Lesson video

Hello, I'm Miss T.

and thank you for joining me today.

Our lesson today is looking at germs and how to defeat them, and that's part of our unit on Staying safe and healthy: How do I maintain physical health? The outcome for today's lesson is I can describe the different kinds of germs, how they are spread and how to limit their transmission.

Before we get started on today's lesson, it's really important that we think about the ground rules that we follow when we're having discussions in our classrooms. We've got Laura firstly saying, "Listen to others.

"It's okay to disagree with each other, "but we should listen properly before making assumptions "or deciding how to respond.

"And when we disagree, we challenge the statement.

"We don't challenge the person." We've got Jacob saying, "No judgement.

"We can explore beliefs and misunderstandings "about a topic without fear of being judged.

Andeep details as to, "Respect privacy." He says, "We can discuss examples, but we do not use names "or descriptions that could identify anyone "including ourselves." And finally, Izzy reminds us to, "Choose the level "of participation that is right for us.

"Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question "or join a discussion.

"We never put anyone on the spot." So with those in mind, let's get started with today's lesson.

So let's take a look at the keywords that we're going to be using throughout this lesson.

Our first word is bacteria, which are microorganisms that can be found in various environments, some of which cause diseases while others are beneficial.

Our second word is virus, which is a tiny infectious agent that can only replicate inside the living cells of an organism.

We then have the word fungi, a group of organisms that include yeasts, moulds, and mushrooms, some of which can cause infections.

And finally, the word hygiene, which are practises that help maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases.

As we go through this lesson, see if you can notice where these keywords are being used and see if you can use them in some of your own responses.

We've got two lesson outlines for today as part of our lesson on germs and how to defeat them.

Number one, what are the different types of germs? And number two, how do germs spread and how can I prevent this? So let's get started with that first lesson outline.

What are the different types of germs? So we've got Izzy and Alex here, and they're both eating their snacks in the playground and accidentally, Alex drops his raisins on the ground.

Izzy says, "Don't pick that up, Alex.

It's got germs on it." And he replies, "Oh, "it's only been on the floor for a second.

It's fine." And Izzy replies, "The germs could make you sick." And Izzy was right.

When food falls on the floor, it can pick up dirt and germs, and so we should avoid eating it.

Alex says, "What are germs?" Nurse Daniel comes along and he says, "A germ is a type of microorganism that can cause disease." There are three main types of germ, and these are bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

Nurse Daniel says that, "Not all bacteria "causes illness and disease.

"There are good and bad bacteria.

"For example, good bacteria are needed in our guts "to help digest our food and keep us healthy." Bacteria are living cells that can survive inside or outside of a body.

A virus is a collection of non-living molecules that need a host, which is a living organism, to replicate and survive.

And fungi can spread microscopic spores that can damage our healthy cells.

So let's come to our first check for understanding, true or false? All bacteria are bad for us because they can cause illness and disease.

Pause your screen while you think about your answer.

If you said that you thought the answer was false, then you'd be correct.

Well done.

And the reason for that is is because there are different types of bacteria.

Bad bacteria can cause illness, but we need good bacteria in our guts to keep us healthy and help with digestion.

So germs can cause illness in different ways.

Some bacteria can multiply very quickly, often quicker than our immune system, which is our body's defence system can respond.

This means that they can push out and destroy healthy tissue.

We can see here how quickly that bacteria can multiply.

Some viruses will release toxins that can destroy our healthy cells and make us unwell.

When we become ill, our bodies will try to defend themselves using our immune systems. And if the immune system response is too large, this can also be really harmful to us.

Some fungi are harmless and we even eat them in the form of mushrooms or yeast that is used to make bread, but other fungi can cause illness by starting infections that can spread quite easily.

These are especially common on the skin, but can infect all areas of the body.

So let's come to our second check for understanding, which of these germs need a host to survive? Is it, a, bacteria, b, viruses or, c, fungi? Pause your screen while you think about your answer.

So the question you were considering was, which of these germs need a host to survive? Was it, a, bacteria, b, viruses or, c, fungi? And if you decided that the answer was b, viruses, then you are correct.

Well done.

So these three germs, bacteria, virus, and fungi can cause different illnesses and each of those illnesses have different symptoms. Bacteria can cause a condition called strep throat, which can give you a sore throat, a fever, or a red rash.

It can also cause tuberculosis, sometimes referred to as TB.

That can give you a persistent cough and maybe chest pain.

It can also give you an infection called salmonella.

The symptoms of that include diarrhoea, stomach cramps, and vomiting.

A virus can give you chickenpox.

Signs of that include an itchy rash, fever and skin blisters.

It can also cause the flu, full name influenza.

Symptoms of that include fever, chills, and muscle aches.

And it can also give us a cold.

Signs of that include a runny nose, sore throat and congestion.

The germ of the fungi can cause athlete's foot, which you'll notice because there's itchy peeling feet, skin on feet or blisters.

It can also give someone ringworm, which is a circular rash around clear skin, but could also cause thrush, which is sore white patches on the skin.

Sofia says, "What do I need to do "if I'm experiencing any of these symptoms?" And Dr.

Elsie replies, "Some of these illnesses, "like a cold, can be treated at home with rest, "but other illnesses, like thrush, can be treated "by seeing a pharmacist who can recommend medicines to help.

"But some diseases, like TB, are more serious "and you may need to see a doctor "or even receive help in hospital." So let's see if we can complete this sentence using the words provided below.

There are different types of, these can include bacteria and fungi.

These can cause a range of different illnesses and.

So let's look at those three words, viruses, diseases, and germs. Can you complete that sentence using the words provided? Pause your screen while you think about your answer.

If you said that your sentence should look like this, there are different types of germs. These can include bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

These can all cause a range of different illnesses and diseases, then you've put those words in the right order.

Well done.

So let's move to Task A.

Using your learning so far, can you answer the following questions? Can you try and include specific examples in your answers? The questions are, number one, what is a germ? Number two, how do bacteria cause illness and disease? Number three, how does a virus cause illness and disease? Number four, how do fungi cause illness and disease? Remember, including specific examples in your answers will give a more detailed response.

So your answers may have looked like this for Task A.

Number one, germs are different types of microorganisms that can cause illness and disease.

Number two, bacteria are a type of germ that cause illnesses such as strep throat and TB by multiplying quickly and damaging healthy cells.

Number three, viruses are another type of germ which cause illnesses like chickenpox and flu.

They release toxins that can damage our bodies.

And finally, number four, fungi are another type of germ that release spores, which can cause infections and spread easily, for example, athletes' foot and ringworm.

So let's move on to our second lesson outline for today.

How do germs spread and how can I prevent this? So germs can be transmitted, spread in different ways.

For instance, they can be transmitted via direct contact and indirect contact, or they can be airborne or vector-borne.

Dr.

Elsie says that, "The most common way "that germs are spread is through direct "and indirect contact with infected people "or contaminated surfaces." So let's look at a table examining how transmission can happen of these different germs. So we've got our transmissions, direct contact, indirect contact, airborne and vector-borne.

We're going to look at the different methods and examples of these.

So direct contact would be touching someone with an infection, for example, through a hug or a handshake.

Indirect contact would be touching surfaces that are contaminated with germs. For example, touching a computer keyboard, phones or door handles.

Airborne transmission is inhaling microscopic droplets of germs that are in the air, for example, if someone has coughed or sneezed.

And finally, vector-borne is being bitten by insects that are carrying these germs. So for example, mosquitoes can carry diseases.

So on this check for understanding, can you decide which image is an example of airborne transmission? Pause your screen while you think about your answer.

If you identified that a was an example of air boy transmission, then you'd be correct.

So there are lots of ways that we can keep ourselves safe and prevent the transmission of germs. If we know someone is unwell, we can avoid direct contact with them and prevent the spread by washing our hands regularly.

You should always wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap after sneezing or coughing, after using the bathroom and before eating.

We can prevent the spread of germs from indirect contact by having good hygiene.

This includes making sure that we wash our hands after touching surfaces that might be contaminated.

We can also try and disinfect doorknobs or handles regularly, wipe down keyboards before and after we use them and use hand sanitizer after we've touched objects in a public place.

So who is correct in this check for understanding? Lucas says, "Washing our hands is only important "if we are unwell." Aisha says, "We should always wash our hands "after we've coughed or sneezed." And Andeep says, "We should always wash our hands "after eating." Pause your screen while you decide which of our Oak students is correct.

If you identified that it was Aisha that was correct, "We should always wash our hands after we've coughed "or sneezed," then you'd be correct.

So airborne germs are carried in microscopic droplets that are released into the air when someone with an infection sneezes, coughs, talks or even breathes.

Dr.

Elsie says that, Once these germs are airborne, "people nearby can inhale them "and the infection is taken into their lungs.

"This can then easily spread through the rest of the body "through the respiratory system." We can prevent the spread of airborne germs by always covering our mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing and disposing of used tissues.

We can also ensure that we wash our hands after coughing or sneezing and keep indoor spaces ventilated by opening windows and doors regularly.

Can you change one word to correct this sentence? Transmission of vector-born diseases can be reduced by always covering our mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.

So in this check for understanding, you're just changing one word to correct this sentence.

Pause your screen while you think about your response.

Your corrected sentence may have looked like this.

Transmission of airborne diseases can be reduced by always covering our mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.

Vector-borne germs are carried by insects such as mosquitoes or ticks.

And these can be transmitted if we are bitten by them.

Infections such as Lyme disease and malaria are spread this way.

Dr.

Elsie says that, "Although vector-borne diseases "are less common, we should always take notes of symptoms "that we feel after an insect bite "in case we've been infected." Some of the ways that we can prevent vector-borne diseases include staying up to date with our vaccinations where possible, especially if we're travelling abroad, using insect repellent or wearing long sleeve clothing when we're in areas of forest or still water because these can attract more insects.

We can use screens or covers if staying somewhere with a large population of mosquitoes.

And we should always seek medical advice if we feel unwell because early diagnosis and treatment can stop these diseases becoming too serious.

So true or false on this check for understanding, having good hygiene practises can reduce the spread of gems and bacteria? Take a moment to think about your answer.

Well done if you said that that question was true.

Having good hygiene practises can reduce the spread of germs and bacteria.

So now looking at Task B, Lucas is creating a poster for his school about how germs are spread and good hygiene.

Can you help Lucas by writing the text for his poster? In this text, you need to include information on how different germs can be transmitted and how we can prevent this.

So the information that you may have included for the poster may read something along these lines.

Germs such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi can be easily transmitted through direct contact, indirect contact, airborne and vector-borne transmission.

You may have also said that it's important to have good hygiene to prevent us becoming unwell.

Regular hand washing, using tissues to cover our mouth and nose when we sneeze or cough and disposing of these when they're dirty are all important steps to stop the spread of germs. You may have also said that wiping down surfaces and using hand sanitizer can help to keep us safe and healthy and that if we're in areas where there are lots of mosquitoes or insects, using repellent and staying up to date with vaccinations can also help.

So let's think about what we've learned today.

There are different kinds of germs such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

Not all bacteria are bad as some are needed for good gut health.

Different types of germs can cause different illnesses.

Some of these can be treated at home through self-care, but others may need medical attention.

There are many ways that germs can be transmitted.

For example, through direct or non-direct contact.

We can prevent germs spreading by having good hygiene, we can wash our hands regularly, sterilise contaminated surfaces, and ensure that we cover our mouth and nose when we sneeze and cough.

And finally, being aware of the symptoms and seeking medical advice is also important to ensure that we stay healthy and prevent transmitting germs to others.

If you would like more information or support, you can look into NHS Live Well.

The NHS can give us advice about healthy living and exercise.

Or you can go on the NHS website where they give us advice about health and prevention, including how to access the different services available.