The Development and Evaluation of a Unit of Microbiology Activities for Elementary Students

Abstract

Microorganisms comprise the largest group of living things in our environment. Most teachers as well as students have difficulty dealing with objects and events which they can not see. Invisible forces such as gravity and electricity, however, occupy places in elementary science curricula because their effects are essential to the understanding of the world around us. The writer suggests that the effects of the microbial world are just as critical to the understanding of the environment as is chemistry and physics, and that the existence of microorganisms deserves a greater consideration by elementary science educators.