Annette S. Holmstrom, a Regional Winner from the Western Region, teaches Intro- and Advanced Psychology. Ms. Holmstrom submitted an intriguing, four-unit curriculum titled "Epidemiology in Action," which will assist students in their understanding of complex issues. She outlines activities that will provide students an opportunity to explain, interpret, and apply new knowledge and skills. For example, with emphasis on web-based research, students solve a plague puzzle, design a disease museum, and plan and present a public information campaign. In all lessons and activities, the resources, examples, and websites deftly target teenagers' interests.
Mark Gottfried and Barbara Rothstein are Regional Winners from the Southern Region. Dr. Gottfried teaches Honors Biology and AP Biology and Dr. Rothstein teaches Research. Gottfried's and Rothstein's module, "Contagion: The Spread of Disease," explores epidemiological research by suggesting a variety of exercises that track the course of HIV transmission, follow the spread of flu among friends, or place students in the midst of a cholera epidemic. Incorporating internationally famous guest speakers via DVD, this dynamic unit investigates historical events and gathers data from case studies of epidemics. Two exciting activities are "Which Well?" and "Throw of the Dice." Cognizant that epidemiology can be a useful tool to integrate history, English, health, and math, Gottfried and Rothstien aim to show students that important connection.
Stephanie Thompson, a teacher of AP Biology, General Biology, and Anatomy and Physiology at the Institute of Notre Dame High School in Baltimore, MD, is a Middle States Regional Winner. Ms. Thompson's "Introduction to Epidemiology" is a 12-week course in epidemiology that is designed to introduce students to the process of scientific inquiry and to encourage them to question and analyze the world around them. Using visuals and hands-on activities, students participate in a "Public Health Scavenger Hunt" and design a study of skin cancer within a school population. Because this curriculum will lead students to investigate ways in which science affects and shapes society, it is intended to help students transfer concepts of epidemiology to other disciplines as well.
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