Have you ever wanted to know the true structure of E.coli? Does the thought of peering into its "small world" sound exciting? Here is a lesson that allows pupils the ability to do just that. Blossoming microbiologists use microscopes to view living cultures of E.coli and observe the structure of this bacteria as well as discuss its significance in our daily lives.

Concepts

microbiology, bacteria, microscopes, microorganisms, e. coli, forming questions, hypotheses, making observations

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Take the lesson one step further and allow pupils to view an additional live culture, such as Lactobacillus, to compare and contrast

Classroom Considerations

• Use information from this lesson as a foundation to speak of antibiotic resistance and the overuse of antibiotics in today's society

Pros

• Offers a hands-on approach to viewing bacterial structures in real time
• Worksheets are included and allow for student individuality while completing

Cons

• Great care must be taken while working with live cultures of this bacteria
• Schools must have access to several microscopes to offer a true interactive experience while completing this lesson