LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Identify different types of germs and the impact they can have on health; understand how to protect yourself from harmful germs; separate facts from myths about germs.
HEALTH ED STANDARDS
NHES 7: Demonstrate practices and behaviors to support health and well-being of self and others.
CASEL: Self-management, responsible decision-making
KEY VOCAB
contaminate
vigorously
immune system
Lesson Plan: The Dirt on Germs
Your world is crawling with trillions of germs. They’re not all bad for you, but you should try to avoid the nasty ones. Here’s how.
PREPARING TO READ
Before you read the article “The Dirt on Germs,” ask your students the following pre-reading questions:
What are germs, and how can you protect yourself from the bad ones?
READING AND DISCUSSION
After they’ve read the article, revisit the pre-reading questions. Have their answers changed?
BUILDING COMPREHENSION
Check students’ comprehension of and engagement with the story with the following assessment tools:
EXPANDING SEL OPPORTUNITIES
Continue the learning journey with the following writing prompt:
In GERMS UP CLOSE, have your class work together to create a list of subtopics addressed in the article, such as “germiest spots,” “bacteria versus viruses,” or “good versus bad bacteria.” Aim for 6-8 subtopics. From there, have students work in small groups to create slide presentations, each examining a different subtopic. Have them start by writing down a few questions they still have about their subtopic. Remind students to use a mix of online research and information from the article to prepare their presentations.
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