Concept:
Process Approach
Teaching in which knowledge is used as a
means to develop students’ learning skills.
Learning Skill in Science:
 Basic Skills. Observing, classifying, using
numbers, measuring, using space-time
relationship, communicating, predicting and
inferring.
 Integrated Skills. Defining operationally,
formulating hypotheses, interpreting data,
controlling variables and experimenting.
Example:
Scenario: After the class have discussed the Parts
of the Microscope.
Lesson Plan in Microscope Lab
Objectives:
 To learn the parts of the microscope.
 To find specimens using low and high
power.
 To make a wet mount.
 To view your own human cheek cells under
the microscope.
 To compare plant and animal cells.
Data: Part 1- The letter “e”
Figure 1: Drawing of the letter “e” on the
slide. (half page)
Figure 2: Drawing of the letter “e” in low
power (4x). (half page)
Figure 3: Drawing of the letter “e” in high
power (10x) (half page)
Analysis:
1. How does the letter “e” as seen through
the microscope differ from the way an
“e” normally appears?
2. When you move the slide to the left, in
what direction does the letter “e” appear to
move? When you move it to the right? Up?
Down?
3. How does the ink appear under the
microscope compared to normal view?
 4. Why does a specimen placed under the
microscope have to be thin?

Procedure: Part 2 - Cheek Cell
1
1. Place a small drop of Iodine onto a clean
slide.
2. Using a toothpick, gently scrape the
inside of you cheek.
3. Place the toothpick tip into the iodine and
mix. The iodine stains the cells so you
can see them.
4. Place the slide under low power (4x).
Draw what you see in Figure 4.
5. Switch to high power (10x). Draw 2 or 3
cells in Figure 5. Label the nucleus, cell
membrane, and cytoplasm.
Data: Part 2- Cheek Cell
Figure 4: Drawing of the cheek cell in low
power (4x) (half page)
Figure 5: Drawing of the cheek cells in high
power (10x)
 Label the nucleus, cell membrane, and

cytoplasm. (half page)
Analysis:
1. Why did we add iodine to our cheek
cells?
2. What structure in the cheek cell was
stained the darkest?
3. Is your cheek cell an animal cell?
Procedure: Part 3 - The Elodea leaf
1. Place a drop of water on a clean slide.
2. Place an Elodea leaf in the drop of water,
place a cover slip on top.
3. Observe under low power first (4x), then
under high power (10x) Draw in Figure
6. Label the following organelles: nucleus,
cytoplasm, cell wall, chloroplasts.
Data: Part 3 – The Elodea Cell
 Figure 6: Drawing of the Elodea cell in high
power (10x) (half page)



Analysis:
1. Was anything happening in your cell?
2. What structures were in the plant and
animal cell?
3. What structures were only in the Elodea
cell?
Conclusion: 2-3 sentences on what you learned.
Retrieved from:
http://www.middleschoolscience.com/microscope.pdf
Landrito, Ronnel Franco G.
III-7 BSE Biology
Concept:
Inquiry Approach
Inquiry is an approach to teaching that
involves a process of exploring the natural world,
which leads to asking questions and making
discoveries in the search of new understandings.
Example:
Title: Bacteria
Author: Jim L. Torgerson, North Sevier Middle
School, Salina, Utah
Overview: The students will be able to describe
bacteria as it relates to them.
Purpose: By gaining an understanding of bacteria,
students will have the knowledge to deal with
bacteria, their advantages and disadvantages.
Objective(s):
Students Will Be Able To:
1. Tell what a bacterium is.
2. Draw and label the types of bacteria.
3. Explain how different bacteria can affect them.
4. Understand bacteria relationships to their
environment.
Background Information:
Bacteria are one-celled organisms. Bacteria are
the smallest organisms that are clearly alive. The
three major types of bacteria are cocci, bacilli, and
spirilla. Bacteria need food, water, and a suitable
temperature in which to live. Some bacteria cause
disease, while others are not harmful. Some bacteria
help in the reduction of plant and animal waste to soil
nutrients; others are used in the production of cheese.
You will need to start with pictures and/or
drawings of the different types of bacteria. The
students need to have a basic understanding of
bacteria before you start the activity. Hold a short
discussion about bacteria.
You will need the following materials:
1. Microscope (and knowledge of how to use)
2. Prepared slides of bacteria
3. Incubator
4. Sterile Petri dishes
5. Nutrient agar
6. Paper and pencil for notes.
2
Make sure students have had experience labeling
types of bacteria before starting this activity.
Also, this activity will take a few minutes
each day for several days to complete.
Activities and Procedures:
Give each student a prepared sterile Petri
dish (One that already contains the growing media
nutrient agar). MAKE SURE STUDENTS DO NOT
OPEN THE DISH UNTIL THEY ARE READY TO
EXPOSE IT. Have students expose their dish to any
environmental conditions they can think of: i.e.,
chalk dust, leaves, saliva, dead flies, grass, soil, dirty
hands, water, etc. I usually save two dishes for my
use: One dish is for the control (just tape it shut
without exposure). The second dish I have someone
in the class kiss it to show bacteria growth of bacteria
that come off the lips. It is important that students do
not put too much stuff in the Petri dish. Limit to two
very small substances, one on each side of the dish.
After the students inoculate (expose) their
dish they need to take notes on time of exposure and
what the agar was exposed to.
Students need to put their name on a "small"
piece of masking tape, taped off to one side of their
specimen.
The student needs to give the dish to the
teacher. The teacher needs to tape the dish shut. The
exposed Petri dish can now be put in the incubator.
Set the incubator around body temperature. Don’t
forget to add a little water in the bottom of the
incubator to keep the humidity up.
IT IS IMPORTANT THE DISH REMAINS
SEALED FROM THIS POINT ON- MAKE SURE
STUDENTS DO NOT TURN THE DISH UPSIDE
DOWN WHEN YOU HAND THEM BACK FOR
OBSERVATIONS UNLESS THEY ARE FAIRLY
DRY CULTURES.
24 Hours later hand out each student their
Petri dish. (It is important you don't start this activity
on a Friday) Each person needs to record
observations of their dish. When finished put dishes
back in the incubator.
48 hours later (from initial exposure) hand
out each student their Petri dish for more
observations. Don't forget to hand out the control
dish. When finished, put the dishes back in the
incubator.
Landrito, Ronnel Franco G.
III-7 BSE Biology
 72 hours later (from initial exposure) hand
out the Petri dishes for the last time. Have students
take their final observations and after a class
discussion make some conclusions. Now you are
ready to relate and review bacteria types to the
3
bacteria cultures they have in their Petri dish. You
may want to wait for a full class period to do the
microscope work. Hand each student a prepared
slide containing the bacteria types. (Some schools
will have the necessary equipment to make and stain
their own slides off the bacteria the students have
cultured. Please do not try to do this unless you have
had the proper training in preparing bacteria mounts
due to the disease potential from pathogens). Put the
slide on the microscope stage. Focus the microscope,
using the techniques discussed in a previous lesson.
Have students draw on a piece of paper what bacteria
types they are able to see. Have students identify the
bacteria they are drawing. Have students use
reference sources to identify and label the bacteria
being viewed. After the lab, discuss the advantages
and disadvantages of bacteria (i.e., bacteria diseases,
decomposition of organic material, etc.) This will
probably be done in another class period. Also
discuss how bacteria affect their environment.

Tying It All Together:

Cross-Curriculum Ideas:
Math: Have students conduct a poll to determine if
people consider bacteria helpful or harmful. Tally
the records and make graphs for the subgroups polled
such as: elementary students, teens, high school
students, parents, and grandparents.

English: Have students compose a story about the

thoughts of a plant or animal that lives in an
environment where there are no decomposers. They
could describe the anguish about rising level of
waste, etc.

Art: Draw and color bacteria as you would see them

in their natural surroundings.

Health: Identify and discuss ten health practices that

deal with illness or health. i.e.; food poisoning.

History: Have students research the historical effects

of major diseases. Some diseases might be bubonic
plaque, polio, influenza, malaria, cholera, scurvy,
smallpox, etc.

Retrieved from:
http://www.coled.org/cur/sci/sci180.txt

Notes:
Landrito, Ronnel Franco G.
III-7 BSE Biology