Submitted by: Angela Watson

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

In this lesson plan, which is adaptable for grades 3-12, students take part in a hands-on activity to explore the difference between diseases, injuries, and conditions. Students then select a disease, injury, or condition that they or someone they know has been affected by and research prevention and treatment methods. They will use BrainPOP resources as well as other internet  sites to develop research skills as they find, compile, and summarize information about health and raising health awareness. Finally, students will design a way to raise community awareness about their selected disease, injury, or condition, and/or a related foundation or charity.

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments

Students will:

  1. Understand the difference between diseases, injuries, and conditions.
  2. Select a disease, injury, or condition that they or someone they know has been affected by and research prevention and treatment methods.
  3. Use internet research skills to find, compile, and summarize information.
  4. Design a way to raise community awareness about the selected disease, injury, or condition, and/or a related foundation or charity.

Materials:

  • Computers with internet access
  • Diseases, injuries, and condition cards (one for each group of students)
  • Scissors for each group of students (optional)
  • An envelope or small plastic baggie for each group of students (optional)

Preparation:

Preview the movies in BrainPOP's Diseases, Injuries, and Conditions unit of health movies. Either print the page or type a list of the movie titles into a document (preferably within a table/chart so each title is within its own box) and print it out. Then, make a set of photocopies (one for each small group of students or pair of students). You can cut them apart and store each set in an envelope, or leave the sheet as it is and have students cut the cards apart. If there are any conditions you do not want students to learn about, be sure to remove them from the cards.

Lesson Procedure:

  1. Pass out the cards with diseases, injuries, and conditions on them (or the sheet of paper for students to cut apart). Start with an open sort activity by challenging students to work in groups and classify the cards according to any criteria they deem fit. If students don't know what a particular card says, allow them to come up with their own solution. They may want to research it quickly on a mobile device, or create a separate category in their sort for "unknowns."
  2. Talk about the classification criteria each group of students used, and facilitate a discussion around it as you compare and contrast. Familiarize students with any conditions they had not previously heard of. You may want to use this opportunity to demonstrate the type of internet research skills students will need to use when they complete their projects.
  3. Ask students what all of these topics have in common. How are they different?
  4. Present students with a closed sort task next. Ask them to sort the cards into four categories: diseases, injuries, conditions, and tools for management (blood glucose meter, first aid, etc.)
  5. Afterwards, talk with the class about any discrepancies in the way each group sorted the cards. Facilitate a discussion on the difference between diseases, injuries, and conditions. Have students generate a definition for each of these terms and record it on the board for their reference.
  6. Tell students that they will be working collaboratively to research a disease, injury, or condition and complete a project related to their chosen topic. Encourage students to select a topic that they are personally invested in: perhaps something that they or someone they know has been affected by.
  7. All students should research the causes, prevention, and treatment of their selected topic.
  8. Students who select a disease or serious condition should then find a foundation that funds research and/or treatment for the disease or condition. They should use the foundation's website to discover at least one way they can help raise awareness, money, or other support for people who suffer from the disease or serious condition. Students who select an injury or minor/temporary condition should select a method of raising awareness in their school or community by creating a video, commercial, podcast, brochure, etc.
  9. Students should begin their research by watching the related BrainPOP topic and exploring the Related Reading resources. They might also want to view any relevant movies in the Body Systems Unit, Genetics, Growth, and Development Unit, Nutrition Unit, and/or the Personal Health Unit. Afterward, students should use the internet to go more in-depth about specific areas.
  10. Provide time in class for students to present on their selected topic. You may want to invite parents and community members to take part. If possible, take photos and videos of the presentations and send them to the foundations/organizations who support people with the relevant condition. Encourage students to continue raising health awareness in their school and community.
Filed as:  3-5, 6-8, 9-12, ADHD, AIDS, Addiction, Alcohol, Allergies, Anthrax, Antibiotic Resistance