Transcript Microorganism kingfishers autumn 13

Micro-organisms
Kingfishers Autumn 1 2013
Introduction
Why does the tongue have so
much bacteria on it?
• What do we know about
micro organisms?
• How do we know if something
is living or dead?
• What will disclosing tablets
reveal about the microorganisms in our mouths?
There is lots of old bacteria at
the back of the mouth
Can you get a soap version of
disclosing tablets to show the
bacteria on your hands?
Our questions and ideas
• We looked at a range of objects including a cut
flower, a toothbrush, a mouldy piece of bread,
a plant and some fruit. We tried to describe if
they were living or dead and how we knew
The picked flower is living
because it is dying and isn’t
dead yet.
The plant is alive because
it’s green.
It’s living because it can
die.
Mouldy bread is alive because it
has bacteria on it and bacteria are
living things.
It’s dead because it can’t
do anything
It’s dead because it doesn’t
do anything useful
It’s dead because it’s been
picked
The picked flower is dead
because it’s getting no life from
the plant
The toothbrush is neither dead nor
alive because it was never alive. To
die, something must first live.
The picked flower is dead
because it has no stuff for it to
grow with
Our questions and ideas
• We watched a film to spark our questions and
ideas
What was yoghurt doing in a
film about microorganisms?
How many types of mould are
there?
How long does something take
to turn to mould? How quickly
does it spread?
Can mould grow on or in a
human body?
How many different foods does
bacteria grow on?
How is blue cheese a microorganism?
What did that green gloopy
puddle have to do with
microorganisms?
Why was a man (surgeon)
putting yellow stuff on his arm?
Why do bread, cakes and cheese
get the most mouldy?
How many shapes does
bacteria come in?
How does mould get on to
the bread?
How does mould grow?
How does mould form in
liquid??
If mould is alive, why does it
not move?
How did this (food getting
mouldy) happen? Can it be
beaten?
What did injecting yourself have
to do with germs?
How many places can
mould form?
How does mould form?
Why do bacteria like rotting
food so much?
Is mould formed by living life forms
or is it a life form in itself?
Our questions and ideas
• We were challenged to find 3 fascinating facts
about micro organisms that we could persuade
the class to explore further
• We used iPads to do some speedy research
then presented our facts to the class and put it
to the vote
Kingfishers’ Fascinating Microorganism Facts to Explore Further
6th September 2013
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Bacteria feeds on leaves and breaks them down into nutrients. They are a vital part of our eco system.
Some micro-organisms are single celled, some are microscopic and some are visible to the naked human eye
Viruses cause diseases like measles, chicken pox, sore throats and conjunctivitis
Most bacteria in your nose are good for you.
Most micro-organisms are not harmful. Some are even helpful.
Micro-organisms can grow in hot springs over 90 degrees Celsius
Yeast is a fungus.
Micro-organisms are generally classified as living things
Yoghurt is made of microorganisms
Micro-organisms are used to make some food including chocolate
Things feed on other things to make bacteria
Fungi digest the grass eaten by cows
There are 2-3 billion microorganisms but only 5% are have been found
Fungi are used to make medicine
Bacteria helps us digest food
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Microorganisms can spread just by a person coughing
There are about Microorganism can spread just by a person coughing
There are about 159,00 species of microorganisms, including viruses, bacteria, protozoa and fungi
Bacteria help us digest food
Micro-organisms affect the global climate
Micro-organisms were around 3.5 billion years ago
species of microorganisms, including viruses, bacteria, protozoa and fungi
Bacteria help us digest food
Micro-organisms affect the global climate
Micro-organisms were around 3.5 billion years ago
Yeast Investigation
We carried out an investigation to see which
temperature yeast prefers
We gave it sugar to feed on and put it in cold, warm or hot
water in a bottle with a balloon on top. As it feeds, it
produces gas which blows up the balloon. The faster and
bigger the balloon inflated, the more the yeast was thriving
in its conditions.
Cold water
Warm water
Hot water
Therefore we
concluded yeast
prefers warm
conditions.
This suggests
yeast is living
because it is
sensitive to its
environment
The yeast
produced the
most gas in the
shortest time in
the warm water
S NERG
MR
Banana Observation
We observed bananas left for two
weeks - some had yeast on them,
others didn't.
The bananas with
yeast on decomposed
more quickly, turning
to liquid by the end of
the two weeks.
This shows how
micro-organisms
help to break
down waste
It suggests that
micro-organisms
are living because
the yeast was
feeding on the
banana
MRS
NERG
No yeast after 2
weeks
With yeast after 2
weeks
Micro-Organism Hunt
We searched the school for micro-organisms at work.
We took photos on the iPads and created mind maps
of the useful and harmful micro-organisms all around
us.
Sterile Hands?
We washed our hands
very carefully, following
instructions from
paramedic Mr Eves
(Katie's dad)
We considered the arguments for
and against using anti-bacterial
soap in the home and found
scientific evidence to support both
arguments before coming to our
own conclusions.
Then we scrubbed our hands
following instructions for
surgeons. Surgeons have to be
much more thorough and it took
AGES!
Surgeons have to use anti-microbial
soap to make sure their hands are
sterile before operating. These soaps
are now available for use in the home
but do we need to have sterile hands at
home? Are these soaps good for us?
Glo-germ Gel
We used a special gel,which
showed, under UV light, where
the bacteria collects on our
hands.
The Immune System
We read 'The Death of
Smallpox' and learned about
Edward Jenner and the first
vaccinations.
Then we made our own quizzes
or fact files on the immune
system and vaccination.
We played an information-trading
game where we learned about
different aspects of our immune
system from info cards and explained
what we had learned to other groups.
We used the badger learning app to
complete a quiz on the immune
system set by our teacher.