In our first unit of Microbiology, we cover the diversity of microorganisms that will be covered throughout the course. The students I teach have been through biology and AP biology and have pretty good background knowledge of major kingdoms. I like them to go a bit deeper into the specifics of microbial groups. One major misconception is that Archaea are only extremophiles, and so we spend a few days researching these groups with more detail than would have been covered in general biology classes.
I divide the class into 7 groups, each is assigned a microbial grouping: Bacteria, Archaea, Fungi, Protozoa, Algae, Viruses, and Helminths. I tell them to make sure to focus only the microbial organisms in the group, for example, for fungi they aren't going to focus on mushrooms but rather on organisms like yeast. Most of the time students are only aware of the larger organisms.
Then they are given essential questions to research. They create a poster (I just give them large sheets of butcher paper) to display the information.
General structure---label all major or identifying parts
Mode of nutrition- how does it obtain energy?
Beneficial? Parasitic?
Where can you find them?
Size (range, average, comparison to other microbes)
How does it reproduce?
What is the role of this type of microbe on Earth? Humans?
Give examples (any major groupings)
Draw a phylogenetic tree highlighting where your group is located (if possible) If not, why aren’t they located on it?
Next students do a gallery walk and complete a notes page over each group. Here is a link to the notes page that I give students: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13TXhYcDNJvkowSlRKQUlStvXRcVcjSAckcSNvFEgt6I/edit?usp=sharing
After students take notes, we spend about 3 days completing a Diversity Lab. This lab is not only important for looking at each type of microbe under the microscope but it also teaches some important lab skills: how to use oil immersion, create slides with a simple stain, and make wet mounts of live specimens. Here is a link to the lab protocol and student answer document.
Then we wrap it up with a 2-day "project." Do you remember the old school personality quizzes that you would find in the back of Cosmos? I loved these growing up. You would circle the best fit answer, then at the end you would add up the points and look to see what category you fell in. This is exactly what they do for this project, and the topic is What’s Your Microbial Personality?
Students have to create questions that are factual to the microbial group, but written in a fun personality quiz type of style. For example, if you wanted to create a question about where the microbial groups are mostly found...you could word the question as "If I could go anywhere on vacation, I would go_____." Then the answer choices could be something like a. to the lake. This would represent the group algae.
Then students would make a key, that when someone completes the survey, they would get an answer as to which microbial group best fits their personality and why. Here is how it is written in my directions.
On the due date of the assignment, students trade their quiz with a partner and take the quiz. When they find out what their personality is, they make a short little poster, with their picture and their personality. I then print all the posters and hang them up in the lab under a sign that says, "Meet our Microbiologist." This is a great way for me to get to know students and deliver content at the beginning of the year. Here is an example of a students', I have blocked out their face and name.
Here is a link to the full assignment if you would like to try it out for yourself: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16sk_tE6ztiuJy0fFkFdzWGvuAWbwgV7mzOR_lYSf2dA/edit?usp=sharing
Hope you and your students enjoy it as much as we do!
Happy Teaching!
Mrs. Townsend
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