Antibiotic mechanisms
Explain how antibiotics kill or stop bacteria by targeting structures that human cells do not share.
Two-class antibiotic mechanism comparison table (target structure, mechanism, why it spares human cells) plus a sentence explaining why antibiotics do not work on viruses.
- 1Do thisExplain how antibiotics kill or stop bacteria by targeting structures that human cells do not share.
- 2Use this resource
- 3Submit thisVocabulary task: Two-class antibiotic mechanism comparison table (target structure, mechanism, why it spares human cells) plus a sentence explaining why antibiotics do not work on viruses.
- 4Submit it here
- 1CMSD website. Go to clevelandmetroschools.org and click the Clever button.
- 2Clever. Clever opens. Sign in if it asks.
- 3Microsoft (district) login. Use your district Microsoft account (the one for school).
- 4Schoology. Open Schoology, then your class, then Assignments, and find the file named below.
The file to submit is named: Genetics of Disease (Medical Interventions) › Bacterial structure, antibiotic mechanisms, MIC, resistance, and stewardship. › Vocabulary taskOpen Schoology
- 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 — you open it through Schoology.
Minute-by-minute · 80-minute block
💡 Big idea: How does the structural difference between bacterial and human cells make targeted antibiotic therapy possible?
- 0-10 minList three bacterial structures not found in human cells; mark which ones antibiotics could attack
- 10-25 minRead about one antibiotic class (beta-lactams); summarize target and mechanism in two sentences
- 25-40 minExplain in writing why that target harms bacteria but spares human cells
- 40-52 minRead about a second antibiotic class; add it to a comparison table
- 52-65 minWrite the virus explanation: what structures do viruses lack that antibiotics need to work?
- 65-80 minWrite the connection sentence: how does knowing the mechanism explain why a drug treats some infections but not others?
- • Antibiotics are one of the most important medical advances in history, reducing deaths from bacterial infection by orders of magnitude.
- • But their power comes entirely from exploiting structural differences between bacteria and human cells.
- • Understanding the mechanism is not just biology trivia: it explains why resistance evolves, which is Thursday's topic.
- • Exit goal: a two-mechanism comparison table and a sentence explaining why viruses are immune to antibiotics.
- 1List three bacterial parts an antibiotic might attack, such as the cell wall.
- 2Read how one antibiotic class works, then summarize its target in two sentences.
- 3Explain why that target harms bacteria but spares human cells.
- 4Note why antibiotics do not work on viruses.
- 5Match two antibiotic classes to the bacterial structure each targets.
- 6Write one sentence connecting mechanism to why some drugs treat some infections.
- • You will be able to describe how antibiotics target bacterial structures.
- • You will be able to explain why antibiotics spare human cells.
- • You will be able to explain why antibiotics do not treat viruses.
- • Bacteria have a peptidoglycan cell wall, 70S ribosomes, and a circular chromosome; although human mitochondria contain their own circular chromosomes and 70S ribosomes, human cells lack a cell wall and use 80S ribosomes in their cytoplasm.
- • Beta-lactam antibiotics (such as penicillin) block cell-wall synthesis; aminoglycosides target the 70S ribosome; fluoroquinolones disrupt DNA replication.
- • Viruses have no cell wall, no ribosomes of their own, and no independent metabolic machinery, so antibiotics have nothing to target.
Your PLTW work today
Bacterial structure, antibiotic mechanisms, MIC, resistance, and stewardship. · Antibiotic mechanisms
Day 2 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (reached through Schoology), then do the work below.
Do this: Open Activity 1.2.1 Antibiotic Therapy in myPLTW and study the mechanisms of action for the assigned antibiotics.
Complete the mechanism-of-action chart comparing at least three antibiotic types.
Monday debate CER should be posted; mechanism chart due today.
Antibiotic mechanism chart in notebook.
All PLTW activities are completed inside the PLTW course environment — this page only gives direction. Submit producibles on Schoology.
Today's PLTW tracker
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 on Schoology.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
Bacterial structure, antibiotic mechanisms, MIC, resistance, and stewardship. · Antibiotic mechanisms
Open Activity 1.2.1 Antibiotic Therapy in myPLTW and study the mechanisms of action for the assigned antibiotics.
Monday debate CER should be posted; mechanism chart due today.
This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.
🎯 Explain how antibiotics kill or stop bacteria by targeting structures that human cells do not share.
- List three bacterial parts an antibiotic might attack, such as the cell wall.
- Read how one antibiotic class works, then summarize its target in two sentences.
- Explain why that target harms bacteria but spares human cells.
- Note why antibiotics do not work on viruses.
- Match two antibiotic classes to the bacterial structure each targets.
- Write one sentence connecting mechanism to why some drugs treat some infections.
Vocabulary task: Two-class antibiotic mechanism comparison table (target structure, mechanism, why it spares human cells) plus a sentence explaining why antibiotics do not work on viruses.
Submit on SchoologyUpload by 11:29 PM for full credit.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| List three bacterial parts an antibiotic might attack, such as the cell wall. | _______ |
| Read how one antibiotic class works, then summarize its target in two sentences. | _______ |
| Explain why that target harms bacteria but spares human cells. | _______ |
| Note why antibiotics do not work on viruses. | _______ |
| Match two antibiotic classes to the bacterial structure each targets. | _______ |
| Write one sentence connecting mechanism to why some drugs treat some infections. | _______ |
Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.
- You will be able to describe how antibiotics target bacterial structures.
- You will be able to explain why antibiotics spare human cells.
- You will be able to explain why antibiotics do not treat viruses.
Teacher-posted resources
Classroom documents for this lesson. Ones marked “Open the file” open right here; the rest are posted in Schoology. Use the label on each card to choose the right move.
Open this when the class reaches this activity and use it to complete the required lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Antibiotic treatment, MIC, resistance by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-1_How-to-Fight-Infection/1.2_Antibiotic-Treatment; keywords:antibiotic, therapy. Score 142. 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 Antibiotic treatment, MIC, resistance by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-1_How-to-Fight-Infection/1.2_Antibiotic-Treatment; keywords:antibiotic, resistance. Score 142. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Use this if you were absent, got stuck, or need another pass before you submit the lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Antibiotic treatment, MIC, resistance by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-1_How-to-Fight-Infection/1.2_Antibiotic-Treatment; keywords:antibiotic, resistance. Score 138. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
How to get there: open the CMSD website, click Clever, sign in with your Microsoft (district) account, then open Schoology from Clever.
Lab & supplies
This unit's vocabulary
Tap the speaker to hear a term. Weekly vocabulary task: add two of these terms to your notebook glossary with a definition and an example in your own words.
WebXam practice
Cumulative WebXam review
A quick mixed-review pulling questions from earlier units plus today, so the WebXam material stays fresh.
Where this leads — careers
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.
What to do if you were absent
Today is individual PLTW work, so do exactly what we did in class, from home: complete the same PLTW target above, then submit your Vocabulary task.
Open Schoology (CMSD) and keep goingHow to get there: open the CMSD website, click Clever, sign in with your Microsoft (district) account, then open Schoology from Clever.
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 (Schoology for routine work) and confirmed.
Drop your Tue, Feb 23, 2027 · Antibiotic mechanisms here. Use a clear file name (your initials + project). Routine work still goes to Schoology (via the CMSD portal).
Upload a project