~ Thomas Otter
English Teacher
~ Thomas Otter
English Teacher
Embedded Files
English Teacher
Welcome to our engaging Grade 6 KCFS project: The Hidden World of Germs. This exciting learning initiative challenges students to unravel the mysteries of the hidden places our hands come into contact with every day. As students delve into the intricate web of microbial life, they embark on a journey guided by our unique KCFS five-stage design process: Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, and Improve. Join us as we navigate through each stage of this project, witnessing the exploration and discovery undertaken by our Grade 6 KCFS students.
Ask and Imagine:
As we dive into exploring the presence of germs on surfaces across our campus, we start to wonder about the places where these tiny organisms might thrive the most. What factors contribute to germ accumulation? Is it the high level of human interaction, the type of surface material, or perhaps even environmental conditions like humidity or temperature? It's like unraveling a mystery right in front of our eyes. This initial spark of curiosity drives us to dig deeper into the unseen world of microorganisms and the impact they have on our school environment.
Plan:
With a clear understanding of the factors that can influence germ presence, we carefully consider on which surfaces bacteria might thrive. Ideas swirl among us as we think about potential hotspots. Some of us consider the floor of the swimming pool area, and wonder if it's a breeding ground for germs. Others suggest testing toilet seats, water dispensers, hallways, door handles, and even the Chromebooks we use every day. By contemplating these possibilities and imagining the microbial landscape of our school environment, we're setting the stage for a fascinating exploration of germs and their impact.
Create:
Armed with petri dishes and sterile sampling materials, we dive into hands-on experiments to assess bacterial growth on our chosen surfaces. Using cotton swabs, we carefully collect samples and apply them to labeled petri dishes containing nutrient-rich agar jelly. Then, we incubate the dishes for several weeks, eagerly awaiting the results. This approach allows us to observe and analyze bacterial growth patterns firsthand, as we draw connections between environmental factors and microbial proliferation.
Improve:
After observing bacterial growth patterns in our experiments, where we identified the samples with the most colonies, we now recognize the importance of proper hand washing and disinfecting frequently-touched surfaces. For instance, we noticed that surfaces with higher human interaction tend to harbor more bacteria, reinforcing the need for regular cleaning and disinfection. Additionally, we've learned the importance of covering coughs and sneezes to prevent the spread of germs. By implementing these preventive measures, we're not only promoting a healthier environment within our school community but also developing a sense of responsibility towards our collective well-being.
Some of our Grade 6 students have also reached out to different departments in our school. In some cases, they're thanking our cleaners for keeping our campus free from germs. In other cases, they're asking management for more cleaning in areas where they found a lot of germs. They want to make sure that everyone in Kang Chiao stays healthy. Our students are working hard to make our campus a cleaner and safer environment for everyone!
Spotlight on Germs
★ Olivia Chang 張錦薇 607
Introduction
For this project, we studied the amount of bacteria on our hands and on the surfaces they may come into contact with. The surfaces our hands touch every day have a lot of bacteria on them. When we touch the surfaces with our hands, the bacteria gets on our hands.
Body
Our team decided to test a computer mouse, the classroom floor, and the inside of a team member’s mask.
To conduct our control test we wiped a damp cotton swab that hadn’t touched any surfaces onto one of the petri dish’s agar jelly. We tried to keep the cotton swab sterile.
The control dish had the least germs: 3 colonies of bacteria. Out of the other three surfaces, the computer mouse sample had the greatest concentration of bacteria colonies, both in size and number of bacteria types. The computer mouse had about 62 colonies of germs. The mask sample had about 50 colonies of germs. Finally, the sample of the floor had the least germs (other than the control dish), because it only had about 34 colonies of germs.
★ Austin Chen 陳律穎 607
Body
We decided to test for surfaces that we contact everyday to check if they’re dirty or not. We chose three surfaces to test. First, we tested the third-floor handrails because we touch them when taking the stairs, Next, we tested the roof’s basketballs. I play basketball there every big break, so I want to know if they’re dirty. Last, we tested the elevator buttons in Building A because we press them every time we use the lift.
Conclusion
The control was as predicted: there were no bacteria colonies on it. The building A lift buttons had the most colonies: 37. Most of them were yellow, but some were black, white, or orange. The roof basketball had fewer colonies then I predicted. There were only 8 yellow colonies and one big black and white colony. The 3rd floor handrails were even more shocking. There are only 11 very small colonies and one big one.
A surprising result was the AC buttons in Mr. Munday’s classroom. Unlike most samples, the AC in Mr. Munday’s classroom was grey and blurry.
★ Joanne Hsu 徐家安 602
Body
We swabbed different kinds of teachers' hands to see if they were clean or not, and to know if they wash their hands often. The surfaces we chose to swap are one CET's hand, one homeroom teacher's hand, and one KCFS teacher's hand.
In the petri dish, we saw the dirty germs growing more and more. Our results show that the homeroom teacher's hand had the biggest colonies of bacteria and was the dirtiest. The CET's hand had the smallest colony of bacteria and was the cleanest. We were shocked that KCFS teacher’s hand wasn’t the dirtiest, because he touches more things everyday.
★ Sean Shin 施子翔 604
Body
Our group decided to test surfaces from objects people often use in public that seem very dirty. We chose to test the air conditioner in room E613, and some library books. We were going to test a food tray, but we couldn’t get one after lunch time, so we changed to the teacher’s cup instead.
Conclusion
The control was sterile, that means that nothing had made any contact and contaminated it. The result of the AC was that it had the most bacteria, with 507 black, grey, and white germs with an extremely high concentration. That means nearly no one has cleaned it. The result of the teacher’s cup was 469 yellow and white germs with high concentration, but less than the AC, which means the teacher didn’t clean it very well or the germs still survived even after someone washed it. The results of the library books were only 3 to 5 yellowish and white germs. That means that the librarian cleans them frequently. This result also shocked me because I thought they would be dirty after a lot of people touch them. This will affect my treatment of my own hands by changing my bad habits of touching anything and not washing my hands to goood habits of being aware of how dirty things are.
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