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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Does My Bacteria Look Like?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria using staining techniques. Students research importance of identification of bacterial types in diagnosing bacterial diseases.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Good Guys - Small Packages

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read documentation about microorganisms in agriculture and share what they've read with partners. They taste samples of yogurt and describe the yogurt making process. They experiment with fermenting milk to recreate the yogurt...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Not By the Naked Eye

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine how germs are microorganisms that cause diseases.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Naked to the Eye

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders conduct a variety of experiments that enable them to investigate bacteria. They use microscopes, prepared slides, video, moldy bread and pond water to observe types of bacteria and how bacteria interacts with the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life in a Mini World

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders observe, describe, and classify microorganisms found in water sources. In small groups, they make their own slide, observe the Protozoa under a microscope, and record and classify the microorganisms.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Helpful Microorganisms

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students study how some microorganisms are helpful and practical in foods. They work with microorganism in a number of food, such as yeast in bread and yogurt.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Good, the Bad and the Both

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers use information from articles about microorganisms and their prior knowledge to identify both the positive and negative aspects of microorganisms.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Microbes on My Mind

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students observe and read about microorganisms so that they can create an information book on microorganisms.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Microbes 1: What's Bugging You?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners build on existing knowledge of microbes, focusing on the relationship between microorganisms and foodborne illness, as well as the implications that foodborne illness has on human health.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biological Succession in a Microecosystem

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars investigate the concept of biological succession by simulating the process in a microenvironment with various microorganisms. By engaging in a lab, students determine the factors causing succession and learn population...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Microorganism Multiplication

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders complete two experiments to learn about harmful and helpful microorganisms. For this microorganisms lesson, 7th graders read background information about fungi, yeast, and club fungi. Students then complete two...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Spud Smear

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students study various samples of microorganisms in petri dishes. In this microorganism lesson, students place various samples of items in petri dishes and observe them after several days of incubation.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Going Places

For Students 6th - 8th
For this going places worksheet, students read the passages provided and answer the given questions. Students answer questions as it relates to the skeletal system, puberty, and microorganisms.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creatures in Torch Lake

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners investigate pond ecology. They gather water samples from various sources, add grass, and let it sit for a week. Afterward, using microscopes, they identify the microorganisms present in the sample.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Good Guys or Bad Guys

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders complete a variety of activities to explore both positive and negative effects of microorganisms. They, in groups, engage in a series of experiments which illustrate the effects of certain molds.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Iron Bugs

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students describe how microbial metabolism affect geochemical processes. They define and explain the function of siderophores. They describe two ways bacteria utilize iron and explain why iron availability may limit biological activity.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Microbial Spoilers: The Impact of Microorganisms on the Shelf-life of Milk

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners are inroduced to a commonly used microbial culturing technique. They explore the role of microorganisms in determining the shelf-life of food products.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

MAPPING A RESEARCH SITE AND COLLECTING AND PRESENTING POPULATION DATA

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders are to answer research questions based on data they collect.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Food and Microorganisms

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students answer questions about how microorganisms can affect our food supply and how they can be controlled. The first set of inquiry activities are directed by the teacher. Subsequent activities are based on students generating their...
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Activity
NASA

Nasa: Building a Winogradsky Column [Pdf]

For Teachers 5th - 8th
NASA teacher's guide to building a Winogradsky Column to study microorganisms. When this guide was first released, students were invited to participate in two webcasts with NASA scientists. The conversations from those webcasts are...
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Website
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Career Profile: Microbiologist

For Students 9th - 10th
Microbiologists spend their careers peering through microscopes in their study of microorganisms. They have plenty to look at since these are Earth's most common life-forms. Science Buddies outlines the education requirements as well as...
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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...
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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.
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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...