Biology Leaving Certificate

Clodagh Mitchell for Irish Jesuit Mission Office Page 1 of 6 Development Education Lesson Plans Series

Lesson 1: MicrobiologyCholera, Diphtheria, Bacteria and Water Born Diseases

OBJECTIVES:

• To bring awareness, understanding and knowledge about Cholera/ diphtheria/ water born bacterial diseases

• To outline the disproportionally high occurrence of these diseases in developing countries

• To enhance students’ general understanding 

• To encourage students to appreciate the significance of Biology, in particular water born bacteria and to think about how it affects peoples everyday life  

• To enhance students awareness and understanding of this topic in relation to developing countries

KEY POINTS/KEY WORKS PHRASES

• Bacterial disease found in dirty water

• Contraction of disease through drinking infected untreated water

• Spiral shaped bacteria

• Causes severe dehydration, severe diarrhoea, and a slow agonising death

METHOD - DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION LINK:

• Injustice of lack of provision of clean water in developing countries, moral compass of leaders, global economics, provision of clean water to global societies. People need and right to access clean water

• Haiti after earthquake had Cholera epidemic. Very poor provision of clean water. Thousands affected by cholera

• Zimbabwe cholera outbreak epidemic in last ten years

TEACHING METHODOLOGIES:

• Show charts, world maps of occurrences and prevalence of cholera/diphtheria/ outbreaks, epidemics/• Discussion presentation on water treatment as was done in Junior Cert science• Presentation of water purification process, using non-pathogenic bacterial agents to remove pathogenic

pollutants. Ecology section and Microbiology section Leaving Certificate Biology syllabus• Class discussion on moral injustice of money not being invested in provision of clean water in many parts

of the developing world• Crossword word search • Invite students to make a set of illustrated cartoons to show their understating of the topic and its effect

in the global south• Class create one large web chart diagram about origins and treatment for Cholera in developed and

developing counties • Group storyboards: Compare and contrasting life in a developed country verses daily life in developing

country with clean water using story board made of illustrations. Students to present work• Group Poster projects on the origin symptoms, treatment and possible of cholera and diphtheria disease• Walking debate. Possible Motion; Clean water more valuable than oil • Student to write Song/ poem to describe situation, prize for student• Invite a guest speaker from Irish Jesuit Mission Office to describe their experience in the global south

Biology Leaving Certificate

Clodagh Mitchell for Irish Jesuit Mission Office Page 2 of 6 Development Education Lesson Plans Series

MATERIALS

White board 

White board markers

Projector

Tote remote

Biology Book

Poster materials

Markers for students

REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

• Is there more awareness shown by students in regard the living conditions and welfare of citizens in developing countries?

• Observe what opinions are brought forward from individuals in the class about distribution of wealth and clean water provision in the world

• Reflect process and possibly further probe where the opinions students originate from

• Investigate and reflect on sources of information for students on such matter of public health. Is it social media, newspapers, family, friends, experience that influence their views?

• How did the lesson go?

• Were the learning outcomes achieved? To what extent?

• What would you do differently next time?

• What can you learn from this lesson?

FURTHER LINKS

www.who.int/

www.biology.slss.ie

www.thephysicsteacher.ie

www.examinations.ie

www.edco.ie/lcbiologyplus

www.concern.net

www.jesuitmissions.ie

www.studyclix.ie

www.bbc.co.uk/science

www.cell.com

www.nationalgeographic.com

www.hse.ie

www.btyoungscientist.com

www.sfi.ie

www.departmentofenvironment.ie

www.scifest.ie

www.biopharmachemireland.ie/

www.puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com

www.puzzlemaker.com

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Links

Lesson 1: MicrobiologyCholera, Diphtheria, Bacteria and Water Born Diseases

Biology Leaving Certificate

Clodagh Mitchell for Irish Jesuit Mission Office Page 3 of 6 Development Education Lesson Plans Series

OBJECTIVES:

• To bring awareness of these viral diseases that can cause severe illness, child mortality, deformities, deafness, disabilities, sterility and death

• To educate and understand the causes, symptoms, treatment and possible cures of these diseases• To develop awareness to students of the evidence of how the geological position of a person in the world,

can have an effect on ones chances of contraction• To enhance students’ general understanding  • To encourage students to appreciate the significance the significance of Biology, in particular the bacteria

and to think about how it affects our everyday life  • To enhance students awareness and understanding of this topic in relation to global south

METHOD - DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION LINK:

• Lack of education in many global communities, about the symptoms, dangers and methods of spreading these diseases

• Lack of access to vaccinations• Cost of vaccinations• Shortage of doctors and nurses in global south to provide medication• Lack of health education provision in the global south• High cost of anti-viral medication; only accessible to the financially well off citizens• Injustice of the lack of provision and prevention of these diseases in global south• Pharmaceutical company`s role in developing drugs for prevalent diseases in global south• Pharmaceutical company`s moral and ethical compass in regard pricing of medical drugs to be sold in

both developed and global south

METHODS /CLASS WORK

• Biology leaving certificate course work. Microbiology Syllabus; to describe the economic and medical importance of viruses including measles, mumps, rubella

• Teacher Presentation lesson on symptoms, origins, treatment and possible cures as prescribed by curriculum

• Inquiry based learning: Projects on measles. Students (3 or 4) to make poster to include paragraphs on causes, symptoms, locations of highest number of cases in the world, treatment and possible cures. Projects to be presented to class, school level. Possibility of presenting project at Scifest/Young scientist Exhibition

• Research by class on Vaccinations for measles. Cost, advantages, disadvantages• Outreach speaker: Visiting GP / Nurse/ Public Health promoter/ Virologist • Research by students about the medical pharmaceutical industry. Aim would be to get students to

research name of 5 of the 52 pharmaceutical companies here in Ireland. Pupils would research what medical drugs are being developed or manufactured here in Ireland or Europe

• Student`s task could also be to research the cost of vaccinations for MMR in Ireland per child and compare it to the cost and provision of MMR to children in global south like, Uganda

• Class debate. Possible motion is Pharmaceutical companies more interested in profit or public health?• Guest speaker from Concern, Trocaire or Goal to describe living conditions, health care in global south

Lesson 2: VirusesMeasles, Mumps and Rubella

Biology Leaving Certificate

Clodagh Mitchell for Irish Jesuit Mission Office Page 4 of 6 Development Education Lesson Plans Series

MATERIALSLeaving Certificate Biology SyllabusPoster materialsHSE Public Health promotion booklets on measles, vaccination, mumps, rubella.Application forms Scifest, Young scientist. White board  White board markers Projector Tote remote Markers for students

REFLECTION OF LESSON• Observation and reflection on students attitudes and education on vaccinations• Did the students fully understand the symptoms and dangers of diseases involved. Would they know how

to act?• Is there more awareness of students to the living conditions and welfare of citizens in global south?• How did the lesson go? • Were the learning outcomes achieved? To what extent? • What would you do differently next time? • What can you learn from this lesson?

FURTHER LINKSwww.scifest.iewww.cjfallon.ie/biologywww.btyoungscientist.comwww.hse.iewww.who.int/www.concern.netwww.biology.slss.iewww.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbodyandmindwww.edco.ie/lcbiologypluswww.cjfallon.ie/biology

REFLECTIONS:• Reflect on how well students know and understand how contagious, serious and dangerous to health

measles, mumps and rubella are to citizens and pregnant women• Observe on students research into pharmaceutical industries and price of medicines and vaccinations

in Ireland compared to Uganda and other global south. Moral compass of business, profitability verses public health

• Is there more awareness shown by students in regard the living conditions and welfare of citizens in global south?

• How did the lesson go? • Were the learning outcomes achieved? To what extent? • What would you do differently next time? • What can you learn from this lesson?

www.cjfallon.ie/biologywww.studyclix.iewww.sfi.iewww.biopharmachemireland.ie/www.amgen.iewww.puzzlemaker.comwww.jesuitmissions.iewww.concern.netwww.puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/CrissCrossSetupForm

Lesson 2: VirusesMeasles, Mumps and Rubella

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Links

Biology Leaving Certificate

Clodagh Mitchell for Irish Jesuit Mission Office Page 5 of 6 Development Education Lesson Plans Series

OBJECTIVES• To enhance students’ general understanding  • To encourage students to appreciate the significance of Biology, in particular sources of energy and to think

about how it affects people’s everyday life   • To enhance students awareness and understanding of this topic in relation to developing countries

NOTE

Renewable Energy - Solar. The use of solar energy in developmental countries instead of sourcing primary energy from non- renewable energy sources, the burning of Fossil fuels Oil, Coal, Gas. Link with Ecology section of Leaving Certificate Biology which includes; Industrial pollution, climate change, environmental conservation and population dynamics.

The fact that many developing countries have sunny climates during many months of the year, provide the opportunity for the extensive promotion, use and easy access to solar energy. However, this does not seem to be case. Solar energy despite being readily available to both impoverished and wealthy communities is still very costly and not actively promoted by governments in many parts of the world, especially developing countries. The sale of Oil and Gas still dominates. Serious pollution and high electricity costs result.

METHODS

Teacher presentation of the facts on renewable and non-renewable energy sources, industrial pollution, population dynamics, environmental damage and conservation studies as directed by biology syllabus.

Areas to be highlighted

• Need for electricity for security on streets. Incidence of violence, theft and sexual violence decrease as areas become lit up according to the WHO

• Electricity needed for cooking, heating, electronics

• Easily sourced from natural resource of easily accessible solar energy

• High Cost of solar panels for heating and for electricity

• Solar panels not generally affordable for people of low economic standing

• Wars in Oil rich countries. E.g. Iraq, Iran

Inquiry based learning. Class activities methods

• Class discussion. Ironic situation of having abundance of solar energy but yet unable to harness it. Technology and panels expensive, difficult to source in many developing countries. Why?

• Class activity Experiment-solar energy and wind energy kits

• Visiting Guest speaker of Environmental science from local University, Department of the Environment and Protection industries

• Film. An Inconvenient truth. Al Gore www.an-inconvenient-truth.com. www.algore.com

• Word search/ crossword. Environmental science ecology terminology

• Class discussion. Is society poorly educated or deliberate disregard about the use of Fossil fuels and the consequential damage to the climate, various ecosystems, health of communities using them?

• Group project on Oil and fossil fuels, still the primary source of energy used in the world. Sources, impact, advantages and disadvantages to global communities

Lesson 3: Renewable EnergyFossil Fuels V Solar Energy

Biology Leaving Certificate

Clodagh Mitchell for Irish Jesuit Mission Office Page 6 of 6 Development Education Lesson Plans Series

Lesson 3: Renewable EnergyFossil Fuels V Solar Energy

• Research and debate in class. Conspiracy theory of Oil companies and governments of richer countries paralysing the development of solar energy initiatives in order in continue and increase sales of fossil fuels

• Essay on advantages and disadvantages of the use of solar energy rather than fossil fuels in developing countries

• Project posters on topic for Scifest science competition/ Young scientist competition• Class visit to local solar energy panelling production business and/ or wind farm to in able students to fully

understand manufacturing and effectiveness of these methodologies• Guest speaker from Irish Jesuit Mission office, Concern, Trocaire or Goal to describe living conditions,

health care in developing countries

MATERIALS

Biology Leaving Certificate BookBiology SyllabusFilm An Inconvenient Truth. Al GoreCrosswordsChartsPower point slides 

FURTHER LINKS

www.an-inconvenient-truth.iewww.algore.comwww.concern.netwww.trocaire.orgwww.edco.ie/lcbiologypluswww.biologyslss.iewww.cjfallon.ie/biologywww.thephysicsteacher.iewww.lennoxeducaional.ie-solar energy kitswww.who.int/www.environ.ie The Department of The Environment, Irelandwww.greenpeac.org

REFLECTIVE PRACTICE:

• Is there more awareness shown by students in regard the living conditions and welfare of citizens in developing countries?

• How did the lesson go? • Were learning outcomes achieved? To what extent? • What would you do differently next time? • What can you learn from this lesson? • Reflection on students understanding of renewable and non-renewable energies• Reflection on students understanding and opinion of use of fossil fuels and effect on climate change and

pollution in developing countries• Reflection Questionnaire to students • Did student apprehend and understand the long term negative impact the use of fossil fuels has on the

environment• Did Guest speakers have an impact on students, teacher and school community alike?

White board markers Projector Tote remote Solar energy kitsWind energy kits

www.jesuitmissions.iewww.concern.iewww.trocaire.orgwww.scifest.iewww.sfi.iewww.puzzlemaker.comwww.btyoungscientist.comwww.biopharmachemireland.ie/www.edutopia.org/article/inquiry-based-learning-resources-www.puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.comwww.puzzlemaker.com