California Career and Technical Education Standards

• ANR.D.D6.1 Understand the signs of normal health in contrast to illness and disease.
• ANR.FS.11.0 Demonstration and Application
• ANR.FS.5.3 Use critical thinking skills to make informed decisions and solve problems.

California Academic Content Standards (Reinforced)

• ELA.9-10.R.CAGT.2.5 Extend ideas presented in primary or secondary sources through original analysis...3
• ELA.9-10.R.CAGT.2.6 Demonstrate use of sophisticated learning tools by following technical direction...2

• Need for daily observation - Hooks / Set

  As I begin the class, I begin to show signs of sickness. Coughing, uncontrollable sneezes, a horribly hoarse voice and loud annoying blowing of my nose. Students will begin to ask about my welfare (wow your sick, do you have a cold, fever, soar throat). Sincerely I ask, why would you think I'm sick? As they respond, I write down their observed symptoms of my supposed "sickness".
• Review the 5 senses - Lecture

  I propose that by using the 5 senses daily when dealing with animals, you will be able to detect illness when it occurs. Ask students what senses did they use in determining that I was sick (hearing me cough, the sound of my voice, the sight of blowing my nose). I then ask for examples of smell in a sick animal (manure change, infection, breath) and then examples for touch (higher temp, cold, swollen, liquid). Further discussion goes into all 5 areas. Sight (not getting up to eat, not eating, diarrhea, isolation), sound (respiratory distress, no sound in belly action, coughing) .
• Materials - Other

  1-Animal (if you have animals at a school farm, great, if not a dog works well.
  
  2-Thermometer and lubricant
  
  3-Lab sheet with temperature and respiration chart (add your own onto the lab sheet provided)
  
  4-Pencil/pen

  • Observing Animals Lab [ Download ]
• Observing Animals - Lab / Shop

  1-Handout "Lab Sheet" and review it with students
  
  2-Ask probing questions about observing Posture, Movement, Voice, Appetite, Mating Activity, Sleeping Habits and Social Behaviors
  
  3-Take students to animal or bring animal into classroom
  
  4-Give the students 5 minutes to write down anything they can think of about that animal in the "General Observation" area of the lab sheet.
  
  5-The animal then needs to be safely and humanely restrained (at this point go into correct handling and restraint for the particular species used).
  
  6-Students (a few) will then lubricate the thermometer and correctly take temperature for the classes use.
  
  7-Discuss with the class about breathing and respiration rates, demonstrate how to take respiration and discuss how this could be used in diagnosing a sick animal.
  
  8-Students (another few will then count respiration rate) provide normal respiration chart of a variety of species. Results are then shared with the class.
  
  9-After that time, students are then to record the results in the "Observations" section of the lab sheet and answer questions.