Oct. 17, 2007: Tiny, Mighty Germs

The Mini Page is a syndicated, four-page tabloid written for young children found each Wednesday in the Rocky Mountain News. This issue of The Mini Page is available through the eEdition Archive to registered eEdition subscribers. Click here to learn about subscribing to the eEdition at no cost to you (for Colorado teachers).

Activities:

1. Make a "Take Care of Your Cold" poster. Cut out words and pictures from the newspaper showing things that can make you feel better when you have a cold. Use them to create your poster.

2. Play a newspaper scavenger hunt game with a friend. Give three different colored markers to each player. Then go through the newspaper to find items that protect us from bacteria and viruses. Use a red marker to circle personal products to keep yourself germ-free. Use a blue marker to circle items that you use to keep eating and cooking utensils clean. Use a green marker to circle items that keep countertops and floors clean. Who has the most circles?

3. Look in your newspaper ads to find three different places you could go to get help if you had a bad cold. Why did you choose each place?

4. Is it a bacteria or a virus that (a) is made up of one cell, (b) lives only inside a host, (c) is often called the smallest form of life, (d) can live outside a host, and (e) can be used for good purposes?

5. Use resource books and the Internet to learn about outbreaks of serious diseases such as typhoid or avian flu. Use these questions to guide your research: How does the disease travel from one location to another? How is the disease transmitted between animals and people or between people? What medicines are used to fight the disease in humans? What precautions can be taken to prevent the disease from spreading? How dangerous is the disease? Write a paragraph discussing your findings.

This week's standards:

• Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention (Health: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention)
• Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and reduce health risks. (Health: Reducing Health Risks)
  
  

(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)