1. Introduction to Micro-organisms (Five lessons)
Day1
: Students will complete a "K-W-L" graphic organizer of what they know about germs/micro-organisms, what they want to know about micro-organisms, and what they learned about micro-organisms. (See Figure B in appendix)
Note: The last column will remain blank the first day and as students read and discover more about micro-organisms, they will revisit this graphic organizer to add new knowledge.
Day 2: Students will work in teams of four to research micro-organisms and categorize them into four categories: bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi. They will need to list a minimum of four for each group. Students will make matchbooks for the four new terms introduced for homework.
Day3
: Students will label by putting and X on the part of the body they believe has the most micro-organisms. Students will research to discover where they would find micro-organisms in and on our bodies and which of these micro-organisms are hurtful to us, we call these pathogens, and which are helpful to us. They will answer the question: Why do micro-organisms live in and on us? (See Figure D)
Day 4
: Students will report their findings on chart paper, illustrations included.
Day 5
: Students will present their reports to the rest of the class. Students will be assessed on their presentations using a three point rubric guide showing content, creativity, and presentation skills.
2. Why Should I Brush and Floss My Teeth?
- Students view a video on the proper way to brush and floss provided by Colgate Oral and Health Resource Center
- The school nurse will come to talk to students and demonstrate proper oral care. She will provide students with toothbrushes and floss
- Students will write in their notebooks the proper procedure of brushing and flossing, how often to do it, the duration, and how often to visit their dentist
- Students will be taught that bacteria that live in our mouths feed off the sugars and starches that we eat and it is their waste products that are acidic leading to tooth decay. They will learn that diet plays a key role in the health of their teeth and gums. They will complete a chart listing foods that are good for teeth and foods that are not.
- Students will be given a study guide for proper dental hygiene in which they will be assessed.
3. Why Do I Need to Bathe?
- Students will be given a hygiene worksheet created by the teacher to ask how often they think they should bathe, shower, wash their hair, and wash their hands. (See Figure C)
- Students will be given a myth and fact worksheet provided by the teacher to compare their results. They will be surprised that less bathing is better, but do wash hands often for twenty seconds paying attention to all the nooks and crannies on their hands and under their nails.
- Use soap and water rather than using antibacterial soaps which can result in dryness of the skin and setting themselves up for killing the "good" bacteria needed to keep skin moisturized and protected from pathenogenic bacteria. Being too clean is not healthy.
- Make sure the clothes you put on are clean and that the bed linens, towels and wash cloths are clean.
- Do use deodorant and mouthwash. Air-dry shoes at night.
4. What does my diet look like?
- Students will keep a journal of all the foods they ate for one week
- Students will come together in a thin-pair-share activity where they will share with another student the amount of variety of foods they ate that week by filling out the form found in the Appendix (Figure E)
5. Ongoing lessons on converting metric units which will be done daily for the "Do Now" part of every lesson.
(See Figure F)
- Students will be given a strip of paper (6 x 42 centimeters)
- Divide the strip into seven parts (42÷7=6 centimeters)
- At the top of each box going across, they will write the words: Kings Have Diamonds But Diamonds Cost More Money Now
- Under each first letter of every word going vertically, students will write the prefixes: kilo, hecto-, deka-, base, deci-, centi-, milli-, micro-, nano-
- In each of the boxes students will write the number of what the prefix represents: 1,000; 100; 10; 1; 1/10 and 0.1; 1/100 and 0.01; 1/1,000 and 0.001; 1/1,000,000 and 0.000001 (10
-6
); 1/1,000,000,000 and 0.000000001 (10
-9
)
Students will glue the metric strip into their interactive notebooks and use it daily as the teacher puts various problems on the board.
Example:
40 meters = ____ centimeters.
For students to understand the abstract thought of such a tiny particle, they will research how small a nanometer is, for instance a strand of human hair's diameter is 80,000 to 100,000 nanometers wide.