Subject: Science
Lesson Length: 45 minutes - 1 hour
Topic: Managing Diabetes
Grade Level: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Standards / Framework:
Brief Description: Use this to lesson to introduce students to diabetes and strategies for maintaining good health.
Know Before You Start: Given the prevalence of diabetes, this lesson should be implemented with sensitivity.
Hook:
- Ask the whole class the following questions:
- Do you know someone with diabetes?
- What is diabetes?
- How does it affect this person?
- Explain that diabetes is a group of metabolic disorders affecting 34.2 million Americans, including children and adolescents. The condition affects how one’s body processes food into energy.
Activity:
- Working in groups, have students research different aspects of diabetes including the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, the characteristics of each type, the risks associated with Type 2 diabetes, symptoms, and things that can be done to maintain good health.
- Ask each group to share their findings with the class.
- Have students create a three-panel comic demonstrating their understanding of the everyday choices they can make to help keep their blood sugar at normal levels.
- How does exercise help them?
- What foods are part of their plan?
- How can they recognize low blood sugar?
Closure:
- Set up a gallery walk so that students can view and discuss the comics.
- Point out that eating right and regular exercise are important for everyone, but especially for people managing diabetes.
Differentiation:
- Allow students to use the speech-to-text feature.
- Allow students to use the voiceover feature to read their comics aloud.
- Allow students to create a comic based on a specific aspect of diabetes such as symptoms or the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
Resources:
- Comic to print or display: Comic.
- Suggested Reading: The Truth About Stacey.
Suggested Content Packs:
Shopping
Restaurants
Organ System
