Science and Our Food Supply: Investigating Food Safety from Farm to Table

3. 

Have each team design a lab to test its hypothesis.  

4. 

Let each team present its hypothesis and lab design to 

the class. Encourage students to discuss the merits of 

each suggested test. This is also an important time for 

“guided inquiry.” For example, you can guide them by 

asking a question such as: How can you be sure that  

your agar isn’t contaminated? (You should always have 

a control dish). After the group discussions, give teams 

time to revise their hypotheses and lab designs. 

5. 

Show students how to swab a surface (on dry surfaces 

use a moist swab) and inoculate a Petri dish (see page 8). 

These procedures will be used throughout the unit.