Park & Marine Research Facility Open House
Adeline Tang and Julie Wilson
2/20/2012
Crystal Cove Lesson
Viruses vs. Bacteria Activity
(a.k.a. Build-a-Virus)
Activity:
Time: 15-20 minutes
Team size: 1-6 students per. instructor
OVERVIEW OF STATION
Objective: Visitors will remember at least 3 differences between viruses and bacteria. They will also understand that
neither bacteria nor viruses are ALL bad for humans, and understand the reason for Dr. Jennifer Martiny’s research.
This will be facilitated by first completing a group Venn diagram game and then creating “bend-a-roo viruses” as an
extending craft.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Martiny Lab’s research:
 Faculty website complete with paper citations:
http://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=5363
 The Martiny Lab’s official lab page:
http://web.me.com/jennifermartiny/lab/Welcome/Welcome.html
An advanced placement high school or beginning college textbook:
Campbell, N., & Reece, J. (2005). Biology. (7 ed.). San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings.
PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES
Visitors will be able to:
1. Take away 3 differences between bacteria and viruses.
2. Understand why neither all viruses nor all bacteria are bad for humans.
3. Begin to understand the importance of marine bacteria and viruses and their effects on our own lives.
National Science Standards:
 Characteristics and functions of living things.
 Diversity and adaptations of organisms
 Interdependence of organisms
 Science as a human endeavor
California State Standards:
 Grade 3 – 3.a.
 Grade 4 – 3.d
 Grade 5 – 5.d
 High School – 1.c; 10.d
MATERIALS
 Schedule of activity times on large sticky note
 Bend-a-roos (5 to 7 per guest)
 Whiteboard (1 large)
 Whiteboard markers (at least 1-colors are useful)
 Painter’s tape (1 roll)
 Laminated print outs of virus and/or bacteria traits,
diagrams, and pictures (7 each for bacteria and
viruses and 1 for both – 15 total cards)
 Large flip chart to hold cards
 Example bend-a-roo viruses (2 or 3 at least)
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ADVANCE PREPARATION
1. Create large print outs of virus and/or bacteria traits with loops of tape on the back (lamination is preferred)
2. Create large print outs of virus and/or bacteria pictures with loops of tape on the back (lamination is preferred)
3. Write up and post a schedule of when the activity will be conducted so visitors can come at the beginning of the
activity (still be flexible though!)
4. Draw a Venn diagram on the whiteboard. (label one side “viruses”, label the other side “bacteria”, and the
middle “both”)
5. Draw a diagram of a virus and bacterium on the whiteboard (look at photograph for details).
6. Tape the backs of the 15 characteristics cards with the painter’s tape and tape it to a large flip chart as a holding
bank before starting the activity and a place to store the cards after the activity is done.
PROCEDURE
1. Engage (2 minutes):
Introduce visitors to the Open House
 Welcome to Crystal Cove’s Park and Marine Research Facility.
 My name is ___________ and today we will learn more about the viruses and bacteria that live in the
ocean.
 Did you know that there are viruses and bacteria in the ocean? If so, what do you know about them?
 At UC Irvine, Dr. Jennifer Martiny and her research lab study marine viruses and bacteria.
 Now let’s play a game to know more about these tiny organisms.
2. Explore + Explain (10 minutes):
 With help from this diagram on the board, what you know, and some guessing, let’s see if you can identify
these traits of viruses and bacteria.
o Allow visitors to point at the correct answer and/or verbalize their thoughts for more participation
o Have visitors discuss together and see if they agree with one another before deciding if the trait
appears to be a virus trait or a bacteria trait.
o Ask visitors why they choose their answers.
a. Which of these is Smaller//Larger?
1. Refer to diagram
2. Hint: The bacterium shown in the diagram is only the tip of the iceberg. If made the scale, the
bacterium would be the size of this cottage!
3. Answer: Viruses = smaller; Bacteria = larger
b. Which of these have a Protein Coat//Plasma Membrane or Cell Wall?
1. This answer is not on the drawing so give it your best guess.
2. Answer: Viruses = protein coat; Bacteria = plasma membrane or cell wall
c. Which of these have Do NOT have Ribosomes//HAVE Ribosomes?
1. Answer: Viruses = no ribosomes; Bacteria = have ribosomes
2. What are ribosomes?
i. Ribosomes are like the ovens of a cell if a cell were like a house. These “ovens” help “bake”
things that the cell needs like proteins.
ii. Proteins are the building blocks of cells and can even create more cells – cell babies.
Ribosomes, however, are not the power houses of a cell since they can create things like cell
parts but cannot give the cell energy.
d. Based on the last question, which of these CANNOT Reproduce on their own and require a
HOST//CAN Reproduce on their own?
1. Answer: Viruses = cannot reproduce on their own (need host); Bacteria = reproduce on their own
2. How does that affect viruses?
i. Viruses need to infect hosts in order to reproduce. Since they cannot reproduce on their own,
they are actually not classified as living organisms.
Park & Marine Research Facility Open House
e.
f.
g.
h.
ii. When they infect a host, they take over the host’s ribosome “ovens” and build their own
babies. Viruses are like alien invaders that take over and control what they infect.
Which group of examples belongs to viruses and which belongs to bacteria?
1. Ex: the flu, common cold, chicken pox, & cyanophages
2. Ex: Strep, Lactobacillus, Salmonella, E. coli, & cyanobacteria
i. Strep causes strep throat.
ii. Lactobacillus helps us make yogurt.
iii. Salmonella is in raw meats.
iv. E. coli is in our gut and helps us digest our food but can be bad if for us if it is not in the right
part of our digestive system.
3. Answer: Virus = Flu, Common Cold, Chicken Pox, & Cyanophages; Bacteria = Strep,
Lactobacillus, Salmonella, E. coli, & Cyanobacteria
Which of these diagrams is a virus//bacteria?
1. Answer: Virus = labeled green, blue, and red diagram; Bacteria = pill-shaped green fuzzy organism
with 3 long strands coming out
i. On the virus diagram, you can see that a virus almost looks like an injection. It literally
injects its nucleic acids into its host in order to take control of the host and make the host
create virus babies.
ii. If you compare our bacterium diagram on the board with this bacteria diagram, you can see
that our diagram just looks like a blob but this other diagram has fuzzy hair-like things
coming out of it.
1. The shorter fuzzy hairs are called cilia. They help propel bacteria through the water.
2. The longer strands are called flagella. They move back and forth like a whip to allow
bacteria greater movement and speed.
3. Cilia and flagella are not to be confused with pili, which are also hair-like things on
bacteria. Pili are not used for locomotion but for bacteria conjugation, or bacterial
sexual reproduction.
Which of these photographs is a virus//bacteria?
1. These are actual photographs of viruses and bacteria. The virus picture is taken using an atomic
force microscope so viruses are extremely tiny.
2. Answer: Virus: brown photograph showing capsid, sheath, and tails; Bacteria = collage of 4
photographs
i. Some of the bacteria in these photographs look like beads on a string. Each bead is one
bacterium. The other beads are most likely related bacteria.
ii. Some bacteria like to stick together but others like those shown in the yellowish picture do
not.
Which of these are Not ALL Bad for Humans?
1. Be careful, this could be a trick question.
2. Answer: Both are actually not all bad for humans!
3. Although you may know that there are bacteria that are good for you, it is hard to think of an
example of good viruses.
4. Here in Crystal Cove, we study viruses that are good for us.
5. Most of the bacteria in the ocean are photosynthetic and called cyanobacteria. They create energy
from the sun through photosynthesis. Though this process, they produce about 50% of the oxygen
we breathe every day,
6. Because they use the sun for energy, these cyanobacteria can reproduce almost indefinitely or until
they run out of nutrients.
Park & Marine Research Facility Open House
7. Cyanoviruses help control cyanobacteria populations. These viruses specifically target
cyanobacteria.
8. After infecting cyanobacteria, cyanophages lyse or open the bacteria to release their virus babies. In
doing this, they also release the nutrients that the bacteria created into the environment. This allows
smaller organisms like plankton to get the food they need while the bacteria population is controlled.
9. This is how marine viruses participate in nutrient cycling in the ocean which ultimately affects us
humans higher on the food chain. This is why the Martiny lab studies the abundance and diversity of
marine viruses and bacteria.
3. Expand + Evaluate (2 minutes):



Have visitors create their own viruses out of bend-a-roos based on the traits they just learned.
Have visitors help and check each other’s bend-a-roo viruses for correctness
Ask visitors to fill out an Evaluation Form for us to improve the activity and report back to the National
Science Foundation on how we are relaying the Martiny lab research to the public.
Example of what the board should look like.
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Characteristics Cards
Smaller
Larger
Have a
Protein Coat
Have a Plasma
Membrane or Cell
Wall
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Do not have
Ribosomes
Have
Ribosome
Cannot Reproduce Can Reproduce on
on Their Own
Their Own (No
(Require A Host)
Host Required)
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Ex: the Flu,
Common Cold,
Chicken Pox, &
Cyanophages
Ex: Strep,
Lactobacillus,
Salmonella, E. coli,
& Cyanobacteria
http://www.zeitnews.org/chemistry-physics-and-material-sciencesresearch/chemist-develops-biosensor-that-changes-color-whenbacteria-are-present-in-water-samples.html
http://www.armageddononline.org/viruses.html
Park & Marine Research Facility Open House
http://web.me.com/jennifermartiny/lab/Projects.html
http://www.suite101.com/view_image_articles.cfm/310740
Not All Are
Bad For
Humans