Objectives
Students will:
- recognize that gems are all around us
- understand that germs are microscopic (can't see them with our eyes)
- understand that some germs cause illness
- identify travel modes for germs
- understand that germs are often carried or passed from one person to another
- understand that infection (illness) often occurs when germs are passed
- demonstrate a variety of prevention strategies for minimizing germ contact
Teacher Notes
Be sure that students understand clearly in this lesson and all other lessons in this section, that the information taught in this class is NOT a substitute for professional medical advice. If students have questions about personal health issues, they should call their healthcare provider. The intent of LifeFacts: Managing Illness &Injury is to provide students with underlying background information so that they will be able to make healthy choices and informed decisions about their healthcare needs.
Understanding the role of germs in spreading infectious diseases is a critical prerequisite for understanding illness prevention. Students need to understand what germs are, that there are many different kinds of germs, and that some gems cause illness.
The concept of germ size may be hard for some students to understand. Use whichever teaching tools are most effective to teach the concept of the microscopic size of germs. At this point, we are using the word "germ" as a general term to describe germs, bacteria, and viruses.
Some people may misunderstand the commonly heard phrase," I caught a cold." Review with students the fact that germs are not "bugs" that crawl in and out of their bodies.
Be sure to emphasize simple prevention steps students can take - i.e., good handwashing techniques, and good hygiene practices. It is interesting to note that soap dishes are often places where germs thrive. Using pump dispensers of antibacterial soap will eliminate this problem.
LifeFacts: AIDS provides additional teaching materials regarding germs.
Be sure that students with significant challenges understand that illness is usually caused by "germs." Concerns about illness being a type of punishment may be present and must be corrected.
The ball pass exercise taught in step 4 may be extremely useful for some students as a way of understanding travel of germs. This is a key concept for all students, regardless of the learning challenges they face.
LifeFacts To Be Taught
Germs are all around us. They are extremely small and usually can't be seen without a magnifying glass or microscope.
There are many different kinds of germs. Some germs help our bodies work (e.g., The germs that help our stomachs to digest food). These germs can also cause illness if they multiply too rapidly and get out of control in our bodies.
Other germs cause illness (e.g., the gems that cause colds or the flu, the "germ" that causes AIDS).
Illness often happens when a germ that causes illness travels from a sick or infected person to our bodies - often through our skin, our mouths, or our blood.
Germs that cause illness travel in different ways. Many germs travel through the air (for example - many cold germs), others live in water (for example - some of the germs that cause diarrhea), or food (for example - food poisoning germs), or blood for example hepatitis or AIDS "germs").
Some kinds of germs pass through the air very easily. They can enter a person's body when the person breathes air that has the germ in it.
Other germs are picked up on our skin when we touch a surface that the germ is on. Germs can then spread from hand to mouth, from hand to hand, from hand to food, or from hand to cut.
Often germs live only in special conditions (for example - not too warm, not ta cold, not too wet or too dry) and travel only when conditions are right for them in both the place they were living and the place they are going to.
Still other germs only pass through the blood. The "germs" that cause hepatitis B and AIDS travel in blood. That means hepatitis B and AIDS are hard to catch. To be infected by a germ that travels in blood, blood from an infected person has to get inside your body.
There are simple things people can do to help prevent germs from spreading and causing illness. It is important to wash your hands frequently using warm water and soap, especially when you are preparing food, after using the toilet or when you are sick. It is also important to cover your nose or mouth when you sneeze or cough and use a tissue.
LifeFacts Teaching Steps
Present the "LifeFacts" above using the following activities:
Step 1:
Use Teaching Picture 12 to discuss the microscopic size of germs.
Step 2:
Germs are everywhere. Use Worksheet 4 to illustrate this LifeFact.
Step 3:
Use Teaching Picture 13 to discuss and illustrate the travel modes used by germs. See Teaching Questions on the back of the Teaching Picture.
Step 4:
Ball pass exercise. Worksheet 5 is useful for illustrating how germs pass through touch.
Step 5:
Discuss with students the concept of quarantine. Explain that some diseases are highly contagious (e-g. measles, chicken pox). Their germs travel very easily from one person to another. Explain that there is a period of time during some illnesses when a sick or infected person is isolated (not allowed to see other people), because others might become infected if germs pass from the sick person to there is a period of time during illnesses when a sick or infected person is isolated (not allowed to see other people), because others might become infected if germs pass from the sick person to the healthy person. This is sometimes called "quarantine."
Step 6:
Discuss the closed restaurant on Teaching Picture 14. Use Teaching Questions on the back of the Teaching Picture to discuss minimizing risks of germ travel through food.
Step 7:
Use Teaching Picture 10 to review and discuss simple things people can do to help prevent germs from spreading.