"Watch Your Step" is a classroom experience for 6th graders, focused on examining the biodiversity of organisms that live in the soil beneath our feet and learning how these organisms can be good and bad for our health. The lab begins with a discussion about the role of soil invertebrates and the health risks posed by microorganisms in the soil. Students then obtain soil samples from various locations around their school. They return to the lab and set up Berlese traps to force the microarthropods from the soil. On the following day, CORD facilitators return to the classroom to lead the students in the identification of the microorganisms that were trapped. Students prepare reports on an aspect of the lab and present to their peers on visit 3 of the activity.
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