Stopping Superbugs!
Grade Range
6th-8th
Group Size
4-6 students
Active Time
60 minutes
Total Time
60 minutes
Area of Science
Human Biology & Health
Microbiology
Key Concepts
Genetics, Bacteria, Probability, Antibiotic resistance
Learning Objectives
- Understand how natural selection leads to the predominance of certain traits in a bacterial population
- Correlate misuse of antibiotics with an increased probability of creating antibiotic-resistant bacteria
- Apply a model using probability to simulate how bacteria populations change in response to selective pressure
Credits
Svenja Lohner, PhD, Science Buddies
![]() OverviewIf your doctor prescribes antibiotics, why do you have to take them for several days and not just once? Why do you need to finish taking them even if you feel better? If you do not follow the doctor's orders, you might contribute to the creation of antibiotic-resistant "superbugs"! In this lesson, your students will roll dice to model how bacteria respond to treatment by antibiotics, and find out what happens if treatment is stopped too early. NGSS AlignmentThis lesson helps students prepare for these Next Generation Science Standards Performance Expectations:
Materials![]() Materials per group of 4–6 students:
Reviews |
Grade Range
6th-8th
Group Size
4-6 students
Active Time
60 minutes
Total Time
60 minutes
Area of Science
Human Biology & Health
Microbiology
Key Concepts
Genetics, Bacteria, Probability, Antibiotic resistance
Credits
Svenja Lohner, PhD, Science Buddies
Learning Objectives
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