SciREN Lesson Plan Portal

• Name: Dalaena Rivera
• Position and Institution: Joint Doctoral student at San Diego State/UC San Diego
• Contact: drivera1010@sdsu.edu
• Available for contact for questions and classroom visits: Yes
• Year contributed: 2020

• Grade Level: 9-12
• Science Domain: Life Sciences
• PE Code: HS-LS2-6

The ecosystem of bacteria that live on and within us play a huge role in regulating our human health. Maintaining the proper balance of good bacteria to bad bacteria in the gut in particular, is necessary to avoid various medical conditions ranging from type 2 diabetes and obesity to autism and depression. In this lesson, students will play an “Among Us” or “Werewolf” style game over Zoom to demonstrate how the microbiome helps to regulate and prevent the bad bacteria from growing in the gut. Through this game, students will learn terminology related to microbiology, symbiosis, the microbiome, and the immune system. Understanding the protective effects of bacteria will show students why bacteria are necessary and why we should be taking care of our microbiome. Students will then be able to think critically about how their choices and experiences affect their own microbiome.

• Microbiology
• microbiome
• bacteria
• commensal
• pathogen

• Lesson Plan