Germs & Disease Spread
Students discover the invisible world of germs, learn how diseases spread from person to person, simulate an outbreak, and explore ways to stop germs from spreading.
4
Lessons
4
Class Periods
Low
Materials Cost
3
NGSS Standards
Essential Question
How do germs spread from person to person, and how can we stop them?
Lessons
Key Concepts
Types of Germs
- Bacteria - tiny living things
- Viruses - even tinier, not quite alive
- Some germs help us!
- Some germs make us sick
How Germs Travel
- Contact - touching
- Droplets - coughs and sneezes
- Airborne - floating in air
- Surfaces - doorknobs, desks
Disease Spread
- One person can infect many
- Spreads faster with more contact
- Crowded places = more spread
- Some diseases spread more easily
Prevention
- Handwashing - kills germs
- Covering coughs - traps droplets
- Ventilation - dilutes germs in air
- Masks - blocks droplets
Standards Alignment
| Standard | Description |
|---|---|
| 3-LS2-1 | Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive |
| 3-LS4-2 | Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals affect survival |
| 3.MD.B.3 | Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent data |