Epidemiology is the study of the causes of
diseases. Epidemiologists are scientists who
conduct research into how disease is spread
among populations. Their investigations lead
to strategies for how to control and prevent
the spread of illnesses. Five diseasescholera,
the flu epidemic of the 20th century, malaria,
polio, and smallpoxare among many diseases
that have plagued people for centuries. What
different processes did scientists use to study
these five diseases? What were some of the
misconceptions people had about these diseases
before scientists were able to understand their
causes and how to prevent them? In this WebQuest,
you will explore five different diseases that
have affected people throughout history to
find the answers to these questions. You will
also create a timeline to describe the history
of one of these diseases and how it impacts
worldwide health today.
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Your job in this WebQuest is to learn about
diseases that have affected people for hundreds
of years. You will investigate five different
diseases to learn how scientists have worked
to prevent their spread among populations.
You will answer a set of questions about these
diseases and their prevention to demonstrate
what you have learned. Once you've conducted
some research to increase your knowledge of
these diseases and their prevention, you'll
select one of the diseases to investigate further.
You'll create a timeline that shows key dates
in the study of that disease as well as other
dates and events that occurred during the same
period of time. The purpose of the timeline
is to show how scientific study has led to
discoveries that help prevent the spread of
disease. You'll include a description of each
date on the timeline and summarize the current
state of prevention of this disease.
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2-3 days to answer the set of questions and
produce the timeline and its descriptions
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First, read through the following set of questions
before you begin your Internet research. As
you explore each site, look for answer to the
questions.
Questions about Investigating
Disease and Prevention
- How did John Snow use maps to study the
spread of cholera?
- What were some of the misconceptions people
had about the cause of the flu epidemic of
1918?
- How effective was Jonas Salks initial
testing of the polio vaccine?
- What are some strategies used to prevent
contracting malaria?
- What did Edward Jenner discover about the
relationship between smallpox and cowpox?
Next, visit the Web sites provided below to
get more information about one of the diseases
you researched to create a timeline. Your timeline
should include important dates that led to
discoveries about causes of and ways to prevent
the disease. Write a summary about the importance
of each date. You should also include dates
and summaries in your timeline for other relevant
historic events of the period. The end of your
timeline should include a description of how
the disease you researched currently affects
people around the world.
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Look at the web sites given here to find the
information that will help you answer questions
about different diseases and their prevention,
and to gather information to use as you build
your timeline.
You may use these resources to help you develop
your timeline:
http://www.teacheroz.com/20thcent.htm
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/science/cgi-bin/splitwindow.cgi?top=
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/science/top2.html&link=
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/howtomakeatimeline1.htm
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In the process of completing this WebQuest,
you've become informed about five different
diseases: cholera, the flu epidemic of the
20th century, malaria, polio, and smallpox.
You have read information to answer questions
about this topic, and have increased your knowledge
of how scientists have studied these diseases
in the quest to minimize their impact on people
and discover effective treatments. You've also
used your research skills to create a timeline
that describes how one of these diseases has
affected people throughout history.
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