2024-2025
Virology - Tyshawn Ferrel PHD(c) tyshawn.ferrell@emory.edu
Lesson plan - Provided by Tyshawn Ferrel
Students will investigate the process of diagnosing a disease, understand the cause of it, and how the pathogen affects the host.
Objectives
Define what a virus is.
Illustrate the basic components of a virus!
Explain how a virus infects the host.
Describe the procedure to create diagnostics test to identify infection.
Lesson Material and resources
Resources for what a virus is:
Laptop to access links and helpful tools
PPE (gloves, eye protection, and lab coat)
Solutions for diagnosis: phenolphthalein (turns pink in a solution with pH 10), blue litmus paper (turns red in a solution with pH 4.5), vinegar (or acetic acid), and NaOH (or sodium carbonate).
Eppendorf tubes (1.5ml and 50ml), pipette (1000ul), tube rack, and little cups to act as beakers.
Notebook
Activity
The “Nightingale” virus (15 – 30 minutes)
Background: In a small Kansas town known as the flower capital of America, there were reported cases of a mysterious disease spreading among several bird populations. This lethal disease killed 50% of the bird population in the course of one year. Symptoms were primarily asymptomatic until the late stages of the disease, when infected birds began chirping repeatedly for several hours. In desperate need of help, the town has reached out to your genomic lab for assistance. A fellow colleague hinted that it may have been caused by the importation of a new species of bird, known as the common nightingale, in the area that has been unaffected by the disease. The town has given you plasma from the afflicted bird populations to analyze for any abnormal activity of foreign DNA. You received the sequence back today, and everything looked normal except for one sequence outside of the genomic DNA. This sequence, known as JkLOL, has yet to be characterized. So, what can you do to determine if it has any relatives?
Introduce the concept of genomic DNA vs other nucleic acids (resource here)
Discuss possible causes of the disease (individual, population, or an environmental issue)
Introduce students to NCBI’s BLAST tool to help them identify other similar viruses that could answer how the virus was introduced.
They will follow a set of instructions to help them facilitate the search, and the instructor will help guide them in interpreting the results.
Students will then be given a list of sequences that are closely related to the mysterious virus to perform an MSA to identify any differences in the sequence.
Steps for the activity
Students will be given a family tree of the virus, which includes the relationship between the JkLOL sequence and other avian viruses. This experiment aims to determine which sequences are close to the JkLOL sequence.
Students will form three-four groups, representing different bird populations. Some students will be the “viruses,” which affect each bird population differently. Each bird population will have a specific immunity to a specific avian virus. The goal of this experiment is to mimic viruses acting in nature. If you are apart of a bird population, do not tell the opposing team your type of immunity. The virus team will have 10 minutes to try to infect as many birds as possible.
Diagnosis for the mysterious disease (10-15 minutes)
Background: Now that you have discovered that the virus belongs to a family of avian viruses, you have set out to create a test to identify afflicted populations for the disease before it progresses toward the deadly “chirping” stage. To do this, you must understand the basic components of the virus and how to target them.
The student will be given a diagram of the infection cycle of the virus and what the mature virus looks like.
Identify the function of each component of the virus.
Introduce the concept of sequence conservation and how it enables us to target specific virus components for diagnosis.
Steps for the activity:
Students will adorn proper PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), which includes a lab apron, gloves, and goggles.
Students will get into three – four groups and sit near each other.
The instructor will bring avian serum (from different regions of Kansas) to test to see if that population of birds was impacted by the virus. Each student will have their individual tube of serum, to which they will add reagent B (using a disposable pipette) to see if it reacts with the serum, indicating infection (the color will change from red to orange or violet).
Once the reagent is added, each student will close the lid on the tube and briefly “vortex” (mix) the serum and reagent together.
The students will write down their observations and collaborate with other groups to determine if a Kansas-wide outbreak of the “Nightingale” virus exists.
Keep your tubes and stay in your groups!
The Nightingale virus’s role in initiating cancer (15- 20 minutes)
Background: You created a test to identify the presence of the virus, yay! However, by understanding the function of each component of the virus… you found the cause of death for these poor animals: cancer. Infection with this virus seems to inhibit RAE38, a protein that signals natural killer (NK) cells. NK cells control several types of tumors and microbial infections by limiting their spread and subsequent tissue damage. Therefore, by reducing their population, cancerous cells can proliferate at an alarming rate. Your mission is to introduce a panel of drugs to see which is most effective at inhibiting the virus and promoting RAE38. To do this, you introduce the drug to infected populations and check for the level of RAE38 using a functional assay.
Introduce the concept of cancer based on viral infection.
Introduce NK cells
Introduce functional assays and how they work.
Steps for the activity:
Students will adorn proper PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), which includes a lab apron, gloves, and goggles.
Each student will have their individual tube of serum, to which they will add either reagent NK1, BK1, and MK1 (using a disposable pipette) to see if it reacts with the serum, indicating neutralization of the virus (the color will change from orange/violet to clear).
Once the reagent is added, each student will close the lid on the tube and briefly “vortex” (mix) the serum and reagent together.
The students will write down their observations and collaborate with other groups to determine if the outbreak of the “Nightingale” virus can be stopped by one of the drugs.
You may discard your tubes!
Family Medicine - Dr. Patricia Kelly-Marsh patriciakellymarsh@gmail.com
Prosthetics & Orthodotics - Andrew Nash CPO- nasha859@gmail.com parent support
Lesson Plan for Prosthetics & Orthotics Workshop - this is orginal version, it was updated by Mr. Nash
Workshop Agenda: Understanding Prosthetics & Orthotics
Duration: 2 Hours
1. 10:00am - 10:10am - Welcome and Introduction (10 minutes)
Greetings
Quick 6 question review about last workshop
Icebreaker
Introduce Mr. Nash
2. 10:10am - 10:50am -Meet Mr. Nash learn about his journey and career (40 minutes)
Mr. Nash’s presentation
3. 10:50am - 11:00am Bathroom Break & Movement Activity Break (10 minutes)
Allow students to recharge with a quick physical activity and bathroom break.
4. 11:00am 11:30am - Hands-On Activity Designing a Simple Prosthetic (30 minutes)
Divide the students into small groups.
Provide materials such as cardboard, rubber bands, glue, and other craft supplies.
Guide the students through the process of designing and creating a simple prosthetic limb model.
Encourage creativity and teamwork.
5. 11:30am-11:40am - Presentation and Feedback (10 minutes)
Have each group present their prosthetic model to the class.
Discuss the design and functionality of each model.
Provide positive feedback and constructive suggestions for improvement.
6. 11:40am-11:50am - Jeopardy game {Prosthetics & Orthotics} (10 minutes)
Conduct a fun, interactive quiz to review what they’ve learned.
Use visual aids or a digital quiz platform to keep it engaging.
6. 11:45am-12:00 pm Closing Remarks, Q&A and pictures (10 minutes)
Take group photo
Open the floor for any questions the students may have.
Distribute any handouts or take-home materials
Encourage them to share what they’ve learned with their families.
7. 12:00pm pick up.
Digestive System - Dr. Patricia Kelly-Marsh patriciakellymarsh@gmail.com
Introduction (20 minutes)
Welcome the students and introduce the topic of digestion.
Briefly explain the digestive system and its importance in our bodies.
Use a visual aid, body models, to show the main organs involved in digestion. (each child has the small puzzle model below and digestion apron)
Human Body puzzle, apron and digestion page (30 minutes)
Color apron
Explain digestion parts in puzzle
Digestion page
Break: "Digestion Dribble" Basketball Activity (15 minutes)
Objective: Reinforce learning through physical activity.
Activity: Organize a fun game where students dribble basketballs to different stations labeled with digestive organs.
Purpose: Each station can have a quick question or fact about digestion to answer before moving on.
Benefit: Engages students in physical activity while reinforcing the lesson content.
Simulating a Bowel Movement (25 minutes)
Objective: Illustrate the digestive process and how food waste is expelled.
Materials: Slices of bread, paper towels, vinegar, plastic zip bags.
Procedure:
Have students place a slice of bread in a zip bag and add a small amount of vinegar to simulate stomach acid.
Seal and gently mash the bag to mimic digestion.
Use a paper towel to filter out the vinegar, showing how nutrients are absorbed.
Discuss how the remaining material represents waste that would be expelled as a bowel movement.
Discussion: Talk about the importance of fiber in our diet to aid this process
Conclusion and Q&A (10 minutes)
Recap the main points of the workshop.
Encourage students to ask questions about anything they found interesting or unclear.
Remind scholars to color their digestion apron at home and send us a picture.
Wrap-Up (5 minutes)
Clean Up
Thank the students for their participation.
Encourage them to share what they've learned with their families.
Children can play in indoor playground with extra time.
Neuroscience - GSU outreach Prof. David Waxler davidwaxler@gsu.edu
CPR & First Aid - Brianna McCoy cprwithbrianna@gmail.com
Dentistry - Dr. Brown February is National Children's Dental Health Month - Dentist most likely to participate
10:00 am - 10:20 am: Introduction to Dentistry
Begin with a warm welcome and introduce by the Dr. Brown.
The dentist shares her personal journey into the field of dentistry, including her education, training, and what inspired her to become a dentist.
Overview of what a dentist does and the importance of dental health.
10:20 am - 10:35 am: Understanding Teeth
Explanation of the anatomy of a tooth, including enamel, dentin, pulp, and nerves.
Discuss the different types of teeth (incisors, canines, premolars, molars) and their functions.
10:35 am - 11:00 am: How Teeth Are Alive
Interactive discussion on how teeth have a blood supply and nerves, making them living structures.
Explanation of how these nerves contribute to the sensations we feel and the importance of maintaining dental health.’
11:00 AM - 11:15 AM: Break Time: Bathroom Break
11:15 AM - 11:45 AM: Hands-On Activity: Indirect Vision & Activity sheet
11:45 am - 11:50 am: Q&A Session
Open the floor for questions from participants.
Encourage curiosity and answer questions about dentistry, dental health, or the dentist's personal experiences.
11:50 am - 12:00 pm: Recap and Closing
Summarize the key points covered in the workshop.
Provide resources for further learning about dentistry and dental health.
Thank participants for attending and encourage them to continue exploring the fascinating world of dentistry.
Encourage them to share what they've learned with their families.
Midwifery - Melissa Phillippe
10:00 am - 10:20 am: Introduction
Activity: Meet the Midwife
You introduce yourself, share your journey and experiences.
Discuss the role of a midwife and what they do during childbirth.
10:20 am - 10:45 am: Learning the APGAR Score
Activity: APGAR with Baby Dolls
Explain the APGAR scoring system (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, Respiration) and its importance in assessing newborn health.
Demonstrate how to perform an APGAR assessment using baby dolls.
Children practice assessing their baby dolls with guidance from the midwife.
10:45 am - 11:00 am: Break Time
Activity: "Dribble Delivery" Basketball Game
Emphasize teamwork and communication, tying it back to how midwives work with families and healthcare teams.
11:00 am - 11:35 am: Exploring the Functions of the Placenta & Building a Placenta
Activity: Placenta Craft with Play Dough
The midwife will explain the placenta’s functions, such as nutrient and oxygen transfer, waste elimination, and hormone production.
Guide children in building a model placenta using play dough, including vein, arteries in the umbilical cord andWharton's jelly.
Discuss the anatomy and function as they create their models.
11:35 am - 11:50 am: Sharing and Reflection
Activity: Show and Tell
Children share their placenta models with the group, explaining one fact they learned about the structure or function they thought was interesting.
11:50 am - 12:00 pm: Closing Remarks
Activity: Wrap-up and Thank You
The midwife recaps the day's activities and highlights key learning points.
Children are invited to ask any final questions.
Thank the children for their participation and enthusiasm.