Daily Activities – Spanish Influenza (1918)
The daily activities created for each of the Today in Georgia History segments are designed to meet the Georgia Performance Standards for Reading Across the Curriculum, and Grade Eight: Georgia Studies. For each date, educators can choose from three optional activities differentiated for various levels of student ability. Each activity focuses on engaging the student in context specific vocabulary and improving the student’s ability to communicate about historical topics.
One suggestion is to use the Today in Georgia History video segments and daily activities as a “bell ringer” at the beginning of each class period. Using the same activity daily provides consistency and structure for the students and may help teachers utilize the first 15-20 minutes of class more effectively.
Optional Activities:
Level 1: Provide the students with the vocabulary list and have them use their textbook, a dictionary, or other teacher provided materials to define each term. After watching the video have the students write a complete sentence for each of the vocabulary terms. Student created sentences should reflect the meaning of the word based on the context of the video segment. Have students share a sampling of sentences as a way to check for understanding.
Level 2: Provide the students with the vocabulary list for that day’s segment before watching the video and have them guess the meaning of each word based on their previous knowledge. The teacher may choose to let the students work alone or in groups. After watching the video, have the students revise their definitions to better reflect the meaning of the words based on the context of the video. As a final step, have the students compare and contrast their definitions to their textbook, dictionary or other teacher provided materials definitions.
Level 3: Provide the students with the vocabulary list and have them use their textbook, a dictionary, or other teacher provided materials to define each term. After watching the video, have the students write a five sentence paragraph based on the provided writing prompts.
Vocabulary/Writing Prompts:
Vocabulary Terms
Flu
Epidemic
Black Death
Ravaged
Trenches
Barracks
Invaded
Pandemic
Suspended
Quarantined
Devastating
Infected
Writing Prompts
1. Have you ever gotten a flu vaccine? Do you remember all the news coverage about the H1N1 (Swine Flu)? Do you think the devastation from the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic influences how we deal with outbreaks today? In a five sentence paragraph explain how the memory of the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic may influence the way we deal with infectious diseases today, and explain what about this epidemic makes it have such a lasting impact.
2. Using your knowledge of trench warfare during World War One write a five paragraph explaining why the Spanish Influenza spread so quickly. In your answer talk about some of the strategies used to slow the spreading of the disease.
3. What do you think it would have felt like to live in Georgia during the Spanish Influenza? In a five sentence paragraph explain how the Spanish Influenza impacted both the daily lives, and the mental state of Georgians during 1918.
Related Georgia Performance Standards:
Reading Across the Curriculum (Grades 6-12)
SSRC1 Students will enhance reading in all curriculum areas by:
c. Building vocabulary knowledge
• Demonstrate an understanding of contextual vocabulary in various subjects.
• Use content vocabulary in writing and speaking.
• Explore understanding of new words found in subject area texts.
d. Establishing context
• Explore life experiences related to subject area content.
• Discuss in both writing and speaking how certain words are subject area related.
• Determine strategies for finding content and contextual meaning for unknown words.
Grade 8 Georgia Studies
SS8H7 The student will evaluate key political, social, and economic changes that occurred in Georgia between 1877 and 1918.
d. Explain reasons for World War I and describe Georgia’s contributions.
Microbiology Curriculum
SMI7. Students will analyze symbiotic and pathogenic relationships in host-microbe interactions.
a. Relate Koch’s postulates to identifying disease-causing microbes.
b. Describe examples of pathogenic microorganisms and how they cause disease in plants and animals.
c. Compare mechanisms of how communicable diseases are spread among individuals within a population and how genetic changes in pathogenic microbes (such as influenza virus) result in new outbreaks of disease.
d. Explain animal host defense mechanisms for combating microbial invaders, including both adaptive and innate immune systems.
e. Describe plant-host defense mechanisms in response to microbial invasion.