1) Students will participate in a simulated pandemic game over 6 rounds to understand how diseases spread.
2) In each round, some students will be designated "virus carriers" who infect others by giving them sticky notes, while some can be "inoculated" to prevent infection.
3) The aim is for groups to strategize how to contain the spread and see which strategies work best at limiting infections and "healing" their group.
1) Students will participate in a simulated pandemic game over 6 rounds to understand how diseases spread.
2) In each round, some students will be designated "virus carriers" who infect others by giving them sticky notes, while some can be "inoculated" to prevent infection.
3) The aim is for groups to strategize how to contain the spread and see which strategies work best at limiting infections and "healing" their group.
1) Students will participate in a simulated pandemic game over 6 rounds to understand how diseases spread.
2) In each round, some students will be designated "virus carriers" who infect others by giving them sticky notes, while some can be "inoculated" to prevent infection.
3) The aim is for groups to strategize how to contain the spread and see which strategies work best at limiting infections and "healing" their group.
Stage of Development: Adolescence Title of Developmental Activity: Classroom Pandemic Game. Description of Developmental Activity: Students will participate in a sequence of 5 to 6, 1- minute simulations, that will model how an infectious disease can spread through a human population. Step-by-step activity directions (including materials required): 1. The instructor of the game will discuss how diseases spreads among people. 2. Ask the students answer and make an idea board for the students a. How do you think a virus will move from person to person? b. What are ways we can prevent viruses from infecting a person? c. Have you had a shot for disease? If so, which one? 3. Instructor will prepare the activity (moving desk into 4 to 5 groups/countries, assigning the virus carriers) and explaining the rules. a. Bring the 2 or 3 virus carries to the side and establish a code move or phrase that will free them to hand a sticky note aka virus. b. Instructor will be the timekeeper. 4. Assign leaders of each desk/country. Their motivation is to control their countries pandemic. 5. Round 1 will begin with the virus carrier having the same colored sticky notes. a. Start the timer for 1 minute and have the kids leave their desk and walk around. b. Give the signal to the virus carriers to infect 4 kids with the same virus. c. After the 60 seconds is up ask the students who are infected to raise their hand (tally these numbers). d. Have all kids return to their desk/countries. e. Group the carrier (including new ones) and advise to infect 2 more students but the new virus carries use the same color as their virus. The old carries get a new color. 6. Round 2 will start with the students walking around with the virus carriers moving around the group. Instructor will give the signal for the carriers to infect the students with 4 more viruses and the new carriers to infect 2 more students with the previous virus. (should be minimum 14 to 18 infected depending on the virus carriers) a. Repeat the process of collecting the data of the new infected with the new carriers. 7. Record the data from round 1 and 2 a. Ask students: What were the differences between round 1 and 2? Which round is similar to a real-life pandemic? 8. Explain the next 3 or 4 rounds to the students a. Advise that these rounds the leader of their desk or group will be able to choose 1 person per round to heal which will be the inoculated student. They will also discuss with the inoculant a strategy to heal their country. b. Explain that inoculated person will have a different color than the viruses but will be responsible for applying 2 healing cards to the students closes to them c. These students can be infected already or not infected. Those chosen who haven’t been affected simulate the individuals whose immune system fights the virus and does get sick d. Virus carriers are split on who can and cannot infect people. They cannot infect a cured student and are now limited to infecting 1 student per round. 9. Round 3 begins for a total of a 60 seconds. a. The inoculant will choose another student to give the inoculant sticker to heal that student or make immune. b. Virus carriers will have 15 seconds to be able to infect some one who is not infected. c. Once round is completed the instructor will record the inoculant and the new virus carriers 10. Round 4 is a repeat of round 3 except that the first inoculants can heal 2 students instead of 1. Leaders will be able to meet with the inoculant to determine a strategy to heal their nation. 11. Round 5 continues like rounds 3 and 4. There should be an increased of inoculants and will continue the healing pattern of round 4. Virus carriers only have 10 seconds to infect a student. 12. Round 6 is the final round and will show and infection decrease because of the available students who can get infected. Virus carriers only have 5 seconds to infect. 13. Tally the number of inoculants versus the number of infected. See the total of each desk and country to see who did the best at limiting the spread and healing their nation. How many where infected with 2 or more viruses and who is completely healed. 14. Discuss as a group how this activity demonstrates a real-life pandemic and what strategies helped cure their country.
How does the activity address the 4 domains of development:
physical domain of development - The physical domain is covered by the students walking around the classroom for 60 seconds each round. cognitive domain of development – The students will have the ability to strategize regardless of roles. Each group needs to prevent the spread and the virus carriers need to spread the social-emotional domain of development – This development is covered by the constant interaction the activity brings. From the excitement to the stress levels of containing the virus students must come together to face the issue. language domain of development – The introduction of new vocabulary on viruses, cures, and etc will help increase the language development. In addition, the after discussion will allow students to put the experience and strategies into their own words. Pertinent Visual that has Creative Commons License Usage (if not personal image): Source of the visual (If it is a personal photo, please indicate that (for ex: Personal Image)):