Grade Eight AIDS WebQuest
Subject: Grade 8 Health
Designed by Brenda Kahn MLS, NBCT
School Library Media Specialist
Kahn_b@nvnet.org
INTRODUCTION
Send your mind back to 1980. Imagine this
scenario: you are an accomplished medical researcher working
for the prestigious National Institutes of Health or the Centers
for Disease Control. You are collecting data on infectious diseases
from all over the country when you notice that there are a number
of young men in San Francisco and New York who have died from
a rare form of pneumonia.
Now, your 2005 mind may have already made
the diagnosis but you need to imagine that you have never heard
of AIDS in order to understand the mystery that was facing researchers
in the early 80's. Young men, in the prime of their lives were
suddenly dying and the number of deaths was rapidly increasing,
not only from this rare pneumonia, but from a rare form of skin
cancer as well.
A good detective looks for clues and commonalities and as researchers began to uncover the link of this syndrome to homosexuality, the general public, already nervous about this as-yet-unnamed epidemic, seemed to go crazy and victims of the disease found themselves to be victims of persecution and discrimination as well.
TASK
You will visit several websites in order to gain a sense of the mystery, history and evolution of the AIDS epidemic. Just as the initial researchers had to put the pieces of the AIDS puzzle together; you will piece together information about AIDS and create a paper or mixed media quilt to display your new knowledge. You will also compose an essay reflecting on the meaning of the quilt metaphor and the meaning this project has had for you. You will be given packets containing outlines for notetaking and hand those in as well.
PROCESS
You may work with a partner when gathering
information from the resources, however each student is responsible
for handing in:
1. a chronology (timeline) of the epidemic,
2. working notes sheet,
3. an essay reflecting on the meaning of the quilt metaphor and discussing how meaningful this project was for you,
4. a paper (or mixed media) quilt.
You will visit only the websites listed in the RESOURCE section. You do not need to visit every web site to obtain sufficient information, but you must cite the site from which you have obtained your information (there is space provided on your worksheet).
You will not copy and paste. All notes must be neatly handwritten
on the packets provided. Do not lose your packets!
You will be given sufficient computer time
in school to visit these websites, however feel free to do some
of this work from your home computer. Occasionally, the aidsquilt.org
site has some server difficulties. A hard copy of pages from
that site is on reserve in the school library and will be available
to you. There will be several texts on AIDS on reserve in the
school library as well. You may also use your Health text. You
will cite your source of text material (library book or Health
text) as well.
After visiting your sites, taking notes and reflecting, you will compose your essay. This must be typed in either Times or Courier font, size 12 font. Please proofread, revise and check spelling.
Quilt components: Each student will choose a quilt motif that he or she finds appealing. There will be a binder filled with possible designs available in the library or you may visit the "Class of 2007 Sample Quilts" page or"Sample
Quilts" page containing photographs of quilts created by previous classes.
Each quilt will have at least eight (8)
squares (or pieces, circle, star, etc.) and a frame enclosing
the entire piece. The size of the quilt is up to the individual
student, but experience shows that anything less than half the
standard poster size makes for a crowded quilt.
One piece or square will be devoted to
each of the following areas:
1. Definition of AIDS (including what the acronym stands for).
2. List the ways it is transmitted (at least 3).
3. List the signs and symptoms (at least 5).
4. Either draw a series of pictures of how the HIV virus invades
the bloodstream and/or list the sequence of events (at least
1).
5. List the ways AIDS is not transmitted (at least 4).
6. Feature a prominent person who either died of AIDS or publicly
acknowledged they are HIV positive - What were the risk factors
contributing contracting the disease, how long they have/had
disease, what they did/ are doing to help educate the public?
7. List some ways in which people diagnosed with HIV or AIDS
have suffered from prejudice or discrimination (at least 3).
8. List risk factors (at least 3) and precautions one should
take to avoid contracting the disease with abstinence presented
as most reliable way to avoid it (at least 2 additional).
RESOURCES
In
Their Own Words…NIH Researchers
Recall the Early Years. http://aidshistory.nih.gov/
Timeline websites:
"So
Little Time" from Aegis foundation. http://www.aegis.com/topics/timeline/default.asp
APLA (AIDS Project Los Angeles) http://www.apla.org/facts/ed/timeline.html
GMHC
Timeline. http://www.gmhc.org/about/timeline.html
Disease Information:
AIDS.org
is a website devoted to AIDS awareness education. http://www.aids.org/info/FAQs.html
HIV-AIDS Overview by iwannaknow.
http://www.iwannaknow.org/basics2/hiv_aids.html
Centers for Disease Control:
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/facts/transmission.htm
Youthaids: http://www.youthaids.org/impact/abstinence.html and http://www.youthaids.org/action/faq.html
Quilt:
The AIDS Memorial Quilt Project: http://www.aidsquilt.org/
More information about the founder of The NAMES Project Foundation, Cleve Jones:
Jones, Cleve. Stitching a Revolution: The Making of an Activist. HarperSan Fransisco/ HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 2000.
Clevejones.com
Library Reserve:
Greenhaven Press, AIDS. Thompson/Gale, c2006.
Cefrey, Holly. AIDS. (Epidemics
and Deadly Diseases Throughout History). The Rosen Publishing
Group, New York, 2001.
Gedatus, Gustav Mark. HIV and AIDS.
Capstone Press/ Life Matters, Mankato, Minnesota, 2000.
Kane William M. PhD. (Editor) Health
Matters! Volume 7: HIV Infections, AIDS and STD's. Grolier,
Danbury CT. 2002.
Other books of interest:
The NAMES Project. Always Remember: A Selection of Panels Created By and For International Fashion Designers. Fireside, New York. 1996.
Atkins, Jeannine. A Name on the Quilt: A Story of Remembrance. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York. 1999.
Winick, Judd. Pedro and Me: Friendship and Loss and What I Learned. Henry Hold & Company, New York. 2000.
Video Resources:
Tje Age of AIDS.
Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt. Dir. Robert Epstein. Narrated by Dustin Hoffman. Academy Award Winner 1989 Best Feature Documentary. DVD. 1989.
Lest We Forget: The AIDS Memorial Quilt in the Capital, October 11-13. 1996. Dir. David Thompson. Introduced by Mary Steenburgen. Videocassette. 1996.
Fiction Titles of Interest:
The following novels contain characters who have AIDS or are HIV-positive, either as the main theme of the book or as a sub-plot.
Flinn, Alex, Fade to Black. HarperCollins Children's Books, New York. 2005.
Minchin, Adele. The Beat Goes On. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York. 2004.
Trueman, Terry. 7 Days at the Hot Corner. Harper Collins, New York. 2007
CONCLUSION
Hopefully, you have learned that AIDS awareness is of life-or-death importance for teenagers as fully half of the new diagnoses of AIDS are in heterosexual individuals under the age of 25! Knowledge is power. Please take what you have learned from this webquest and protect yourself. Additionally, it is hoped that you have reflected on the importance of tolerance and diversity and how enriched our lives can be by being tolerant of differences and celebrating diversity.
THANKS
To Janice Cooper, School Library
Media Specialist at Northern Valley Regional High School/ Old
Tappan and Bill Timme, District Coordinator of Computers and
Technology, for their workshop " A Professional Development
Workshop on Webquests," sponsored by the Office of Curriculum
and Instruction, Northern Valley Schools.
 In April 2004, this site was awarded four
stars from Blue Web'n: A Library of Blue Ribbon Learning
Sites on the Web.
Revised and updated August 2006.
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