Microbes, Diseases, and the Immune System: Germs Bundle for Middle School

This collection of labs will help you teach a unit on Germs and the Immune System from an investigative perspective.

Use this resource reinforce answers to questions such as:

☀ What does the word germ mean to a biologist?

☀ How do we classify microorganisms?

☀ Microorganisms are everywhere.

☀ Are all microorganisms harmful?

☀ Under the right conditions, bacteria multiply over time.

☀ Bacteria can be counted when cultured and allowed to grow colonies.

☀ What is the Rh factor?

☀ Why do we need to know a person's blood type when giving them blood?

☀ How many blood types are there?

☀ How do blood types differ?

☀ How do white blood cells attack pathogens?

☀ What is the process of phagocytosis?

☀ What's its purpose and what cells use it?

☀ How do diseases spread through a community?

☀ How can you track the spread of disease?

☀ Why is tracking a disease important?

☀ Individual bacteria can only be seen under a microscope

☀ Many bacteria are beneficial

☀ Microorganisms are a key component in fermentation

Once students try this activity, they can capture their observations using the included Lab Notes or probing questions included in the instructions. 

Concepts Addressed

✦ Microbes are classified into Bacteria, Fungi, Algae, and Protozoa

✦ Viruses are not classified with living organisms

✦ Electron micrographs are often colorized to improve clarity.

✦ How can you count bacteria?

✦ How can you see bacteria without microscope?

✦ Where do bacteria live?

✦ Blood types can be determined using a set of 3 serums: Anti-A, Anti-B, Anti-Rh

✦ Each blood type shows a distinct clotting pattern with the three test serums

✦ There are eight distinct blood types: A+ A- B+ B- AB+ AB- O+ O-

✦ Phagocytosis is one method cells use to fight disease

✦ White blood cells are an important factor in fighting diseases

✦ Many diseases spread through contact

✦ Infections can be tracked through a community

✦ Unchecked, diseases spread exponentially

✦ How did people preserve excess milk before refrigeration?

✦ Are all bacteria harmful?

✦ What do bacteria look like under a microscope?

Labs are the best part of science! When students start with the scientific phenomena, they’re intrigued and excited to dig deeper into the why’s and how’s of each scientific concept. But planning experiments can be an exhausting job. Finding great labs (and great instructions for those labs) can help this process immensely. Each lab is beautifully illustrated and well laid out—they’re easy to use from the very first page. They’re written directly to students, which means that kids can be in charge of their own learning and you’ll be freed to teach. There are helpful tips throughout the experiments and the Teacher Notes section will leave you in no doubt about how to perform or understand an experiment.

Student Sheets   Scaffolded writing prompts & lab reporting 

Answer Keys and Teacher Notes address most questions and issues that might arise in this study—you shouldn’t have to do any outside research unless you want to.

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