LESSON PLAN
Disease Concept Definition Mapping
What Students Will Do
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Classify diseases as communicable, noncommunicable, and acquired.
Research examples of each type of disease to
determine symptoms and treatment.
Use concept definition mapping as a strategy for
differentiating between types of communicable and
non-communicable diseases.
Valued Outcomes
After doing the activities, the student should be able to
express and illustrate:
 Infectious diseases originate with pathogens
 Noninfectious diseases often develop over time, are
frequently progressive, and can be positively affected
by a wellness life style.
Grade Level Appropriateness: Grades 5–6
Materials
For the Class:
Research tools (e.g. textbooks, dictionaries, pamphlets or the
internet resources or web sites) to find the information
associated with various communicable, noncommunicable and
acquired diseases.
Vocabulary
communicable disease, acquired disease, noncommunicable
disease, germ
Advance Preparation
1.
2.
Duplicate blackline master for each student.
Make a transparency of the Disease Mapping Model
and the Disease Mapping Student Sheet.
Background Information
Teaching Today’s Health, Anspaugh & Ezell, 9th
Edition, Chapter 16 “Strategies for Teaching Infectious
and Noninfectious Conditions”
In this activity students will employ a graphic organizer
to help them understand the classification of disease,
causes, treatment and symptoms. Concept definition
mapping (Schwartz, 1988) is a strategy for teaching
conceptual meaning by understanding the qualities,
properties or characteristics of the meaning. Students
will use research tools (e.g. textbooks, dictionaries,
pamphlets or the internet) to find the information
associated with various communicable,
noncommunicable and acquired diseases.
Communicable diseases occur as a result of infection or
as a consequence of human behavior and environmental
conditions. The germ that causes the disease can be
“communicated” or passed from one person to another.
Communicable diseases are also acquired diseases
although not all acquired diseases are communicable.
When people make life style choices about such things
as food they eat, alcohol and/or drug use and abuse, the
environment in which they live and/or the amount of
exercise they choose to do, they might acquire lifethreatening diseases. Some acquired diseases brought
about by life-style choices include alcoholism,
emphysema or cancer from smoking, obesity, and some
cardiovascular diseases that affect the heart and blood
vessels. The third classification of disease is
noncommunicable diseases. This group of genetically
transmitted disorders is typically passed on from
inherited traits from parents.
Disease Concept Definition Mapping
Guiding the Lesson
Support Information
Begin the lesson by inviting students to share their stories about
the last time they were sick. Ask: Do you know the name of the
illness that you had?
Students will probably recall a communicable disease
they had such as a cold, strep throat, flu or childhood
diseases such as measles or chicken pox.
Ask: How did you get the illness?
If it was a communicable disease they will probably say
they “caught” it from another person.
Explain that typical adolescent diseases are classified in two
groups. Write communicable disease on a word card or on a
white/chalk board and pronounce it for the class. Explain that
Students may not be familiar with the technical term
pathogen (commonly known as a germ). A pathogen is a
microscopic organism that causes disease when it enters
communicable diseases occur as a result of infection caused by
a germ that was passed through the air or through contact with
something, and then was transmitted to the mouth or other body
opening. Show the word card germ. Explain that the word germ
is a term used to describe a pathogenic microscopic organism
(pathogen) that causes an infection. Invite students to suggest
ways to prevent the passage of communicable diseases, such as
washing hands frequently, controlling a cough or sneeze by
using a tissue, not using someone else’s toothbrush, etc.
and reproduces in the human body. Pathogens can be
bacteria, viruses, fungi or protozoa. These agents
typically cause communicable disease. Examples of
communicable diseases include measles, polio, mumps,
chicken pox, strep throat, tetanus, ringworm, influenza
(flu) and the common cold. Some communicable
diseases will also develop into secondary infections.
Explain that another type of typical adolescent disease is not
communicable by direct or indirect contact (such as through the
air). Write non-communicable disease on a word card or on a
white/chalk board and pronounce the word. Explain that this
group of diseases or disorders is typically inherited from
parents. An individual cannot “catch” these diseases from
another individual. Point out that in some non-communicable
diseases, the tendency toward having the disease is inherited,
but by making wise and healthy choices, the disease can be
somewhat controlled. Diabetes, allergies, and asthma are three
noncommunicable diseases that stem from inherited tendencies.
Invite students that have the disorders or have relatives with the
disease, to share the care and healthy choices people make to
minimize the effect on the body.
The tendency to develop cardiovascular diseases is also
an inherited trait toward a noncommunicable disease.
Cardiovascular diseases affect the heart and blood
vessels. These include heart attack, stroke or other
aneurysms. Cancer is a non-communicable disease and
some research indicates that tendencies can be inherited.
Write on the chalk/white board the term, acquired disease.
Acquired diseases occur as a result of infection or as a
consequence of human behaviors or environmental conditions.
Point out that when a disease is taken or acquired from another
source, it is often referred to as an “acquired” disease.
Communicable and non-communicable diseases can be
“acquired”. Ask: How can the common cold be acquired? Ask:
How can lung cancer, a non-communicable disease, be
acquired?
The common cold can be “acquired” or taken from
another person (source). Lung cancer can be “acquired”
because there is a direct correlation between smoking
and lung cancer even though the cancer was not
communicated from another person.
Introduce the activity by pointing out that “graphic organizers”
help us understand similarities, differences, and other
relationships between terms. Distribute the activity sheet and
explain that it is a form of concept definition mapping,
Students may have used Venn diagrams, charts, graphs,
flow charts and tables as graphic organizers to help them
gather and display data and other information.
Locate the resources you will be using as research tools about
diseases. If students know how to do a web search, let this be
one of their research tools. Use the model on the overhead for
strep throat. You may invite students to research diseases of
their own choosing, or, you can assign communicable diseases
such as: the common cold, chicken pox, rubella (German
Measles) influenza, rubeloa (measles), mumps, pertussis
(whooping cough), AIDS, and infectious mononucleosis.
Noncommunicable diseases might include asthma, allergy
(hypersensitivity), diabetes, coronary heart disease, types of
cancer (carcinoma, sarcomas, lymphomas, and leukemia),
sickle cell anemia, and epilepsy.
If students have not done web searches, take the
opportunity to show them how to use a search engine to
find out about a topic on the internet.
Name____________________________________
Date_________________________
Disease Mapping Model
Classify the disease
(communicable or non-communicable)
Causes of the disease
Streptococcal bacterium
(a type of bacteria)
Communicable
How is disease treated?
The Disease
Sore throat
Antibiotics
Strep throat
Nausea and/or
vomiting
Common Symptoms
Fever
Incubation, rest and plenty
of liquids
Name____________________________________
Date_________________________
Disease Mapping
Classify the disease
(communicable or non-communicable)
Causes of the disease
How is disease treated?
The Disease
Common Symptoms
Name____________________________________
Date_________________________
Disease Mapping
Classify the disease
(communicable or non-communicable)
Causes of the disease
How is disease treated?
The Disease
Common Symptom