The teacher handout should provide information helpful to teachers including, but not limited to, required prior knowledge, background information, materials, methods, delivery, safety, assessment, and supplementary materials.
(These instructions should not be handed out to students. Please note that some sections are optional).
A. Microbial Discovery Activity Title
B. Student Prior Knowledge
Indicate prerequisite knowledge and skills that students should have before participating in this activity.
C. Teacher Background Information
Provide any historically relevant information and a biological backdrop to the relevance of this experiment.
D. Class Time
· Describe the approximate time required to complete the activity.
· Describe amount of hands-on time and any waiting periods. · Indicate if the activity requires follow-up in one or more subsequent periods.
E. Teacher Preparation Time
· Provide a list of materials that need to be produced in advance.
· Describe if there are any incubation or refrigeration steps prior to the student's participation in the activity.
F. Materials, Equipment
· Provide a clear and complete list (and amounts of) materials needed, indicating whether they are readily available, or require special ordering.
· Include recipes for media and reagents that are uncommon or not readily available from a media supply company.
· Mention the stability of materials, and any special handling conditions.
· List and briefly describe any equipment needed to conduct the activity.
· Include contact information for vendors and other suppliers and approximate cost.
· Describe how much material is needed for each student/group.
· Provide a step-by-step description of the activity.
· Consider the inclusion of steps that promote analyzing, synthesizing, hypothesizing, and decision-making.
· Incorporate any explanations to help the instructor make the activity work smoothly.
· Consider the inclusion of flowcharts or pictures.
· Include any hints, tricks, or pitfalls to avoid. Write suggestions for acquiring hard-to-get materials or special items.
· Try to include those things that you do automatically, which someone else may not know, but that contribute to the success of the activity.
Include suggestions for the instructional delivery. For example discussion or inquiry-based investigation, active questioning (individual or groups), using a quiz, etc.
I. Technology Utilization
Include information about videos, computers, and calculators, use of ASM's MicrobeLibrary animations or podcasts that can enhance the activity.
· List the microorganism(s) if needed for the activity, and provide any special instructions for their acquisition, care, and growth.
· Biological agents should not exceed the CDC's Biosafety Standards – Level 1 microorganisms. Some examples include B. subtilis, E. coli K12, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. For more information review the article "Safe Microorganisms for Education." While this article has not been revised for nearly a decade, it would be expected that most revisions would be additions to the list. Of course, some nomenclature has evolved as, for example, so many of the "streptococci" are now being called "micrococci."
K. Safety Issues (if applicable)
Address all safety issues teachers and students need to know when attempting this activity.
L. Assessment and Evaluation of Activity
· Provide assessment methods used to determine if students have achieved the stated learning objectives and the methods you use to assign grades accordingly.
· If the activity includes specific questions for students to answer, include an answer key. Investigative/open-ended questions should have some type of response. The response could include a list of possible answers with arguments/evidence to support the selected answer. For example, if someone were to respond to an open-ended question with a statement (let’s say there is no correct answer), please include the “evidence” that leads to respond with the statement. Open-ended questions should minimally provide some of the possible responses. Ask oneself… what is 