Students need to understand how the microscope works and how to use it before you allow them to examine things on their own. Simply lecturing about the parts or asking students to memorize the parts can be boring, so you can make the learning interactive by setting up stations around the classroom. At each station, have a microscope and instructions for different activities using the microscope. For example, you can ask them to zoom in on the slide and draw what they see or you can have them prepare a slide then view it under the microscope and answer questions about what they see. At each station, post microscope vocabulary relevant to that station's activity as a reminder.
To introduce atoms you can have students look at several different familiar items under a microscope. First break the students into pairs or small groups, depending on how many students are in your class. Work with the students to prepare a sample slide so they understand the procedure and the basics of working the microscope. Then have the students prepare and examine slides containing other items, such as a skin cell, leaf, grain of salt, yarn or coffee grounds. Have the students draw or describe what they see on each slide. Then have the groups report on their findings. You can even let each group choose something to place under the microscope.
Collect water samples from a pond near your school. Have students work in small groups to look at the samples under the microscope. The online Pond Life Identification Kit can help you and students decide what organisms are present in the samples. Following the identification of the organisms, have students research these organisms and create a food web for the pond, including insects and other animals. If possible, follow-up the lesson with an examination of water samples from a river or larger body of water. Ask students to explain similarities and differences in the organisms they see. Additionally, you can use the lesson to discuss the dangers of extinction and pollution to the food web.
One way to get students interested in microscopes is letting them view something familiar. You can pass around slides to individual students or set up microscope stations around the classroom, depending on your equipment. On each slide place samples of lettuce, onion, cheese, cooked ground beef, a bun and cooked French fries. Have students look at each sample, draw what they see, and make a guess about what food it is. After everyone looks at the samples, compare guesses.