Hepatitis Lesson Plan For Grades 10-12 Adaptable for Grades 6-9

Note: This lesson plan is intended to be used as a guide in planning a classroom activity on hepatitis. This is a supplement to FDA & YOU issue 14, available at http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/fdaandyou.

Goals

The goal of this lesson plan is to improve students’ knowledge of the five strains of hepatitis virus and to help improve their health communication skills.

Objectives

1. Students will have a better understanding of the hepatitis virus, its prevention, symptoms, and treatment.
2. Students will improve their health communication skills by creating an informational brochure on one of the five strains of hepatitis virus.

Time Needed To Complete

1 to 2 full class periods

Prerequisites

• Prior to beginning the lesson students should read the FDA & YOU issue 14 article “How Much Do You Know About Hepatitis?”
• Students should have a basic understanding of the human body and how it fights disease.
• Students should have a basic knowledge of the hepatitis virus.
• Students should have basic reading, writing, and computer skills.

Materials

1. FDA & YOU issue 12
2. Overhead transparencies of information contained within the hepatitis article of FDA & You issue 14. (Created by the instructor)
3. If possible, access to a computer for each pair of students.
   • If computer access is not available, materials, such as those suggested below, may be used:
   • Construction Paper
   • Markers
   • Colored Pencils
   • Scrap Magazines
   • Glue
   • Scissors
   • Pens and Pencils

Lesson Procedure

1. At the end of class the day prior to this lesson, have an informal classroom discussion about hepatitis. Ask students what they know about hepatitis: how it affects a person who has it, how it can be spread, and how it is treated.
2. For homework, the day prior to the lesson, have students read the FDA & YOU issue 14 article “How Much Do You Know About Hepatitis?”
3. Using the overhead transparencies you created, review the three most common strains of hepatitis. Emphasize the differences and similarities between each strain, how they are spread, which populations are most susceptible, the symptoms, and how the virus can be treated.
4. Once you have reviewed each strain, group students in pairs. If pairs are not possible, groups of three may be used.
5. Assign each pair or group one strain of hepatitis (HAV, HBV, or HCV). Allow students to choose the audience for their brochure. Any population, except healthcare professionals, is acceptable.
6. Using the “Hepatitis Brochure Project Sheet,” assign each pair or group to create a tri-fold health brochure for their assigned strain. If using a computer lab, students can use programs such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or any other word processor to create their brochure. If a computer lab is not available, allow students to use art supplies, such as those suggested in the “Materials” section, to create their brochure.
7. Allow students the remaining time in class to work on their project.
8. For homework, have students complete the take-home activity – “Which Strain Is It.”
9. On the second day, give students the first part of the class to complete their brochure.
10. Once completed, collect all the brochures and grade them as you see appropriate. It is suggested that your grade be based on the items listed in the “Things to Consider” section of the “Hepatitis Brochure Project Sheet.”
11. Consider using a bulletin board in your classroom to display the completed brochures.

Closure/Conclusion

You may incorporate information from this lesson into future quizzes/tests if you like, or use the brochure project as one in a series of discussions on public health topics.

Hepatitis Brochure
Project Sheet

Name: _________________________________________________________________

Group Member(s): ______________________________________________________

Assigned Strain of Hepatitis: ______________________________________________

Audience of Brochure: ___________________________________________________

Instructions: Design a tri-fold informational brochure on your assigned strain of hepatitis. The brochure should be designed for the public, not for healthcare professionals. When designing your brochure, keep your audience in mind. Use images and text that you think will appeal to your audience. Consider the age, possible education, and background of your audience, and be sure to use words and concepts that your audience will understand. Be creative!

Things to Consider:

• What is it?

• How is it contracted?

• How do you prevent it?

• What are the symptoms?

• What do you do if you think you have it?

• How can it be treated?

• What population is most at risk for contracting and spreading the virus?

• Where and how would you distribute your brochure?

Which Strain Is It?

Read each of the following statements and on the line provided write which strain of hepatitis is being described. If you suspect that it is more than one strain, list them all.

Use the three-letter abbreviations in your answers (e.g. HAV, HBV, HCV).

___________ 1. Spread by direct contact with or exposure to infected human blood

___________ 2. Symptoms are very similar to those of Hepatitis A

___________ 3. Symptoms include fever, nausea and fatigue

___________ 4. A blood test is the only way to determine if someone is infected

___________ 5. 80% of people infected do not show any symptoms

___________ 6. Can be spread from an infected mother to her baby during birth

___________ 7. Symptoms and long term affects include joint pain, cirrhosis of the liver, and flu-like symptoms

___________ 8. Older people are more likely to have symptoms than children

___________ 9. Spread through unprotected sex, sharing contaminated needles, and traveling to countries with a high rate of infection.

 
___________ 10. Spread by drinking water or eating food contaminated with solid waste

Which Strain Is It?

HBV, HCV, 1. Spread by direct contact with or exposure to infected human blood.

HCV 2. One of the most common causes for liver transplants in adults.

HAV 3. Symptoms include fever, nausea, fatigue.

HBV 4. A blood test is the only way to determine if someone is infected.

HCV 5. 80% of people infected do not show any symptoms.

HAV 6. Accounts for about 38% of all hepatitis cases.

HBV 7. Symptoms and long term affects include joint pain, cirrhosis of the liver, and flu-like symptoms.

HAV 8. Older people are more likely to have symptoms than children.

HBV 9. Spread through unprotected sex, sharing contaminated needles, and traveling to countries with a high rate of infection.

HAV 10. Spread by drinking water or eating food contaminated with solid waste.