Year 6 · Autumn 1.1 · Step 5

Living things & their habitats

Microorganisms

Living things far too small to see — bacteria, viruses and fungi. Some make us ill; some keep us alive.

Arrival Starter I do We do Independent Exit ticket
🌱 Seedling · Working towards 🌿 Sapling · Expected 🌳 Oak · Greater depth

⏱ Whole lesson ≈ 44 min · pick a tier in the bar, or leave on "All"

Arrival 4 min

Whiteboard task as you come in — recap of last lesson: classifying plants.

Recap: plant groups

🌱 Seedling
Working towards

Circle the coniferous tree:

oak · pine · rose

A ____ plant makes flowers.

🌿 Sapling
Expected
  1. Difference between deciduous and evergreen?
  2. What do conifers make instead of flowers?
  3. Name a non-flowering plant.
🌳 Oak
Greater depth

Explain why a mushroom is not a plant. What group does it belong to?

Bridge into todayPlants, animals… and a whole hidden world too small to see. Today: microorganisms.
Starter 5 min

Show a photo of mouldy bread. Talk it through.

What grew on the bread?

Something living appeared on the bread — but no one put it there. What is it, and where did it come from?

🌱 Seedling
Working towards

Is the mould alive? Yes / No. How do you know?

🌿 Sapling
Expected

The mould is a living thing too small to see clearly. What might it need to grow?

🌳 Oak
Greater depth

If mould is alive, which MRS GREN signs must it show? Give two.

I do · 1 6 min

Teacher models. Watch, then meet the three types.

What is a microorganism?

▶ Can't see it? Watch "What are microorganisms? Bacteria, Viruses and Fungi" on YouTube

Swap the clip: change the ID after /embed/ (now 9JW63U2mzqo).

Say thisA microorganism is a living thing so small you need a microscope to see it. There are three main types: bacteria, viruses and fungi.
🦠
Bacteriahelpful & harmful
🧬
Virusescause colds & flu
🍄
Fungimould, yeast
We do · 1 6 min

Sort examples helpful or harmful together.

Helpful or harmful?

gut bacteria · flu virus · yeast in bread · food-poisoning bug · mould

Not all bad!
"Friendly bacteria in our tummy help us digest food." · "Yeast helps bread rise."
Some microorganisms keep us healthy; others make us ill.
I do · 2 4 min

Explain the mouldy-bread investigation and bust the myths.

The mouldy bread test

Mould is a fungus — it spreads and grows over time.

Model the mythsNot all bacteria are harmful — many help us. And you can't see a single microbe with your eyes; you need a microscope. Seal damp and dry bread in bags and watch the mould over days.

Safety: keep the bags sealed shut — never open them once the bread is inside.

We do · 2 5 min

Match each microorganism to what it does.

Match it up

Together
Bacteria → food poisoning & helping digestion · Viruses → colds & flu · Fungi → mould, yeast, athlete's foot
Which are helpful? Which are harmful? Some are both!
Independent 10 min

On your own. Sort each one, then write your evidence at your tier.

The Microbe Sorter

🦠 Bacteria

🧬 Virus

🍄 Fungi

Tap a card to sort it…

🌱 Seedling
Working towards

Sort the cards. Then finish:

"A microorganism is a tiny living thing you need a ____ to see."
🌿 Sapling
Expected

Sort all three. Write one helpful and one harmful example, and why.

🌳 Oak
Greater depth

"All bacteria are harmful." Is that true? Explain with two examples that prove your answer.

Exit ticket 4 min

Answer at your tier, then hand it in.

Show what you know

🌱 Seedling
Working towards
  • You need a ____ to see a microorganism.
  • Tick the microorganisms: bacteria · dog · virus · fungi
🌿 Sapling
Expected
  1. Name the three types of microorganism.
  2. Give one helpful microorganism.
  3. Give one harmful one.
🌳 Oak
Greater depth

Explain how a microorganism can be both helpful and harmful, with an example.

🧭 Coming nextWe've met microorganisms. Next: can we classify them, just like animals and plants?
TA Focus · Microorganisms
Traps to watch

"All bacteria are harmful" — many help us digest food. "You can see them" — a single microbe needs a microscope.

Tier steer
Safety

Mould-bread bags stay sealed shut — never opened.

Cold Call · Question bank
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