Lesson Plans K to Grade 3
::
Lesson Plan #13: Germs are Spread Easily
Learning Objectives
- Students will recognize that germs can be spread easily.
- Students will explain the importance of cleanliness to their own health.
Materials
- Spray bottle filled with clean water
- 'Don’t Hand Those Germs To Me!' Picture (1 page, 164 KB)
- Hand Cleaning Game Cards (1 page, 160 KB)
Key Messages
- Germs are everywhere.
- Germs are so small that you cannot see them.
- Germs can make you sick.
- Germs can spread from one person to another through coughing and sneezing.
- Germs can live on objects and surfaces.
- Germs can hitch a ride from an object or surface to your hands, then to your mouth, eyes, nose, cut or scrape, then make you sick!
- You can get rid of germs by cleaning your hands properly.
- Proper handwashing pulls the dirt and germs free from the skin, and washes them down the drain.
- Hand sanitizers kill germs.
Method
- Spray water on each student’s hands using the spray bottle.
- Explain that the water on their hands represents germs which come out of their mouth and nose when they cough and sneeze.
- Now have the students touch an object. Ask them what happens to the object they touched (it becomes damp.)
- Explain that this is what happens when we sneeze into our hands and then touch an object (the germs on our hands get on the object).
- Discuss what might happen if one of their friends touches the object while it is moist (they might pick up the germs).
- It is important to explain that if these germs spread from hands to eyes, nose, mouth, or food going into mouth, then we can get sick.
Students will:
- State what happens to an object when it is sprayed.
- Explain what happens when we sneeze into our hands and touch an object.
- Explain what happens when a friend touches this damp object and then touches their eyes, nose, mouth or food going into mouth.
- Explain what happens to germs on your hands when you clean your hands, by
handwashing and/or using hand sanitizers.
Activity
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. 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 a 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 students 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.
[top]
Adapted with permission from the Salt Lake Valley Health Department.
