How Can Good Friends Make Me Sick?
Through the investigation of this driving question, students
learn crucial biology behind different 
communicable
diseases, including sexually transmitted diseases. As students investigate
different causes of disease and how their body fights off disease, they
develop an understanding of the biology behind these ideas. Because
students are asking questions that can be connected to their personal
health, they begin to ask questions about their own health and how their
actions directly affect their health.
Curriculum Unit Synopsis
An initial conceptualizing event about the spread of disease (using Cooties, a Palm computer based program) introduces students to the concept of disease and the devastating impact it can have on an individual and a community. Individual lessons build on interest generated by this initial conceptualizing activity. Students learn about different infectious agents and how the human body protects itself from these infections. Students investigate how these agents can enter the body and means by which the infectious agents can be stopped.
Technology use facilitates much of the learning and understanding students will take away from this unit. Students use Palm computers to engage in a number of learning opportunities, including simulations of an "outbreak" of a communicable disease (Cooties) and brainstorming and sharing of concepts related to diseases (PiCoMap). Using Artemis, a research tool for students for investigating specific resources on the World Wide Web, students investigate different aspects of infectious disease, and the measures used to stop these infections in humans. Through other tools such as Model-It, learners model the relationships of these agents to known diseases and investigate how such diseases are transmitted.
A community component of this project is developed through the involvement of community members such as parents and health experts, as well as through the use of articles from local newspapers and the Internet.
At the conclusion of this unit, students engage in a personal investigation related to the spread of disease and factors that might inhibit the spreading of disease. These investigations are developed during the course of the unit as students learn more about biology (cells, systems, etc.) and the organisms that cause disease (bacteria and viruses). Final projects from these investigations are then used by the larger community to learn about issues of sexually transmitted diseases and other communicable diseases. Students present these projects to the class or a larger community group to present their findings and receive input from peers regarding their study.
Background
This curriculum unit was initially developed in 2001 as part of the Community Health Investigator project, and was used in the Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools effort. These materials have been revised based on research on classroom practice and student achievement, as well as from feedback from teachers using the materials. This unit is currently used in the Detroit Public Schools, as well as classrooms around Michigan and the world. Development of this unit was sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control. This unit was developed to address the curriculum standards of the Michigan Curriculum Framework, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Research Council.
Downloads, Workshop Information, and Resources
Download the Introduction (PDF - 480kb).
Download an information sheet, which includes the synopsis, lesson list, and standards.
Upcoming workshops on this curriculum.
Model-It information
Artemis information
Cooties information