My students love to get their hands on the scientific concepts were are studying. Learning is an experience, so I strive to give my students experiences with the material, not just a boring old worksheet or game. Being able to perform lab investigations is an exciting part of biology!
These hands-on investigations don't always come easily as we are from a low-income district in rural Georgia.
We are allotted a very small amount of funding for classroom and lab equipment each school year meaning, as a teacher, I have to choose one or two important investigations, and the rest are left up to imagination. I want to be able to bring more learning experiences to my students; experiences outside of a text or power point. I want my students to SEE and DO for themselves. Research says that until you do or teach, you don't fully understand. I want my students to have so much more than surface rote memorization. I want them to take away a deeper understanding and appreciation of the world around us.
My Project
Charles Darwin said "“We cannot fathom the marvelous complexity of an organic being; but on the hypothesis here advanced this complexity is much increased. Each living creature must be looked at as a microcosm--a little universe, formed of a host of self-propagating organisms, inconceivably minute and as numerous as the stars in heaven.” These bacteria study kits and microscope slides will allow my students to put into perspective the microscopic world that exists, in much more abundance than any other organisms, all around us. Rather than viewing a picture in a book, students can DO; they will collect and culture bacteria from around the school and analyze how these organisms are both similar an different from us in the ways they obtain nutrients and reproduce. Students can investigate how these bacteria influence other organisms and work in harmony together to create communities.
We so often think that we are the center of the universe.
This activity will open students eyes to the tiny world of microbes that exist on, in and around us. Students will understand through experience, that these microbes influence our daily lives in ways we are often blind to, from how we digest food, to the contraction of disease and more. Students will gain valuable lab experience that can carry over to higher learning courses.
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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