This lesson is part of the New York Times Learning Network, a service in which lesson plans are created to accompany newspaper articles. In this lesson, students investigate the physical and behavioral characteristics of different microbes and create research- based 'Microbe Biographies.' Students then visually compare microbe sizes and examine how the size of a microbe relates to its physical and behavioral characteristics. The lesson includes an overview, time allowance, objectives, list of resources/materials, activities/procedures, questions for discussion, evaluation/assessment, vocabulary, extension activities, interdisciplinary connections, links to information on the web, and academic content standards with links to access a database of each state's standards. The site also includes links to related articles and the lesson plan archives.
