Managing Diabetes Lesson Plan: The Diabetic Dog Game

Submitted by: Andrew

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

In this diabetic dog lesson plan about managing diabetes, which is adaptable for grades 3-12, students use BrainPOP resources to identify the elements a diabetic person (or in this game, a dog!) needs to balance for healthy living. Students will identify the causes and effects of living with diabetes, and create an artistic expression of the “juggling act” a person with type 2 diabetes has to perform for healthy living. This game is brought to us from NobelPrize.org

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments

Students will:

  1. Identify the elements a diabetic needs to balance for healthy living.
  2. Create an artistic expression of the "juggling act" a person with type 2 diabetes has to perform for healthy living.
  3. Identify the causes and effects of living with diabetes.

Materials:

  • Video and overhead projector
  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Computers to play The Diabetic Dog Game (either individually or in small groups)

Vocabulary:

diabetes, insulin, glucose, blood, pancreas

Preparation:

Preview The Diabetic Dog Game to plan for how you'd like to incorporate it into your instruction. Through the game, students will learn to care for a dog who has diabetes. Their mission is to take care of the dog and try to avoid letting him/her reach too high or too low levels of blood sugar. The more successful they are, the more money they will get and use to buy food and upgrade the dog's food bowl or doghouse. More background information about the game and additional lesson ideas can be found on the NobelPrize.org website.

You may choose to create "game play" groups for students. This will make a smoother transition from viewing to playing the game. Also, depending on the time allocated to this lesson, you may want to copy the downloadable resource (below) of Moby juggling. Otherwise students can create artwork from scratch.

Lesson Procedure:

  1. View BrainPOP's Diabetes video.
  2. Affirm understandings and explain the goal of the lesson. "Today we are going to play a game to further understand the juggling act that people with diabetes need to perform to take care of themselves. Then we will make artwork representing that juggling act."
  3. Students play The Diabetic Dog Game. After play, the teacher leads a conversation beginning with the question, "What were some things you needed to do when you were taking care of the diabetic dog? How is that similar to the way humans with diabetes need to take care of themselves?"
  4. The teacher may want to provide time for students to continue researching diabetes using BrainPOP's Diabetes Related Reading.
  5. Have students create the artwork of a juggler. Each ball in the air will have one of the things a diabetic person juggles to maintain a healthy lifestyle written and/or illustrated inside of it. (Teachers can choose to use the downloadable resource below or allow students to draw original artwork).

Extension Activities:

Be sure to check out the other Health Games featured in GameUp!

Downloadable Resources:

Moby Juggling Graphic Organizer

Related:

    Filed as:  3-5, 6-8, 9-12, Blood Glucose Meter, Body Systems, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.7