Download epidemics_lessonplan

Lesson Plan
Title: Epidemics!
Author(s):
Author Affiliation
and Location: (e.g.
Duke, Beaufort,
NC)
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Website
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Contact
Information (e.g.
email)
Introduction/Abstr
act to Lesson Plan
(max. 100 Words)
Include aspects of
the lesson that are
unique and
innovative.
Kayleigh O’Keeffe
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
List of Standards
Addressed
Common Core, NC
Essential Science,
Next Gen, etc.
(This should be list
of all full standards
addressed by the
lesson)
Optional:
Standards
Mapping Grid
Learning
Objectives using
Measurable Verbs
(what students will
be able to do)
NC Essential Science Standards:
 8L.3.2- Summarize the relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers
including the positive and negative consequences of such interactions including: •
Coexistence and cooperation • Competition (predator/prey) • Parasitism • Mutualism
 Bio.2.1.3- Explain various ways organisms interact with each other (including predation,
competition, parasitism, mutualism) and with their environments resulting in stability
within ecosystems.
Appropriate Grade
Levels
Group Size/# of
students activities
are designed for
Setting (e.g.
indoors, outdoors,
lab, etc.)
Grades 6, 7, 8
krokeeffe.wordpress.com
[email protected]
This lesson plan begins with students working through maps of epidemics over time, trying to
compare and contrast what different epidemics have looked like. They will then learn what an
epidemic is, how scientists study epidemics, and what conditions are needed for an epidemic.
The students will then simulate epidemics among the classroom to see how certain factors affect
the spread of disease.
Students will be able to:
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understand what an infectious disease is and how it can lead to an epidemic
name ways that infectious disease can be prevented, controlled, or cured
graphically represent data created in a classroom simulation
describe how a disease can spread rapidly among a population.
explain how preventive measures help defend against infection.
Whole class (Ideally 25-30 students)
Classroom/outside (anywhere students can spread out for the simulations)
Approximate Time
of Lesson (Break
down into 20-50
minute periods)
Resources Needed
for Students (e.g.
scissors, paper,
pencils, glue, etc.)
Resources Needed
for Educators (e.g.
blackboard,
Powerpoint
capabilities, etc.)
Apps/Websites
Needed
Lesson Activity
(step by step
description of
activity)
10-20 minutes to look at videos, and go through vocabulary and background
45 minutes for hands-on epidemic simulations
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Paper and pencil/pen for note-taking
Worksheet
Infected/Healthy sign
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Blackboard/whiteboard
Projector would be useful for images/videos, introduction to food webs, vocabulary,
background information
Stickers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHGLGAcMRu8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG5599GjJuU
Starting Activity
 Play videos of epidemics without them seeing the labels of the videos
Ebola: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHGLGAcMRu8
Black Death: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG5599GjJuU
 Ask them to describe what they think is going on and any patterns that they see?
One video is of the spread of Ebola over space over time, and the other
video is of the spread of the black plague over time. Both start out slow and
spread more quickly over time. Ebola was centered out of Africa and the
black plague was centered out of Europe.
 Explain epidemics and the scientists that study epidemics
Epidemics are widespread occurrences of an infectious disease in a community at a
particular time. Scientists who study epidemics are called epidemiologists. Epidemiologists try to
understand what is going on when a disease spreads in a community. They gather all the
information they can through interviews and research, and try to come up with ways to inform
people of ways to protect themselves against this disease. They may spend their days counting
cases of disease, considering the distribution of cases across a region, and try to define the
affected population. They may use this data to make guesses about how the spread of a disease
will continue and how to respond.

Vocabulary
1. Epidemic-a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a
particular time.
2. Pandemic-An epidemic that has spread across a large geographic region, like
multiple continents or even worldwide.
3. Epidemiologist – a medical scientist who studies the transmission and control of
epidemic diseases
4. Parasite – an organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits
by deriving nutrients at the host’s expense
5. Infectious Disease – Diseases caused by parasites such as bacteria, viruses, or
fungi. The disease can be spread, directly or indirectly, from one person to another
6. Immunity- the ability of an organism to resist a particular infection
 For additional resources:
a. http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/envh10.health.lp912/epidemiologists
-disease-detectives/
Small Groups-Checking Understanding
 To ensure the students understand what an infectious disease, have them work in small
groups and list some diseases that they think are infectious diseases.
*May be helpful to note that a disease like cancer would not be infectious
because it can’t be spread from person to person
*After groups say diseases that they thought of, run through slides with
examples of diseases that led to epidemics
 To get the students thinking about how epidemics start, have them work in small groups
to think about what conditions are needed for a population of humans to experience an
epidemic.
Step by Step Activity
1. Have students make two signs. On the red piece of construction paper, write INFECTED, on
the green piece of paper, write HEALTHY. Stick each paper to a popsicle stick (so that they
are two signs)
2. Begin by drawing a data table on the board similar to the one on the worksheet.
3. Explain to the class that we are all going to be epidemiologists today, observing the
spreading of Disease X in the class population. Explain that we will run several different
simulations to see what affects how disease spreads. Each round will be 1 minute long,
and one person will be marked as infected. Students will walk around the classroom
randomly (not running away from or towards the infected student/s). An infected person
tagging a healthy person transmits the disease (could also have the infected person use
stickers to mark those they transmit to). When a healthy person is tagged, the tagged
person puts up their INFECTED sign
4. Simulation 1: In this round, one person will be chosen as infected, and when the timer
starts, that one person will walk around and tag people to transmit the disease. In this
round, only this first person can infect people. The teacher will pause at 20 second
intervals to tally how many people are infected and write it on the table on the board.
5. Simulation 2: In this round, one person will be chosen as infected, and when the timer
starts, that one person will walk around and tag people to transmit the disease. In this
round, once a healthy person becomes infected, they can also transmit the disease. (The
original infected person will give those they infect their own sticker sheet to transmit
disease with). The teacher will pause at 20 second intervals to tally how many people are
infected and write it on the table on the board.
6. Students will go back to their desks and use the data in the tables to draw two graphs
showing the number of students infected over time for each round. Round 1 should be a
line, whereas Round 2 should show exponential increase. Have students work in groups
once they have drawn their graphs to compare and contrast.
7. Ask students what they think might stop the spread of a disease. Have them work in
groups to think about what happens with they get sick, and what they do to feel better.
Potential answers could be isolating those who are sick, vaccinations, or treatments. Also
have them work with their groups to think about how they can use the classroom
simulations to see what treatment might work best.
8. Vocabulary: Vaccine (any preparation used as a preventive inoculation to confer immunity
against a specific disease), Quarantine (A period of isolation decreed to control the spread
of infectious disease.
9. Simulation 3: Medicine. In this round, one person will be chosen as a public health
worker, and one person will be chosen as infected, and when the timer starts, that
infected person will walk around and tag people to transmit the disease. In this round,
once a healthy person becomes infected, they can also transmit the disease. After 10
seconds, the public health worker comes in and starts tagging people to give them
medicine that makes them healthy again and immune. The teacher will pause at 20 second
intervals totally how many people are infected and write it on the table on the board.
10. Simulation 4: Vaccine. Before this round, half of the students will be given post-its to put
on their signs. This post-it represents a vaccine that makes them immune to Disease X. In
this round, one person will be chosen as infected, and when the timer starts, that infected
person will walk around and tag people to transmit the disease. In this round, once a
Final
Product/Assessme
nt (e.g. quiz, blog,
presentation,
essay, etc.)
Feedback Form for
Teachers
healthy person becomes infected, they can also transmit the disease. The teacher will
pause at 20-second intervals totally how many people are infected and write it on the
table on the board.
11. Students will go back to their desks and use the data in the tables to draw two graphs
showing the number of students infected over time for each round.
12. Have students work in groups once they have drawn their graphs to compare and contrast.
Which treatment seemed to work the best, and how was each different?
Reflection/Assessment
1. For homework, have students write a paragraph on their own about a disease that has
become an epidemic and have them explain why it became and epidemic, and if the spread
was contained, how?
2. Students could also take their data from the later simulations to write about what they think
the best treatment for epidemics might be.
See above.
I am always looking for feedback on my lesson plans! Please reach out and let me know how it
worked for your classroom, what you would do differently, and any suggestions you may have to
improve the lesson plan. I am also happy to answer any questions you may have or provide
additional background information. Additionally, I study epidemics of plants, and I would be
happy to talk about my research as part of an epidemic lesson. Feel free to reach me via email.