Download Those Magnificent Microbes

Interactions Among Organisms
Current Events Activity: Those Magnificent Microbes
This current events Activity focuses on soil microbiology. Complete this Activity to learn information about this topic.
Researchers are learning increasingly more about the important roles that microbes play in the ecosystem. Search Science
in Context to find four magazine articles on soil microbiology. Complete the table below, listing in the first column at
least three beneficial roles that soil microbes play and writing in the second column a two- or three-sentence description of
each role.
Beneficial Role
Description
This Activity will be evaluated using the following rubric:
Superior
Good
Satisfactory
Needs Improvement
Quality of research
Student located
articles on the
specified topic
without guidance.
Student located
articles on the
specified topic
with a little
guidance.
Student located
articles on the
specified topic with
some guidance.
Student needed
significant assistance
to locate articles.
Quality of writing
Writing was very
well organized,
with no
mechanical errors.
Writing was
organized, with
no more than
three mechanical
errors.
Writing was fairly
well organized,
with no more than
six mechanical
errors.
Writing was poorly
organized, with more
than six mechanical
errors.
Knowledge of
beneficial roles of
microbes
Student provided
three distinct
beneficial roles of
microbes.
Student provided
three roles, but
they are not all
distinct from one
another.
Student provided
three of the same
kind of role.
Student did not
provide three
examples of roles
microbes play.
Understanding of how
the roles are beneficial.
Student described
the roles of
microbes in terms
of the benefits to
the ecosystem.
Student
accurately
described roles
and included
benefits.
Student included
some description of
the benefits of the
roles.
Student did not
provide descriptions
of the benefits of the
roles.