7.4.4.2 Disease
Explain how viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites may infect the human body and interfere with normal body functions.
Recognize that a microorganism can cause specific diseases and that there are a variety of medicines available that can be used to combat a given microorganism.
Recognize that vaccines induce the body to build immunity to a disease without actually causing the disease itself.
Recognize that the human immune system protects against microscopic organisms and foreign substances that enter from outside the body and against some cancer cells that arise from within.
Overview
Human interactions with other organisms and virus particles can cause diseases.
Big Idea:
Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites may infect the human body. Humans have been searching for means to prevent and fight infections for centuries. The immune system may be enhanced through the use of vaccines and exposure to antigens. Disease prevention, whether from the body's natural defense or enhanced biologically, allow the human body to fight infection from disease or cancer.
MN Standard Benchmarks :
7.4.4.2.1 | Explain how viruses,bacteria,fungi and parasites may infect the human body and interfere with normal body functions. |
7.4.4.2.2 | Recognize that a microorganism can cause specific diseases and that there are a variety of medicines available that can be used to combat a given microorganism |
7.4.4.2.3 | Recognize that vaccines induce the body to build immunity to a disease without actually causing the disease itself. |
7.4.4.2.4 | Recognize that the human immune system protects against microscopic organisms and foreign substances that enter from outside the body and against some cancer cells that arise from within. |
THE ESSENTIALS:
A quote, cartoon or video clip link directly related to the standard.
Life Science
Content Standard C
As a result of their activities in grade 7, all students should develop understanding of
1. Structure and function in living systems
2. Reproduction and heredity
3. Regulation and behavior
4. Populations and ecosystems
5. Diversity and adaptations of organisms
6. The Human Organism E: Physical Health
Students should extend their study of the healthy functioning of the human body and ways it may be promoted or disrupted by diet, lifestyle, bacteria, and viruses. Students should consider the effects of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs on the way the body functions. They should start reading the labels on food products and considering what healthful diets could be like.
By the end of the 8th grade, students should know that
- The amount of food energy (calories) a person requires varies with body weight, age, sex, activity level, and natural body efficiency. 6E/M1a
- Regular exercise is important to maintain a healthy heart/lung system, good muscle tone, and bone strength. 6E/M1b
- Toxic substances, some dietary habits, and some personal behavior may be bad for one's health. Some effects show up right away, others years later. Avoiding toxic substances, such as tobacco, and changing dietary habits increase the chance of living longer. 6E/M2
- Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites may infect the human body and interfere with normal body functions. A person can catch a cold many times because there are many varieties of cold viruses that cause similar symptoms. 6E/M3
- White blood cells engulf invaders or produce antibodies that attack them or mark them for killing by other white cells. The antibodies produced will remain and can fight off subsequent invaders of the same kind. 6E/M4
- The environment may contain dangerous levels of substances that are harmful to human beings. Therefore, the good health of individuals requires monitoring the soil, air, and water and taking steps to make them safe. 6E/M5
- Specific kinds of germs cause specific diseases. 6E/M6** (BSL)
- Vaccines induce the body to build immunity to a disease without actually causing the disease itself. 6E/M7** (BSL)
Common Core Standards (i.e. connections with Math, Social Studies or Language Arts Standards): probability and exponential information as depicted in the vignette crosses into the math classes.
Misconceptions
- 7.4.4.2.1, 7.4.4.2.2 Every illness is caused by germs.
- 7.4.4.2.1, 7.4.4.2.2 All diseases are caused by the same type of germ.
- 7.4.4.2.3 The process of infection is automatic; any infection in the body necessarily makes it ill; and when medicine is administered, healing takes place immediately. (Nagy,1953) ATLAS
Vignette
"Yuck! Don't sneeze on me!" cried Carlos as Jeanette placed a drop of liquid into the cup he was carrying.
If you looked around the room, you could see that all the students were holding on to clear plastic cups. Each student was also carrying a sneeze, full of the clear liquid from their own cup. The sneeze was a bulb pipette.
As the students milled around the room, they "sneezed" on each other.
This lesson demonstrates benchmark 7.4.4.2.2 (Recognize that a microorganism can cause specific diseases and that there are a variety of medicines available that can be used to combat a given microorganism). Students are given clear plastic drink cups. One of the students has a dilute solution of sodium hydroxide in his or her cup. Students are asked to keep track of who they "sneezed" on in a record. So, the students are allowed to place a dropper full of their liquid into someone else in the room. After a few minutes, the teacher places a drop or two of phenolphthalein into each of the cups. A change to pink, indicates the sneeze they received was infectious, and they caught the disease.
Mr. A worked the crowd asking for predictions about the spread of the disease before he added the indicator to the cups. "How will you be able to track the disease?"
Selena raised her hand, "We kept track of who we sneezed on? And if we compare with each other, I think we'll be able to find out where the infection came from. Myself, I think it was Carlos."
"Hey, I don't carry cooties or anything," he replied back.
The class roared a bit and friends started pointing fingers and blaming each other.
"Okay, okay, that is enough of that." Mr. A brought them back to focus.
"Carlos, you can be first. Bring your cup up and place it on the demonstration table," asked Mr. A.
Carlos complied. Mr. A was about to add indicator, when he stopped to ask a question.
"Oh, come on! Just do it! Show us he's got it!" were some of the comments from the class.
"How was this activity like spreading colds around the school?"
Johannes raised his hand, "You don't really know where the cold comes from."
"Yeah, you don't know how you got the cold. You just know you feel sick," added Lori.
"Those are true, but what else?" asked A.
"You can't see the germs, just like you can't tell which cup has the disease," answered Jeanette.
"Nice work," Mr. A added as he placed a drop of the indicator into Carlos's cup. There was no color change.
"I told you! I told you!" Carlos responded.
From this point, Carlos looked at his list as Mr. A asked him. "I guess that means that none of the people that sneezed on me had the disease either."
Mr. A called up the people that had sneezed on Carlos and placed drops of indicator into their cups. Three of the six turned pink.
"How could that be?" asked Mr. A.
Students quickly saw that who and when you got sneezed on made a difference, with regards to getting infected. Eventually, Mr. A had placed drops of indicator in all cups and of the thirty students in the room twenty four had been infected.
It took a lot of work, but eventually, the class was able to figure out where the ultimate source of infection came from. By using the student charts, and looking at who exchanged liquid with whom, it became obvious that Selena was the original source of infection.
"I knew it was her all along," pointed Carlos jokingly.
"Let's go back to that question I asked originally, how is this like a real disease?"
"You can't see it, and it is easily spread," answered Thomas.
"Yeah," Anders added "and you can give it to your friends without even really trying."
"And you don't know that you've got it, until it is too late," Jeanette commented.
"How do you avoid doing this with colds, flu and other disease?" Mr. A asked.
"Wash your hands!" Selena called out.
Mr. A referred students to the back of their data sheet. Questions like: How the spread of infection be different if you showed symptoms immediately? How would the spread of infection be different if you only exchanged sneezes with your friends? How would the spread of infection change if the infection killed you? Students worked with the people at their tables and answered the questions. Discussions were fast and furious. Mr. A milled about the room, squatting at table level to probe for further thoughts. The simulation could be used as an introduction to viral or bacterial disease and how they can be spread throughout a population. It could be tied into the work of the school nurse, who could be a guest speaker before or after the lab.
Resources
Instructional suggestions/options; examples of best practices with a focus on active engagement practices. can be shared as
- Pamphlet
- Poster
- Report
- Power Point
Selected activities:
- Viruses/Infectious Diseases: What's Really Bugging You? 7.4.4.2.1 To explore viruses/infectious diseases, how they can infect the human body, compromise the immune system, and interfere with normal human body functions. Students use a variety of sources to search for information about disease and you it is spread.
- Color Coded DNA 7.4.4.2.1 Many people now get their DNA tested for hereditary diseases, including Huntington's Disease and some cancers. But soon, DNA may also be used to diagnose infectious diseases, from salmonella to HIV. In this Science Update, you'll hear about a developing technology that could make this possible.
- Germs and the Body 7.4.4.2.1 This lesson explores germs, where they exist, and how they can affect the body. It also deals with a possible misconception that students of all ages may have-that factors important to health are beyond their personal control. (Benchmarks for Science Literacy, p. 346.) In learning about bacteria and germs, students will also learn about preventative measures they can take to stay healthy.
- West Nile Weather 7.4.4.2.1 In 2002, nearly twenty-five hundred human cases of West Nile virus were reported to the Centers For Disease Control. But in 2003, there were about four times as many. Now, scientists have found a way to predict how severe an outbreak might be.
- MAYBE NOT-SO-FINE FEATHERED FRIENDS? 7.4.4.2.2 This lesson considers the spread of disease from animals to humans. Students will read a National Geographic News article that discusses one such incident, and then explore the frequency, occurrence, and possible prevention of such crossover illnesses.
- Anthrax Attacks 7.4.4.2.2 To develop an understanding about the disease Anthrax, how it is transmitted, and its effects on the body. Students should extend their study of the healthy functioning of the human body and ways it may be promoted or disrupted by diet, lifestyle, bacteria, and viruses. After studying microbes, students should consider diseases and how they affect body systems.
- Anthrax Antibodies 7.4.4.2.3 Vaccines help prevent disease by challenging the immune system to make antibodies-proteins that target particular viruses or bacteria, and help the body fight them off. In this Science Update, you'll hear about efforts to make a better vaccine against anthrax.
- Disease Lab 7.4.4.2.3 Recently, new diseases, such as SARS, and the potential for a pandemic avian flu have raised international concerns about health. As populations grow, especially in densely packed urban areas, there is increased risk of disease transmission. This lab will allow you to explore various types of diseases: "Kold" is similar to the common cold, "Impfluenza" resembles a typical influenza outbreak, and "Red Death" represents a fast-spreading epidemic with a high mortality rate (such as avian flu if it were to develop through human-to-human transmission). What factors come into play in the spread of these diseases, and what can we do to counter them?
- Common Vaccinations 7.4.4.2.3 In this activity students will learn how vaccines work and create class posters describing different types of vaccinations.
- Gum and Heart Disease 7.4.4.2.4 Students listen to a podcast to gather some information about the relationship between Heart Disease and poor oral health. Check out the discussion and data, let students come to a conclusion, based on what the experts have to say.
- Asthma and Allergies 7.4.4.2.4 To help students understand asthma and allergies (including the involvement of the immune system in each) and begin to understand the similarities and differences between the two health conditions. Students at the 6-8 grade level should extend their study of the healthy functioning of the human body and ways it may be promoted or disrupted by diet, lifestyle, bacteria, and viruses. This lesson explores how disruptions to the body trigger asthma and allergies. It also explores the immune system, specifically its involvement in allergies and asthma.
- The Virus and the Vaccine 7.4.4.2.4 The site offers some background into the polio virus, how the vaccine works and what is the future of the disease.
- Skin Cancer Investigations 7.4.4.2.4 Skin Cancer Investigation gives students the opportunity to learn about skin cancer diagnosis and prevention.
- 7.4.4.2.4 Students will write a report as a virus/ bacteria of their choice. They will become the virus and write about how they infect people or other mammals. They will cover what microorganism they are and if there is an medicines available that would limit/cure their symptoms. They will recognize that vaccines induce the body to build immunity to a disease without actually causing the disease itself. Know in the case of a virus, no medicine will cure the body of the virus, but the human immune system protects against microscopic organisms and foreign substances that enter from outside the body, and from some cancer cells that arise from within.
Additional resources or links:
Hoe Stuff Works In this article, we will explore the world of viruses. We'll talk about what a virus is, what viruses look like, how they infect us and how we can reduce the risk of infection. And you'll learn why you feel so miserable when a cold virus attacks your body!
Vocabulary/Glossary:
- virus Particle made of proteins nucleic acids, and sometimes lipids that can replicate only by infecting living cells.
- host organism that gives nutrition to a parasite
- parasite an organism that lives off of a host for nutrition
- antibiotic group of drugs used to block the growth and reproduction of bacterial pathogens.
- fungi group of organisms that feeds on other materials and is unable to produce it's own food
- microorganism small organism that can only be seen wih a microscope
- vaccine a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease
- immunity is a biological term that describes a state of having sufficient biological defenses to avoid infection, disease, or other unwanted biological invasion.
- disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism
- immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens.
- cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body.
- Internet connections if possible, if you can get to a computer lab so each student, or pair of students can have access to the internet to research pathogens.
- Cameras/flip videos/microscopes/ to look and take pictures of bacteria or fungi.
- Hardware cameras that connect to microscopes, if you do not have enough microscopes or enough time for students to look at pathogens under the microscope you can project images onto a white board.
- Internet sites such as those listed in activities above.
- Technology can be used to both investigate these organisms and to have students show them through power points or Prezi's
Assessment
Students:
Which of the following diseases can be treated with antibiotics?
A. The Flu
B. Strep Throat
C. Chicken Pox
D. Mumps
True of False is a vaccine 100% accurate? Why or why not.
Draw and Label a bacteriophage
Teachers:
Do students understand that bacterial diseases can be treated with medicines, and viruses cannot?
Do students understand that some viruses cannot be removed or killed.
Are you spending as much time on plant viruses as animal?
Administrators:
May observe students reading oral reports on Viruses and Bacteria.
Administrator may see students infecting one another with the cold virus.
Administrator may see students presenting information in a power point format.
An administrator present during the vignette may see how easily a communicable disease can unknowingly be spread and that may stir them into action, with regards to school hygiene. An administrator may want to perform the same activity at a faculty meeting for demonstration purposes, followed by a presentation by the students to the faculty and staff on how to minimize contact and spread of diseases such as flu, colds or bacterial infections.
Differentiation
Struggling and At-Risk:
Snow, D. (2003). Noteworthy perspectives: Classroom strategies for helping at-risk students (rev. ed.). Aurora, CO: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.
In 2002, McREL conducted a synthesis of recent research on instructional strategies to assist students who are low achieving or at risk of failure. From this synthesis of research, McREL identified six general classroom strategies that research indicates are particularly effective in helping struggling students achieve success.
Hands on labs like the one in the vignette helps special ed students comprehend concepts better than straight book work.
Herr, N. (2007). The sourcebook for teaching science. This page contains strategies to help teachers better attend to the needs of their ELL learners. These strategies are grouped according to the following learning tasks: listening, visualization, interpersonal communication, laboratory, demonstrations, reading and writing, instruction and vocabulary.
Power points or posters constructed in duel languages would help ELL students
Science education should include the use of culturally relevant content. Atwater (1995a-c) and Banks(1987,1988) have proposed several ways to integrate culturally relevant content into the curriculum. The value of using such approaches is that they can improve the conversation about beliefs in science and hone beliefs about science for all students.
Multicultural science education. Official NSTA Position Statement.
Freelang.net hosts a English to Ojibwe and Ojibwe to English dictionary that may be used to look up meanings to vocabulary words.
Science instruction should not be isolated from the rest of the students' lives. The contextualization of tasks can make a difference in performance. Many science experiences are those of a special world, confusing, often couterintuitive and counter to daily experiences. When students can participate in and observe science in the ordinary world in which they live, they are more likely to learn as well as come to appreciate science as a way of knowing. When this can be embedded in a cultural conext the possibilities for new understanding and connections become even stronger.
Technologies for Special Needs Students: In their newsletter, "Tech Trek", from the National Science Teachers Association, there are suggestions for using technology including voice recognition software
Hands on labs like the one in the vignette helps special ed students comprehend concepts better than straight book work.
Students can use ven diagrams or posters to show differences in activities.
Parents/Admin
Parents may hear about the various diseases students are learning about.