Download Infectious Disease

Yakima WATERS Mini Lesson
Infectious Disease
Targets and Assessment
WA Science Standards Addressed:
6-8
Scientific inquiry involves asking and
INQA
answering questions and comparing the
Question answer with what scientists already know
about the world.
6-8
Models are used to represent objects, events,
INQE
systems, and processes. Models can be used
Model
to test hypotheses and better understand
phenomena,
Assessments:
 Students should be able to answer questions on
their work sheet about infectious diseases,
epidemics and pandemics. Students should be
able to determine where the imaginary disease
started and trace its spread.
Lesson Parameters
Content Area: Life Science
Overview: This inquiry based lesson allows students to
observe the spread of an imaginary infectious disease
through a hands on activity.
Grade Level: 6-8
Suggested Time: 50 min.
Special Materials:
 pH paper, test tubes, test tube stand, pipettes,
vinegar
Learning Outcomes:
Knowledge: Students should be able to explain what an infectious disease is and how
they spread and describe what an epidemic is.
Skill: Students should be able to create a model that shows where the imaginary disease
originated and trace its spread.
Science Concept Background:
Infectious diseases are also known as communicable disease or a transmittable disease.
Transmission of an infectious disease is spread by physical contact, body fluids, contaminated
food, objects, airborne inhalation or a vector organism. Not all infectious diseases are
contagious some require specialized routes of transmission like vector transmitted and sexually
transmitted diseases. If a population infected by a disease exceeds what is expected as normal
spread it is called an epidemic. If an epidemic spreads globally it is called a pandemic.
Materials: (per student)
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1 test tube filled with water
1 pipette or eyedropper
1 piece of pH paper
Some vinegar to spike 1 test tube
Procedure:
Teachers:
 Give a brief overview lesson of infectious diseases.
 Describe how they spread and when they are considered an epidemic or pandemic.
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Explain the lab exercise emphasize that we are modeling a disease that is spread by
physical contact.
Have students conduct lab exercise, and stress that they follow the procedures carefully.
Key questions: How do infectious diseases spread?
Students:
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Obtain a test tube, pipette, and worksheet
Following the directions on the worksheet
Each student swaps fluids (take a dropper full) from three people
Make sure to swap fluids meaning each person takes from each other
Record on your worksheet the who you swapped fluids with in what order
Use the pH paper to determine if you were infected
On the board record who was infected
Use the back of the worksheet to create a flow chart indicated who was infected and
where the disease originated.
Answer questions from worksheet
Extension:
Additional research can be conducted on historical pandemics or epidemics.
Teaching Tips:
Make sure to stress the importance of following directions. If students do not swap
fluids and only one person takes fluids it will not be easy to trace the origin of the imaginary
disease.
Supplements:
Not sure? Any suggestions?
Name__________________________________
Block____________ Date______________
Procedures:
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Obtain a test tube and eyedropper
Exchange fluids by taking an eyedropper full of fluid from your test tube and placing it in
someone else’s. Now take an eyedropper full of fluid from the person you just gave your
fluid to and place it in your test tube.
Repeat this three times and record the test tube number that you have exchanged fluids
with on your data sheet.
Rotation
1
2
3
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Test tube #
Obtain a piece of pH paper and test your test tube to see if you were infected by the
disease.
Record the class results on the data table on the back of this handout.
Determine the origin of the infection.
Questions:
1. What is an infectious disease?
2. How are infectious diseases spread?
3. What is an epidemic?
4. What is a pandemic?
5. Did you become infected by the disease? How could you tell?
6. Which test tube number started the infection?
Class data table:
Test Tube #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Infected (Y/N)
Test Tube # Infected (Y/N)
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Flow Chart:
Author: Amber Palmeri-Miles, Yakima WATERS Project, CWU, Winter 2011