+
Interactive
Rice University

Rice University: Web Adventures: Med Myst: Peril in Prokaryon

For Students 9th - 10th
This is the second in a series of five missions in the MedMyst series adventure games. Students will conduct field and laboratory investigations to solve the problem they are given, while playing the role of detective, scientist, and...
+
Interactive
Rice University

Rice University: Web Adventures: Medmyst: Nemesis in Neuropolis

For Students 6th - 8th
In this online learning adventure game, students will play the role of scientist, historian, and detective. By solving the problem presented in this smallpox case, they will learn how infectious diseases are spread, how the smallpox...
+
Interactive
Rice University

Rice University: Web Adventures: Medmyst: Malady in Mabuufo

For Students 6th - 8th
This is the fourth in a series of five missions that deal with how infectious diseases are spread. In this interactive adventure game, students are part of a team of investigators conducting field and laboratory investigations to learn...
+
Interactive
Rice University

Rice University: Web Adventures: Med Myst: Zero Hour Zoonoses

For Students 6th - 8th
This is the last in a series of five missions that deal with how infectious diseases are spread. In this interactive adventure game, students are part of a team of investigators conducting field and laboratory investigations to learn...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Yeast Reproduction in Sugar Substitutes

For Students 9th - 10th
There's nothing quite like the smell of fresh-baked bread to make your mouth water. As any baker can tell you, you can't bake bread without yeast. This project makes clever use of bread dough to measure yeast reproduction three different...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Germ Invasion

For Students 6th - 8th
Microbes are everywhere in our environment, but for the most part they escape our notice. This project shows you how to safely culture and study common bacteria from your everyday surroundings.
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Rise to the Occasion: Investigating Yeast Fermentation

For Students 3rd - 8th
Did you ever wonder how yeast makes bread dough rise? This project will show you what yeast does to make this happen. You'll also investigate the conditions yeast needs to grow.
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: An Aerobic Exercise: Yeast Metabolism and Aeration

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a straightforward project on glucose metabolism in yeast. You'll grow yeast under aerobic and anaerobic conditions and measure carbon dioxide output to assess metabolic efficiency.
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Yogurt Cultures

For Students 3rd - 5th
Find out in this experiment how good bacteria can turn milk into a treat by investigating the optimal starter cultures for making yogurt from whole milk.
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Yeasty Beasties

For Students 3rd - 8th
While looking at a package of dry yeast it is hard to believe it is alive. But add the right ingredients and presto, the mixture becomes a bubbly, oozing, mess of life. What are the right ingredients? Do this experiment and figure it out...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: How Well Do Disinfectants Work?

For Students 3rd - 5th
Germs are everywhere. We try and clean our home with disinfectants, but do we really get rid of all the germs? Find out with this "hands-on" experiment.
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Do Dilutions of Disinfectants Affect Bacterial Resistance?

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a project that illustrates the process of natural selection in action. You'll need access to a laboratory for working with the bacterial cultures used in this project.
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: The End Zone: Measuring Antimicrobial Effectiveness

For Students 9th - 10th
Antimicrobial agents are chemicals that are used against bacteria. There are many such agents available. Because there are many different situations where bacterial control is important, no antimicrobial agent is effective in all...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Minimizing Bacteria in the Thawing and Cooking of Meat

For Students 9th - 10th
Here's a practical project that sheds light on safe practices in the kitchen. Use this information to determine which method of defrosting meat is safest and which method of cooking kills the most bacteria.
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Effects of Food Preservatives on the Growth of Microorganisms

For Students 6th - 9th
The problem of protecting food from spoilage has been with us since prehistoric times. The solutions to this problem have changed with advances in technology and knowledge about what causes food to spoil. This project uses liquid...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: What Duration of Ultraviolet Exposure Kills Bacteria?

For Students 9th - 10th
Ultraviolet light can damage DNA molecules. If a cell's DNA repair mechanisms can't keep up with the damage, mutations are the result. As harmful mutations accumulate, the cell eventually dies. How much ultraviolet light is too much for...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Can Garlic Prevent Crown Gall?

For Students 9th - 10th
Crown gall is a plant disease caused by the soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens. This project uses tomato plants to investigate whether garlic extract can prevent crown gall infection. Though this is a lengthy experiment, a...
+
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Microbes in Action

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The Microbes in Action program serves to promote an understanding and appreciation of the importance of microorganisms in our world by providing scientific information, hands-on activities, articles and news, curriculum units, and other...
+
Primary
University of Missouri

Microbes in Action: Classroom Activities: Something's Glowing in My Petri Dish

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Using microbiology techniques, students will explore the effect of iron on the fluorescence of several species of bacteria. Studying bacteria in an iron scarce environment allows students to see the fluorescence released. Lesson plan...
+
Website
PBS

Pbs Nova: The Mysterious Life of Caves

For Students 9th - 10th
Companion to a PBS program in the Nova series. There are wonderful photos of the Lechuguilla cave system in New Mexico, and some new information on how caves are formed.
+
Handout
Other

Microbworld: Discover Unseen Life on Earth

For Students 9th - 10th
Visit this terrific site "to find out all about the world of microbes from your own hands to the mighty Himalayas, landfills to oil spills, common colds to uncommon cures, under microscopes and in the news."
+
Activity
National Health Museum

Access Excellence: Yellow Jackie: Outbreak

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Interactive mystery about a disease outbreak. Students investigate an outbreak of a disease on board a ship by interviewing people, consulting medical reference, and observer other clues to determining what disease is causing the outbreak.
+
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: Rediscovering Biology: Unit 4: Microbial Diversity

For Students 9th - 10th
A complete learning module on microbial diversity that includes a downloadable textbook chapter, teacher guide, and lesson activities. The chapter can also be viewed online. In addition, there are animations, images, a video, and...
+
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Save a Life, Clean Some Water!

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Student teams practice water quality analysis through turbidity measurement and coliform bacteria counts. They use information about water treatment processes to design prototype small-scale water treatment systems and test the influent...