Lesson Plan Originally Created By:
Juli Westcott
Conditions of the Nervous System
Part of Unit: Spine
Lesson Plan Overview / Details
The purpose of this lesson is to expose students to the cause, signs, symptoms, and treatments of common conditions of the Nervous System.
Lesson Time
- Two Class Periods of
- 52 Minutes
- or One Class Period of
- 100 Minutes
Standards
California Career and Technical Education Standards
Objectives and Goals
- Students will identify the cause, symptoms and treatment of common nervous system conditions.
- Students will be able to name common nervous system conditions.
- Students will practice clear, honest communication.
- Students will demonstrate positive team-work and professional behavior.
- Students will practice effective team-work skills.
Activities in this Lesson
- Video: "The Long Goodbye" - Hooks / Set
As students enter the classroom, they will pick up a paper that has questions for them to answer about a video clip. I will then show a video on ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), and the students will answer the following reflection questions:
1. What is the name of the condition shown in this video?
2. What are some of the signs/symptoms of this condition?
3. What treatment is there for this condition?
4. What is the prognosis (i.e. long-term outcome) for this condition?
5. How does this condition affect the person who has it?
6. How does this condition affect the family of the person who has it?
7. What are some of the feelings you think a person with this condition might experience as the disease progresses?
Give the students approximately 5 minutes to complete these questions, and then collect their papers. Go over the reflection questions with the students, and ask for some of the students to share their ideas. Let the class know that we will discuss this condition (and others) during this lesson.
- Video Reflection Sheet [ Download ]
- The Long Goodbye Video [ Watch Video ] [ Download Original Video ]
- PowerPoint Presentation - Lecture
Once the activity is complete, we will proceed to the lecture portion of the lesson (PowerPoint). Students will take out their class notes to follow along with the presentation. The presentation will cover common conditions of the Nervous System, and will include the cause (known or unknown), signs and symptoms, and treatment/prognosis. The presentation contains 26 slides with a good deal of information. The parts that I feel are particularly important for the students to learn are in BOLD. In order to increase student learning and retention of the subject, I will stop between each condition and allow for student processing:
1. I will present slides 1-5 about Meningitis, and then have the students turn their notes over and pair share on the signs or symptoms of Meningitis. They will have 2 minutes to discuss one sign or symptom with their partner, and then listen to their partner discuss one. After 2 minutes, I will tell them to stop, and ask 2-3 pairs of students to describe which signs/symptoms they discussed.
2. I will present slides 6-9 on Multiple Scelrosis, and then stop and tell the students about my high school voice teacher who suffers from MS. (She began having symptoms in her late 30s including loss of muscle strength, pain in the extremities, and eventually progressed to being confined to a wheelchair. She has tried multiple experimental treatments, including going to Switzerland, with no success. She is currently in her 60s and suffers greatly with pain, disability, and multiple associated health conditions [e.g. lung and bladder problems]).
3. I will present slides 10-13 and then stop and ask the students to reflect again on the video we watched at the beginning of the lesson -- "Did watching the video help you to understand the reality of living with ALS?" "Did watching the video help you to be able to visualize and understand the effect of this horiffic disease on the body?".
4. I will present slides 14-21 on Bell's Palsy and Parkinson's Disease. I will then ask the students to turn over their notes again, and pair share on the following questions -- "What are the similarities in the presentation of these two conditions?" "What are the differences in the onset and treatment of these two conditions?". After 2 minutes, I will tell them to stop, and ask 2-3 pairs of students to share their answers to the questions.
5. I will present slides 22-26 on Muscular Dystrophy. I will then ask the students to take out a piece of paper, and write 1 paragraph on the following question -- "If you could know at the time of birth that your child had Muscular Dystrophy, and that the disease would onset at some point within the next 1-5 years, would you want to know? OR would you rather NOT know ahead of time, and deal with the disease as it presented? Why?"
- Checking for Understanding - Assessment
I will ask questions as described above throughout the lesson to check for understanding.
- Informational Poster - Group Work
Upon completion of the class notes and lecture, students will break into six groups ( NOTE: If you have a larger class, you may choose to have multiple groups working on the same disease). Each group will create an informational poster about the Nervous System disease they have chosen. The poster is to include the cause (known or unknown), signs and symptoms, and treatment/prognosis. It should be simple, clear, and creative. Students should take about 10-15 minutes to complete this poster. ( NOTE: It is important to emphasize that each member of the group needs to participate in the creation and presentation of the project).
- Individual Group Check - Assessment
During the time that the students are working on this project, I will walk around the classroom and visit each group – monitoring their work, re-iterating the expectations of the assignment, and answering any questions they might have. I will also assess if students are actively engaged in the activity.
- Class Presentation - Closure
Once the students have completed their posters, I will ask one person from each group to come up to the front of the room and display their poster for the class. They will quickly read over the information they have included on the poster to re-iterate the important points about each of the six condtions ( NOTE: If there are more than six groups, allow the groups who are discussing the same condition to share the presentation of the information.).
- Final Lesson Assessment - Assessment
To evaluate the students' comprehension of the lesson, at the end of all of the activities, I will ask them to take out a piece of paper and write the numbers 1-6 on the paper with 4 lines in between. They will write the following for each of the six conditions:
1. Name of the condition
2. The cause
3. One symptom
4. One possible treatment
5. The prognosis (Is there a cure? How long will they live?)
I will collect these papers and evaluate the student's comprehension by the accuracy of their answers. If students are having trouble with the material, I will speak to them at the end of class, and possibly give them an additional assignment to do at home to increase their comprehension.
Assessment
- Assessment Types:
- Projects, Writing Samples, Observations,
Students will be assessed throughout the lesson by:
1. Participation and completion of the video reflection sheet.
2. Completion of class notes.
3. Participation in lecture processing activities.
4. Active participation and creative application of lesson material during group work time.
5. Attention and participation in instructor questioning both during lecture and group work time.
