This activity is for seventh grade life science students, but it could be modified upper levels. 

This activity addresses the Pennsylvania Academic Standard for Science and Technology 3.2.7.B; Apply process knowledge to make and interpret observations. 

This standard involves problem solving skills such as:

1. raising questions
2. describing relationships by using inferences and prediction
3. forming hypotheses
4. interpreting data
5. communicating ideas and information 
   

The activity involves an imaginary disease epidemic in a small town.  Twenty or more people in the town are sick with a disease, but not all of the sick people have the illness causing the epidemic.  Some individuals have diseases with similar symptoms.  The class is divided into different action groups; e.g. doctors, county health workers, hospital administrators, town council, police.  Groups can be added or changed to fit the criteria of the disease that has been chosen to be investigated.   Each group is charged with collecting and organizing certain information from materials that they are given.  For example:

1.  The doctors would read and organize the medical records of the patients to determine who actually has the epidemic disease
   
2. the police would be responsible for locating the home of everyone who is ill. 
3. The health workers would be responsible for coming up with a policy to educate the public on disease prevention.
4.  The town council would be responsible for policy to control the spread of the disease.

Every group has to research the disease so that they have enough information to make responsible recommendations to the other groups. Next the groups need to work together.  Using work records, dates of illness, family relationships and other factors such as use of public buildings or attending common activities, doctors and health workers can determine how the illness entered the town.  The police work with the town council to determine how to best prevent spread of the illness.   The health professionals and the police  can work together to  find ways of distributing literature to the public.   The number of ways the groups can work together are endless.  Finally the groups "publishes" their information; charts, graphs, brochures and maps as a Power Point. 

This activity involves math standards for graphing, English standards for writing and technology standards for computer use.

I was introduced to this activity at a conference.  The original activity was designed by Project Wett and involved tuberculosis. It is called OUTBREAK.  I have modified it over the years and tried different diseases especially diseases that are currently in the news.  We recently had an outbreak of MERSA in several schools and colleges, so that may next year's disease.  It takes time to research information about different diseases and I usually do this over the summer.

I find that this particular activity really engages the students.  Since most of the children really like the CSI shows, this is really interesting to them.  Most find the activity really fun, and they have no idea they are actually learning to process information and think critically.  This activity has components that each child can excel at.  I have one student that can not spell and his hand writing is atrocious, but put him in front of a computer and he can develop a fantastic Power Point.   What is even better, he can teach other students and, I must admit, myself how to use some of the advanced features of the program.  Students with a strong interest in art use drawing programs to  add design to various aspects of the presentation and some put their information into Excel and make pie charts and graphs.  The best part of this activity is that everyone is learning from what some one else is doing.