Culturing and colony data lab
Safety gate · before any work
- Goggles and gloves on before opening any culture tube; keep on until all materials are decontaminated.
- Treat all bacterial cultures as biohazardous even if the strain is labeled safe; apply standard BSL-1 precautions.
- Never open culture tubes near open flames or air vents; keep lids on except during inoculation.
Do now
Streak and incubate a culture, then count and describe colonies to gather data on bacterial growth.
- Hand in
- Colony data table: colony count, size estimate, color, shape, edge type for target colonies; separate tally for contamination colonies.
- Where
- Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
You streak your plate today and incubate it. Tomorrow, how do you turn the dots that grow into a count and a set of descriptions that another scientist could check?
Streak and incubate a , then count and describe colonies to gather data on bacterial growth.
- • You will be able to streak and incubate a aseptically.
- • You will be able to count and describe bacterial colonies.
- • You will be able to distinguish target colonies from .
- If one grew from a single bacterial cell, what does counting the colonies actually tell you?
- You put on gloves and are ready to streak. What are the next two things you must do before the plate goes into the incubator?
- 1Put on gloves and use to streak your plate.
- 2Label the plate with your name, date, and sample, then set it to incubate.
- 3Once colonies grow, count the distinct colonies on your plate.
- 4Describe features: size, color, shape, and edges.
- 5Note any signs of and separate them from your target colonies.
- 6Record your count and descriptions for analysis.
What did this day actually feel like?
Culturing and colony data lab
LAB Streak plates and colony counts. My plate had contamination in one quadrant, which is my own technique showing up as data.
Counting colonies is tedious and the number matters, so we counted twice and averaged.
Turned in: data table → Data Tables folder
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
The same day, drawn.
Streak plates and colony counts. My plate had contamination in one quadrant, which is my own technique showing up as data.
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
🛠 Get unstuck · pick your level
Lab day: Tier 1 is the whole class at the bench. No extension today.
🔑 Today's words · 5
Tap a word in the lesson for a plain meaning and one example. Recycled into next week's Do-Now.
Do the work · 80-minute blockfirst 5 min = hook▸
💡 Big idea: A isolates single cells so that each descends from one bacterium, which is why counting distinct colonies and describing consistent morphology gives you reliable data about a single strain.
- 0-8 minDon gloves and goggles; review Tuesday's checklist before opening any materials
- 8-25 minStreak the plate using the four-quadrant method (or as directed); use throughout
- 25-30 minLabel plate with name, date, and sample source; set to incubate inverted
- 30-52 minExamine incubated plates (pre-grown or same-day depending on protocol); count distinct colonies using a grid or tally method
- 52-67 minDescribe features in the : size (mm estimated), color, shape (round/irregular), and edge (smooth/rough/wavy)
- 67-80 minNote and separately count any colonies; record target- count and morphology summary
- • Every your doctor might prescribe was first tested against colonies grown exactly this way on agar plates.
- • The data you collect today, count and morphology, feeds directly into Thursday's analysis of how resistance spreads.
- • Your Tuesday practice has one job today: make sure what grows on your plate is what you intended to grow.
- • Exit goal: a labeled plate in the incubator and a complete description .
- • A isolates individual bacteria so each that grows represents one clone descended from a single cell.
- • morphology (size, color, shape, edge type) is a first-level identifier; consistent morphology across the plate is a sign of a pure .
- • colonies are identified by distinct morphology different from the target; their count is recorded separately but they are not included in target- analysis.
Aseptic technique, culturing, selection, resistance genes, and data reliability. · Culturing and data lab
Day 3 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (find it in Clever, Microsoft sign-in), then do the work below.
Do this: Open Activity 1.2.3 Attack of the Superbugs in myPLTW and follow the culturing protocol to set up your plates today.
Inoculate your plates following and record which disc is in each zone.
Pre-lab plan should be done (Tuesday); plates inoculated and documented today.
Plate diagram with disc labels and initial setup notes in notebook.
The official PLTW activity stays inside myPLTW. If myPLTW will not open, use F1 and E1-E3 on this page to complete today's local evidence decision, then make up the official activity when access returns. Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
Check things off as you work, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible through the submission route shown below.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
Aseptic technique, culturing, selection, resistance genes, and data reliability. · Culturing and colony data lab
Open Activity 1.2.3 Attack of the Superbugs in myPLTW and follow the culturing protocol to set up your plates today.
Pre-lab plan should be done (Tuesday); plates inoculated and documented today.
This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.
🎯 Streak and incubate a , then count and describe colonies to gather data on bacterial growth.
- Put on gloves and use to streak your plate.
- Label the plate with your name, date, and sample, then set it to incubate.
- Once colonies grow, count the distinct colonies on your plate.
- Describe features: size, color, shape, and edges.
- Note any signs of and separate them from your target colonies.
- Record your count and descriptions for analysis.
Data table: : colony count, size estimate, color, shape, edge type for target colonies; separate tally for colonies.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Use the checklist just below and upload by 11:29 PM for full credit. Absent with an excused absence? You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| Put on gloves and use to streak your plate. | _______ |
| Label the plate with your name, date, and sample, then set it to incubate. | _______ |
| Once colonies grow, count the distinct colonies on your plate. | _______ |
| Describe features: size, color, shape, and edges. | _______ |
| Note any signs of and separate them from your target colonies. | _______ |
| Record your count and descriptions for analysis. | _______ |
Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.
- You will be able to streak and incubate a aseptically.
- You will be able to count and describe bacterial colonies.
- You will be able to distinguish target colonies from .
- 1Do thisStreak and incubate a culture, then count and describe colonies to gather data on bacterial growth.
- 2Use this resource
- 3Submit thisData table: Colony data table: colony count, size estimate, color, shape, edge type for target colonies; separate tally for contamination colonies.
- 4Submit it here
- 1Open the drop folder.
- 2Sign in with your district Microsoft account, not a personal one.
- 3Upload the file, named Lastname_Firstname__Assignment Title.
- 4Your own upload panel says Uploaded with a green check: that is your receipt.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Genetics of Disease (Medical Interventions) › Aseptic technique, culturing, selection, resistance genes, and data reliability. › Data tableOpen the drop folder
Learn it · deck, reading, and vocabulary▸
The deck carries the prior idea forward, lets you inspect an analogy, maps the rule to biology, and ends with the same evidence decision and exit ticket used on this page.
Generated from this lesson's canonical data with a red-team citation check.
Dangerous research and life-saving research are often the same experiment, so society relies on containment tiers and benefit-risk analysis to decide when the payoff justifies a real chance of harm.
A isolates single cells so that each descends from one bacterium, which is why counting distinct colonies and describing consistent morphology gives you reliable data about a single strain.
An airport checkpoint uses several imperfect checks before deciding what action to take.
- What can each check detect?
- What might create a false alarm?
- Why is one result not always enough?
A decision is stronger when the test fits the question and its limits are known.
Medical decisions also depend on biology, patient context, ethics, and professional judgment.
- • Checkpoint evidence maps to E1-E3.
- • False alarms map to test limitations.
- • The response maps to the justified next intervention or test.
Driving question: You streak your plate today and incubate it. Tomorrow, how do you turn the dots that grow into a count and a set of descriptions that another scientist could check?
What you already know: Dangerous research and life-saving research are often the same experiment, so society relies on containment tiers and benefit-risk analysis to decide when the payoff justifies a real chance of harm.
New idea: A isolates single cells so that each descends from one bacterium, which is why counting distinct colonies and describing consistent morphology gives you reliable data about a single strain.
Visual or model: F1. F1. A lesson illustration or teaching diagram for Culturing and colony data lab. Use it with E1-E3; it is a model or context image, not experimental or patient data. What to notice: Trace the labeled testing, treatment, or biological process and identify where evidence limits the decision.
- Observe or measure the relevant feature in Culturing and data lab.
- Organize the observation with a stable evidence ID.
- Apply this rule: A decision is stronger when the test fits the question and its limits are known.
- Choose the option the evidence supports and state the limit of the conclusion.
Real biomedical example: You streak your plate today and incubate it. Tomorrow, how do you turn the dots that grow into a count and a set of descriptions that another scientist could check?
What the evidence supports: E1-E3 and F1 support the daily take-home when the response meets the stated success criteria.
What it cannot prove: The package does not support claims beyond this lesson's or any real patient diagnosis.
- • : A set of careful practices used to keep microbes out of a sterile area, protecting samples, cultures, and patients from .
- • : A population of microbes or cells grown on purpose in a nutrient medium so they can be studied, identified, or tested.
- • : A visible cluster of identical microorganisms growing on a plate, all descended from a single original cell.
- • : The slowing or blocking of a process, such as an stopping bacteria from growing or a molecule shutting down an .
- • : A change in the ; some change a enough to cause disease, many do not.
- • : The passing of genes between organisms, often bacteria, without reproduction, a major way resistance spreads.
Use it now: Choose one decision option. Cite E1 and E3, then explain how the rule connects the evidence to your choice.
Go further, optional: The source links below are optional enrichment. Every fact required for today's local evidence decision appears in this lesson package.
A isolates individual bacteria so each that grows represents one clone descended from a single cell.
Limit: E1 supplies context or an observation; it does not by itself establish the explanation.
A isolates single cells so that each descends from one bacterium, which is why counting distinct colonies and describing consistent morphology gives you reliable data about a single strain.
Limit: E2 is a teaching statement or comparison and must be checked against the task evidence.
You will be able to streak and incubate a aseptically.
Limit: E3 supports only the result or product criterion named here; it cannot justify a broader clinical or causal claim.
PLTW-GEND-2026-10-01 · Simulated classroom evidence scenario
Your role: medical interventions team member
Decision: Your team must decide what the evidence from Culturing and data lab supports before submitting the labeled and result claim named on the lesson page.
- • Proceed because the readiness evidence is complete.
- • Pause and correct the named setup or gap.
- • Repeat the measurement because quality controls are not acceptable.
Response: State one choice, cite at least two evidence IDs, explain the rule that connects them, and add one limitation. Submit it as the labeled and result claim.
Claim ceiling: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about Culturing and data lab. It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
- • The solution must address the stated need in Culturing and data lab.
- • The decision must be supported by E1-E3.
- • The final product must make the success criteria visible.
- • Complete the work inside the 80-minute block.
- • Use only supplied or teacher-approved materials and evidence.
- • Do not trade , accessibility, or privacy for speed.
- • and evidence quality: must pass before scoring other criteria.
- • User need and effectiveness: highest scored criterion.
- • Time, cost, and ease of use: compare only after and effectiveness pass.
Test evidence: For each option, record the E1-E3 result that supports or fails each criterion. Do not assign a score without a named observation.
- Version or option tested
- Criterion met or missed
- Evidence ID and result
- Revision made
- Reason for the revision
- Need and user
- Criteria and constraints
- Chosen option and evidence
- Test result
- Revision and reason
Students often think Students often think a bigger, denser-looking smudge on the plate means more or better colonies, and that any colored patch counts as a .. The trap: That is a trap because a smear where bacteria never got spread apart is confluent growth, not countable colonies; you can only count where individual cells were isolated enough to grow into separate dots, and colonies that look different from your target (different color, shape, or edge) are and get recorded separately, not lumped into your count.
I streaked my plate using aseptic technique, labeled it with my initials, the date, and 'Sample 1,' and incubated it. After growth, I counted and described the colonies.
Target colonies: I counted 14 colonies that all looked the same, which suggests a pure culture descended from one strain. Each was small (about 1 mm), cream colored, round, and had a smooth edge.
Contamination: I found 2 colonies that looked different (larger, yellow, fuzzy edges). I did not count these as target colonies because they are a different organism. I recorded them separately so my analysis stays clean.
Conclusion note: Because almost all my colonies share one morphology, I am confident most of the plate is my target strain.
| Group | Count | Size | Color | Shape | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | 14 | ~1 mm | cream | round | smooth |
| Contamination | 2 | ~3 mm | yellow | irregular | fuzzy |
This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: Completes the culturing lab data collection: a colony count with morphology descriptions for target colonies and a separate tally for any contamination colonies.
- Name the variables and include units.
- Enter observations without changing the raw values.
- Check labels, calculations, and patterns before interpreting the data.
Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.
Also due today: Photograph your plate and table and bring them to the mutation and HGT analysis.
- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning: make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure, the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities. Find it in Clever with your Microsoft sign-in, right next to Schoology.
Tap the speaker to hear a term. Add two of these to your notebook glossary with a definition and an example in your own words.
Pick just 2 or 3 words from today and make them yours: write what each one means in your own words, name the context clue or evidence that helped, then give one example from what you actually did in Culturing and colony data lab. Try your own words first; the glossary is there if you get stuck. This is voluntary and counts as extra credit, so keep it short.
Saved on this device. Show Mr. Mendoza or add these to your notebook glossary to claim the extra credit.
Classroom documents for this lesson are posted in Schoology. Open Clever, then Schoology, and find each one by the name shown on its card.
Use this if you were absent, got stuck, or need another pass before you submit the lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Culturing, , superbugs by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-1_How-to-Fight-Infection/00_Unit-Overview. Score 126. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Open this when the class reaches this activity and use it to complete the required lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Culturing, , superbugs by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-1_How-to-Fight-Infection/1.2_-Treatment. Score 126. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
How to get there: open Clever and sign in with your Microsoft (district) account. Both myPLTW and Schoology are in Clever. Do the activity in myPLTW. Turn the work in on this site or hand it to Mr. Mendoza, because that is the step that counts as submitted. Schoology only shows your report-card grade later.
Check yourself · commit, then reveal▸
Claim ceiling for this check: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about Culturing and data lab. It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
On your plate you count 24 round cream-colored colonies with smooth edges and 2 fuzzy green colonies. What is your target colony count, and what do you do with the green ones?
Write an answer and pick a confidence to unlock the key.
Fast retrieval with instant answers, not the commit-then-reveal check above. Try each from memory first: write what you remember about the earlier units, then check yourself here.
Go further and get help▸
I can name the procedure's purpose and the evidence I will record. I can identify each named hazard and the control that reduces it: Goggles and gloves on before opening any culture tube; keep on until all materials are decontaminated. My data table is ready before materials are handled.
Finish the checklist before you handle any material.
- • Goggles and gloves on before opening any culture tube; keep on until all materials are decontaminated.
- • Treat all bacterial cultures as biohazardous even if the strain is labeled safe; apply standard BSL-1 precautions.
- • Never open culture tubes near open flames or air vents; keep lids on except during inoculation.
- • Flame inoculating loops until red-hot and allow to cool for five seconds before touching culture; do not wave hot loops through the air.
- • Set plates to incubate inverted; do not stack more than three plates to prevent slipping.
- • Before disposal: flood plates with 10% bleach, wait five minutes, then seal in biohazard bag for autoclave or dispose per school protocol.
- • Wash hands with soap and water immediately after removing gloves.
- 1Before materials are handled, identify the purpose, variables or comparison, controls, measurement units, and stop-work condition.
- 2Put on gloves and use aseptic technique to streak your plate.
- 3Label the plate with your name, date, and sample, then set it to incubate.
- 4Once colonies grow, count the distinct colonies on your plate.
- 5Describe colony features: size, color, shape, and edges.
- 6Note any signs of contamination and separate them from your target colonies.
- 7Record your colony count and descriptions for analysis.
- 8Record each result in the prepared table before interpreting it. Mark missing, repeated, or invalid results truthfully.
- 9Complete the named cleanup and waste route, remove PPE safely, wash hands when required, and confirm the station is ready for the next group.
| Trial or sample ID | Independent condition | Measured result with units | Observation before interpretation | Quality-control note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Before the procedure, predict the result and cite the rule behind the prediction.
After the procedure, compare the result with the prediction and name one limitation or source of uncertainty.
What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.
If you miss the lab, work the virtual resistance dataset and teacher images: count colonies, describe their features, and submit your .
learn.genetics (Utah) virtual labsThen submit your Data table. Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
CDC Antibiotic Resistance- CompleteEvery required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
- AccurateThe science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
- Scientific reasoningYou explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
- Professional communicationClear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
- SubmittedTurned in the right way, on the class site or handed to Mr. Mendoza in class, and confirmed. Not in Schoology: that is where the report-card grade appears later.
- Error analysis and method · counts doubleName a specific limit of the method and how it moved your result, and compare what you predicted to what happened. "Human error" does not count; say what about the procedure or instrument caused it.