Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 129077
Pathogens in the Room
In this lesson, students will research pathogens to explain the significance of pathogenic agents for their health and the community. It aims to clear
up common misconceptions about pathogens and the diseases they cause. Students will be assigned a pathogen and then conduct research to
accurately describe the disease it causes.
Subject(s): Science
Grade Level(s): 9, 10, 11, 12
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Document Camera,
Computers for Students, Internet Connection, LCD
Projector, Microsoft Office
Instructional Time: 2 Hour(s)
Resource supports reading in content area: Yes
Keywords: pathogen, virus, bacteria, infectious disease, fungus, disease, disease transmission, health and the
environment, health, contagious, microbe, pathogenic, host, reservior host, vector, public health
Resource Collection: FCR-STEMLearn Cell Biology
ATTACHMENTS
DiseaseProfileStudentWorksheet.docx
PathogenScavengerHuntStudentWorksheet.docx
DiseasProfileWorksheetRubric.docx
DiseaseProfileAnswerKey.docx
KWLChart.docx
321TicketOut.docx
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Students will describe what a pathogenic agent is in their own words, name a few examples of some different types of pathogens, and describe the diseases they
cause.
Students will analyze the effects of pathogenic agents on individual and public health.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Before administering the lesson, be sure that students have a general understanding of the microscopic world and how humans can be susceptible to harm that they
may not be able to see with the naked eye.
The following standards provide a good base:
SC.912.L.14.1: Describe the scientific theory of cells (cell theory) and relate the history of its discovery to the process of science.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
page 1 of 4 What is a pathogenic agent?
A microbe such as a bacterium, virus, fungus, or protist that can cause a disease in a susceptible host (not limited to humans)
How do pathogenic agents affect individuals?
Pathogens that cause disease can afflict susceptible hosts, including humans, deteriorating their health and sometimes leading to death.
How do pathogenic agents affect public health?
Some pathogens are contagious and can therefore be spread amongst people; this spreading of diseases can wipe out whole populations depending on the nature of
the disease caused and whether or not preventative measures, treatments, or cures exist.
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
Prior to the lesson, the teacher should prepare a "pathogenic beach ball" with the names of various diseases and pathogens. (See special materials section for a list of
terms to write on this ball.)
Procedures:
1. Direct the students to pass the pathogenic ball throughout the room and have the students tell what they know about the item their left thumbs lands on. If they
know nothing from their left thumb, they can tell something about the item under their right thumb. After sharing, pass the ball to the next student.
2. As the students toss the pathogenic ball, fill in the "Know" portion of a KWL (3 section chart: know, want to know, and learn) with their responses. Build this chart
on the board, on a large piece of paper, or digitally through a word processor. Probe students to identify whether there is a difference between the different
diseases and pathogens which cause them or not and why. The teacher should guide the discussion to establish the correct definitions for the associated
vocabulary.
3. Show the YouTube video "Pathogens and Disease Definitions Types Causes Video Lesson Transcript Studycom" by Mayank Sharma to build more background
knowledge on the concept. Tell the students they are to jot down at least 10 facts to contribute to the "learned" section of the KWL chart via accountable talk. They
can copy all of the notes onto their own pages as well and fill in their own "learned" section with the notes they take as well as those share from the whole class.
If available, the teacher can have students play a matching game with Giant Microbes. Give each student either a plush microbe or the name of a disease. Students
will move around the room to find their partner—pairing the plush microbe with the disease it causes.
Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
1. After watching the video, have the students share some of the notes they gathered and add these notes to the "learned" section of the class KWL. Use student input
to establish accountable talk with each other and their teacher and take advantage of various teaching points whenever a student poses a new question if another
student can't answer it. Encourage and guide students to confidently utilize the associated vocabulary (pathogen, agent, pathogenic agent, and others mentioned on
the pathogenic beach ball) to demonstrate their level of understanding.
2. Probe the students with the following guiding questions to tailor their accountable talk. Allow wait time between posing questions and allow students to refer to
theirKWL notes when answering.
What are the main types of the different pathogens that exist? (answer: bacteria, viruses, protists, and fungi)
What are some examples of each of the different types of pathogens that exist? (sample answer: vibrio cholera, HIV, and yeast)
Which diseases do these pathogens cause? (sample answer: cholera, AIDS, and yeast infections)
How could a pathogenic disease affect an individual person? (sample answer: depending on the nature of the disease and the availability of a treatment/cure,
the person could have mild and/or short-term effects, moderate or severe and/or long term effects, and could potentially die.)
How could a pathogenic disease affect public health? (sample answer: depending on whether or not the disease is contagious, how easily it is contracted, the
severity of the disease, and the availability of treatments/cures, the effects could range from an inconvenience for a few individuals to the death of an entire
population.)
Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the
lesson?
1. Tell students that they will work in groups of two to conduct research on a pathogen/disease, which they will assigned randomly.
2. Allow students to pick a partner or assign them and give time to arrange seating.
3. Pass out the Disease Profile Student Worksheet, one to each group of two. Go over each part of the worksheet with the students, answering any specific questions
and providing examples from the rubric. As a suggestion, the disease profile could be completed on paper then transferred to white boards or posters. This larger
format will facilitate students' search for the items during their scavenger hunt.
4. Allow students to get computers.
5. Obtain the previously prepared basket with the pathogens/diseases written on folded slips of paper. Circulate around the room and allow each group of two to
select one topic randomly from the basket. This will be their research topic for their worksheets.
6. Write the following websites on the board for students to refer to in completing their research:
Center for Disease Control Diseases and Conditions
Medline Plus (via the National Library of Medicine)
World Health Organization Fact Sheets
Virus Pathogen Database and Analysis Resource
Search Engine for Accredited Websites
FoodSafety.gov: Causes of Food Poisoning
How Pathogens Cause Diseases
7. In groups of two, students will complete the Disease Profile Student Worksheet for a pathogen they are assigned. Tell the students they have an hour to work
together to research their pathogen and the disease it causes. This should take the rest of the first hour and half of the second if one class period is an hour; at
least one cumulative hour of research should be allotted for the students to find the necessary information.
8. After students complete their research and fill out their worksheets, have them put away their computers. Pass out the Scavenger Hunt worksheet.
9. Go over the worksheet directions with the students and set a couple of ground rules (i.e., volume control and movement limitations), and then allow them 15
minutes to peruse the "pathogens in the room" (their classmates' research) to complete the Pathogen Scavenger Hunt.
page 2 of 4 Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
At the end of the independent practice (after students have completed their individual research and shared the information they learned with one another through the
scavenger hunt), close the lesson with a 3-2-1 activity as a "ticket out the door."
Provide the students with half sheets of paper. Tell students that in the last five minutes of class, they will answer the following question on the half sheets provided to
them and will turn it in as their ticket out the door. Then, project or write the following question on the board:
Think about the different pathogenic agents you "encountered" today and the various diseases they may cause. List the following information based on what you've
learned:
3 different types of pathogens,
2 effects pathogenic diseases have on individuals, and
1 effect pathogenic diseases have on the community (public health)
This ticket out the door will give the students a chance to process what they learned in a short summary. They should be using information both from their research
with their partner and from what they gathered from their classmates during the scavenger hunt.
Summative Assessment
In groups of two, students will complete the Disease Profile-Student Worksheet for a pathogen they are assigned.
Refer to the Special Materials section for a list of possible pathogens. The teacher can assign the student pairs a pathogen directly, or students can draw pathogens
from a basket. Note: when selecting which pathogens to use, keep the scavenger hunt worksheet and key in mind. Be sure that students will be able to find at least
one correct answers for each scavenger hunt item.
Use the attached disease profile worksheet rubric and answer key for evaluating student understanding of the concept.
Formative Assessment
Student understanding throughout the lesson will be evaluated through small group and class discussions. First, students will be able to recognize and correct
misconceptions associated with pathogenic agents as they relate to individual and public health from materials provided by their teacher. These initial activities will
elicit responses that show the students' prior knowledge. See the teaching phase for more details on the suggested activities.
Feedback to Students
Feedback from the teacher and peers will be provided during whole group discussions and through paired teams during the independent practice phase. First, the
students will be engaged to make their own decisions while sharing their prior knowledge about pathogens and the diseases they cause and then will discuss as a
class why they got particular misconceptions right and wrong. Students should be encouraged to think aloud and feel comfortable discussing their thoughts openly with
the rest of the class.
Later, while researching filling in the disease profile worksheets, feedback will come from each of the paired individuals as well as the circulating teacher. The teacher
will monitor their performance, clarifying any elements of the worksheet and asking the following comprehension-checking questions:
What type of pathogen is yours? (Students should answer whether theirs is a virus, bacteria, fungus, or protist)
What disease does your pathogen cause? (Based on their research, students should be able to tell which disease is caused by the microbe they were assigned to
research)
What are some of the individual health concerns? (Students should answer the symptoms an individual afflicted with their disease will exhibit)
What are some of the public health concerns? (Students will answer if and how the disease is contagious)
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
Students will work in groups of two according to ability; the teacher should assign pairs at similar levels so one student will not dominate the conversation and
everyone will feel safe when contributing their ideas.
Accommodate special needs students according to the specifics stated in their Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). This may include special circumstances where
the student is individually coached by the teacher or a lead student. Special seating arrangements will be instituted accordingly as well.
Adjust instruction according to the needs of the students during the teaching phase utilizing the levels of understanding check to speed up/slow down. This can also
include but is not limited to: additional videos, extra time, oral paragraphs, students oral narrative, and artistic/graphic presentation of the paragraph on a poster
board.
ESOL: Students will be paired with non-ESOL students and given extra time to complete written and oral presentation.
Extensions:
From the research the students conducted and fulfilled within their Disease Profile Charts (see attached), the students can be directed to compile their ideas in the
following forms:
PowerPoint or Prezi to overview a variety of pathogens representing the four main types and the diseases associated with them
Poster to be posted in community to outline different pathogens and possible things to do if afflicted
Brochure to be shared with community to outline different types of pathogens and the diseases associated with them
Public service announcement or short video no longer than a typical commercial to spread awareness of different common pathogens, possible things to do to avoid
infection, and what to do if afflicted
Suggested Technology: Document Camera, Computers for Students, Internet Connection, LCD Projector, Microsoft Office
Special Materials Needed:
Giant Microbes (optional formative assessment)
Permanent marker
page 3 of 4 Beach ball
Small square pieces of paper/index cards
Basket
Prior to the lesson, the teacher should prepare the beach ball to be a "pathogenic beach ball" with the names of various diseases and pathogens. Use the permanent
marker to write the following terms across the ball:
typhoid fever, black death, pandemic, monkeys, mad cow, herpes, staphylococcus, vector, contagious, anthrax, disease, host, microbe, bacterium, common cold,
CDC, escherichia coli, epidemic, virus, polio, malaria, flesh eating, HIV, AIDS, infectious, protozoan, cholera, ascaris lumbricoides, vaccine, fungi, yeast infection,
ebola, airborne, sneeze, mosquito, West Nile, marburg, influenza, swine flu, and quarantine
In addition, the teacher should prepare the basket for assigning the research topics. The following pathogens are suggested:
Bacillus anthracis
Candida albicans
Coccidioidesimmitis
Escherichacoli
Herpes simplex
HIV
Naegleriafowleri
Plasmodiummalariae
Poliovirus
Rubella
Streptococcus pyogenes
Trichophyton rubrum
Vibrio cholera
Yersiniapestis
Zaire ebolavirus
Further Recommendations:
The teacher should become familiar with the pathogens and diseases they cause that will be assigned to students in advance of teaching this lesson. An answer key
has been attached with sample worksheets for each of the pathogens listed in the Special Material section. The teacher may select different pathogens, but be aware
that this may affect the scavenger hunt. Adjust the scavenger hunt worksheet as needed.
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: MEGAN PRATT
Name of Author/Source: MEGAN PRATT
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Broward
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
SC.912.L.14.6:
Description
Explain the significance of genetic factors, environmental factors, and pathogenic agents to health from the
perspectives of both individual and public health.
page 4 of 4