Suggested Lesson Plan
|
Part I.
Define the Problem to be Investigated: Bacterial Resistance to Antibiotics
Activity
A) Investigate Resistance to Antibiotics
Day
1: Have students set up experiment on resistance.
Day 2: Have students examine their experiment and make observations;
small group/full class discussion of the significance of their findings.
Activity
B) Research a Disease-Causing Bacterium
Day
3: Assign research project, and help students begin researching
their bacteria.
Part
II. Lessons on Evolutionary Concepts
Introduce students to broad evolutionary concepts (variation,
mutation, natural selection, adaptation, speciation, macroevolution, etc.).
Part
III. Investigate Reason for Problem 1: Bacteria Evolve!
Activity
C) What Is Resistance To Antibiotics?
Day
4: Have students get together in small groups and discuss questions
from worksheet; end with a full class wrap-up on what exactly is resistance
to antibiotics (an evolutionary response by bacteria).
Part IV. Investigate Reason for Problem 2: Antibiotics Select
for Resistance, and Human Behavior Provides Opportunities for Bacteria
to Evolve
Activity
D) Interpreting Correlational Data
Day
5: Have students break into small groups and work through worksheet;
group discussion/lecture on how using antibiotics exerts natural selection
for resistance.
Part
V. Solutions to the Antibiotics Problem
Activity
E) What is the Future of Antibiotics?
Day 5:
At the end of class, assign articles to read for the next day.
Day 6: Have students break into small groups to discuss their
articles, using the questions in the worksheet as a guide; full-class
discussion of possible solutions.
|
