Syllabus and Project Outline

MODERN INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Trillium Charter School 2009-2010
http://moderninfectiousdiseases.blogspot.com/
nina@trilliumcharterschool.org

Course Description:
We are constantly hearing about AIDS, malaria, H1N1 (swine flu), and the importance of vaccinations. In this
class you'll have the opportunity to learn the microbiology behind common modern diseases how vaccinations
work. We'll explore how the immune system fights disease, why some of us are more susceptible to disease,
and how we can minimize our vulnerability. We'll stack the benefits and risks of vaccinations. We'll also follow
the any news events that concern the topic. During the second semester students produce a research paper on
some aspect of a modern infectious disease using MLA citing and form and will present that information to the
class.

Objectives:
Know the cause, mode of transfer, and treatments of the ten most deadly modern diseases.
Know the basic premiss of vaccinations. (And the issues surrounding them)
Name the components of a healthy immune system and anything that may compromise it.
Be able to identify bias in research or in mainstream literature.

Materials:
We'll be largely drawing from current newsprint materials to follow the H1N1 virus and the current status of any other issues related to epidemiology. In addition to experts from textbooks and information off the CDCs website we'll be enjoying some movies. We'll be watching movies such as Rx for Survival, excerpts from science fiction, and short informative movies from science the science field. We will also possibly watch movies like The Band Played On, The Philadelphia Story, Angels In America, or Rent. During the first quarter students will learn about HIV/AIDS, H1N1, malaria and other diseases. Second semester students will research and present information about topics within epidemiology.

Grades will be based on two major components:
Midterm:10%, Final:10%
In class work, movie questionnaires, homestudy, quizzes and tests: 40%
Disease Project Presentation: 40%

Cheating: In the first instance of cheating, the student will receive an 'F' grade for the work involved. Furthermore, any student who supplies answers, in part or in whole, will receive the same discipline as the one who receives work that is falsely claimed as their own. Subsequent cheating will result in disciplinary action that may lead to suspension or expulsion and/or loss of credit for the class.

Absences: A student who is repeatedly absent misses discussions, context of the science we are learning, and it is very hard to get caught up. After 4 consecutive absences a student will be asked to meet with advisor, Nina, and possibly the director before they receive any make up work. After 10 consecutive absences a student will be asked to consider dropping the course, seeking out an independent study option. Any work missed during an unexcused absence cannot be made up.








Late Work:
Late work will be accepted for half credit within two weeks of the deadline. Exceptions to this would require a doctor note and is subject to instructor discretion.

Rights and Responsibilities:
Students in this class are asked to abide by the Trillium Constitution guidelines of conduct. To work within the structures set in place for nonviolent conflict resolution. I encourage students to discuss issues or concerns with me as soon as they arise.

Curriculum and Content:
Content has been selected to help students become more aware consumers of media, to improve science literacy, and to improve the quality of their lives. However special effort has been made to cover the guidelines for education set forth by Trillium and by the State of Oregon's CIM Benchmarks. See below for information regarding those guidelines.

Trillium Framework Goals:
* Explain laws of heredity and their relationship to structure and function of DNA.
* Describe, explain, and compare the structure and functions of cells in organisms.
* Demonstrate the ability to ask questions or form hypotheses that can be answered or tested through
scientific investigations.
* Ability to understand the meaning of “evidence”, ability to determine the difference between reliable and
unreliable evidence, and ability to explain ideas using evidence.
* Collect, organize, and display sufficient data to facilitate scientific analysis and interpretation
* Understanding what a control is in an experiment, and why it is used
* Demonstrate the ability to discern the variables in an experiment.

High School Standards:
* Identify examples from the history of science that illustrate modification of scientific knowledge
in light of challenges to prevailing explanations.
* Analyze data, identify uncertainties, and display data so that the implications for the solution
being tested are clear.
* Evaluate ways that ethics, public opinion, and government policy influence the work of
engineers and scientists, and how the results of their work impact human society and the environment.
* Define a problem and specify criteria for a solution within specific constraints or limits based on
science principles. Generate several possible solutions to a problem and use the concept of trade-offs
to compare them in terms of criteria and constraints.
* Analyze data, identify uncertainties, and display data so that the implications for the solution
being tested are clear.
* Describe how new technologies enable new lines of scientific inquiry and are largely
responsible for changes in how people live and work





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Parents/Guardians/Students over 18:
Please sign below to acknowledge you received this document and return only the bottom portion to school with your student. Please mention any concerns you may have. It would be helpful if you mentioned if your student had an IEP or special need during this class.

X _____________________________ Concerns? _________________________________________
MODERN INFECTIOUS DISEASE
Project and Presentation Guidelines

1. CHOOSE A DISEASE: Each student will be encouraged to present a research project on one aspect of the course we are studying. Students will be highly encouraged to pick a particular viral, bacterial, fungal, prion, or parasitic agent and the disease or infection it causes. Your project will have more meaning for you if you choose a germ caused infection or disease that interests you. Or a germ based infection that someone in your family or "extended" family such as aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Perhaps you or a friend has an infection or disease or maybe you have a disease yourself that you'd like to do your project on.
Examples: SARS, Avian Flu, Malaria, Cholera, Ebola, Polio, Smallpox, Chicken Pox, The
Mumps, Bubonic Plague, Spanish Flu, Typhus, HIV, gonorrhea, Lyme Disease, HPV,

Students may not work on the same project. We will have an editing process that other students will be asked to be your reviewers. You can pair up to review each others projects but each student must work on a different illness or germ based premiss. Please get teacher approval for your project topic.

GERM PROJECT TOPIC:_______________________________ Teacher Initials ______________

2. RESEARCH YOUR TOPIC:
Resources you should consult about disease: Books, magazines or journals, newspapers, encyclopedias, professionals in the health field, special interest organizations, and last but not least persons who are affected by the disease you have chosen. Although the internet is a valuable and amazing source of information it is often overwhelming and medical professionals publish information for each other in very sophisticated ways. I would highly encourage you to start at Yahooligans. A site geared for students and then once you've built up your knowledge get ready to dive into the more complex science vocabulary.
Make sure your report includes the following information in this order:
- A basic description of the disease
- Information on the background and history of the disease
- The symptoms of the disease; how a person knows they have it
- Any tests a health care provider would run to help diagnose the disease
- How the disease affects the body
- Cures or treatments for the disease
- How a person's daily life is affected by the disease
- What research is being done to stop the disease
- What we can do to prevent the spread of the disease.
Make sure to copy information about the resource for your bibliography. All reports must have a bibliography in MLA format.

3. CONDUCT AN INTERVIEW - THE INTERVIEW IS OPTIONAL!
You can conduct an interview with someone who has had experience with your chosen disease. Your interview could be with a contact person from a special interest organization, a health care professional who has treated patients with this disease, or a person who is (or has been) affected by the disease you have chosen.  You do NOT need to interview a person that has the disease, but they need to at least be knowledgeable about the disease

4. TYPE A 5 PAGE REPORT: Note that you may not copy information from any source without giving credit to your source in a footnote and in the bibliography!!  Copied material will receive a severe grade markdown.
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Thinking Outside the Box! Your entire project can be presented in the following ways using various forms of multimedia. These presentation methods take the place of the 5-page report. However, make sure you have the same information presented as you would for a written report.  Ideas are web sites, PowerPoint presentations, children's books, newspapers, brochures, movies (QuickTime or iMovies are ok) or other creative ideas you may have. A bibliography is still mandatory for a "Thinking Outside the Box" Project!
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5. Add a conclusion paragraph. Write about why you chose this disease. What was the most interesting thing that you learned from doing the project? What was the most important source of information that you used to write your report? What questions would you still like answered about this disease? What do you feel are the strengths and weakness of your report? What did you learn doing this report?

6. Include TWO DIAGRAMS to your report.
Diagram #1: Shows how the human body is affected. On an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper, make or copy a diagram that illustrates some aspect of your disease. Make sure you label the diagram with the names of the structures. The diagram should be important and referenced someplace in your report.  You could say: "The diagram shown on page 3 shows how the disease spreads through the body....etc".
Diagram #2: Mathematics-Oriented Diagram The second diagram must be a mathematics-oriented diagram such as a pie graph, bar graph or line graph that illustrates some statistical information about your disease. The diagram should be important and referenced someplace in your report.  You could say:"The graph shown on page 4 shows how the disease has increased in America over the past 50 years....etc". If you use a diagram from another source write where you got the diagram, the date and page number underneath.

7. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Include a bibliography at the end of your report. Don't forget that persons you interview need to be included in your bibliography. The bibliography should include the Author's name, the name of the source book, magazine or pamphlet, the page numbers used for your information and the year the information was published.&n bsp; Your sources can't all be from the Internet. Find books, encyclopedias and periodicals that you can use to write your report.

8. PRESENTATION TO THE CLASS - THE PRESENTATION IS NOT OPTIONAL!!
This should be a short summary of the written product or a presentation of the outside the box presentation.

9. Use the rubric designed by the class to grade your own presentation and project. You will meet with the instructor to go over the self evaluation.