My students have been researching protists and all the characteristics

that taxonomists use to classify them into the protist kingdom. These eukaryotic organisms are diverse and mostly unicellular. Students use a graphic organizer to visually see the three types; animal-like, plant-like, and fungus-like. The children observe four types of living protists; amoebas, paramecium, volvox, and euglena. Using a pipette, the students prepare wet mount slides of the protists and observe them using the microscope. Movement, speed, color, organelles, and response to stimuli are noted by the class. Lab entries are completed for their science notebook. My students also created research teams and presented to the class the protist that they investigated and taught others about the locomotion, reproduction, habitat and how they obtain energy.