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Should This Frog Die for Science?

Some science classes dissect—or cut open—dead frogs to study them. Is this a powerful way to learn, or just plain cruel?

October 2020

by Anna Starecheski

Sam, 13, walked into science class with a sick feeling in his stomach. The day he had been dreading had finally arrived.

Every year, millions of dead frogs are shipped to schools across the country. Their purpose? To be dissected—or cut open—by students.

Many of Sam’s classmates were excited about their assignment. But not Sam. He had two choices. He could dissect the frog or get a zero. He chose to dissect. “I just tried not to think about it and focused on what I was learning,” he says.

Sam, 13, felt sick as he walked into science class. The day he had been dreading had arrived.

Every year, millions of dead frogs arrive in schools across the country. Their purpose? To be dissected (cut open) by students.

Many of Sam’s classmates were excited about their assignment. But not Sam. He had two choices: He could dissect the frog or get a zero. He chose to dissect.

Sam, 13, walked into science class with a sick feeling in his stomach. The day he had been dreading had finally arrived.

Every year, millions of dead frogs arrive in schools across the country. Their purpose? To be dissected—or cut open—by students.

Many of Sam’s classmates were excited about their assignment, but Sam wasn’t. He had two choices: He could dissect the frog or get a zero. He chose to dissect. “I just tried not to think about it and focused on what I was learning,” he says.

How the Body Works

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Not every kid is forced to dissect a frog like Sam was. Twenty-two states have rules or laws saying that students must be given the option not to dissect. Sam’s state isn’t one of them.

Why do science classes dissect frogs in the first place? Frogs have pretty much all the same organs that humans do. Looking inside a frog’s body can teach students about what’s inside their own bodies too.

Riley, 14, dissected a frog in her eighth-grade science class. She says that taking apart the frog was better than reading about it in a textbook. “It really helped me understand how the different body parts work,” she says.

Not every kid is forced to dissect a frog. Twenty-two states have rules or laws saying that teachers have to give students a choice.

Why do science classes dissect frogs at all? Frogs have pretty much all the same organs that humans do. Looking inside a frog’s body can teach students about what’s inside their own bodies too.

Riley, 14, dissected a frog in her eighth-grade science class. She says that touching and taking apart the frog was better than reading about it in a textbook. “It really helped me understand how the different body parts work,” she says.

Not every kid is forced to dissect a frog like Sam was. Twenty-two states have rules or laws saying that teachers have to give students the option not to dissect. Sam’s state isn’t one of them.

Bad for Frogs and Kids?

Sam doesn’t disagree with Riley. But he worries about where the frogs come from.

Animal rights groups claim that many of these frogs are caught in the wild and killed. Sam believes that’s cruel—and bad for nature. Frogs are important because they eat bugs. If too many frogs are killed, the number of bugs can get out of control.

Plus, some teachers argue that forcing students to dissect frogs isn’t fair. It could even make them hate science. “Dissecting an animal can be really upsetting to kids,” says Lynn Walkuski. She’s a sixth-grade science teacher. “And it’s really hard to learn when you’re upset.”

Sam doesn’t disagree with Riley. But he worries about where the frogs come from.

Animal rights groups say that many of these frogs are caught in the wild and killed. Sam says that’s cruel—and bad for nature. Frogs eat bugs. If too many frogs are killed, bugs can get out of control.

Some teachers say that forcing students to dissect frogs isn’t fair. It could even make them hate science. “Dissecting an animal can be really upsetting to kids,” says Lynn Walkuski. She’s a sixth-grade science teacher. “And it’s really hard to learn when you’re upset.”

Sam doesn’t disagree with Riley—but he worries about how the frogs end up in the classroom.

Animal rights groups claim that many frogs that students dissect are caught in the wild and killed. Sam believes that’s cruel—and bad for the environment. Frogs are important because they eat bugs. If too many frogs are killed, insect populations can get out of control.

Plus, some teachers argue that forcing students to dissect frogs isn’t fair. It could even make them hate science. “Dissecting an animal can be really upsetting to kids,” says Lynn Walkuski, a sixth-grade science teacher, “and it’s really hard to learn when you’re upset.”

Other Options

So what happens in schools where students don’t have to dissect frogs? Some of them use computer programs to “dissect” a frog on-screen. Others use super-realistic fake frogs. (But not every school can afford them. Real frogs cost about $10. Fake ones cost $150.)

Sam doesn’t regret dissecting the frog. He just wishes he didn’t have to choose between doing it and getting a zero. “There are important lessons to learn from the experience,” Sam says. “But there’s no reason to use real animals when there are better options out there.”

So what happens in schools where students don’t have to dissect frogs? Some of them use computer programs to “dissect” a frog on-screen. Others use super-realistic fake frogs. But some schools can’t afford them. Real frogs cost about $10. Fake ones cost $150.

Sam doesn’t regret his choice. He just wishes he hadn’t been forced to make it. “There are important lessons to learn from the experience,” Sam says. “But there’s no reason to use real animals when there are better options out there.”

So what happens in schools where students don’t have to dissect frogs? Some of them use computer programs to “dissect” a frog on-screen. Others use super-realistic fake frogs. But not every school can afford them—real frogs cost about $10, and fake ones cost $150.

Sam doesn’t regret dissecting the frog. He just wishes he didn’t have to choose between doing it and getting a zero. “There are important lessons to learn from the experience,” Sam says, “but there’s no reason to use real animals when there are better options out there.”