Synopsis

Students learn that germs can also be spread by touching using a simulation with stickers.

Students practice the correct way to wash their hands.

Teaching Steps

1. 1. Discuss how germs spread.

   CONCEPTS

   • When people are sick, they have certain germs in their body that make them sick.
   • Medicine helps fight germs, so people feel better.
   • It is important to try not to let the germs go to anyone else's body, so other people do not get sick, too.
   • There are many ways to spread germs.
   • Uncovered coughs and sneezes are one way to spread germs.
   • Another way that germs spread is when you touch things that were touched by people who are ill, and then touch your face or handle food.
   • Keeping hands clean is an important way to control the spread of germs.

   DISCUSSION POINTS

   • How do you think you can avoid getting germs into your body?

   Possible Responses:

   • Killing the germs on things we touch
   • Killing the germs on our hands

   • How do you think you can avoid getting germs from your hands into your body?

   Possible Responses:

   • Keeping hands away from the face
   • Killing the germs on hands

2. 2. Students practice effective hand washing.

   Demonstrate proper hand washing technique to students, stressing the use of warm water and making lots of bubbles with the soap. Have students practice this technique. Add a picture of soap or hand washing to the unit bulletin board.

   Teacher Tip: If possible, it is better to use liquid soap (in pumps) rather than bars, because then students are not handling the same bar of soap.

3. 3. Demonstrate spread of germs.

   Select four or five student volunteers and put a sticky note on each of these students' hands. Give them several additional sticky notes and make more sticky notes available to the rest of the class. Tell the class to pretend that the sticky notes mean the person is infected with germs. Tell the students with sticky notes to go through the normal class routines, putting a sticky note on anything or anyone that they touch, such as pencils, light switches, blocks or other students. When an uninfected student touches something with a sticky note, they have to put a sticky note on their hand.

4. 4. Reflect, summarize, and discuss.

   After a few hours, discuss how many people have stickers on their hands.

   DISCUSSION POINTS

   • Look around the group. Do more people have sticky notes than when we started this activity? (yes)
   • What else do you notice? (stickers everywhere)
   • What does that mean? (It is easy to spread germs.)
   • How could we remove the "germs" from our hands? (Wash with soap and warm water.)

Assessment

Have students draw pictures of themselves washing their hands with lots of bubbles. Have students show the class the picture of themselves washing their hands, and ask them to explain what they are doing and why.

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