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National Park ServiceU.S. Department of the InteriorZion National ParkWhat is a Microorganism?Introduction to MicroorganismsNPS/MARC NEIDIG

ContentsIntroduction 2Background 2ActivitiesHow Small is Small? 3Mystery Microorganisms 4Microorganisms Are Everywhere –Even in Zion National Park! 6Glossary 8References 8

IntroductionThis guide contains background information about what microorganismsare and directions for three activities that will help students betterunderstand microorganisms and how they relate to everyday life andZion National Park. The activities are most beneficial to students whencompleted in order. This guide is specifically designed for sixth gradeclassrooms, but the activities can be modified for students at other levels.ThemeThough they cannot be seen with thenaked eye, there are millions of diversemicroorganisms living everywhere around us,performing a variety of important functions.FocusThis activity guide provides the definition, andexplores examples of microorganisms, and theplaces microorganisms are found.ActivitiesHow Small is Small?By using a large scale, students will be ablemodel the size of specific microorganisms andcompare them with the size of a human hair.Activity MaterialsCorresponding materialswhich may include images,worksheets, and answer keysare available for each activity.Materials can be downloadedfrom the lesson plan webpage,found here.Mystery MicroorganismsCore ConnectionsStudents will use a description and phototo categorize a species of microorganismand determine where it might live in ZionNational Park.Utah Core CurriculumSixth Grade ScienceStandard 5: Studentswill understand thatmicroorganisms range fromsimple to complex, are foundalmost everywhere, and areboth helpful and harmful.Objective 1: Observe andsummarize information aboutmicroorganisms.Objective 3: Identify positiveand negative effects ofmicroorganisms and howscience has developed positiveuses for some microorganismsand overcome the negativeeffects of others.Zion National Park, April 2014Students will learn about the five categories ofmicroorganisms by classifying a set of species(their “Mystery Microorganisms”).Microorganisms Are Everywhere –Even in Zion National Park!BackgroundJust as there are millions of differentspecies of plants and animals in the world,there are millions of different species ofmicroorganisms. Microorganisms can survivein environments where humans are unableto live. Microorganisms exist throughout theworld, from Antarctica to your kitchen, frominside animals, like humans, to the expansivewilderness in Zion National Park.A microorganism is defined as a living thingthat is so small it must be viewed with amicroscope. Some microorganisms like virusesare so small they can only be seen with specialelectron microscopes.There are five different categories ofmicroorganisms—bacteria, algae, protozoa,fungi, and viruses—explained in further detailin Mystery Microorganisms. Microorganismscover almost all the kingdoms of life. Bacteriaand some algae are in the Monera kingdom(sometimes divided into the separateEubacteria and Archaebacteria kingdoms),algae and protozoa are in the Protistakingdom, and fungi make up their ownkingdom. There is ongoing debate about howto classify most microorganisms (for instance,some scientists put some types of algae in thePlant kingdom while others do not).Microorganisms of all kinds can be found inZion National Park and southern Utah. Inmany cases, these microorganisms can actuallybe seen at work, such as the fungi, algae, andbacteria that build up the fragile spires ofbiological soil crust, or the algae which givesthe Emerald Pools a green color.Microorganisms are also prevalent inside us.While we like to think of ourselves as beingmade up of human cells, we are actually90% microbial: there are 10 times more cellsfrom microorganisms in our bodies thanhuman cells. That means there are trillionsof microorganisms living inside us every day.Most are helpful to us, such as bacteria thathelp us digest our food. Scientists now thinkthat a diversity of microorganisms inside of ushelp us resist many diseases.What is a Microorganism? 2

How Small is Small?Duration45 MinutesLocationOutside or inside area with a large open spaceKey VocabularyNIHorganism, microorganism, single-celled, algae,bacteria, fungi, protozoa, virusObjectivesStudents will be able to conceptualize the sizeof microorganisms and give a definition ofwhat a microorganism is.MethodPROYECTO AGUAThe rod shape of E. coli can beclearly seen under a scanningelectron microscope.Micrasterias americana algae at400x magnification.3. Go outside or into your open space, anduse the meter stick to measure an area 1meter long. Mark it with chalk, string, ortape (depending on your location). Onemeter represents the 0.1 millimeter widthof a hair using the scale of 10,000 :1.4. Using the information below, add differentmicroorganisms to the ground or paper.Students can measure out the size and labelthe different cells and microorganisms:By using a large scale, students will be ablemodel the size of specific microorganisms andcompare them with the size of a human hair.Human red blood cell (.01 mm) 10 cmBackgroundScenedesmus (algae) (0.03 mm) 30 cmThe average human hair is 0.1 millimeterswide, and barely discernable with the nakedeye. Microorganisms are many hundreds tothousands of times smaller and by definitioncan only be seen under a microscope.Most microorganisms consists of only onecell and they are known as single-celledorganisms (in comparison, humans consistof trillions of different cells). Differentspecies of microorganisms vary in size, shape,appearance, and way of surviving.E. coli bacteria (.002 mm) 2 cmThe largest microorganisms are most fungiand many species of protozoa. Viruses areby far the smallest of all microorganisms. Ifa virus was the size of a baseball, an averagebacterium would be the size of a pitcher’smound, and one single human cell would bethe size of the entire stadium!Materials meter stick or ruler magnifying glass marking material for ground (i.e. sidewalkchalk, markers, or string) a hair from a human head 5 meters of butcher paper (if inside)Suggested Procedure1. Introduce the idea of what microorganismsare and that they cannot be seen with thenaked eye.Zion National Park, April 20142. Have students examine a human hair (onecan be passed around and/or students canexamine their own). Students can lookat how thin the hair is with and withoutmagnifying glasses.Paramecium (protozoa) (0.2 mm) 2 mEuglenoids (algae) (0.4 mm) 4 mStaphylococcus bacteria(.0005 mm) 0.5 cmPolio virus (.00002) .2 mm (a tiny dot)5. When finished measuring out all themicroorganisms, compare their sizes.Notice how viruses are the smallest typebut other types vary in size depending onthe species. Students can draw their ownreference models on paper to keep.6. Finish by asking students (verbally or inwriting) why scientists have to use modelslike this (because some microorganismsare too small to be seen under regularmicroscopes and it is difficult tocompare sizes and features of a variety ofmicroorganisms because of their size).ExtensionHave students research the size of othermicroorganisms to compare size and practicemath skills using the 10,000:1 scale.Find large items to compare microorganismsto such as a pencil, a school bus, or a footballfield. For instance, if the 2,000 foot tall cliffs ofZion Canyon were on the scale, they would beover 3,800 miles long, the distance from LasVegas to Chicago and back!What is a Microorganism? 3

MysteryMicroorganismsDuration45 MinutesLocationInsideROBIN SKey Vocabularyorganism, microorganism, single-celled, algae,bacteria, fungi, protozoa, virus, producer,decomposerObjectivesStudents will be able to list the five differenttypes of microorganisms and share the specificattributes of at least one type.HHSMethodStudents will learn about the five categories ofmicroorganisms by classifying a set of species(their “Mystery Microorganisms”) as one ofthe types of microorganisms.Backgroundthey reproduce using spores, tiny, seed-likecells. Most fungi are multicellular, but otherssuch as yeast are single-celled. Most cells offungi are loosely connected through threadlike filaments called hyphae. Fungi is plural,fungus is singular.Protozoa: The name protozoa means “firstanimal,” and describes this microorganism’sability to move and hunt. Protozoa aremembers of the Protista kingdom. Ciliates,amoebae, and flagellates all are categoriesof protozoa and all are single-celled. Mostprotozoa do not cause disease but there area few that cause harm to humans, includingPlasmodium (malaria) and Giardia. Theseprotozoa are considered parasites. Protozoa isplural, protozoan is singular.Viruses: There is some debate on whetherviruses are actually organisms at all; that is,whether they are alive or not. While theyhave DNA or RNA and infect a host likeother parasites, viruses have no true cells andcannot reproduce on their own. Viruses isplural, virus is singular.Generally, there are five categories ofmicroorganisms (simpler definitions arelocated in the glossary for student use):MaterialsBacteria: These microorganisms are theoldest living things on Earth, and have beenaround an estimated 3 billion years (scientistshave found fossils of cyanobacteria). Theycome in a variety of shapes (spheres, rods,or spirals) and are a diverse set of organisms.However, all of them are prokaryotes (theylack a nucleus). Bacteria is plural, bacterium issingular.Suggested Procedure Mystery Microorganism Clues sheets Large (8.5 x 11) envelopesNPS/BRYANNA PLOGDigital interpretation ofrhinovirus.Aspergillus fumigatusas, a fungi,visible under a microscope.Algae color the water green atthe Emerald Pools.Algae: While not all algae are green, allalgae are capable of photosynthesizing andare producers. However, most algae are notplants, and the majority are in the Protistakingdom. Like plants, algae produce oxygenand account for about 70% of all the oxygenproduced on Earth. Algae can be single-celledor multicelled. Algae mostly grow in water andinclude seaweed and “pond scum.” Algae isplural, alga is singular.Fungi: All fungi are decomposers, breakingdown dead matter for nutrients, and theycannot produce their own food. Fungi aredistinguished from other decomposers in thatZion National Park, April 20141. Prepare “mystery packets” ahead of timeusing the Mystery Microorganism Cluessheets. Print one set of each and put themin large envelopes labeling them “MysteryMicroorganism #1,” etc. Each packetshould have two or three photos all fromthe same grouping (virus, bacteria, etc.). Ifstudents have access to laptop computersor tablets, photos could be loaded andviewed digitally.Mystery Microorganism #1 (Virus) HIV/AIDS The common cold ChickenpoxMystery Microorganism #2 (Bacteria) Yogurt E. Coli StreptococcusWhat is a Microorganism? 4