TEACHER BACKGROUND
The purpose of this unit is to introduce the student to the concept that protists can and do exist in an urban environment. Students may not realize that the world of the protists can exist in their everyday surroundings. In this unit the student will perform some simple lab activities to locate these protists. This unit is designed for about a week, although there is enough information to stretch it our for an long as you think is necessary to fulfill your objectives. The materials for the lab activities are basic to most science labs and any other materials can be obtained from most scientific companies. These activities may be done as a demonstration or as a class activity based on your classroom situation. They may also be used to show the applications and use of the microscope. It gives the students practice in the determination of size under the microscope, scientific diagramming and labeling. It will also help the student focus on the microscope world of living organism that they sometimes take for granted.
There is much background information available on the study of protists. Most life science books and biology textbooks have all the reference information that is necessary to teach this unit. There is also information available on the world wide web which is documented in this unit. Parts of this unit may have to be modified in order to meet the individual needs of the students. Cooperative learning groups are recommended for the lab activities.
The following pages are available in this unit:
Unit Objectives and Introduction,