[NMScience] Resources for this teachable moment

[Steven Brugge]

There should also be a little perspective on this.  Influenza has been part of our lives and deaths for eons.  I'm at a bit of a loss to understand why this has become a screaming story with the media.  The CDC estimates that, on average, there are 36,000 flu-related deaths in the US EVERY year.  

See:  http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/us_flu-related_deaths.htm

This is also GREAT example of evolution. 

Steve Brügge
8th-Grade Science Teacher
Eisenhower Middle School
http://www.aps.edu/aps/eisenhower/brugge/brugge.html



-----Original Message-----
From: science-bounces at lists.aps.edu on behalf of Ellen Loehman
Sent: Thu 4/30/2009 9:02 PM
To: NMScience
Subject: [NMScience] Resources for this teachable moment
 
UnitedStreaming has: Assignment Discovery - An Inside Look at the Flu
9-12, 24 minutes
Student questions at http://moviesheets.com/site/sheets.php?id=335
(I did not preview it, but it was recommended through another list)

And from another:
While the current affairs regarding the Swine Flu outbreak can lead to fear
and uncertain feelings it also brings an opportunity to study the science
behind viruses,  influenza, and pandemics with our kids. Knowledge and
understanding brings empowerment. So consider taking some time to explore
what a virus is (is it living?), what influenza is (how do we prevent
spreading it?), and what the Swine Flu outbreak is (not yet considered a
pandemic) with your students. Certainly studying the history of pandemics
would bring a deeper level of understanding to the subject for older
students. To begin a unit of study try viewing the following resources.

National Institute Of Environmental Health Sciences Pandemic Page for Kids:
http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/pandemic.htm

Maine CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention):
http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/boh/swine-flu-2009.shtml

Kids' Health - The Flu:
http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/sick/flu.html

Kids' Health - Germs:
http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/germs.html

What the Heck is a Virus?:
http://people.ku.edu/~jbrown/virus.html

The White House
http://www.whitehouse.gov/

Microbe World:
http://www.microbeworld.org/microbes/virus/

News organizations such as NBC,CBS, CNN, NPR, etc are also keeping up to
date info on the Swine Flu outbreak.

A great book that may have some interesting read aloud sections is The Hot
Zone by Richard Preston. This book has some very graphic descriptions of the
Ebola virus that may not be appropriate for younger students. But there is a
section describing the "Hot Zone" of the CDC in Atlanta Georgia that could
lead to some interesting conversations.



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ellen Loehman
loehman at aps.edu

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