Immune System Researchers

Introduction

                                                               

Human anatomy and physiology are topics that are prevalent in every facet of our lives, especially with our ever-changing world. You aren't able to do anything without affecting a body system in one way or another, whether it's done consciously or without a thought at all. The body has multiple systems that help you to interact with the world around you in some way. This lesson is going to focus on the immune system and how it functions to protect you in the event that things, like the coronavirus, attempt to cause harm to your body.

Using your newfound knowledge on how the immune system works, you will dive into the various diseases that can affect the immune system. Choosing one disease process, you will explain why that particular immune system disease is experiencing more biological resistance than before, such as antibiotic resistance.

High School Human Anatomy and Physiology Standard:

      SAP4D : Examine various conditions that change normal body functions (e.g. tissue rejection, allergies, injury, diseases and disorders) and how the body responds.

 

Task

You have just been certified in immunology and have proven that you have the knowledge of how the immune system works as a whole. Now is when you begin to dive deeper into the immune system and focus on the diseases that can attack it and wreak havoc on the body. You are the lead researcher and have been tasked with choosing one disease, such as Hashimoto's disease, and teach the rest of your team about this disease and how it has adapted in our current world. You want to know all you can about this disease and how it affects the immune system because your team is hoping to come up with a treatment method that works.

At the end of your research, you must come up with a presentation to show how the disease process affects the immune system as well as a written paper on the disease process you studied. You will then use that presentation and paper to show the board in hopes to secure grant money to further your research.

                                                         

 

Process

Step 1

The next step is identifying the student groups that will work together. Students will pair up together in groups of no more than three and will notify the teacher of their decision by the end of class the group members.

Step 2

The student groups will then choose a disease process from the list provided.

-Parkinson's disease

-Hashimoto's disease

-Lupus

-Crohn's disease

-Ulcerative colitis

-Muscular Dystrophy

-Celiac Disease

-Guillan Barre Syndrome

-Fibromylgia

-Leukemia

-Type 1 Diabetes

-Thyroiditis

                                         

Step 3

Students will notify the teacher of their disease chosen and it must be approved before the group can move forward. Once the topic is approved, the group may continue with the research and further steps.

Step 4

Student groups will then begin the research process. The student groups will be required to obtain the minimum information on the disease process by answering the following areas:

    -How does the disease affect the immune system?

    -How does the disease present itself once it begins attacking the immune system?

    -Name the signs and symptoms that could be exhibited by someone with this disease.

    -Identify ALL of the treatment options for the disease process chosen.

    -Has the treatment course changed from when the disease was initially recognized? If so, how has it changed and what led to this change?

Students will be expected to cite their resources for answering the questions above. The student will be required to cite a minimum of 3 sources and also use at least two different source formats (ex: book, research article, online search). These must be cited in the written paper that will be handed in at the end of the project.

Step 5

Students will then use the information that they have found to create a presentation, whether video or PowerPoint, to demonstrate their knowledge on the subject. Students will also be expected to provide a paper written using MLA format on their specific disease process that is at least five pages in length. Each student is expected to participate in each aspect of the presentation.

 

Students will be allowed two weeks of class time to work on this project. After the two weeks is done, students will have two further weeks to put the information together to be ready to turn in on the due date given.

Evaluation

                                 

Students will be evaluated on their written paper using a written rubric.

Paper rubric:

Criteria 

5 points

4 points

2 points

0 points

Purpose

The disease being researched is very clear to the reader. 

The writing clearly identifies the disease, but the writer goes off topic occasionally.

The disease process researched is  noted through the paper, but it is not consistent.

The disease process is not found in the paper or is very unclear to the reader. 

Content

The disease process is relevant and the information was presented in a way that supports an in-depth analysis of how that disease affects the immune system. Reader gains valuable knowledge after reading. 

The writing shows a general knowledge of the disease and its affects. Reader gains a little bit of knowledge from reading.

The writing identifies some aspects of the disease process affecting the immune system. Reader gains very little knowledge from reading. 

The disease process is not clearly identified and the analysis of its affect on the immune system is vague or nonexistent. Reader is left confused and gains no knowledge from reading. 

Organization

The paper is written in a very logical format and supports the analysis of affecting the immune system. The reader can clearly follow the train of thought throughout the writing.

The paper is written in a format that is logical and shows how the disease process and the immune system are linked. The reader can follow the train of thought for the most part throughout the writing.

The paper is mostly arranged in a logical format, but the ideas may not make sense together. The reader is a little unsure of what the reader intended for the writing.

The paper does not follow a logical format and is very hard to understand. Reader is not able to understand what the writer is trying to convey.

Length

The paper is the appropriate number of pages specified in the assignment.

The paper is short of the appropriate page number by 2 pages. 

The paper is short of the appropriate page number by 3 pages.

The paper was too short to adequately address the topic. 

Conclusion

At the end of this activity, you will have gained valuable knowledge about the immune system as well as a chosen disease process and how it affects the immune system. You will find out if your research was enough to warrant moving forward and securing more funding to further research your disease of interest.

Credits

Teacher Page

Welcome to you!

This WebQuest activity is designed for high school anatomy and physiology students. Students are expected to already know how to do research using several different resource mediums (ex: book, internet, scholarly article). Students will utilize this experience to create a powerpoint and research paper based off a disease process chosen from a supplied list. Students should be able to persuade you with their research and knowledge that their disease process is worth being invested in for further research.

The chosen disease processes can vary by class and are suitable to being added to for those with larger class sizes. Ideally students should perform this activity in groups of two, but can be done in groups of three if necessary.