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High School Food Safety Lessons
Lesson
3 The 12 Most Unwanted Bacteria
National
Health Education Standards
(grades 9-11) 1:1; 1:3; 3:1
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| introduction |
Introduce this lesson:
- “I would like to explain to
you that this lesson is more than a research project. What
you learn today could have a decided impact on what you and
your family think about food safety. There are approximately
274 million people in the United States. If 76 million say
they have become ill due to foodborne illness, its not hard
to calculate the percentage of the population affected.” (Do
the math on the board.)
- “You will have a special opportunity
today to learn about the specific bacteria that get into
our food, what foods are associated with the bacteria, and
about the illnesses that can result. You are fortunate to
be able to gain this information because in the long run
you can save yourself and your family from some very uncomfortable
illnesses. Sometimes food poisoning is fatal.”
- “You also need to keep in mind
that if your mother is pregnant, if your grandfather is elderly,
or if a member of your family has been ill for an extended
period of time and has a low resistance to harmful bacteria
(called a weakened immune system) or if you have a young
brother or sister--these are the people who can become ill
more quickly from the bacteria we are studying.”
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| activity 1 |
- Indicate:
“We are going to divide into four
(or five) groups of four students each.”
- State:
“I am providing each group with
a micro viewer and good and bad bacteria for you to observe.”
- Explain to students:
“We also have a Fight Bac™ poster
from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that I want you to
see.” (Display poster)
- Conduct a discussion among the students about good and bad
bacteria. Develop a definition for board viewing of what a pathogen
(bad bacteria) is.
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| activity 2 |
- State:
“We are now going to watch a portion
of the Dr. X and the Quest for Food Safety video.”
- Show the video Dr. X and the Quest for Food Safety, Module
1, Understanding Bacteria (15 minutes).
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| activity 3 |
- State:
“I have placed the names of the
five most unwanted bacteria on the board. The numbers you see
are cases of food poisoning caused by the bacteria in our area.” Teacher
note: Numbers of cases should be mismatched to the bacteria
so students can guess which number goes with the proper bacteria.
- State:
“Please assign one student from
your team to pick a colored index card from this bowl. That
index card will be one of the five bacteria described in some
detail in your packet. This is the bacteria on which your group
should do research.”
- Share with students:
“I would like each group to report
briefly on their bacterium. Answer questions and hold a discussion
as time will allow.”
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| Closure |
State:
“By now, you all know that a pathogen
is any microorganism that is infectious and causes disease. I would
like to stress again that foodborne bacteria can have a major impact
on young children, the elderly, or those who have weakened immune
systems (those who are ill with other diseases such as AIDS). Now
let’s see if each group can guess which number of cases of
foodborne illnesses on the board are related to the bacterium they
studied.” |
| Integration ideas |
- Ask the English teacher or speech teacher to request that the
groups responsible for each pathogen present orally in their
English class about their pathogen (especially if you are unable
to hold two classes for these lessons).
- Have students check pages 10 and 11 of Nutrition Action Health
Letter, January/February 2003 for "Unforgettable Foods," an
article describing food poisoning, rates, and national statistics
of same. Page 11, entitled "the Dirty Dozen" includes
information related to bacteria, virus, and toxins. This information
was adapted from Diagnosis
and Management of Foodborne Illnesses, A Primer for Physicians (www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/
rr5002a1.htm), by the American Medical Association, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Nutrition Action Health Letter is published by the Center for Science
in the Public Interest (CSPI) since 1974. The newsletter accepts no
government or industry funding and no advertising. The cost for a one-year
subscription (10 issues) is $24; two years are $42. Contact CSPI at
(202)265-4954 (fax), circ@cspinet.org, www.cspinet.org.
- Ask the students to learn more about their pathogen by checking
the following websites:
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