Learning about bacteria through food science

Some 25 San Vicente Elementary School teachers and administrators, along with five parents, recently participated in a Saturday food science workshop.

San Vicente teachers know that a science lesson plan includes the standard/s and benchmarks to be covered, not a textbook chapter and page. The purpose of the workshop was to assist in making standard and benchmark aligned science lesson plans that use hands-on activities, use readily available materials and resources, and promote awareness of the uniqueness of Saipan and the local culture.

The workshop began with a warm-up activity that ended when the instructor received an urgent cell phone call about dangerous bacteria that was on some of the tables in the cafeteria. Luckily, among the participants were two bacteria detectives, who were able to use special lights to quickly identify the people who were contaminated. The bacterium was really a powder that glows under a black light. Most of the participants had the power on them including people who were not sitting at the tables where the powder had been applied, demonstrating how quickly something such as bacteria can be transferred.

Another activity had participants work in groups to make lesson plans that are hands-on activities and focus on a specific standard and benchmark/s. Some examples include:

* Reading a story about bees and then observing bees (This teacher had a beehive that the bees made inside the wood of her classroom before the condemned building was torn down).

* Catching tadpoles and watch them grow into frogs.

* Observe and classify fish.

* Have a native navigator teach about celestial navigation.

* Student adopt a plant activity.

* Tap on the side of the classroom aquarium before feeding the fish for a week, and then observe what happens when the glass is tapped on and no food is given.

The culminating activity was called “bacteria everywhere.” Participants were shown how to take and prepare a bacteria culture. Cultures were taken from different areas of the school including the time clock, water dispenser, student food tray, bottom of a shoe, and a computer keyboard. Luckily the student tray did not show a lot of bacteria growth; however, it is not recommended to eat food from the time clock, bottom of a shoe, or a computer keyboard. The final part of this activity involved taking bacteria cultures from raw hamburger, and then hamburger cooked to 120 (49 C), 140 (60 C), and 160 (71 C) degrees Fahrenheit. The cultured bacteria were allowed to grow until the next Wednesday’s staff meeting where they were put on display. The raw hamburger showed the most bacteria and the others had bacteria, with the exception of the hamburger cooked to 160 F which showed no bacteria growth.

San Vicente Elementary would like to thank the Food and Drug Administration for providing the food science kits and for training the instructor. They would also like to thank the Commonwealth Health Center for providing the expired Petri dishes, and the Administration for Native Americans for funding the training.