lesson5

AIDS: Common Threads of Understanding

Lesson 5: Needles and Thimbles: Transmission and Prevention

Grade Level: 9

Subjects: Health, Science, Social Studies

Learner Outcomes:

Students will demonstrate how HIV can spread to large numbers of people with little contact.
Students will be able to disseminate HIV/AIDS information to the general high school population.
Students will demonstrate the spread of HIV in a simulated body fluid.
Students will discuss the transmission of HIV and methods of prevention.
Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid health information.
Students will demonstrate proficiency in locating and using web sites.
Students will comprehend concepts related to disease prevention.

Duration of Lessons:

Assignment #1: 1-50 minute class period
Assignment #2: 4-50 minute class periods

Materials:

Beakers or small jars containing water
Medicine droppers
Safety goggles
Small amount of liquid Drano or liquid Plumber (can use 1.0 M NaOH solution if a science teacher is available to mix the solution)
Dropper bottle of phenolphthalein

Technology Tools/Courseware:

Computer lab access
Internet access
List of appropriate web sites (see references)
Printer
Discs (if needed)
Word Processing Program
Graphing software
Graphics program

Teacher Notes:

Be certain each student has signed and understands the Acceptable Use Policy for the school.
Be sure to reserve the computer lab for 2-3 days.
Check to see that the lab has Internet access to all computers.
Since access to certain Internet sites may not be available, it is advisable to have more than one site listed for students
Review the county/school policy on AIDS Education.
Safety goggles are mandatory for the transmission activity, and students must be careful to avoid contact with the solution. Water can be used to wash spills.

Procedures:

Assignment #1:

Day 1

Before students enter the room, the teacher will spread glitter on his/her hands. At least two colors of glitter should be used, but only one color should be used at a time. One color can represent blood-to-blood infection, and another can represent sexual infection. As students enter the room, the teacher will shake the hands of all but three students. These three will be the only ones told not to shake hands with other students. All other students will shake hands with at least two people. After students take their seats, ask them to look at their hands to determine what color(s) glitter has been transferred to their hands. Explain to them what the glitter represents. Those students with no glitter did not engage in any risky behaviors. This can lead to a discussion of modes of transmission, risky behaviors, and being HIV Positive Asymptomatic.

This activity is done to demonstrate further how cavalier people are about the exchange of fluids, bodily or not. Each student needs a test tube about half-filled with a clear, colorless liquid (all test tubes should contain water except for one which will contain the liquid Drano or liquid Plumber). Distribute medicine droppers, one per student. Instruct students to exchange the fluid in their test tube with at least 5 other students (the number of exchanges is arbitrary). After all exchanges are complete, have students sit down with a piece of paper and write down all the information they can about each person with whom they exchanged fluid. As students are writing information, go around the room and carefully drop 1 to 2 drops of phenolphthalein into each test tube (Phenolphthalein is an indicator that will turn pink in the presence of anything alkaline and liquid Drano and liquid Plumber are alkaline). Have students discuss why some of the test tube solutions turned from colorless to pink-are there different shades of pink? What might this indicate? Application: Students should be able to draw the analogy of their classroom exchange of fluid to what happens in unprotected sex. How much information did they find out about the persons with whom they exchanged fluid? Since this is in a non-threatening situation, it should be easy to ask each other questions. This is particularly effective if the students do not know each other well. How does this activity help students understand the need to know the people with whom they are being intimate? Just because you know some information about someone, you don't know how his or her sexual history may affect you. You might have students design a "web" showing how the interactions are interwoven within the classroom. This will serve as an excellent discussion starting mechanism for students to understand the need for communication as well as abstinence.

Students are to go to complete a specific set of questions by investing sites online in the time remaining.

Day 2-4

Using a word processing program, a graphing program, and a graphics program, students will research the transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS. Research will include methods of transmission and prevention for each of the methods of transmission. Incidental transmission should be included. Students will also find statistics about methods of transmission related to age groups, gender, and ethnicity. Using the word processing program, students will write a 500-600 paper, and using a graphing program, statistics must be presented in graph form. Using a graphics program. Students will create one of the following: a cover for a CD album, a movie poster, the front page of a newspaper, a Power Point presentation, or compose a dialog between a parent and a teenager who is telling the parent that the teenager is HIV positive.

Day 5

Placed in groups of four, students will make presentations of their projects.

Modifications:

IEP modifications should be considered in all assignments.
Cooperative grouping for peer tutoring
Assigned roles within groups

Evaluation/Assessment:

The web site questions for Day 1 will be assigned a point value by the teacher.
The research project should be evaluated with the following rubric.

Be sure you have:	Possible Points	Your Points
Research Project	Total of 400 points
Focused on Topic	55
Organization of Ideas	55
Spelling	20
Punctuation	20
Capitalization	20
Content: All points covered	150
Length: 500-600 words	50
Double spaced	10
Had a classmate read and comment (classmate assigns points)	20
Visual Aid	total of 100 points
Originality	30
Complete	30
Conveys information	40

Total Project Points	500

Enrichment Activities:

Students could volunteer at a hospice.
Students could prepare a middle school presentation. It could include a Power Point presentation, games, etc.

State and National Standards:

National Health Standards:

Knows how to maintain and promote personal health
Knows essential concepts about the prevention and control of disease
Demonstrates the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and reduce health risks

National Science Standards:

Content Standard F: Develop an understanding of personal and community health

National Social Studies Standards:

1. Understands that group and cultural influences contribute to human development, identity, and behavior

WV Health IGOs: HE.3, HE.5, HE.22, HE.23, HE.28, HE.31, HE.33, HE.40, HE.59, HE.61, HE.62, HE.63
WV Science IGOs: 9.1, 9.2, 9.25, 9.26, 9.93, 9.95, 9.98, 9.99, 9.101, 9.102, 9.104
WV Social Studies IGOs: 9.45, 9.35, 9.51, 9.52, 9.54

Job/Career Clusters:

Health
Human Services

References:

Authors:
Cheryl Conaway
Dr. Krystal Curtis
Mary A. Kuretz

Attachment for Assignment #1:

A Thread in the Seam

1. Go to AVERT and click on "HIV and AIDS Quiz." Take the quiz on general information and record your answers below.
    a.                                b.                                c.                                d.
    e.                                f.                                g.                                h.
    i.                                 j.

2. Now go to HITSQUAD and answer the following questions from the "HIV/AIDS Classroom."
a. What are the HIV infectable fluids?

b. What are their ports of entry?

c. What is an opportunistic infection?

d. Click on "antibody testing" and explain the "window period."

e. When does a person become infectious?

Assignment for Days 2-5:

Patching It All Together

    Using a word processing program, a graphing program, and a graphics program, you are to complete the following assignment in three days. Research the following HIV/AIDS information: methods of transmission of HIV and prevention for each of the methods of transmission, incidental transmission should be included. Find statistics about methods of transmission related to age groups, gender, locale, and ethnicity. Write a 500-600-word paper on what you have found. Create graphs that include the statistical information, Using what you have discovered, create one of the following: a cover for a CD
album, a movie poster, the front page of a newspaper, a Power Point presentation, or compose a dialog between a parent and a teenager who is telling the parent that the teenager is HIV positive. Oral presentation of projects will be done on the fourth day.
    You may use any of the following sites or find other sites:
      AIDS101
       C enters for Disease Control
        WebMDHealth
      AVERT
        Aegis
      Hit Squad