Unit 07 · Microorganisms: Protists, Algae & Bacteria
Use instructor-approved prepared slides, recorded micrographs, or risk-assessed teaching specimens with an approved procedure. Study visible form and movement at the instrument's actual resolution. Do not culture unknown environmental or human samples at home. Supplied images support interpretation, not certification of wet-mount preparation or instrument handling.
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approved specimen preparation | Uses unapproved material or cannot follow the selected procedure. | Prepares approved material but loses the field or confuses evidence types. | Follows the instructor-approved preparation and observation method, distinguishing live, prepared, and recorded evidence; practical technique is directly observed. |
| Finding & tracking motile protists | Cannot spot a moving organism or loses it the instant it swims. | Sees something move but cannot follow it with the stage. | Locates and tracks a motile protist — amoeba, paramecium, or euglena — steering the stage to keep it in the field. |
| Recognizing algae | Cannot tell algae from other green material. | Suspects algae but cannot point to the feature that marks it. | Recognizes algae by their chloroplasts and form and separates them from plant debris in the mount. |
| Recognizing bacterial shapes | Names features that the image cannot resolve. | Suggests a shape but ignores preparation, scale, or contrast. | Describes bacterial morphology only where an approved preparation or image resolves it; shape alone does not identify species or pathogenicity. |
| Evidence limits & biological handling | Treats every moving speck as a living organism or ignores source approval. | Uses some distinguishing evidence but overlooks drift or handling limits. | Distinguishes supported organism observations from debris or drift and follows the approved handling/disposal route; no unknown-culture activity is inferred. |
| Integration (cross-domain) | Makes no supported connection between the source and the science. | Uses the source but needs help connecting evidence, writing, or limitations to the science. | Independently connects History, Reading, and Writing using a cited source, appropriate evidence, a limitation, and a scientific explanation. |
Integration is reported separately and cannot lower the science grade or block a science demonstration pass. Science and practical criteria determine that pass. Use the integration guide's evidence checklist for the separately reported criterion.
“I used the approved preparation and reference key, recorded the scale and features I could resolve, and distinguished directed movement from drift. A green or moving speck is not enough to name a species. I did not grow unknown cultures or claim a biological hazard diagnosis from shape.”
“I put a big drop on and everything was flying everywhere. Some black dots were maybe alive? I couldn’t keep anything in the circle long enough to tell.”
An instructor separately observes any approved preparation, focusing, and tracking technique. Prepared slides or recorded micrographs can support analysis, but are not falsely recorded as a performed wet mount. Interpret only resolved evidence and follow the approved biological-source and disposal boundaries.
A 5-page clipboard packet — unit overview, key terms, the mastery rubric, anchor examples, and a score sheet you can print and grade against.