Starter quiz
- Which of these living things are types of micro-organism?
ants
bacteria ✓
fungi ✓
ticks
- Micro-organisms living in soil break down organic matter such as dead plants and animals. What are these types of micro-organisms called?
- decomposers ✓
- composers
- recyclers
- bacteria
- enrichers
-
- Where can bacteria be found?
- only inside or on living things
- never inside or on living things
- only in air or water
- never in air or water
- almost everywhere ✓
-
- Which statement about micro-organisms is correct?
- All micro-organisms are harmful.
- All micro-organisms are helpful.
- Some micro-organisms are helpful and some are harmful. ✓
-
A ______ is a piece of equipment that we can use to look at micro-organisms because they are too small to see with the naked eye.- 'microscope' ✓
Mould is part of a group of micro-organisms called...- 'fungi' ✓
Exit quiz
Penicillin was one of the greatest scientific achievements of the ...- 1700s.
- 1800s.
- 1900s. ✓
- 2000s.
-
Who first discovered penicillin in 1928?- Dr Alexander Fleming ✓
- Dr Howard Florey
- Dr Ernst Chain
- Dr Edward Jenner
-
- Penicillin is one of a group of medicines called ______ which fight harmful bacteria.
- 'antibiotics' ✓
- From which type of micro-organism do we get penicillin?
- bacteria
viruses- fungi ✓
Which of these could be treated with antibiotics?- measles caused by a virus
- strep throat caused by bacteria ✓
- athletes foot caused by a fungus
- a headache caused by lack of sleep
-
- Order the events that lead to the successful use of penicillin as an antibiotic chronologically.
- 1⇔Dr Alexander Fleming returned from holiday to discover mould on his Petri dishes
- 2⇔Dr Fleming noticed the mould was preventing the growth of bacteria.
- 3⇔Other doctors began working on extracting penicillin from the mould for medicine
- 4⇔The first human patient is cured of blood poisoning using penicillin.
Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Antibiotics are medicines that fight infections caused by micro-organisms called bacteria.
- Penicillin belongs to a group of medical drugs called antibiotics.
- Penicillin is made from a type of mould.
- In 1928, Scottish doctor, Alexander Fleming, discovered the effects of penicillin.
- The discovery of penicillin was one of the greatest scientific achievements of the 1900s.
Common misconception
Pupils may think that all moulds and fungi are harmful and no useful products can be extracted from them.
Explain that, while many moulds and fungi can be harmful to humans and other animals, many have uses in medicine such as penicillin, once they have been properly processed by scientists.
Keywords
Antibiotics - Antibiotics are a type of medicine that can kill bacteria.
Bacteria - Bacteria are a type of micro-organism that can be found in all natural environments.
Alexander fleming - Dr Alexander Fleming was a Scottish scientist who discovered the first antibiotic, penicillin.
Penicillin - Penicillin is a type of antibiotic made from a fungus.
Mould - Mould is a type of fungi which grows and forms a fuzzy coating on organic matter.
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