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Whether you're a football fanatic or a pigskin novice, you can make the most of the upcoming Super Bowl frenzy. Get the attention of every boy -- and girl -- in your classroom with these terrific football-themed lessons.
Social studies/art -- design a ticket. Show your students a sample ticket to The Super Bowl. Talk about how this ticket reflects the location of the game in 1980 -- Southern California (Pasadena). Challenge students to use books and/or the Internet to learn more about this year's location; they should use what they learn to design a ticket that reflects the location. Or create a ticket that would represent your city/state if the Super Bowl was to come to town.
Geography -- plot Super Bowl cities. As a geography activity, have students locate and mark on a map all of the Super Bowl locations from Super Bowl History. Students can use this map of the U.S. to plot the locations of the cities. Have some cities hosted more than one Super Bowl game? As an extension activity, you might have students plot the locations of the winning teams for each Super Bowl. Students will be able to use these maps to visually identify the cities/teams that have won multiple games.
Math -- planning a Super Bowl trip. Tickets for the Super Bowl are hard to come by, but if you have big bucks you can still get them through one of the ticket resellers such as Stub Hub or TicketMaster. Challenge students to find the best game ticket available and then use travel Web sites to plan their trip to this year's Super Bowl. They will need to book a round-trip airline fare and two nights in a hotel. Which students will use their searching and math skills to find the best deal for what will be a very expensive trip?
Language arts -- identifying team names and logos. Send your students on a hunt to identify the logos of the pro football teams! Display the National Football League Team Logos. Challenge students to use color, mascot images, and other clues to match each logo to a team name. Have the students make as many matches as they can identify and then use search engines or the NFL Web site to track down the identity of the logos they do not know. Increase the level of difficulty in this activity by having students name the quarterback of each team, or make it more "educational" by having them name three facts about each of the home cities of the football teams.
Geography -- identifying team locations. Have students place the National Football League team logos on a large U.S. map. (Alternate idea: Have students paste them on this U.S. Outline Map.) The resulting map should look something like this map. As an extension activity, you might arrange students into small groups; let each group take the ball and run with it by reapportioning the NFL conferences. When they have completed that task, instruct them to subdivide the teams as equitably as possible into six regional conferences of their choice and to be prepared to explain their rationale.
Use this "Super Bowl" bulletin board idea to improve student performance in a variety of ways.
Math -- graph Super Bowl teams. Your students can turn this list of Super Bowl Winners into a graph that shows each team and how many times it has won. (Students might use the free online Create a Graph tool to build their graphs.) You can simplify this activity by having them graph only the teams that have won on more than one occasion. To expand this activity, have your students also graph the number of losses each team has had, or the number of losses of the teams that have been defeated more than once. A comparison of the graphs will reveal some connections. Using the two graphs, your students can identify the teams that have had the most Super Bowl appearances and even graph that information. It's graphing upon graphing from the gridiron.
Language arts - media literacy. Each year, the Super Bowl game gets almost as much press attention for its TV commercials as for the game results. Advertisers pay millions of dollars for the opportunity to advertise on the Super Bowl game because they know they will have a captive audience of millions of viewers. Over time, some very memorable ads have appeared on the Super Bowl. Preview and choose a handful of the most popular Super Bowl ads of all time to share with students. [Warning: Carefully select ads examples; some banned ads also appear on this site.] Have students vote for their favorites and explain why they made their selections. You might have students write a paragraph in which they support their choice. In addition, it might be fun to discuss which commericial made the "most effective" use of its advertising time; in other words, which advertiser got its money's worth?
"Souper Bowl"
Community
Service Project
Each year, the Souper Bowl of Caring involves students as they collect millions of pounds of food to benefit local organizations. Dont miss this opportunity for your school to connect with the community during Super Bowl week. Read more in this Education World article: Souper Bowl Connects Kids to Their Communities.
Language arts -- the best play of all time. While your non-football fans are doing one of the above activities, you might set your hardcore football fanatics off in a different direction. The Fox Sports broadcast team has identified five "Signature Moments in Super Bowl History":
SuperBowl XI: Willie Brown returns interception 75 yards for TD to clinch Raiders' win
SB XVIII: Marcus Allen reverses field for 74-yard TD run against Redskins in SB XVIII
SB III: "Broadway" Joe Namath runs off the field pointing finger to sky after making his "guarantee" of victory come true
SB XXIII: Before directing Super Bowl-winning drive, Joe Montana informs teammates in huddle to check out John Candy in stands
(tie) Lynn Swann's bobbling catch and sideline catch in Super Bowl X, and his catch in back of end zone in Super Bowl XIII
Students can view those moments on the NFL Web site. Go to Top Ten Super Bowl Plays. Once students have reviewed the signature moments, have them write a brief essay that tells which of the five plays they choose as the "best of all." In their essays, they must provide a solid explanation/support of their choice.
Math -- creating a chart. How do the two teams in this year's Super Bowl look on paper? Review the rosters of the two teams on the NFL Teams Web page. Students might work in groups to determine what can be learned about a team from its roster. Some possible questions might include.
How many quarterbacks are on the team?
Which player weighs the most?
Which player weighs the least?
Who is the tallest player?
Who is the shortest player?
Who has the most experience? (0 indicates a "rookie" player)
How many rookies are on the team?
Who is the oldest player on the team?
What is the average age of players on the team?
How many injured players are on the team?
Who is the kicker on the team?
Who punts for the team?
Once students have determined their questions, they will want to create a chart that compares the answers to those questions for each of the competing teams. Is how a team "looks on paper" an indicator of just how good they will be on the field?
Language arts -- alphabetical order. Looking for an interesting way for your students to practice their alphabetizing skills? The Pro Football Hall of Fame can help! Click the Hall of Famers tab and provide a list of players for students to alphabetize by last name. You might extend the activity by asking students to research a few of the players on the list and to provide three facts they learned about each player.
History -- Super Bowl trivia. Your students can match wits with the computer and exercise their searching skills when they take on these Super Bowl trivia quizzes:
Super Bowl Trivia Quiz 1
Super Bowl Trivia Quiz 2
You might even challenge students to create their own trivia quiz based on this year's game or on Super Bowl history.
Language arts -- using a football glossary. In Championship Game Headlines, students help restaurant review writer Peter Pickieater find the right football terms to use in his article on the conference championship games with the aid of an online football glossary.
ANSWERS:
Atlanta Falcons Defeat Minnesota Vikings in NFC Championship Game: Quarterback, field goal, goalpost, touchdown, turnover, Astroturf, coach, special teams
Denver Broncos Going to the (Super Bowl): Super Bowl, home field advantage, rushed, sack, line of scrimmage, blitz, bomb, end zone
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Article by Cara Bafile, Gary Hopkins
Education World®
Copyright © 2010 Education World
Last updated 1/08/2015
Brief Description
In this lesson, students explore the Braille alphabet and the contributions Louis Braille made to society.
Objectives
Students learn about Louis Braille and the Braille alphabet and explore some of the challenges people with impaired vision might face.
Keywords
Louis Braille, Braille alphabet, blindness, disabilities, senses
Materials Needed
computers with Internet access, Braille History, overhead projector or chalkboard, small paper bags, alphabet blocks, alphabet ink stamps, The Braille Alphabet, paper punch, construction paper, glue sticks, index cards, student journals
Lesson Plan
Begin by sharing a bit of background information on Louis Braille at the Braille History site. Discuss with students what having impaired vision might be like. Record students' thoughts on an overhead projector or a chalkboard.
Distribute a few alphabet blocks in a bag, and ask students to identify each letter by feeling it. Discuss the results. Was the method successful? Why or why not?
Place several alphabet ink stamps that spell a word into small bags. Arrange students into groups, and give each group a bag. Have students reach into the bag, feel the stamps, record the letters they feel, and determine the word. When everyone has had a turn, take the stamps out so students can see whether their sense of touch provided the correct answers. Discuss the results. Was the method successful? Why or why not?
Invite students to study The Braille Alphabet. Print a copy of the alphabet for each student. Have each student punch dots from construction paper and glue them to an index card to create a Braille version of his or her name. Place the cards in a box, and ask students to take turns pulling one out and "reading" the name.
After students have completed the activities, ask them to record their experiences in their journals. Encourage them to include their thoughts about both their frustrations and their successes.
Encourage students to share the activities with their parents or other family members.
Assessment
Evaluate students by observing the activities and discussions, reading their journal entries, and getting feedback from parents.
Lesson Plan Source
VaReane Heese, (vheese@spring.esu3.k12.ne.us) Springfield Elementary School, Springfield, Nebraska
[ SUBMIT YOUR LESSON PLAN ]
01/14/2015
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Science
Health
Grade
5-12
Brief Description
Students learn about epidemics and pandemics, as well as vaccines and other precautions that can help prevent infections such as influenza.
Objectives
Students will:
Explore epidemics and pandemics
View the modern influenza virus in historical context
Describe how vaccines work
Identify actions that can help prevent the spread of infection
Keywords
Flu, influenza, bacteria, virus, infection, disease, vaccine, immune, epidemic, pandemic, Black Death, smallpox, AIDS
Materials Needed
Computer(s) with Internet access, if desired
Paper and pencils (if teachers want Student Understanding questions completed in written form, rather than orally)
Lesson Plan
At certain points in history, many people have become infected with a particular illness. For example, the Black Death ravaged Europe from the year 1347 to the early 1350s, killing almost one-third of the continent’s population.
When a large number of people become seriously ill due to the same bacteria or virus, it is called an epidemic—or, if the disease spreads globally, a pandemic. Help students put modern influenza outbreaks into perspective by comparing them with other epidemics and pandemics. Then, discuss how vaccines and other precautions work to reduce the likelihood of illness.
Begin with some basic terms and explanation:
1. Bacteria and viruses
Bacteria are microscopic one-celled organisms. Thousands of types of bacteria live almost everywhere. Bacteria can reproduce themselves (multiply). Some bacteria are helpful, while others can make us sick.Viruses, another major cause of illness, are smaller than bacteria and may have a spiny outside layer. Viruses can’t reproduce on their own, so they infect cells and take them over in order to multiply.
Here is a basic exploration of the concepts of bacteria and viruses. Older students can check out a detailed example using this image of the flu virus.
Check Student Understanding:
What are bacteria?
What are viruses?
What are some differences between bacteria and viruses?
Describe some of the flu virus’ internal structures.
2. Epidemic vs. pandemic
While disease has affected humans since the beginning of time, it wasn’t until people began gathering in larger populations that infections began to reach epidemic levels. An epidemic happens when an infection (caused by a bacteria or virus) affects a large number of people within a given population, such as a city or geographic area. If it affects even greater numbers and a wider area, these outbreaks become pandemics.
The video below discusses how pandemics spread:
Older students can read more detailed information on pandemics, including what causes pandemics, the stages by which pandemics develop and a list of pandemics throughout history.
Here are some notable ones:
1300s - The Black Death
Brought to Europe from the Far East via infected fleas that were riding on the backs of ship rats, the Black Death (also known as the Bubonic Plague) would go on to wipe out over 20 million people. That figure represents one-third of the population. Fear gripped the continent as people began falling victim to the disease in increasing numbers. People did not understand how the disease was spread or how to treat it. To make matters worse, the gruesome nature of the illness added to the hysteria—the infected displayed the disease’s trademark black boils, which oozed blood and pus.
Symptoms: Chills, fever, vomiting, aches and pains, along with hard, painful, burning lumps on the body that turn black, split open and ooze pus and blood.Caused by: Yersinia pestis bacteriaDoes it still exist? There are 1,000 to 3,000 cases worldwide each year, including 10 to 15 cases in the United States. Due to improved sanitation, the disease is not likely to spread the way it did in the 1300s. The Bubonic Plague is now treatable with antibiotics, and a vaccine is also available.
Ancient time through 1970s – Smallpox
An astounding 300 million deaths were attributed to smallpox outbreaks during the 20th century alone. That figure certainly would have been greater were it not for the revolutionary work of a physician named Edward Jenner. Jenner realized that people who had already contracted cow pox did not contract smallpox. In 1796, he injected cow pox into an eight-year-old boy to test his theory. When the boy was proven to have been successfully inoculated, Jenner had created the world’s first vaccine. After successful vaccination campaigns throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, in 1979 the World Health Organization certified that smallpox had been eliminated.
Also see EducationWorld’s Internet Scavenger Hunt on the smallpox vaccine.
Symptoms: Fever, fatigue, aches and pains, along with red lesions (sores) that become filled with pus, then crust and scab.Caused by: The variola virusDoes it still exist? Due to the success of vaccination campaigns, the disease was wiped out.
1918-1919 – Spanish (Avian) Flu
It may be hard to believe, but the flu killed nearly 40 million people at one point in history. In that 12-month period, more people succumbed to the flu than lost their lives in World War I, leading many to consider it the most devastating pandemics in all of recorded history.
Symptoms: Fever, nausea, aches, diarrhea and sometimes severe pneumonia. Victims show dark spots on the cheeks and turn blue, suffocating as their lungs fill with a frothy, bloody substance.Caused by: A virus in the H1N1 familyDoes it still exist? Different forms of the virus still exist, but scientists are not worried that this particular version will make a comeback.
1980s to today - AIDS (NOTE: This topic recommended for grades 9 and up.)
By the end of 2004, 20 million people had died from HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Aquired Immunodeficiency Virus (AIDS). Nine out of 10 people living with HIV live in the developing world; 60 to 70 percent of those are in Sub-Saharan Africa. But the disease is spreading in every region, including India, China, Russia and the islands of the Caribbean. Since the epidemic began, an estimated 1,129,127 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with AIDS, and an estimated 48,000 Americans become infected with HIV each year.
Symptoms: Possible flulike symptoms at the time of HIV infection, and after 5 to 15 years left untreated (at which point the person develops AIDS), multiple, life-threatening illnesses such as rare cancers, pneumonia, fungal conditions, tuberculosis and other infections.Caused by: Human Immunodeficiency Virus, a retrovirus that attacks the cells of the immune systemDoes it still exist? Due to increased awareness, prevention efforts and treatment options, the U.S. incidence of AIDS is lower than that in some other countries. HIV/AIDS does, however, remain a top public health concern, and the disease is of particular concern on a global scale.
Check Student Understanding:
What’s the difference between an epidemic and a pandemic?
Name a pandemic from history. What caused (causes) it, and what are its symptoms?
What medical knowledge and science do we have now (that we didn’t have at the time when these pandemics began) that can help prevent these serious diseases?
3. The immune system and vaccines
The human immune system uses white blood cells to defend the body from harmful “intruders”—viruses and bacteria, also known as antigens. The white blood cells make antibodies specific to each intruder. The antibodies destroy the intruders or help white blood cells destroy them. Get a basic rundown of the immune system here.
Vaccines, special medicines developed to fight specific bacteria or viruses, help the body produce antibodies to attack dangerous intruders. A vaccine contains a dead or weakened version of an antigen. Because the germ has been killed or weakened before it is used to make the vaccine, it doesn't make the person sick. Instead, the body reacts to the vaccine by making antibodies. Basic information about vaccines appears here.
Using this timeline, older students can explore the history of vaccine development and learn how vaccines were used to eliminate the disease smallpox.
Check Student Understanding:
How does the human immune system work?
Define the following: white blood cells, antigens, antibodies, vaccines
How do vaccines work?
(For older students) How did Dr. Edward Jenner discover the smallpox vaccine? What happened as a result? (Also see EducationWorld’s Internet Scavenger Hunt on the smallpox vaccine.)
4. The flu (influenza)
The flu (influenza) virus has been around a long time and appears in some form every year, although the severity of the outbreak and the particular “strain” (type of virus) varies. In 1918-1919, a severe pandemic killed millions, while in more recent history, the flu has sickened many, but resulted in vastly fewer deaths.
Cover the basics of this infectious virus using this Flu Facts resource and this case study.
Kids may be seeing a lot of scary coverage of the flu in the news. To help put things in perspective, this article compares the 2013 flu epidemic (more severe than the previous year’s) with the 1918 pandemic, while this article downplays some of the “hysteria” about the 2013 flu.
NOTE: Use this lesson plan in future years by accessing information on the current year’s flu from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Fighting the flu
Two ways of fighting the flu include vaccines and health precautions.
In 1945, the first effective flu vaccine was available, although it didn’t work perfectly. Today’s flu vaccines work about 60-70% of the time, meaning that some people who get the vaccine will still get the flu. They may, however, have less severe symptoms than people who didn’t get the vaccine. Since flu viruses can change over time, scientists need to keep working to make new ones, and people need to get a new vaccine every year.
Other health precautions include limiting contact with sick people, hand washing, using hand sanitizer, covering coughs and sneezes and taking antiviral medications.
Older students can access information on both vaccines and health precautions on the CDC site’s 2013 flu information page. In subsequent years, the information can be found on the CDC site.
Use the EducationWorld lesson News for You: Kids Can Lower Their Flu Risk to build media skills and teach about prevention.
Check Student Understanding:
What is the flu?
What causes the flu?
Describe flu symptoms.
How does the flu spread?
How is this year’s flu similar to, or different from, the flu of years past?
How can the flu be prevented?
Assessment
Evaluate students using the 17 “Check Student Understanding” questions that appear throughout this lesson.
Submitted By
Jason Tomaszewski, EducationWorld Associate Editor
National Standards
Science
Grades 5-8NS.5-8.3 Life ScienceNS.5-8.6 Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
Grades 9-12NS.9-12.3 Life ScienceNS.9-12.6 Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
Health
Grades 5-8NPH-H.5-8.1 Health Promotion and Disease PreventionNPH-H.5-8.3 Reducing Health RisksNPH-H.5-8.4 Health Influences
Grades 9-12NPH-H.9-12.1 Health Promotion and Disease PreventionNPH-H.9-12.3 Reducing Health RisksNPH-H.9-12.4 Health Influences
Education World®
Copyright © 2013 Education World
Updated: 12/01/2014
