Fungus Among Us

Add to list Go to activity
Activity link broken? See if it's at the internet archive
In this environmental health activity, learners grow and observe bread mold and other kinds of common fungi over the course of 3-7 days. This lesson guide includes background information, variations and bilingual (English/Spanish) handouts. Note: if you do not wish to grow bread mold, pure cultures can be purchased.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
5 to 10 minutes
Learning Time:
1 to 7 days
Estimated Materials Cost:
1 cent - $1 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity, Lesson/Lesson Plan
Language:
English, Spanish

Materials List (per group of students)

  • Transparency of "Common Bread Mold" student sheet
  • Bread mold, Rhizopus stolonifer (optional, order from a science educational supply company)
  • Piece of old bread
  • Pipet or dropper
  • Clear resealable plastic bags, 4 in. x 6 in. (or small jars or plastic containers)
  • Hand lenses (magnifiers) or 6 microscopes
  • Disposable plastic gloves (optional)
  • Copies of student sheets

Keywords

Subjects

  • Life Sciences
    • Diversity of Life
      • Protists and Fungi
    • Ecology
      • Human Impact
    • Human Body
      • Health and Nutrition
      • Immune System
  • Mathematics
    • Data Analysis and Probability
      • Data Analysis
      • Data Collection
      • Data Representation
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Gathering Data
      • Formulating Explanations
      • Communicating Results

Informal Categories

  • Food and Cooking

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • see color
  • read
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves teamwork and communication skills
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Foreign language versions of this resource:

Components that are part of this resource:

Includes assesments for student learning:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

  • Moreno, Nancy P. ; Tharp, Barbara Z. ; Dresden, Judith H.

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, Baylor College of Medicine, 2010

Funding Sources:

  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, R25 ES06932
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, R25 ES010698