Share this resource so students in other classrooms can benefit as well!
Step 1: Getting Started
- On Slide 6 of their Student Editions, students can explore How Blossom the Cow Saved Millions of Lives.
- Work through the slides together, or allow students to work through them independently at their own pace.
Step 2: Discuss and Debate
- Edward Jenner tested his vaccine on the eight-year-old son of his gardener. Because of his discovery, hundreds of millions of lives were saved. But were his actions ethical?
- Make a copy of Smallpox Survey #1 (you'll need to be logged in to a Google account to copy the Surveys). Click "Send" and have your students record their opinions. Then, split your class in half based on their responses.
- Discuss how a smart mind will change if it gets a good reason, but hold fast if it does not. Ask, "Do you think it was good or bad for Edward Jenner to conduct his test?" Have students discuss the question with someone who has a different opinion. Repeat this procedure until each student has had three discussions with someone from the other group.
- After the discussions, have students fill out Smallpox Survey #2. Examine how much your class flexed their thinking. Which students changed their mind the most? Did most people move toward the center as they heard new perspectives?
Step 3: More Vaccination Heroes!
- Edward Jenner was far from the only scientist who saved lives by developing vaccines. In their Student Editions, students are encouraged to learn more about vaccine pioneers by researching:
- Jonas Salk
- Maurice Hilleman
- Kizzmekia Corbet
- Consider having students research one or more pioneers and share their learning with the class. Or, have them explore how George Washington used vaccination to help Americans win the Revolutionary War!
Want More?
VacciNation is a great project. But if you like these activities, you'll LOVE the full Blue Apple Experience! Check out Prevent the Spread, where students learn all about germs and what schools can do to stop them in their tracks—shop all their Project-Based Learning experiences here !
Use the discount code VACCINE21 to save 10% off on any Blue Apple projects!
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Share this resource so students in other classrooms can benefit as well!
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