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Antibacterial soap, antibacterial lotion, everyday we think that harmful bacteria is being killed and we are safe from infection. Are we?? Recently scores of students and teachers reported sick in record numbers. People have been sick in record numbers and have been recovering more slowly. Where do we find the most bacteria at school and what can we do to prevent illness? This is the task middle school science students will tackle. Science experiences include a background in basic cell structure, an understanding of producers and consumers and the need for bacteria in the ecological system to break down dead material and release nutrients back into the environment. During the project students will collect and grow bacteria in a lab setting, analyze their data, and develop a presentation of their findings.
Bugs B Gone is designed for the average 7th grade science student reading on grade level.
8-10 one hour class periods
Learner Outcomes:
- Students will discover the importance of bacteria in everyday life
- Student will know the basic role of bacteria in ecosystem
- Student will select appropriate sites for collection
- Students will properly collect and grow bacteria, including correct labeling of plates
- Students will observe safety procedures in lab, including sealing plates and destroying collection swaps
- Students will measure and record bacteria growth correctly
- Students will analyze and explain why more bacteria was found in some areas of the school rather than another area
- Students will communicate findings to principal and custodial staff of school, others schools in system if necessary, and expert
- Students will understand the effects of antibiotics in relationship to bacteria they collect
- Students will analyze the effects of using too many antibiotics and the development of super bugs, which are resistant to antibiotics
- Students will research, create, publish, and present projects related to content areas using their choice of a variety of technological tools-Word Processing/Desktop Publishing, presentation software (PowerPoint), multimedia software (HyperStudio), and web authoring (Netscape Composer)
- Students will create/modify and use a database of results of all lab groups
- Students will create/modify and use spreadsheets to solve problems related to content areas
- Students will use E-mail to communicate with local university faculty members acting as mentors and experts
- Students will use internet resources for research and to learn how to set up lab experiment with scientific nature and including all parts of a basic lab
- Students will use Blackboard, a distance learning program.
Structure of the Learning:
The students will learn correct microbiology practices in the collection, growth, counting, examination, and proper destruction of bacteria plates. Students will use word processing, data base and spreadsheet applications where appropriate to write up lab. The culmination of the project will be student suggestions for solutions to bacteria problem. Wait... we have an urgent message from the school office....The principal has just received an urgent memo from the superintendent announcing concern a the record breaking high rate of students and teacher absences due to flu and colds in this month¹s attendance report. - School are asked to participate in an emergency program to determine whether or not something at school is making everyone sick. Students will develop an interactive system of communicating their findings with another local school and a local university.
Bugs B Gone !
Students will begin with brainstorming activities to generate a list of questions to answer about bacteria and its influence on illness, as well as a list of common areas that are likely to be contaminated. After determining if these areas are contaminated, students will help create the process they will use to collect and analyze the information, as well as the means by which they will help solve the problem.
The ultimate goal of the the project is a student driven solution to the bacteria problem. Student will complete a lab write up which will help analyze their findings and will include student description of the problem, hypothesis, proceedure, data and conclusion. This analysis of the data will help them determine determine what type of product will best help solve the problem. A variety of methods of student choice, including but not limited to, HyperStudio stacks, presentation software, and web authoring will be available for students to use in developing their product.
The Internet is a wealth of information on this subject. There is even a site on which the students can see time lapse films of actually plates of bacteria growingand others that demonstrate the correct procedure for growing bacteria.E-mail will be used to communicate between experts and students to invite collaboration on the project. Students will be enrolled in Blackboard, a distance learning platform, which will connect them to Internet sites through an extensive External Links section. Students will use the Digital Discussion Board to answer questions and partcipate in ongoing learning discussions. Computer time will be provided to write up lab reports using AppleWorks word processing, spreadsheet, and graphing applications. Presentaion software like HyperStudio and Appleworks slideshow will be available for the student determined
On- going assessment of student participation in all activities will be made periodically to measure individual contribution and ensure student saftey.
Final evaluation of lab report and project product will be made using rubric shared with students during introduction to the project.
Students will present their findings in a public presentation to students and staff.
Students will complete evaluations of what they have learned, as well as the success of their product. Instructors will incorporate suggestions into next year's development of the project.
North Carolina Standard Course of Study - Science 7
Created for the Fermilab
LInC program sponsored by Fermi National
Accelerator Laboratory Education Office
and Friends of Fermilab, and
funded by United States Department of Energy,
Illinois State Board of Education,
North Central Regional Technology in Education
Consortium which is operated by North Central
Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL), and the National
Science Foundation.
Author(s): Lisa Parker from Montilieu Avenue Elementary School (lisa7oo7@aol.com),
Steve Abondolo from Northwest Middle School(abondolo@nr.infi.net),
and Pat Abondolo(pabondolo@hotmail.com)
from St. Pius X School
Greensboro, North Carolina
Created: February 24, 2001 - Updated: April 18, 2001
URL: /lincon/w01/projects/bacteria/present.html