Georgia Standards

South Carolina Standards

Key Vocabulary

Materials

• Notecards with helpful and harmful bacteria listed on them
• Pictures of bacteria and viruses
• Chart/poster paper and markers

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

• Start with a general physical warm-up to get the students' bodies ready. Use exercises such as:
  • Stretching: Stretch all major muscle groups.
  • Shaking Out Limbs: Shake out arms, legs, and the whole body to release tension.
  • Energy Passes: Stand in a circle and pass a clap or a simple motion around to build group focus and energy.
• Begin the lesson by introducing the basics of tableau.
  • Stop/go: Tell students that when you say, “Go”, they should walk around the classroom. When you say, “Stop”, they should freeze in place. Repeat several times.
  • Now, tell students that when you say, “Stop”, they should freeze in place, but that you will tell them how you want them to freeze (happy, sad, angry, etc.). Repeat several times.
  • Now, tell students that when you say, “Stop”, you will tell them what you want them to be (car, tree, wall, cat, dog, etc.). Repeat several times.
  • Now, tell students that when you say, “Stop”, you want them to freeze as if they are doing something (eating, running, kicking a ball, planting a plant, cooking). Repeat several times.
  • Tell students that in this activity, they were making a tableau. A tableau is a frozen living picture.
• Have students return to their seats.

Work Session

• Review/teach about microorganisms, the smallest living things.
  • Review two types of microorganisms: bacteria and viruses.
  • Divide students into small groups of 2, 4, or 6. Provide each group with chart/poster paper and markers. Students should divide their paper into two sections: bacteria and viruses.
    • With their groups, students should write down characteristics of each type of microorganism.
    • Provide time for groups to share and revise their work.
    • Next, groups should discuss how they could use movement to demonstrate the different characteristics of each.
    • For example, as a bacteria, students are able to completely take care of themselves; they are able to feed themselves and they are able to replicate.
    • As viruses, they must find other ways to eat and get energy because they are not self-sufficient. They must find other living cells in which to replicate.
    • Tell students that in their groups, students will act out each type of microorganism when prompted.
      • An example of what this might look like is two students moving the same way close together as a single bacterium and then splitting off into separate entities to show replication.
  • Next, assign each group to be bacteria or viruses.
  • Have the students make a tableaux of their microorganisms. Establish a cue to tell students to come to life.
  • Circulate the room discussing how the different groups demonstrated their microorganism, pointing out the differences between viruses and bacteria.
• Helpful and Harmful Microorganisms
  • Introduce the concept that some bacteria are helpful and some bacteria are harmful.
  • Discuss examples of helpful bacteria, such as live bacteria in yogurt, bacteria that breaks down organic material and turns it into compost, bacteria that breaks down chemical waste to help the environment, etc.
  • Discuss examples of harmful bacteria, such as bacteria living on raw meat, bacteria living on dirty hands after touching a public handrail or a cell phone, bacteria that can cause an infection when you hurt yourself and don’t clean the injury, etc.
  • Pass out cards to groups with each of these types of bacteria on them.
  • Ask the group to use their bodies to act out the location and the type of bacteria that would be found there (harmful or beneficial). Remind students to use their facial expressions and whole bodies as tools of communication in their scenes.
  • Provide time for students to plan and practice. Circulate to support students and check for understanding.

Closing Reflection

• Each group will perform for the class. Discuss appropriate audience participation and etiquette prior to performances.
• The class will decide if the group is showing helpful bacteria or harmful bacteria based on what they see. Ask the class to give a thumbs up if it is helpful or thumbs down if it is harmful.

Assessments

Formative

Teachers will assess students’ understanding of the content throughout the lesson by observing students’ participation in the tableau activator, review of microorganisms, and use of movement and tableau to demonstrate their understanding of microorganisms.

Summative

CHECKLIST

• Students can demonstrate their understanding of the difference between bacteria and viruses using their created tableaux.
• Students can demonstrate their understanding of helpful and harmful bacteria by identifying the type of bacteria represented in each group performance.
• Students can use their bodies to demonstrate their understanding of viruses and bacteria (both helpful and harmful).

DIFFERENTIATION 

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Ideas contributed by: Mary Gagliardi. Updated by Katy Betts.

Revised and copyright: June 2024 @ ArtsNOW