| This lesson is discrete and can be taught
as a single lesson or in conjunction with others in this series.
The Teacher Resources include pre-and
post-tests for this lesson; these may be used at the teacher's
discretion. The lesson includes two activities. |
For the class
-
Dissecting microscope or hand lens to view microbial colonies
- Additional
sterile Petri dishes with nutrient agar and covers for expanded
tests
- Disinfecting solution to disinfect lab surfaces (20 ml
of liquid household bleach in 1 L of tap water)
- Food
Safety A to Z Reference Guide * (See the following terms—Bacteria,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Deoxyribonucleic
Acid, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Farm-to-Table Continuum, Foodborne
Illness,
Four Steps to Food Safety, Pathogen, pH.) Also see the 4Cs section
beginning on page 54.
- Science
and Our Food Supply: Investigating
Food Safety from Farm to Table: Teacher's Guide for High School
Level Science Classrooms
(2001)*
For each team of 3 to 4 students
|
- Prepare or order three sterile Petri
dishes containing nutrient agar for each team of three to four
students. You may want to order extra plates for students who want
to test
additional areas. Note: Petrifilm ™ plates can be used instead
of Petri dishes. The 3M™ Petrifilm™ Plates (www.3M.com/microbiology)
start-up package contains everything you need to begin doing
your own experiment testing. All you do is inoculate, incubate,
and count.
No tubes, dishes, media are needed. To order contact Flinn
Scientific,
Inc. (www.flinnsci.com, flinn@flinnsci.com, 800-452-1261); Carolina
Biological Supply Company (www.carolina.com, 800-334-5551 ext.
6418) or Connecticut Valley
Biological Supply Company (www.ctvalleybio.com,
800-628-7748).
- Sterilize (boil) two cups of tap water for each
team. You can boil the water in beakers and then cover with aluminum
foil until
ready to use.
Students will use the water to wet swabs for testing dry surfaces.
- Photocopy the Lab
Report Outline for each student.
- Photocopy the Bacteria
Everywhere Data Table for each team.
|
This lesson was drawn from the
first module in Science and Our Food Supply: Investigating Food
Safety from Farm to Table: Teacher's Guide for High School Science
Classroom (National Science Teacher's
Association, (703)243-7100).
This innovative and supplemental curriculum introduces students
to the fundamentals of microbiology while at the same time imparting
important public health information.
The curricula found in Science Our Food Supply were developed
in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The curricula that you will be using includes two laboratory lessons
and five public health lessons. In different formats, these lessons
are in Science and Our Food Supply. The lessons have all been tested
by an experienced team of middle level teachers and meet National
Science Education Standards. |
