Students will create a CoSpaces presentation, that is enhanced with a Merge cube, about the different microbes that can interfere with the body’s functions (such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites).

This parent guide supports parents in helping their child at home with the 8th grade Science content.

This resource accompanies our Rethink 8th Grade Science course. It includes ideas for use, ways to support exceptional children, ways to extend learning, digital resources and tools, tips for supporting English Language Learners and students with visual and hearing impairments. There are also ideas for offline learning. 

Students view a video about viruses, how they infect, and how the body defends against them, then learn the basics about HIV. In an associated activity, students will create a card game to clarify the specific ways that HIV is transmitted.

Students view a video about antibiotics and learn how they work to kill bacteria. In an associated activity, students will demonstrate how antibiotics work and how antibiotic-resistant bacteria can survive a medication's actions.

In this lesson plan from the Utah Education Network, students will read a summarization of Van Leeuwenhoek's life and work and answer questions to check for understanding. The summarization and questions are included.

In this lesson, students will understand where and how bacteria grow. They will then design a controlled experiment to further investigate.

In this activity, students do a case study of giardiasis, an infectious disease caused by the tiny parasite Giardia lambila ("lambilia" means intestine). Students will apply what they have learned about the "host" vertex of the Epidemiologic Triangle as they learn about giardiasis.

This lesson plan demonstrates how microorganisms normally found in environments, such as the bottom of warm freshwater ponds and lakes can cause illness when they enter the human body. Students engaged in this lesson plan will learn about N. fowleri (the scientific name of the brain-eating ameba), where it lives, how it can cause infection, and how persons can protect themselves from this infection.Students will also have the opportunity to identify other organisms living in local freshwater reservoirs, such as ponds and lakes. At the end of the lesson, students should have an enhanced understanding of the environment's role in disease transmission and ways to reduce the risk for contracting waterborne infections.

In this lesson, students read an essay, "It's All in the Numbers," about the rapid spread of HIV particles in the body, and learn how to calculate exponential growth using pennies to model HIV particles.

In this activity, students read a scenario describing an outbreak of illness among fishermen working along the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Then students will describe and develop an investigation that could be conducted to resolve the issue.

In this lesson, students will create scale models of microorganisms and compare the relative sizes of common bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa using metric measures. Students will learn that microbes come in many different sizes and shapes, and frequently are measured in micrometers.

In this lesson, students investigate the human immune system and solve a crossword puzzle featuring vocabulary related to the immune system and microbes.

In this lesson, students compare two different herds of elk to determine how many have been affected by the disease brucellosis. They will collect and analyze data to explore how the disease can spread and affect population density. This lesson begins on page 38 of the pdf.

This lesson introduces the concept of diseases and their causes. It consists of some notes, a reinforcing activity, and an assessment.

In this lesson, students will learn about the scientific method and the characteristics of life by assuming the role of epidemiologists. The scenario that they will investigate is that many individuals in the school have recently become ill with gastrointestinal symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, and headache). Students will discover the source of the illness, the microbe causing the illness, and the biology behind the organism spreading the disease. By examining stool samples made from molasses and water, students will examine differences between affected and unaffected individuals. The students will eventually determine the source of the outbreak is contaminated water in the school cafeteria and conclude that the microbe involved is a bacterium called cholera. Students will then conclude the lesson by investigating an outbreak of birth defects.

In this activity, students read a scenario describing an outbreak of illness among people attending a national conference. Then students will describe and develop an investigation that could be conducted to resolve the issue.

In this mission-based lesson, students learn basic concepts about epidemiology in the context of the current outbreak and apply what they have learned to design a strategy to control the epidemic. A digital student guide is offered in conjunction with the lesson at: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/lessons-plans/ebola-outbreak-mission-instructions-and-resources-digital-student-guide/

In this lesson, students will assume the role of entomologists in a case study to investigate increased mosquito activity and the possibility of West Nile virus transmission in the fictional community of Anywhereville. Students will then present the community with ways to prevent West Nile virus infection by creating a West Nile prevention poster.