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Real Science Teaching. Real Classroom Experience.

I’m Amy Brown, a veteran high school biology and chemistry teacher, wife, and mom who understands the daily reality of lesson planning, grading, meetings, and everything in between. I know what it feels like to have too much to do and not enough time to do it.

After decades in the classroom, I’ve created rigorous, classroom-tested biology and chemistry resources that save you planning time while still delivering strong, meaningful science instruction. Every lab, activity, and lesson is designed to move students beyond memorization and into real scientific thinking.

If you want your students excited about science and thinking deeply without spending your entire weekend planning, you’re in the right place.

Amy Brown Biology and Chemistry Teacher

“I just love getting kids hooked on science.”

Lab: Microorganisms in the School Environment





How clean is your school??


We have just completed some bacteria labs in our Biology 1 classes.  The first lab we did is called "Microorganisms in the School Environment".  The students really like this one.  Each student is given a sterile Petri dish of nutrient agar and allowed to choose a location in the school.  The purpose of the activity is to determine where in the school the most bacteria are found.  Students take a sterile swab and rub along surfaces in their location, then streak their swab across the surface of their agar.  Dishes are incubated for 48 hours, and the total number of colonies are counted.  


Students are often amazed at the results.  The students are always convinced that the cafeteria and the bathrooms will be overrun with bacteria, but the results usually show that these locations have the fewest bacteria.  Almost always, we find that a locker has the highest number of bacteria!


I don't place a lot of validity on the test results, but it is a fun activity to do when teaching a unit on microorganisms.   Just remember to have the students seal their dishes with tape, and do not allow the dishes to be opened after the bacterial colonies have grown.


Here is the link to my lab on TeachersPayTeachers.com as well as links to some related products.


Lab:  Microorganisms in the School 
Environment

Viruses and Bacteria Complete Unit Plan

Bacteria Homework / Study Guide

Happy Teaching!!
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2012 at 11:03 PM

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  2. candorschoolApril 10, 2013 at 1:37 AM

    We should keep our school environment clean and healthy an it is very useful to the children need get good satisfaction to all and everyone in the school.
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