Description
Bring the real-world into your classroom with this engaging high school science Thanksgiving activity!
Students take on the role of microbiologists investigating a Thanksgiving dinner gone wrong – a foodborne illness outbreak that leaves dinner guests sick. Using real data, lab results, and case details, students apply biology concepts to uncover which bacteria caused the illness and how contamination happened.
This student-led Thanksgiving biology activity is perfect for teaching food safety, microbiology, data analysis, and CER reasoning in a fun, applied way – no prep and no direct teaching required!
Everything students need to solve the case is provided.
Students Will…
- Read the case study background to understand the dinner mystery
- Analyze symptom data from eight dinner guests to look for infection patterns
- Examine food preparation details to identify possible contamination sources
- Explore bacterial culture techniques and how samples grow on agar plates
- Learn how to identify five common bacteria by their shape, arrangement, and Gram-stain results
- Use evidence from all sources to determine which pathogen caused the outbreak – and how it spread!
Food Safety Extension Project:
After solving the case, students investigate food safety strategies for foodborne pathogens!
In this project, student groups research a common bacteria, exploring its origins, contamination sources, symptoms, and food safety prevention strategies.
Students will create both a class presentation and a visual infographic or poster to share their findings. The resource includes a detailed student instruction sheet and a 100-point rubric for easy grading.
What’s Included:
- Two versions for easy differentiation:
- The Miller Family Case: One bacterium, one contaminated food source
- The Smith Family Case: Two bacteria, two contaminated foods — mixed symptoms to challenge higher level students
- Student instructions – step-by-step guide for investigation
- Case study background – realistic Thanksgiving outbreak story
- Symptom data & food prep notes – for student analysis
- Agar plate and Gram stain results – on interactive Google Slides!
- Guided analysis questions – build scientific reasoning
- Claim–Evidence–Reasoning (CER) prompt – students write a final conclusion
- Teacher key for questions and CER – for quick grading
- Infographic/Poster Extension Project instructions – food safety awareness group project
- 100-point project rubric and Project KEY – for easy grading
- Detailed Teaching Guide
This resource is 100% editable and flexible!
Teaching Options and Variations for Time:
The Case Study takes a day to complete (about 50 minutes). I usually give two/three in-class days for students to work on the project, and at least one day for presentations.
If you are low on time, consider doing just parts of the case study and / or project. For example:
- Have students just answer the questions, skip the CER writing
- Skip the questions and just do the CER writing
- Skip both the questions and CER: Have students make a quick video of themselves explaining how they solved the case
- Do the project presentation but not the poster (or the poster but not the presentation)
- Save time by giving students the Project Key (information about each bacteria) rather than having them research their bacteria
Why You’ll Love It:
- No prep — print, share, and go
- Perfect for any high school science class
- Ties in perfectly with Thanksgiving or fall lessons
- Engages students in real-world science problem solving
- Easy differentiation for advanced students
- Flexible teaching options!
Perfect For:
- Sub plans or holiday week lessons
- High school science Thanksgiving activity
- Biology, Anatomy and Life Science classes
- Microbiology or Food Safety units
- Case study, lab, or CER practice
Click here to see a preview of this fun Thanksgiving high school activity!
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*** Stay Curious! ***
