Name____________________________________Date_________________Class_________________

PROJECT OVERVIEW
Stop the Invasion!
Imagine yourself reporting the battles of an intense conflict. This is not a war between
countries, however, but an invasion of a human body by disease-causing organisms. Your job is
to report the progress of the invaders, their effects on the body, and the body’s responses as it
defends itself against the disease. As you will learn how the body fights off infectious diseases,
you will be able to apply this information to common diseases such as colds and flu.
In this project, you will choose a specific infectious disease and determine the sequence of
events that occur as it attacks the body and the body defends itself. You will then compare
these events to a war between two armies. Finally, you will present these battles to the class in
at least three news reports. Before working on your reports, you will need to analyze several
newscasts or newspaper articles to determine methods used to capture the audience’s attention,
present a clear description of events, and communicate information accurately.
Your reports may be in the form of radio or television broadcasts or newspaper articles.
They must include these topics:
• How the disease organism comes in contact with the body
• A description of the first symptoms of the disease and the first defense response of the
body
• A description of further symptoms and immune responses as the disease moves to
different sites within the body
• The final results of the disease conflict
• Any long-term effects on the body from the disease

Project Rules
• Choose a specific disease and research its causes and its effects on the body.
• Watch or listen to news broadcasts or read newspaper articles to study how reporters
present information.
• Plan your presentation by finding parallels between the stages of the disease and the
battles between two armies.
• Write first drafts of your three reports using the information you learned about the body’s
immune response to the disease.
• Assemble any additional materials you need for your broadcasts or articles, such as sound
effects, visual aids, or illustrations.
• Practice your presentation in front of some classmates.
• Revise your reports and present your “live” broadcasts or articles to the class.
Name____________________________________Date_________________Class_________________

Suggested Materials
Your teacher will provide you with materials such as colored pencils, poster board, or a tape
recorder for making sound effects.

Project Hints
• Brainstorm a list of infectious diseases that interest you. Choose a disease that you have
had before or that you already know something about. You can find more information
about the disease at the library, on the Internet, or by interviewing a doctor or nurse.
• Write down as many symptoms of the disease as you can remember. Describe the
symptoms as vividly as you can.
• As you listen to, watch, or read news reports, write down any methods you notice for
writing an exciting broadcast script or article.

Project Timeline
Task Due Date
1. Select the disease. ______________________
2. Complete Project Worksheet 1. ______________________
3. Complete research of the disease. ______________________
4. Complete Project Worksheet 2. ______________________
5. Complete rough drafts of news reports. ______________________
6. Prepare any sound effects, visual aids, or illustration. ______________________
7. Practice and time the presentation. ______________________
8. Revise news reports as necessary. ______________________
9. Make presentation to the class. ______________________
Name____________________________________Date_________________Class_________________

PROJECT WORKSHEET 1

Stop the Invasion!

Planning
An excellent project must have some of the same qualities of an excellent news broadcast.
Listen to, watch, or read at least three news stories to help you answer the following questions
about presenting information effectively. Read all of the questions before you begin writing
your draft. Use a separate sheet of paper if you need more room.
1. Lead-ins: How does a reporter introduce the story? Describe the characteristics of an
opening sentence that makes the audience or reader want to know more. Write down a
sample of at least one opening sentence that “leads in” to the story by catching people’s
attention.
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2. Organization: What patterns do you notice in the ways the stories are organized? Look
for stories that are organized by sequence of events, by human interest level (the degree to
which you sympathize with the events), by the different viewpoints involved, or by
relating the story to other events.
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3. Unfamiliar terms: How does the story help the audience to understand terms that may
not be familiar?
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4. Putting the story in context: If the news report is an episode of an ongoing story, what
methods are used to connect it to previous reports?
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5. Endings: Write down some ways that news stories end. Listen or read for endings that use
general comments, thoughtful predictions, or “hooks” that make the audience want to
follow the story in the next day’s news.
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6. Visuals and sound effects: Look and listen for ways that maps, still pictures, film clips,
and sound effects are used to enhance the effect of the news story. How is it helpful to
include actual interviews with the people involved? Do sound effects or visual images
help to communicate the story?
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Name____________________________________Date_________________Class_________________

PROJECT WORKSHEET 2
Stop the Invasion!
Recording Data
Record information about your chosen disease and the body’s response to it in a data table like
the one below. Include a description of how the disease-causing organisms invade and attack
the body and how the body defends itself against these attacks. Use the Date and Time columns
to indicate the sequence of events. The first two rows of the table have been filled in as an
example.
Date Time Action of Disease Reaction of Body
October 13 9:00 A.M. Mr. Smith turns a doorknob Mr. Smith’s skin acts as a
and picks up cold viruses on barrier to the virus.
his hand.
October 13 9:03 A.M. Mr. Smith eats a doughnut Mr. Smith’s saliva destroys
and licks his fingers, some of the cold viruses.
swallowing some of the
viruses on his hand.

Analyzing and Presenting

Complete the following items on a separate sheet of paper. When you are finished, you will be
ready to write the first drafts of your scripts or articles.
1. Decide how you want to communicate to your classmates what you have learned: in radio
news broadcasts, television news broadcasts, or newspaper articles.
2. Decide how you will divide the information into three or more separate news reports.
3. Decide what visual aids or sound effects you want to include in your presentation to help
your audience understand the story.
Name____________________________________Date_________________Class_________________

SCORING RUBRIC
Stop the Invasion!
In evaluating how well you complete the Chapter Project, your teacher will judge your work in the following categories. In each, a score of
4 is the best rating.
4 3 2 1
Researching the Thoroughly researches Adequately researches the Does some research on Does minimal research on
Disease the disease, including disease, including the disease. Research the disease. Research
transmission, transmission, symptoms, includes only two of the includes only one of the
symptoms, and the and the body’s responses. following: transmission, following: transmission,
body’s responses. symptoms, and the symptoms, and the body’s
body’s responses. responses.
Writing Scripts or Prepares three news Prepares three news Prepares three news Prepares one or two news
Articles reports that accurately reports that compare the reports about the disease. reports about the disease.
compare the course of course of the disease to an Reports are somewhat Reports are unorganized,
the disease to an ongoing battle. Reports are organized and mostly incomplete, and contain
ongoing battle. Reports fairly creative, organized, complete, but may more than one major
are creative, organized, and complete, but may contain minor errors. error.
and thorough. contain a minor error.
Presenting the Presentation is Presentation is adequate Parts of presentation are Most of presentation is
News Reports thorough and easy to and easy to follow. Student hard to follow. Student hard to follow. Student
follow. Student makes use of visual aids or makes use of only a does not make use of
effectively makes use sound effects. single visual aid or sound visual aids or sound
of visual aids or sound effect. effects.
effects.
Working Takes a lead in the Actively participates in the Takes a limited role in Participates minimally in
Cooperatively (if group’s research, group’s research, planning, the group’s research, the group’s research,
project done in planning, and and presentation of the planning, and planning, and presentation
groups) presentation of the project. presentation of the of the project.
project. project.