LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Identify characteristics of a common cold; understand how to cure and avoid colds.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 7: Practice health-enhancing behaviors and avoid or reduce health risks.

CASEL: Self-management, responsible decision-making

Lesson Plan: Everything You Need to Know About the Common Cold

Learn more about this illness—and don’t forget to cover your mouth when you sneeze!

PREPARING TO READ

Before you read the article “Everything You Need to Know About the Common Cold,” ask your students the following pre-reading questions:

What is a common cold, and how can you avoid spreading or catching one?

READING AND DISCUSSION

  • Have your students read the article “Everything You Need to Know About the Common Cold”; read the article out loud to them; or have students partner-read the article out loud.
  • After they’ve read the article, revisit the pre-reading questions. Have their answers changed?

BUILDING COMPREHENSION

Check students’ comprehension of and engagement with the story with the following assessment tools:

  • Comprehension Quiz

EXPANDING SEL OPPORTUNITIES

Continue the learning journey with the following extension activity :

Have students work in pairs to create an infographic of their choice, such as a step-by-step process or a Venn diagram, based on information learned in the article. First, they should choose a section of the article to focus on. Then, they’ll discuss how to use an infographic to effectively represent the information in that section of the article. Encourage them to be creative by presenting the information in a different way from the article. (For example, they might use a Venn diagram instead of a chart to present similarities and differences between the cold and the flu, or create a step-by-step process infographic with accompanying images to show how to sneeze correctly or deal with a cold.) Encourage them to draw their infographic or use an online resource with free infographic templates. If there is leftover time, students can use the bonus skills sheet to generate questions they still have about the common cold and do additional research.

Print the Lesson Plan

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