I wonder what Malaria is...

Lesson Overview:

The students will look more closely at the concept of a global society. Students will be given a mini history lesson about malaria which is spread by mosquitos. They will use their new knowledge to explain how diseases are able to travel around the world. Students will also compare how diseases spread in the early 1900's compared to how they are spread today and why that is dangerous.

Objectives:

1. review the concept of a global society
2. demonstrate an understanding of this concept and how it effects them by using outside resources (parents, community, internet)
3. learn about Malaria and other illnesses contracted from insects

Subject Area Focus:  science & social studies

Materials:

• journals
• quizzes (can be printed from below or copied into journals)

Procedure:

1. The teacher will revisit yesterdays' discussion about a global economy with students by looking over their maps from home.
2. Maps could be posted if desired.
3. Teacher should introduce the day's topic:
   -Being members of a global society allows us access to technology and materials that would otherwise be unavailable to us.
   - It also helps us to look at the problems of the world as belonging to all people.
   - One of these problems is the disease called malaria.
4. As a class create a list of all of things you know about malaria.
5. Teacher should ask:
   -Do you know of any other diseases carried by insects?
6. Teacher will pass out the quiz below and have students work in partners to defend and debate their responses.
7. At the end of the day the teacher should remind students to ask their parents to tell them all they know about malaria and other insect carried diseases. Some students could encounter adults who have suffered from Malaria and may get some interesting stories to share with the class.
   
   
   How much do you know about insects that carry disease? Take this survey to find out.
   
   Mark each statement as true or false.

1. Malaria is a disease that you can catch from any mosquito.
   
2. Yellow fever is caused by ticks and mosquitoes.
   
3. Over a million people have malaria at this time.
   
4. Kissing bugs in South and Central America carry Chagas disease.
   
5. Rats can carry malaria.
   
6. Mosquitoes can also carry the AIDS virus.
   
7. Sleeping sickness is a disease caused by mosquitoes.
   
8. There are vaccines you can get to help prevent the contraction of many diseases, including malaria and sleeping sickness.
   
9. There is a cure for malaria, but it is very expensive and not available to everyone.
   
10. Plagues in the middle ages were carried by rats.
    
11. Malaria is highly contagious.
    
12. Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain fever are caused by the bite of a tick.

Bonus Question

What great advances helped ensure that people in this country did not contract malaria, yellow fever?

Hint: The first was widely put in use in the 1920's and 30's

Answers to survey questions:

1. False. Only female mosquitoes carry diseases. Although male mosquitoes bite other organisms, only the female mosquito uses blood to nourish her eggs.
2. False. Yellow fever is caused by mosquitoes, but not by ticks.
3. True.
4. True.
5. False. Malaria is carried by mosquitoes, not rats.
6. False
7. False. Sleeping sickness is a disease prevalent in tropical Africa and is contracted from Tse-tse flies
8. True. While there may not be cures there are often preventative steps that can be taken to reduce risks.
9. False. There is no known cure for Malaria.
10. False. Rats do not give people the Plague. It was transmitted by fleas living on the rats.
11. False. You can not get Malaria from some one who has it.
12. True.

Bonus Question: In the 1920's and 30's Americans began to put screens on their windows. These screens kept bugs outside. With the addition of air conditioning, people stayed inside and were safe from hungry mosquitoes.