Initial Publication Date: March 1, 2006

Resources for K-12 Teachers and Students


This page features the Extreme subset of resources from Micobial Life's K-12 collection. Explore the amazing world of extremophiles using our WebQuest guided discovery exercises. For teachers, discover a wealth of related resources, teaching strategies, and activities that have been developed by collaborating projects.


Featured Resources

Student measuring liquid with a graduated cylinder.

Living in an Alkaline Environment is a three-part activity that explores the ecology and diversity of life in alkaline environments.



Atlantic White Cedar Swamp microbes
Protistan Tales of Atlantic White Cedar Swamps is a WebQuest that combines science and literacy to bring the microbes of Atlantic White Cedar Swamps to life. Through the use of antrhopomorphism, students develop oral and illustrated short stories dedicated to enhancing awareness of these organisms.


Pond Trap

Bring em Back Alive is a series of activities that demonstrate various techniques for capturing free-living microbes from the environment.



Mono Lake
Los Angeles and the Future of Mono Lake is a WebQuest exploring the biodiversity, natural history, and preservation of Mono Lake. This activity calls upon the resources housed in MLER and asks students, grades 9-12, to consider the preservation of the Mono Lake environment in relation to the needs of humans.

Winogradsky Column

The Winogradsky Column is an excellent activity, specifically for grades 5 - 12, to demonstrate the growth of microorganisms. Building a Winogradsky Column is both inexpensive and effective, offering students a memorable hands-on experience. The resources provided will help you get started. Have fun in the mud!


Eel Pond in Woods Hole MA
Living in the Microbial World is a summer workshop for middle and high school educators, hosted by the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. This on-line collection represents resources and activities developed for, and as a result of, the collaboration between teacher participants and Woods Hole scientists.


Additional Resources

For additional K-12 teaching and learning activities dedicated to extremophiles, search the Microbial Life collection of online resources.

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