Alignment Grid
Learning Objective
1. Describe the basic shapes
and arrangements of
bacteria and explain their
biological and diagnostic
relevance.
2. Compare and contrast the
cell walls of gram-positive
bacteria, gram-negative
bacteria, acid-fast bacteria
and archaea and discuss
their environmental and
medical significance.
3. Illustrate the differences
between bacteria and
archaea plasma
membranes and discuss
how these differences
impact membrane stability.
4. Differentiate the active
mechanisms for movement
of substances across the
membrane and discuss
their physiological
importance.
5. Describe the structure and
function of glycocalyx as it
relates to capsules and
slime layers and discuss
their environmental and
medical importance.
Taxonomy Level/Category
Learning Activities
Formative Assessments
Summative Assessment
understanding
Simple staining
Quiz
Unit exam
analysis
In-class group work
Gram staining, acid fast
staining
Worksheet (homework)
Quiz
Unit exam
Pre/Post test
Worksheet (homework)
Quiz
Unit exam
Pre/Post test
application
analysis
understanding
In-class individual/group
work (Concept map)
Animations of Simple
transport, Group
Translocation, and ABC
Transporters
Concept map
Chalk talk
Capsule staining
Lab worksheet
6. Sketch and differentiate
flagella, axial filaments,
fimbriae, and pili and
discuss their roles in
motility and attachment
7. Describe the structure and
function of endospores and
explain their industrial and
medical importance.
8. Construct an appropriate
cell structure given a
particular set of
environmental conditions.
Spore staining
synthesis/evaluation
Group activities
Case studies
Lab worksheet
Unit exam
1. Describe the basic shapes and arrangements of bacteria and explain their biological and diagnostic relevance.
a) Which drawing in the figure is a streptococcus?
b) Based on the figure, which one(s) would you perform a catalase test on?
c) Draw a microscopic image of a staphylococcus.
d) Bacterial cells that are isolated from a healthy human’s skin and appear as long chains of cocci are likely of the genus
2. Compare and contrast the cell walls of gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, acid-fast bacteria and archaea and discuss
their environmental and medical significance.
a) In the above figure, which cell wall is toxic?
b) Compare and contrast the cell walls of Gram + bacteria, Gram – bacteria, and Archaea.
c) Negatively charged molecules that are partially responsible for the negative charge of the gram-positive bacterial cell surface are
d) Which of the following cell wall components makes an acid-fast bacteria acid fast?
3. Illustrate the differences between bacteria and archaea plasma membranes and discuss how these differences impact membrane stability.
a) In archaeal membranes, what serves the same function as the fatty acids of bacterial membranes?
b) What is the evolutionary advantage of the monolayer often found in archaeal membranes?
4. Differentiate the active mechanisms for movement of substances across the membrane and discuss their physiological importance.
a) The chemical modification that takes place during group translocation is
b) The prokaryotic transport system that involves a substrate-binding protein and a membrane-integrated transporter is
c) Which statement is TRUE?
The phosphotransferase system is a type of group translocation.
Group translocation is a part of the phosphotransferase system.
The phosphotransferase system is a form of simple transport.
The phosphotransferase system has nothing to do with group translocation.
The ABC transport system utilizes phosphotransferase
d) If you were a bacteria that requires iron for growth but are placed in an environment with extremely low free iron concentrations,
which transport system would serve you the best?
e) What is the energy source for the import of an inorganic ion through a simple symporter?
f) Which of the following are MOST dissimilar when comparing gram-negative to gram-positive bacteria?
5. Describe the structure and function of glycocalyx as it relates to capsules and slime layers and discuss their environmental and medical
importance.
a) How are capsules and slime layers distinguished from one another?