 license supplied with the download. Adapted by simplifying the mesh, adding reconstructed skin materials, and separating a dorsal flap. Artec does not endorse this lab. Original license.

Internal tissues are educational reconstructions with AI-generated material textures, not a scan of this person’s internal anatomy. Structures are representative, not a complete microscopic reconstruction. Blood at the dermis cut and short animated trails on the surrounding skin illustrate vascularity. Their amount, speed, and paths are illustrative, not physiological measurements or fluid physics. Blood loss, clotting, tissue mechanics, and arbitrary surgical incisions are not simulated.

Reference: OpenStax — Layers of the Skin ↗ · Functions of the Integumentary System ↗

Additional references: OpenStax — Accessory Structures of the Skin ↗ · Ninja Nerd — Integumentary System | Skin Model Anatomy ↗. The layer guide links to relevant video sections. The video is supplementary; students can dissect and answer without opening YouTube.

Skin dissection lab report

Name: Not entered · Period: Not entered

Dissection: Not yet completed

Bell ringer

What two structures do you expect below the surface? What is one job of skin? Explain why you made those predictions.

[No response]

Fab 5 · Lesson hook

5. With your partner, finish: “The dermis helps protect the body because…” Then write one question you want to investigate.

[No response]

Guided dissection

After peeling the epidermis: describe two things you can observe in the dermis. Select one structure by name and explain its function.

[No response]

After peeling the dermis: describe the hypodermis and explain how its tissue protects the body. Why must the covering layer be moved first in this model?

[No response]

Collaborative practice

Sweat gland: describe its coiled shape and location. Explain the route sweat takes to the surface and how it can cool the body.

[No response]

Blood vessel: describe where you see the branches. Explain one role in supplying tissue and one role in temperature regulation.

[No response]

Connect each structure to its job: blood vessel, hair follicle, and sweat gland. Use one observation from the model for each.

[No response]

Compare epidermis and dermis. Include one difference in tissue structure and one difference in function. Name one way this teaching model differs from real skin.

[No response]

Independent practice

A shallow scratch removes only superficial epidermal cells and does not bleed. Explain why. How would reaching the dermis change this?

[No response]

After exercise, skin becomes warmer and sweaty. Explain how blood vessels and sweat glands help release heat. Would sweat cool as effectively if it could not evaporate? Explain.

[No response]

Lesson closure

Name the regions in order: epidermis → dermis → hypodermis. For each, explain one function. Which two form the skin itself? Revisit your bell-ringer prediction: what would you change?

[No response]