Use of model organisms such as Drosophila melanogaster
, Arabidopsis thaliana
, Caenorhabditis elegans
, Danio rerio
, Paracentrotus lividus
, Rhizobium laeguminosarum
has proved to be an interesting and versatile teaching tool in the classroom approach to both basic biological mechanisms and more recent complex bio-molecular studies.
Didactic projects with model organisms, which are already been introduced at different school levels, are as follows:
inclusive of experimental protocols, student resource/observation files and teacher's guide; organized in self-standing, graded experiments based on complexity of theme and laboratory techniques and the acquisition of cross-level skills; inclusive of a number of classroom friendly
activities which require neither sophisticated instruments nor fully equipped laboratory facilities. The organisms presented, though greatly varied, have the advantage of being small, cheap and easy to cultivate and well suited to an experimental life indoors.