Starter quiz
- Plants, animals and micro-organisms are all groups of ______ things.
- 'living' ✓
- Match the types of living thing to the correct group.
- fish, mammals, birds⇔vertebrates ✓
- insects, crustaceans, molluscs⇔invertebrates ✓
- bacteria, viruses, fungi⇔micro-organisms ✓
- If something is moist then it is quite ...
- dry.
- wet. ✓
- old.
- new.
-
- Why do scientists follow safety rules when carrying out enquiries?
- to make sure their results are reliable
- to make sure they have controlled all the variables
- to make sure everyone knows what they need to do
- to make sure no one is harmed during the enquiry ✓
-
We can use a piece of equipment called a ______ for observing micro-organisms.- 'microscope' ✓
- What is organic matter?
- things that are or have come from living things ✓
- things that have been made without using chemicals
- things that live in certain environments
-
Exit quiz
- Which of these does mould need to grow well?
- moisture ✓
- darkness
- nutrients ✓
- warmth ✓
- sunlight
-
- On which type of foods does mould commonly grow the quickest?
- sugary foods like chocolate, ice cream and fizzy drinks
- sour foods like lemon and vinegar
- dry foods like crackers and biscuits
- moist foods like fruit, bread and cheese ✓
-
- What type of micro-organism is mould?
- bacteia
- virus
- fungus ✓
-
- Scientists make a ______ when they use what they already know to say what they think will happen in an enquiry.
- 'prediction' ✓
- Why do scientists need to follow strict safety rules when observing mould growing on food?
- because all scientific enquiries are very dangerous
- because mould can be harmful to other living things ✓
- because mould is a micro-organism
- because equipment needs to be used carefully so it is not broken
-
- On which of these objects would mould not be able to grow?
woollen jumper
wooden toy
metal food tin ✓
potato peels
Worksheet
Presentation
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Mould is a micro-organism. It is a type of fungus and can be grouped with other fungi including yeast and mushrooms.
- Mould is common in moist materials and food, such as fruit, bread, cheese and meat.
- Mould needs moisture, warmth and nutrients to grow well.
- Mould can be observed growing on food over time, following strict safety rules.
- Scientists make predictions about what will happen based on the evidence they already have.
Common misconception
Pupils may think that mould is a type of plant because of its colour or the way it grows.
Explain that plants make their own food using photosynthesis and mould does not, so it cannot be a plant. Instead, it gets its nutrients from the organic matter that it is growing on. Also, unlike plants, mould does not need light to survive or grow.
Keywords
Mould - Mould is a type of fungi which grows and forms a fuzzy coating on organic matter.
Micro-organism - A micro-organism is a very tiny living thing.
Fungi - Fungi are organisms that include moulds, mushrooms, and yeasts. They feed on organic matter, usually from dead things.
Nutrients - Nutrients are important substances that living things use to stay alive and healthy.
Moist - Something that is moist is damp or a little wet.