GERMS KEEP OUT!

Kelsey Mitsdarffer

Explain that if germs are able to get inside the body, they may keep it from working properly. Understand that for defense against germs, the human body has tears, saliva, skin, some blood cells, and stomach secretions. Also note that a healthy body can fight most germs that

invade it. Recognize, however, that there are some germs that interfere with the body's defenses.

Activity: http://www.indianastandardsresources.org/files/sci/sci_4_4_10.pdf

Standard 4.4.10

Vocabulary• Germs – a microorganism, esp. when disease-producing; microbe

•Defense- resistance against attack; protection

•Nutrients-nourishing; providing nourishment

•Digestion- the process in the alimentary canal by which food is broken up physically, as by the action of the teeth, and chemically, as by the action of enzymes, and converted into a substance suitable for absorption and assimilation into the body

Background InformationThe purpose of this lesson is for you to be able to explain that if germs are able to get inside the body, they may keep it from working properly and understand that if germs do get inside the body it has defenses against the germs.

You must first understand what processes are constantly going on in your bodies. (Example: breathing, heart beating)

You also need to know that you come in contacts with millions of germs each day and it is possible for them to get inside of your body.

Materials

•For the teacher: apple, chalk, chalkboard

•For the students: paper, pencil, copies of Black Line Master (BLM) Tiny Invaders

Pre-activity Preparation

In the box you will find:• Paper• Pencil• Tiny Invaders Worksheet• Directions• Apple• Hand Sanitizer

Activity: Germs Keep Out! Does anyone know what processes are going on in our bodies right now?

Our bodies are constantly digesting food for energy, pumping blood and oxygen, processing signals from the nerves to the brain, and much more.

Is there ever a time when our bodies do not work properly?

What makes a person sick?

When we get sick our bodies slow down or change how they work.

There is a group of organisms that can make our bodies break down and not work properly and that they are called germs. Germs can cause diseases, but not all diseases are caused by germs.

Activity: Germs Keep OutHow do germs get into our bodies?

Germs can enter the body through many places like your mouth, nose, eyes, or broken skin.

Look at this apple. Is it possible that when this apple was growing on its tree, that it could have become infected by germs? How could the apple get an infection?

Can one volunteer please come up and take a bite of this apple?

Activity: Germs Keep Out!Do you think germs would have had an easier time infecting the apple if its skin was broken?

The skin of an apple protects the apple much like the skin of a human protects the human from germs and disease. Once the skin isbroken, it is easier for germs to get inside and hurt the body (and the apple).

What happens when germs get inside the body? What happens when your body gets an infection?

Once germs invade the body, they stay for a while and drawenergy from the body. They take nutrients and energy andproduce wastes.

Activity: Germs Keep Out!You come in contact with germs everyday. If you come in contact with so many germs why are you not sick all of the time?

The body has special defenses to fight off germs and today we will learn a few of them. Can I have a volunteer write the following words on the chalkboard: tears, saliva, skin, white blood cells, stomach secretions. How do you think these things help fight off germs?

Tears wash germs and particles out of the eye; saliva in a person’s mouth is made of substances that kill germs; unbroken skin serves as a protective barrier so that germs cannot enter; some white blood cells find and attack invading germs; stomach secretions are liquids in thestomach that contain chemicals that kill germs.

Activity: Tiny Invaders

•Think about a time when you were sick. Now you will write a short story about this time. Before writing your story on the colored note card, use the worksheet , Tiny Invaders, to help brainstorm ideas for your story. When you finish we will share our stories with the group.

Review Questions•How does the skin of an apple work like the skin of your body?

•How do our bodies fight against germs?

•If our bodies have defenses such as our saliva, then why do we still get sick?

Resourceshttp://www.indianastandardsresources.org/files/soc/ss_4_3_6.pdf

www.kidshealth.org

www.germywormy.com