Meet the Microorganisms

See that tiny living things include bacteria, algae, and creatures such as rotifers and tardigrades.

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 38

Welcome to the Microbe Zone! A microorganism is a living thing too small to see clearly without a microscope.
Bacteria are one-celled living things found almost everywhere: in soil, in water, and even on your skin.
Tiny algae float in water and use sunlight to make food. Yeast is a tiny living thing used in baking.
Some tiny creatures have many cells. Rotifers swim in pond water, and tardigrades, also called water bears, crawl through damp moss.
Our big question: are microorganisms good or bad? Let's look for evidence.

Georgia Standards of Excellence in Science:

S5L4 — Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about how microorganisms benefit or harm larger organisms. (Clarification statement: Possible microorganisms could include Tardigrades, Lactobacillus, Probiotics, Rotifers, Salmonella, Clostridium botulinum (Botox), E-coli, Algae, etc. Students are not expected to know these specific microorganisms. The list is provided to give teachers examples.)