Microbiology Lesson Plans

Students demonstrate knowledge of important advances in microbiology by creating a timeline of microbiological milestones. Student also demonstrate application of the many milestones in microbiology by researching and reporting on the current work being done by microbiologists. Each student researchers a microbiologist and use their findings to create a piece of the class microbiology timeline.

Eighth graders study the physical and functional characteristics of bacteria.  In this microbiology lesson students complete a lab on measuring bacteria growth. 

Learners examine the importance of aseptic technique, become familiar with media plates, and general microbiology techniques. They study the benefits and dangers of bacteria and other microorganisms in their lives.

Students investigate and determine which types of carbohydrates Baker's yeast prefers. They crumble Cheerios, Smarties, and Fruit Loops and feed them to the yeast and watch what happens, when the bags begin to barf.

Students improve their skills and comprehend the particular application for which serial dilutions are a tool. Serial dilutions are often used in microbiology, biotechnology, and in chemistry classes, to name just a few.

Students use their observation and inquiry skills to understand microbes. In this microbiology lesson, students explore slides with a microscope. Students gain experience with preparing slides and proper use of a microscope while exploring bacteria, yeast and paramecia.

Young scholars listen to a lecture on the purpose of practicing aseptic technique as well as an explanation of how to practice them. They practice aseptic technique by plating bacteria in order to isolate individual colonies of bacteria. They then hypothesize which fomites they believe have the most bacterial contamination and take swabs of their fomites to check for bacteria.

Students collect water samples and use a microscope to find bacteria in the samples. They categorize the different bacteria they find, determine the number of colonies there are, and predict how the bacteria levels might affect animals and humans.

Students study data from a USDA catfish pond. They look for microbial populations and chemical concentrations in the runoff to determine the effectiveness of filter strips. They use their knowledge of biogeochemical cycles to explain the data found.

Learners use easily obtained materials to study ecological succession in a microbiological community. They collect water samples from outdoor sources in plastic bottles to observe and record changes.