Prebiotics vs. Probiotics: Do They Work?

Instructional Guide

Learners will explore what prebiotics and probiotics are, exploring the popular conversation on whether one is more beneficial than the other, or if either is necessary at all. Students will practice their ability to assess and evaluate educational articles for both content and reputability.

Intended Grade Level

This lesson plan is intended for 9-12th grade students and should be used in conjunction with science courses to dive deeper into the GI tract. Students should have prior knowledge of the GI tract.

Learning objectives

• Demonstrate knowledge of gastrointestinal anatomy
• Compare and contrast microbiota in the gut
• Explain the differences between prebiotics and probiotics
• Explain what prebiotics and probiotics can do for the body

Lesson Format

Link to student page

The lesson includes reading content, some short videos, and comprehension questions at the end. This lesson is versatile and can be done in a large group, in small groups, or individually.

• The lesson starts with a brief review of gastrointestinal anatomy. It discusses gut microbiota and goes into depth about the differences between prebiotics and probiotics, what they do, examples of each, and how they can help the body.
• The second part of the lesson includes an activity that allows students to look at popular articles on probiotics vs prebiotics and view their popularity in gut health culture today through a scientific lens. [Worksheet on page 3]  If you need to double up articles for groups, number off and repeat articles.
• The assessment is linked on the student page as multiple choice questions.

Activities

Students will, either in groups or individually, review a linked popular article on probiotics vs. prebiotics. Afterwards, they will answer questions about the article either on the downloadable worksheet found below, or on the online documentation tool.

Prebiotic vs. Probiotic worksheet

Common misconceptions and challenge points

• A common misconception is that all bacteria is bad.
• Understanding the differences between probiotics and probiotics can be difficult for students to grasp.

Assessment

To assess the understanding of the content, there are comprehension questions at the end of the lesson that can be used as an assignment or as a quiz.

Further exploration

Other lessons within this book may be interesting to students, such as the following:

Fortifying the Gut Against Bacterial Onslaught