Gold Seal Lesson:
The Kitchen Counter

Copernicus Education Gateway

 

Subject:

Science

Grade:

 

 

9-12

 

 

ICLE Standards:

 

 

  • Resources - identify, organize, plan, and allocate resources
  • Interpersonal - work with others
  • Informational - acquire and use information
  • Systems - understand complex interrelationships
  • Technology - work with a variety of technologies
  • Thinking Skills - think creatively, make decisions, and reason
  • Personal Qualities - display responsibility

 

 

Performance Task:

 

 

Brenda is a tenth grade student at Lonesome Pine High School. Recently, the little sister of a good friend of hers became very ill after eating hamburger that was not properly prepared. She ingested E. Coli, a bacteria that can cause serious digestive problems. In biology, while studying the nit on microbes, Brenda understood how the girl became infected. She also learned how easy it is to become infected with microbes at home, especially in the kitchen. Brenda wants to experiment to determine if ways can be used to lessen the chance of ingesting bacteria from the kitchen.

The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate to students what the growth conditions for bacteria are and to determine the effectiveness of new anti-bacterial cleaners. Students will collect microbe samples from kitchen countertops under various conditions and comparing the bacterial growth with the conditions.

Procedure:

  1. Form a group of three.  Each student will collect samples for each growth condition.

  2. Select a one square foot area on countertop in an area where food is prepared. The school kitchen or the home economics lab will do. All samples must be taken from the same countertop.

  3. Take the petri dish to the countertop. Do not open the dish until it is time to inoculate the agar. Use a cotton swab to rub across the testing area on the countertop.

  4. Lift the side of the petri dish. Gently rub the cotton swab in a zigzag pattern across the surface of the agar. Be careful not to break the surface of the agar.  Seal the lid on the dish with masking tape. Use a wax marking pencil to label the dish appropriately.

  5. Spray the testing area on the countertop with an antibacterial cleaner. Wipe the surface using a clean paper towel.

  6. Use a cotton swab to rub across the testing area on the countertop when the cleaning process is completed. Use a cotton swab to rub across the testing area on the countertop.

  7. Lift the side of the petri dish. Gently rub the cotton swab in a zigzag pattern across the surface of the agar. Be careful not to break the surface of the agar. Seal the lid on the dish with masking tape. Use a wax marking pencil to label the dish appropriately.

  8. Place each dish in an incubator or in a dark warm place for 48 hours.

  9. Lay an empty petri dish on a clean piece of notebook paper. Sketch the outline of the dish in two places. Label each sketch to match the labels on the petri dishes.

  10. After 48 hours, examine the petri dishes and sketch the resulting bacterial growth and describe its appearance.

  11. Compare the differences and formulate conclusions based on your observations.

  12. Write a lab report to explain exactly what you did. The paper must contain the following parts:

  • title

  • objective

  • materials used

  • procedure

  • data collected

  • conclusions based on data

  1. Make some recommendations as to how the information you discovered can be useful in other situations.

  • Materials needed: Masking tape

  • Cotton swabs

  • Paper towels

  • Antibacterial cleaner

  • Petri dishes containing sterile nutrient agar

 

 

Knowledge / Skills:

 

 

Understand the best procedures for statistical data collection, organization, and display.  M.5

Know and apply the principles of scientific inquiry.  (Implicit in this statement are the processes of prediction, estimation, developing hypotheses, drawing conclusions, evaluation, and following ethical principles and professional procedures.)  S.114

Follow written directions carefully and accurately.  ELA.6

Use writing as a tool for learning in formats such as learning logs, laboratory reports, note-taking, journals and portfolios.  ELA.40

 

 

Rubric:

 

 

4 POINTS:  Excellent: The student worked above minimum requirements of the assignment and demonstrated mastery of the subject, topic, or principle with little or no help or coaching.

 

 

3 POINTS:  Very good: The student worked above minimum requirements of the assignment and demonstrated mastery of the subject, topic, or principle with some coaching and help.

 

 

2 POINTS:  Good but needs improvement: The student met only the minimum requirements of the assignment.  He or she did not demonstrate mastery of the subject, topic, or principle and needed considerable coaching and help.

 

 

1 POINT:   Poor: The student did not meet the minimum requirements for the assignment even with considerable coaching and extra help.

The student demonstrated that he or she could successfully collect and culture bacteria according to the directions given.   
 
The student acquired the proper materials and equipment and used them correctly and in a responsible manner.    
 
The student participated as a team member and contributed to the group's effort.         
 
The student acquired and evaluated information necessary to complete the activity.         
 
The student organized and maintained the data collected during the activity.         
 
The student interpreted his or her results in a formal written lab report.  
 
The student used a computer to process the information in the lab report.          
 
The student demonstrated he or she understood how the system of collecting and culturing bacteria worked.
 
The student followed all the directions in the procedures to complete the activity.         
 
The student wrote a lab report that had all the required components.  

The student's lab report was written so that another person could repeat the activity using his or her procedures.    
 
The student was able to make recommendations concerning the results of the activity.

 

 

Keywords:

 

 

CHEMISTRY
LAB EXPERIMENTS
DISEASE
GERM THEORY
SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
DATA COLLECTION
DATA ANALYSIS
INFERENCE
DIRECTIONS
TEAMWORK

 

 

Grades:

 

 

Kg [] - 1 [] - 2 [] - 3 [] - 4 [] - 5 [] - 6 [] - 7 [] - 8 [] - 9 [x] - 10 [x] - 11 [x] - 12 [x]

 

 

ICLE Application:

 

 

D

 

 

 

 

 

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