DON'T PLAGUE ME!

MASTER TEACHER  Veronica Zunick

GRADES 9-10

OVERVIEW
This multi-day unit on infectious disease uses primary sources to provide students with a perspective on the Black Death, while also providing practice using ratios and proportions.  In this lesson, students will use the internet to locate and analyze historical accounts of the Black Death, or bubonic plague, and use the statistics they find to construct a comparison of death rates during the 1300s with the current local population of their community.  Students will then use the internet to research infectious diseases and create informative pamphlets to present their findings.  The use of video, internet and manipulatives are  intended to address the learning styles of both visual and tactile/kinesthetic-oriented students. 

ITV SERIES
Newscast From the Past:  September 19, 1356

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
*Describe the cause, transmission and treatment of the Bubonic plague in 14th century Florence, Italy
*Interpret statistics relating to population and deaths caused by plague in Florence in the year 1348
*Use manipulatives to construct and solve ratios comparing Florence's population and death rate to the population of the students' community
*Use the internet to research an infectious disease
*Create an informative pamphlet 

MATERIALS
Computers with internet access (preferably one per  2-3 students. 
Bookmark the following internet addresses on each computer: 
Group 1:  (bookmark for use on day 1) 
"Perspectives on Plague"
http://pestilence.uchicago.edu/
"Plague and Public Health in Renaissance Europe"      http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/osheim/

Group 2: (bookmark for use on days 4 and 5)
"Yahoo! Health:  Diseases and Conditions: Infectious Diseases"
http:www.yahoo.com/Health/Diseases_and_Conditions/Infectious_Diseases
"Microbiology, Bugs in the News"        http://falcon.cc.ukans.edu/~jbrown/bugs.html
"Microbiology on the Net"
http://www.qmw.ac.uk/~rhbm001/microbio.html
"Rxtra--Infectious Dz Page"
http://solar.rtd.utk.edu/~esmith/rx_id.html
"All the Virology on the WWW"
http://www.tulane.edu/~dmsander/garryfavweb.html
(If internet access is unavailable at school, information from the needed web pages can be downloaded and printed for classroom use.) 
Overhead projector and screen 
Transparency:   Wordsplash

(Per group of 2-3 students) 
Ziplock bag containing:  160 pennies or other counters (to represent the population of Florence, Italy),  plus  2 pennies for every thousand persons in your city or town
1 large sheet of white paper or posterboard
Pen or pencil
Transparency marker (water soluble)
Highlighter marker
Markers or colored pencils
Handout:  Design a pamphlet
Handout:  A City Reacts
Handout:  Real-life Plague
1 sheet notebook paper
1 sheet graph paper
5  pamphlets on infectious diseases (available from school nurse)

VOCABULARY
epidemic
dramatization
antibiotic 
infectious

PRE-VIEWING ACTIVITIES
(First day)  Divide the class into groups of 3-4.   Provide a piece of notepaper and a pen or pencil to each group.  Project the transparency, "Wordsplash."  Ask each group of students to use all of the words on the wordsplash to create a paragraph.  Each student should write one sentence, silently, then pass the paper to his or her left, until all students in the group have had a chance to write, and all words on the wordsplash have been used.  Allow only five minutes for this cooperative activity.  Then ask a representative from each group to read their paragraph to the class.

FOCUS FOR VIEWING
Say,  "Today we are going to find out what these words really describe.   We are going to watch a video tape that dramatizes what the world was like 650 years ago.  Can anyone tell me what  a dramatization is?"  Elicit the response that a dramatization is a portrayal that has accurate facts, but often adds dialogue and other details like scenery.  Explain that this video imagines what people from the 1340s would say if they interviewed on the nightly news.  To give students a specific responsibility while viewing, say,  "While we are watching the video tape, please listen for the answer to this question:   What is the name of the disease, and where did it come from?" 

VIEWING ACTIVITIES
Begin tape Newcast From the Past: September 19, 1356, where the video shows an image of a newscaster wearing a brown, medieval costume.  Next to the newscaster is a map of Europe, with Venice targeted.  Audio is  "The black plague continues to ravage most of the world."  To allow students an opportunity to record their answer, pause the tape after the audio, "... eleven mass graves for 12,000 people."  Video is of the same newscaster.  Tell the students that the bubonic plague or black death killed 25 million people, or 1/3 of Europe's population.  Say, "Why did so many people die?  Listen to the next portion of the tape to find out what doctors did to treat the plague."  Resume tape. 

Pause at the image of a physician being interviewed.  Audio is "Can you imagine what that's like for a doctor?"  Discuss the facts presented with students.  Be sure to stress that although the dialogue in this segment is made up, the facts are correct.  Doctors did not have a good way to treat the plague, but knew that it spread from person to person.  Some doctors recommended patients rub themselves with body waste, while many refused to treat plague victims.  Say, "Now listen for one meaning  of the nursery rhyme, "Ring Around the Rosy."  Resume tape. 

Pause at the image of a reporter behind a rose bush.  Audio is "Only a children's game?  Perhaps.  But the horror it reflects is very real."  Review student's answers, then explain that although  historians differ about what specific words in this rhyme mean, it is clear that this nursery rhyme is about dying from the plague.  Ask students for possible explanations for the survival of this nursery rhyme over 650 years.  Next, ask students to speculate about what is occurring in the next video segment.  Resume tape, but mute sound. Video is townspeople writhing and dancing. Pause at the end of this segment.  Image is newscaster sitting at news desk.  Ask students to share their explanations of this scene with the class.   Rewind tape to beginning of the segment showing dancing townsfolk, and play with sound.  Stop tape at the end of this segment.  Audio is,  "Marco of Padua, for EBC news." 

POST VIEWING ACTIVITIES
(Second day) Subdivide the groups of students into groups of 2 or 3.  Say,   "Now that we've seen a dramatization of what the black death was like, let's see for ourselves how this disease affected one community.  We are going to use the internet to examine some real documents from the 1340s.  Pass out the handouts, "Real Life Plague."   Each group should have one question sheet to answer.  If necessary, show students how to locate a web site by pulling down the "Bookmarks" or "Favorites" menu.  Ask students to use the "group one" web sites (listed in materials) to locate the information on their sheets.  (If the number of computers with internet access is limited, you may choose to do either of the following:  Have half of the class use the internet,  while the other uses encyclopedias to find information about the plague.  Alternatively, print out these web pages on plague and do this activity as a classroom exercise.) 

When students have completed their research, ask them to present what they have learned in the form of a poster that uses only drawings and symbols.  Then ask representatives from each group to present their findings to the class.  To give students a specific responsibility during these presentations, pass out the handout "notes on plague", and ask students to fill in the notes as each topic is presented.  If time permits,  you may wish to discuss with students whether or not the dramatization of the plague they saw on video was as graphic as the facts presented about the plague of 1348 in Florence, Italy.

(Third day)   Before class begins, use a transparency marker to mark each student's desks  into quarters.   Say to students, "We've looked at some of the affects of plague in the 1300s, and we know what the symptoms, cause and transmission of plague are.  One thing, though, that is important about this disease is the number of people who died.  Usually, after the plague entered a city, it took only two weeks for the population to be decimated.  Today we are going to look at what would happen if the plague attacked our city, by comparing our city's population to the population of Florence, before and after the plague of 1348."  Pass out the Ziplock bags containing pennies, and the handout, "A city reacts."  This handout asks students to analyze real data about the population of Florence in the middle ages.  Students should notice that for most of the middle ages Florence's population increased steadily, but after the plague hit (in the 1340s), the population dropped dramatically.  Ask students to use the pennies provided to represent the population of Florence in 1330 (before the plague).  Use one penny per thousand people in Florence (95 pennies), and place them in the lower left quarter of the desk.    Remove the remainder of pennies from the desk.  Now look at the population of Florence in 1500, after the attacks of plague.   Students should move the pennies representing the number who died (40 pennies) to the top left quarter of the desk.  Now ask students to use the pennies left in the Ziplock bag to represent the population of your town or city.  Again, use 1 penny per thousand people.  Ask students to place these pennies in the lower right portion of their desk.  Now ask students to figure out how many people in your town would die, if the plague attacked.  By comparing the relative amounts of pennies in each of the upper two quadrants (representing Florence) students should be able to build a similar ratio in the lower two quadrants (about half of the population would die of plague).    Have students check their answer by setting up a written ratio, and solving the problem using standard methods.  As a closing activity, have students create a line graph that shows how Florence's population changed over time.

(Fourth- Fifth days)  Before class begins, bookmark the "group two"  web sites on your computers.  Cut the sheet "Disease names" into strips, one name per strip.  Divide the class into groups of 3-4.  Pass out the illustrated pamphlets on infectious diseases.  Ask each group to compare the pamphlets and choose the one pamphlet which most grabs their attention, and does the best job at getting  across its message.  Have each group list 3 or 4 things that make that pamphlet better than the others.  As a class, discuss reasons why they chose a particular pamphlet.  (If you use a diversity of pamphlets, things like use of color, space between letters, and drawing style will probably influence most visual learners' choice, while word usage may be most important to language-oriented students.)  Pass out one disease name (cut into strips earlier) per student, and the handouts "So you think you've got the bubonic plague" and "Design a Pamphlet."  Explain to students that they will be researching infectious diseases, using different sources such as encyclopedias, CD-ROM and internet sources.  If internet access is limited, it may be helpful to manage internet usage by dividing the class into groups and allotting a set amount of time for each group to use the available computers.   Train the first group of students in how to use internet browsers.  After a set amount of time has elapsed, ask the first group of internet users to train the second group of users, and so on.   Students who are not using the internet should use standard reference materials, such as encyclopedias, medical dictionaries and family medical guides, etc.  Allow enough time for students to complete the handout/rubric "Design a pamphlet."    The  pamphlet, "So you think you've got the bubonic plague" can serve as a model for designing an effective layout for the students' own informative pamphlets. 

ACTION PLAN
 1. Write to the epidemiologist at your county health department.  Ask him or her to tell you what contagious diseases are most prevalent in your area, and the ways that these diseases are kept from spreading. 

2.  Invite a physician or biochemist to talk to your class about antibiotics.  You may wish to ask him or her why some antibiotics are no longer useful.

3.  Take a virtual field trip to one or more of the following sites on the World Wide Web:

www.who.org/
Visit WHO, the World Health Organization.  When you enter this site, click the <OUTBREAKS> button to find out about the latest "Outbreak" of disease.

www.cdc.gov/ 
This is the homepage of the centers for disease control, the part of the U.S. Government which tracks epidemics.   Find out about the next plague or Ebola, before anyone else!  While you are there look for the answers to these questions:  How many cases of plague are reported annually?  What parts of our country harbor plague?  What has happened recently to make the plague a danger to human once more? 

www.tulane.edu/%7Edmsander/WWW/Video/Video.html
This homepage, "Investigating Microbiology Video Laboratory," has lots of cool videos relating to microbiology.  See for yourself how penicillin, the first "wonder drug," attacks and kills bacteria.

EXTENSIONS
Computer Science/Art
If time permits, you may wish to have the students create their pamphlet on the computer, using a word processing or drawing program such as ClarisWorks or Microsoft Works.

History
Research the life of Alexander Fleming.  Without his chance discovery, most infectious diseases would still be a danger to humans!

"REAL-LIFE PLAGUE"
Copy and cut up these pages so that each group has a specific topic to research.

GROUP 1
 

Use the bookmarks on your computer to find the web site.  "Plague and Public Health in Renaissance Europe."  Click on the button <Florence>, and print out the passage Rubric 643," an account of the first time the Black Death's appeared in the city of Florence.  Keep in mind that his writing is 650 years old!  It will take time to read it carefully.  In your group, take turns reading it slowly to each other.  Highlight the sentences in the passage that answer the following question:  How has the city changed as a result of the plague?  List four ways below:
 1. ____________________________________________________
 2. ____________________________________________________
 3._____________________________________________________
 4._____________________________________________________
 

When you are finished, take turns creating a wordless diagram that describes how people treated the plague in Florence.  Make sure you include at least four different pieces of information!

GROUP 2

Use the bookmarks on your computer to find the web site "Perspectives on Plague."  Print out these pages and locate "The Decameron," by Giovanni Boccacio.  According to the author, what were the symptoms of the plague?  Keep in mind that this writing is 650 years old!  It will take time to read it carefully.  In your group, take turns reading sentences slowly to each other.  Highlight the sentences in the passage that describe the symptoms of plague.  List four of these symptoms below:
 1. ____________________________________________________
 2. ____________________________________________________
 3._____________________________________________________
 4._____________________________________________________

When you are finished, take turns creating a wordless diagram that describes how people treated the plague.  Make sure you include at least four different pieces of information!

GROUP 3
Use the bookmarks on your computer to find the web site "Plague and Public Health in Renaissance Europe." Click on the button <Florence>, and print out the passage Rubric 643," an account of the first time the Black Death's appeared in the city of Florence.  You may also wish to locate the web site "Perspective on Plague," for more information.  Keep in mind that these writings are 650 years old!  In your group, take turns reading it slowly to each other.  Highlight the sentences in the passage that answer the following questions:  How did people think the plague spread?  How did a person catch it?  List four ways below:
 1. ____________________________________________________
 2. ____________________________________________________
 3._____________________________________________________
 4._____________________________________________________

When youare finished, take turns creating a wordless diagram that describes how people thought the plague was spread.  Make sure you include at least four different pieces of information.

GROUP 4

Use the bookmarks on your computer to find the web site "Plague and Public Health in Renaissance Europe."  Click on the button <Florence>, and print out the passage Rubric 643," an account of the first time the Black Death's appeared in the city of Florence.  Keep in mind that this writing is 650 years old!  In your group, take turns reading it slowly to each other.  Highlight the sentences in the passage that answer the following question:  How did the regular people (not doctors or the educated) avoid getting the plague?  In your own words, list four ways.
 1. ____________________________________________________
 2. ____________________________________________________
 3._____________________________________________________
 4._____________________________________________________

When you are finished, take turns creating a wordless diagram that describes how "regular" folks tried to prevent the plague.  Make sure you include at least four different pieces of information!

GROUP 5

Use the bookmarks on your computer to find the web site "Plague and Public Health in Renaissance Europe." Click on the button <Florence>, and print out the passage Rubric 643, an account of the first time the Black Death's appeared in the city of Florence.  Also find  web site "Perspective on Plague," and examine the drawings in this document.  Keep in mind that this writing is 650 years old!  In your group, take turns reading it slowly to each other.  Highlight the sentences in the passage that answer the following question:  How did educated people (doctors, people in charge of running the city) avoid the plague?  In your own words list four ways this was done.
1. ____________________________________________________
 2. ____________________________________________________
 3._____________________________________________________
 4._____________________________________________________

When you are finished, take turns creating a wordless diagram that describes how "educated" folk tried to prevent the plague.  Make sure you include at least four different pieces of information!

GROUP 6

Use the bookmarks on your computer to find the web site "Plague and Public Health in Renaissance Europe."  Click on the button <Florence>, and print out the passage Rubric 643," an account of the first time the Black Death's appeared in the city of Florence.  Keep in mind that this writing is 650 years old!  In your group, take turns reading it slowly to each other. Highlight the sentences in the passage that answer the following question:  How did people treat the plague?  In your own words, list four ways below:
1. ____________________________________________________
 2. ____________________________________________________
 3._____________________________________________________
 4._____________________________________________________

When you are finished, take turns creating a wordless diagram that describes how people treated the plague.  Make sure you include at least four different pieces of information!
 

Don't plague me!  Note taking guide.  Name_______________________

As your classmates present their info about the plague,  fill out this fact sheet. 

A.  What are the symptoms of the bubonic plague?
 1.__________________________________________________________
 2.__________________________________________________________ 
 3.__________________________________________________________ 
 4.__________________________________________________________ 

B.  How did people from this time think plague spread? 1.__________________________________________________________
 2.__________________________________________________________ 
 3.__________________________________________________________ 
 4.__________________________________________________________ 

C.  How did regular people try to avoid the plague?
 1.__________________________________________________________
 2.__________________________________________________________ 
 3.__________________________________________________________ 
 4.__________________________________________________________ 

D.  What did educated people say about preventing the plague?
 1.__________________________________________________________
 2.__________________________________________________________ 
 3.__________________________________________________________ 
 4.__________________________________________________________ 

E.  How did doctors treat plague?
 1.__________________________________________________________
 2.__________________________________________________________ 
 3.__________________________________________________________ 
 4.__________________________________________________________ 

F.  How did the plague affect Europe?

 1.__________________________________________________________
 2.__________________________________________________________ 
 3.__________________________________________________________ 
 4.__________________________________________________________ 

WORDSPLASH

       25 million dead              650 years 

      buboes               bacteria

     Yersinia pestis              streptomycin

         stinks             fleas                  rats

       high temperature          blackened lumps

    Rattus rattus            Alexandre Yersin

     Xenopsylla cheopsis 
 

DESIGN  A  PAMPHLET    Name____________________

Complete the following guide before designing your pamphlet.  This completed sheet must be turned in with your pamphlet.
Disease name___________________

Research:
1.   (5 points) Introduction.  This section of your pamphlet should do something to get the reader's attention.  Questions you might want to answer:   Is this disease a killer?  How many people does it affect a year?  Is it a disease that can be easily avoided? Why would anyone need to know about this disease? 
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
2. (5 points) Who is at risk of getting this disease? 
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ 
3. (5 points) What are the early and late symptoms of this disease? 
__________________________________________________________________
4. (5 points) What organism causes this disease?  Is it a moneran, protist, fungus or animal? 
__________________________________________________________________
5. (10 points) How is this disease spread? 
__________________________________________________________________ _________________ 
6. (10 points) How is this disease treated or cured? 
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
7. (5 points) How is this disease prevented? 
__________________________________________________________________
8. (15 points) References.  You must use three different sources to get your information.  You must attach notes or photocopied pages for each reference to this sheet.  Choose from the following categories:  Biology or health text book,  Medical book, Encyclopedia, Magazine.  Include the following information:

Reference 1

Author  ____________________________________________
Title   ____________________________________________
City   ____________________________________________
Publisher  ____________________________________________
Date   ____________________________________________
Pages   ____________________________________________

Reference 2

Author  ____________________________________________
Title   ____________________________________________
City   ____________________________________________
Publisher  ____________________________________________
Date   ____________________________________________
Pages   ____________________________________________

Reference 3

Author  ____________________________________________
Title   ____________________________________________
City   ____________________________________________
Publisher  ____________________________________________
Date   ____________________________________________
Pages   ____________________________________________

Presentation:

Is this pamphlet neat, attractive, and well-designed, or a last minute wonder? (20 pts)  ________

Does this pamphlet use drawings, diagrams or other art work to get the reader's attention, and keep the reader interested? (10 pts)__________

Is this information in this pamphlet accurate, and complete?(10 pts)_________

(design in pamphlet form, include the following information) 

So you think you've got the bubonic plague...

prevention:
Once a person is diagnosed with plague, the patient, and all of his or her belongings should be treated to kill fleas.  The patient should be quarantined until antibiotic treatment is completed.  To avoid outbreaks of plague, sanitary conditions should be improved.  The rodent population should be controlled, and homes should be fumigated.

references:
Busvine, J. R. 1976
Insects, Hygiene, and History. 
London:  Athlone Press.

Dubos, Rene J. 1952.  Bacterial and 
Mycotic Infections of Man.  Philadelphia: 
J.B. Lippincott.

Spink, Wesley W. 1978.  Infectious 
diseases--prevention and treatment 
in the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries. 
Minneapolis:  University of Minneapolis Press.

New York State Department of Health. nodate.  Plague.

The Family Doctor, Version 3 for Macintosh.
1993:  Creative
Multimedia

(inside of pamphlet) 
What is plague?
Plague is a rare, deadly disease caused by bacteria found in rodents.  This disease is transmistted to humans by fleas.  Plague can require strict isolation and decontamination of clothing and living space.

How do I know if I have plague?
Symptoms of plague occur within 2 to 10 days after a flea bite.  The first symptom of bubonic plague is usually a tender lymph node near the flea bite.  The lymph node in that area may seem swollen and infected.

Early symptoms include:

*quick onset
*high fever
*fast pulse rate
*white coating on the tongue
*nervous energy
*mental confusion.

*infection of other nodes
*pain in lymph nodes of the groin, armpit, and neck.
*Hard lumps in lymph nodes.
*Black, painful lumps.
*blood infection
*pneumonia

What are the causes of plague?
Plague is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis.  This bacteria is carried by the flea, Xenopsylla cheopis, which is normally carried by the common rat.

How is plague spread?
The most common means of transmission is by exposure to infected fleas.  Normally, plague is spread from rat to rat by a flea first biting an infected rat.  However, when rats are found in humans' homes, fleas may bite humans.  Another way of transmitting this disease is by handling infected meat from rabbits or other rodents.

Treatment:
In the middle ages, plague was treated unsuccessfully with leeches, drinking powdered emeralds and molten gold, and by placing dead animals in the home. 

The best modern treatment is strong antibiotics such as streptomycin, and tetracycline, and  chloramphenicol.

DISEASE NAMES FOR PAMPHLET

AIDS/HIV,   Anthrax,  Bovind Spongiform Encephalopathy, Chicken Pox,  Cholera,   Conjunctivitis,   Dengue Fever,   Ebola,   Hanta,   Helicobacter Pylori,   Hepatitis,   Herpes,   Influenza,   Leprosy,   Lyme Disease,    Malaria,    Meningitis,   Mononucleosis,   Pneumonia,   Polio,   Prion Disease,   Rabies,   Ringworm,   Scabies,   Shingles,   Strep Throat,   Tuberculosis,   Typhoid Fever,   Typhus,   Valley Fever,   Yellow Fever

SECTION                              Pts          Earned
 1. Intro                                  5            ______
 2. At risk?                              5            ______
 3. Early/late symptoms            5            ______
 4. Cause                                 5            ______
 5. Spread                                5            ______
 6. Treatment                          10           ______
 7. Prevention                          5            ______
 8. References                         15           ______
 9. Presentation                       20           ______
10. Art                                    10           ______
11. Accurate and complete?      10           ______

                                           Total          ______
Comments:

_________________________________________

What would happen if the plague attacked your city?  Let's look at the city of Florence to find out what happened to its population before and after the plague struck.

1.  Look at the table below, which shows the population of Florence from the year 1050 to the year 1800.  In general, what happened to the population over time?  _______________________
 
 

YEAR	POPULATION
1050  1200   1330  1500  1650  1800	15000  60000  95000  55000  74000  81000

 

2.  Explain the dip in the population after 1330. _______________________________________
________________________________________________________________

3.  After 1330, how long did it take for the population to get back to normal?  ______________

4.  Obtain a bag of pennies, and a transparency marker.  Divide your desk top into four quarters, as shown below:
 
 

5.  Each penny will represent 1000 people in Florence.  Count out pennies to equal the population of Florence in 1330.  Place these pennies in the lower left quarter of your desk top: 
 

¤   ¤     ¤  ¤  ¤

6.  How many people were  left in Florence in the year 1500, after many years of plague epidemics?_______ Based on this number, how many people died of the plague? _____________

7.  Count out pennies to represent the number of people who died of plague.  Again use one penny for every 1000 people.  Place these pennies in the upper left quarter of your desk.
 
 

¤    ¤
¤   ¤ ¤      ¤

8.  Make a fraction, using the number  who died as the numerator, and the number before the plague as the denominator:  ________________

9.  Convert this number to a percent, by dividing the numerator by the denominator. 

This equals the percentage  of people in Florence who were killed by the plague:   __________

Now find out how your town or city would be affected by a plague epidemic:

10.  Fill in the population of your town or city:______________

11.  In the lower right hand quarter of your desk, count out pennies to equal this population.  Again, use one penny per thousand people. 
 
 

¤  ¤	X
¤  ¤        ¤ ¤	¤   ¤      ¤

12.  Look at the relationship between the number who died in Florence to the total population of Florence.  Use this pattern to estimate the number of people who would die of plague in your town, and place that many pennies in the lower left hand portion of your desk. 

Number of dead = ____________

13.  Now, find out if your estimate was close.  Plugging your numbers into the following formula:

                         x                     =      population in your town
               deaths in Florence              population in Florence
 

    What does x represent?  ___________

   What value did you calculate for x?___________
 

14.  Was this value close to the number you estimated in step 12? ____________

15.  On a separate piece of graph paper construct a line graph that shows how Florence's population changed from the year 1050 to 1800.  Use the table as your data!

Updated:  April 01, 2008