Lesson Plans Grades 4 to 8
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Lesson Plan #15: What is a Respiratory Infection?
Learning Objectives
- Students will...
- define ‘respiratory infection’
- identify the symptoms of respiratory infections
- identify the consequences of respiratory infections
- identify how germs are spread
- identify ways to reduce the risk of spreading a respiratory infection
Materials
- Blackboard/chart paper
- "Don't Hand Those Germs To Me!" Picture (1 page, 164 KB)
- "Hand Cleaning Game Cards" (1 page, 160 KB)
Key Messages
- A respiratory infection is defined as an illness commonly caused by germs (bacteria or viruses).
- The symptoms of a respiratory infection include: coughing, sneezing, runny nose, headache, chills, fatigue, fever, and/or sore muscles.
- Respiratory infections have consequences: they can lead to other illnesses such as a sore throat, ear infection, sinus infection, tonsillitis and pneumonia, or they may exacerbate existing health conditions such as asthma. In addition, being sick may result in absenteeism of students and potential for academic losses.
- These infections can be spread by direct contact (large droplets or airborne particles from a cough or a sneeze), or indirect contact (contaminated objects or surfaces such as doorknobs, handrails and keyboards).
- To reduce the risk of spreading infection, use proper handwashing techniques, hand sanitizers, cough or sneeze into a tissue or into your upper arm, not into your hands, and keep your hands away from your face.
Key Words
| Respiratory infection Illness Bacteria Virus Symptoms |
Cough Sneeze Germs Runny nose Complication |
Infection Transmission Direct contact Indirect contact |
Method
- Give the students the definition of respiratory infection as above.
- Discuss what the definition of a respiratory infection means to them.
- In groups of 4 or 5, have students create and perform role-plays on each of the
following topics:
- Symptoms of a respiratory infection.
- Consequences of getting a respiratory infection.
- How respiratory infections are spread.
- Ways to reduce the risk of spreading respiratory infections.
- Discuss student observations of role-plays (ensure key messages are included in the discussion).
- Write down the key messages from these role-plays.
Activity
Class Discussion and Chart
- Have students reflect on current personal hand cleaning practices, then
ask the question: "With regard to reducing the risk of respiratory infections"...
- What should I stop doing?
- What should I continue doing?
- What should I start doing?
- May record responses using the following chart format:
| Stop | Continue | Start |
Hand Cleaning Game
- Review the picture ‘Don’t Hand Those Germs To Me!’ with the students.
- Using the sheet ‘Hand Cleaning Game Cards’, photocopy these pictures, cut out, and create cards for the students. For each class, it is suggested that the teacher create three ‘germ cards’, two ‘handwashing cards’, two ‘hand sanitizer cards’ and numerous ‘blank cards’.
- Randomly hand one card, face down, to each student. Students are not to look at their cards until directed to do so.
- Ask students to shake hands with two other students in the class, and to remember the people they shook hands with.
- Have students return to their places and turn over their cards.
- Ask the students with ‘germ cards’ to stand up. Explain that for this game, these students are the ones who have germs and could be sick.
- Ask any student(s) who shook hands with the students with the ‘germs cards’ to stand up. Explain that these people could get sick too, since they shook hands with someone who had germs.
- Next, have the students with the ‘handwashing cards’, followed by those with the ‘hand sanitizer cards’ sit down.
- Explain how each of these methods (handwashing and using hand sanitizer), is a good way of preventing the spread of germs from one person to another.
- Point out the connection between good hand cleaning practices and the number of children who were not affected by the germs.
- Explain that having a ‘blank card’ means you did not use any of the good hand cleaning practices, and you could get sick from the germs.
Variation on Hand Cleaning Game
- Review the picture ‘Don’t Hand Those Germs To Me!’ with the students.
- Using the sheet ‘Hand Cleaning Game Cards’, photocopy these pictures, cut out and create cards for the students. For each class, it is suggested that the teacher create three ‘germ cards’, two ‘handwashing cards’, two ‘hand sanitizer cards’ and numerous ‘blank cards’.
- Choose 10 students to come in front of the class to participate in the game; the others are to be observers.
- Ask the students at the front of the class to shake hands with two other students from amongst that group of 10 and to remember the people they shook hands with. They should then sit down in the front of the class.
- Within this group of 10, randomly hand a ‘germ card’ to three students and a ‘blank card’ to the remaining seven students.
- Have the students who have received a ‘germ card’ stand up. Explain that for this game, these are the ones who have germs and may be sick.
- Explain that having a ‘blank card’ means you did not use any of the good hand cleaning practices and you could get sick from the germs.
- Then ask that any student(s) in the group of 10 who shook hands with the students with the ‘germ card’ to stand up. Explain that these people could get sick too, since they shook hands with someone who had germs.
- Ask those students in the group of 10 who have not stood up to do so if they shook hands with anyone in their group now identified as possibly having germs. Continue this process until all potential ‘germ carriers’ have been identified.
- Ask students what measures they are aware of that could reduce the spread of germs (handwashing, hand sanitizers, using a tissue, coughing/ sneezing into your upper arm instead of your hands, keeping your hands away from your face), and discuss each measure.
- Have students guess how many people out of 10 would end up as ‘germ carriers’ if just ONE person washed their hands, and repeat the game, using three ‘germ cards’, one ‘handwashing card’ and six ‘blank cards’.
- Were the students’ guesses accurate?
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