Stop the Germs!
Learning about cross contamination of bacteria in schools, poisoning bacteria and where and how you can get them.
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HWB 2-33a - Having learned about cleanliness, hygiene and safety, I can apply these principles to my everyday routines, understanding their importance to health and wellbeing.
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HWB 2-15a - I am developing my understanding of the human body and can use this knowledge to maintain and improve my wellbeing and health.
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HWB 2-16a - I am learning to assess and manage risk, to protect myself and others, and to reduce the potential for harm when possible.
- We are learning how cross contamination can happen.
- We are learning how quickly this can happen.
- We are learning how important it is to wash our hands.
- We are learning about the impact that cross contamination can have.
- I can name 3 places where bugs comes from.
- I can explain why I need to wash my hands.
- I can explain how to prevent the spread of bugs.
Resources
- Teacher's notes on food safety
- Chalk (or glitter or paint)
- Worksheet 1 - task cards to perform with chalk on hands
- Worksheet 2 - bugs and where you can pick them up
- Worksheet 3 - drawing a line from bugs to foods where you can pick them up
- Camera/iPad for filming
- Teacher resource sheets on food poisoning bacteria
- School floor plan
- Watch our videos on handwashing
Setting up
- Print out the worksheets.
- Draw or print out a school floor plan.
Activities
Warm up:
- chalk on children’s hands (different colours representing different bacteria)
- without revealing the topic ask children to perform a number of set tasks on cards on sheet 1.
Discuss results of chalk experiment:
- introduction to bacteria
- names and types and where they are found
- results of cross contamination and impact on health.
School floor plan:
- show a range of typical places in a school
- children need to guess which are likely to have the most / least amount of contamination
- discuss results.
Develop characters for different bacteria using the sheet 2 worksheet:
- e.g. Sally Salmonella
- use characters to create posters or play or iMovie or advertisement or song or news report warning of risks of cross contamination
- fill in sheet 3 – draw a line from the bug to the correct icons to show where you can get the illness from.
Assessment opportunities
DO – pupils fill in sheet 3 and show an understanding of bugs and which foods you can pick them up from
DO – Self/peer assessment
Photos of drama
Consider CfE Benchmarks, for example:
- Identifies ways to reduce the risk of food poisoning, for example, reheating food until piping hot, safe food storage, different coloured chopping boards.
Cross-Curricular links
The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) offers secondary schools in Scotland the opportunity to become registered with the Institute to deliver some of the REHIS qualifications – see www.rehis.com/community-training For information on the REHIS Schools Food Hygiene Initiative contact REHIS
Differentiation
Support
- Children may have sensory issues and not wish to have chalk on hands,
- use paper cut outs of hand prints to stick to touch points
- provide gloves.
- Use simple information cards for bacteria characters.
Challenge
- Co-operative learning:
- research each bacterium in expert groups
- present findings to the class
- include the consequences of cross contamination.
- Research global issues re: lack of water and sanitation in parts of the world and the risks of cross contamination.
- Create bacteria Top Trumps.
