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 diseases-cholera, the flu epidemic of the
20th century, malaria, polio, and smallpox-are 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 Salk's 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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