LESSON PLAN
Slide 1: Hello, for this project I researched tick-borne diseases.
Slide 2: Your objectives for this lesson will be to identify ticks and where to find them, you will examine tick-borne diseases and their symptoms, you will understand the dangers of tick-borne diseases, and you will be able to explain how to protect yourself from tick-borne disease.
Slide 3: Can you identify these insects? (Point each insect out and ask students to identify them) (Wait for students to answer; if students can not identify them quickly, name the different choices) Which one is the tick?
Slide 4: There are several species of ticks. The three ticks that we will be talking about are Lone Star Tick, Blacklegged (Deer) Tick, and American Dog Tick. Lone Star ticks have a spot on their backs that resembles a star which is what they get there name from. Blacklegged ticks can be distinguished by their black legs. American Dog ticks have white and brown spots on their backs and adults are twice the size of a deer tick.
Slide 5: Ticks in general: Adult ticks have 8 legs, a distinguishable dorsal shield, as well as visible mouthparts.
Slide 6: Ticks prefer to live in grassy and wooded environments that are typically humid and have warmer conditions.
Slide 7: Tick populations may increase as a result of our encroachment upon formerly uninhabited areas, specifically densely wooded areas that ticks inhabit. Tick’s may also spread further north as a result of changing climate patterns.
Slide 8: Mosquitoes and ticks both need blood in order to produce eggs. However, only female mosquitoes need to feast on blood prior to producing eggs while ticks need blood throughout their entire lives, from larva to nymph to adult.
Slide 9: Can you name any Tick-borne diseases?
Slide 10: The two main tick-borne diseases are Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease.
Slide 11: The symptoms of Lyme Disease are severe headaches or neck stiffness, Bull’s-eye rashes at the bite site as well as on other areas of the body, stiffness, swelling of the joints, and fever. The symptoms of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever are fever, muscle aches, confusion, and severe headaches.
Slide 12: The dangers of Lyme Disease are that it can lead to arthritis in the joints, cognitive difficulties, chronic fatigue, and sleep disturbances and it is rarely fatal. The dangers of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever are that it can cause damage to blood vessels, tissues, and organs. If left untreated RMSF can result in meningitis, which can lead to seizures and comas, as well as cause inflammation of the heart, and death. RMSF can also lead to deafness and partial paralysis.
Slide 13:
Wear clothing that covers skin instead of loose clothing that ticks can latch on to. Use insect repellent to prevent them from biting you. Check for ticks after going on hikes, playing, or working outside, especially during the spring and summer. Gently remove attached ticks with tweezers. Make sure that you remove the head of the tick. Do not attempt to smother with chemicals. Seek medical attention if necessary.
If you find a tick attached to your skin, do not for any reason attempt to smother it with chemicals, instead gently remove the tick using tweezers. Smothering a tick with chemicals can cause the tick to “vomit” and release the diseases it carries into the site where it bit.