Infectious Disease: Evolving Challenges to Human Health
BAM! Poisoned Picnic
 Overview of Activity
A fictitious scenario is posed where students take on the role of epidemiologists who are studying a group of individuals at school who became ill after sampling food at a picnic. They are to determine the cause of the illness and try to prevent future outbreaks.
Activity Type: In Class Group Inquiry Activity
URLs: http://www.bam.gov/teachers/epidemiology_picnic.html
Grade Level: 7-8
Level of Difficulty: Advanced
Amount of Time Required for Activity: Three 40-minute Class Periods
Recommended Uses:
Prior to attending the exhibit, to attending the exhibit, this activity may be used to engage students in thinking about how epidemiologists study outbreaks and outbreak prevention.
After visiting the exhibit, it may be better suited to be used as a culminating activity to engage students in the epidemiological (public health) process of studying vector control and disease prevention.
Description
In this in class activity, students will be working collaboratively to decide on the cause of the spread of an outbreak after a middle school faculty picnic. The class will read together about the outbreak and then proceed to complete a KWL to guide their research process in finding the source of the food poisoning at the faculty picnic. As they are completing the chart in groups, the teacher distributes some informational cards that add to the general storyline they first read. Over the course of the activity, students receive more information in the form of a picnic menu, faculty information cards, and pathology reports. After analyzing all of the data, students proceed to determine the cause of the food poisoning by referencing bacteria information cards that the teacher distributes to them. Students are assessed based on their ability to find a solution through scientific analysis of the information, answering analysis questions, and determining ways to prevent this from occurring in the future.
This activity was developed as a possible culminating activity in a series designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Relation to the Science Standards
Middle School
Content Standard A - Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry
Content Standard C - Regulation and Behavior
Content Standard C - Structure and Function in Living Organisms
Content Standard F - Personal Health
Content Standard F - Risks and Benefits
Content Standard F - Populations, Resources, and Environments
Related Part of the Exhibit
Public Health
Tracing Emerging Infectious Diseases
Additional Related Links
http://www.bam.gov/teachers/activities/epi_6_picnic.pdf
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