Small Town News

Intro to healthy living

---

Barton students say 'boo' to the flu and other hazards

On Friday, October 23, 2009, Barton Middle School said "Boo" to the flu with a cross-curricular lesson on healthy living.

Volunteers from DeVries Chiropractic clinic talked to students at lunch about the impact that heavy backpacks can have on their backs.

In science classes, students learned how easy it is to carry and spread germs. Using a black light and "germ-detecting" substances, they compared their hands before hand-washing, after washing with just water, and after washing with soap and water.

In math, students used their fraction, decimal, ratio and percent skills to calculate information about hand washing, people getting flu shots, and mortality rates of this flu. In addition, 6* graders plotted the number of days missed at Barton due to sickness.

Sixth grade language arts classes created timelines of all the epidemics that have affected the United States, starting with 1783, andwei able to relate each epidemic to a book. They connected this to Tucl Everlasting, a novel they are cur-rendy reading, and the idea of ho\ the world's population would be affected if everyone lived forever.

Eighth graders discussed how the life and writing of Edgar Allen Poe, the author they are currently studying, was affected by the mar illnesses prevalent in his lifetime.

In the Social Studies classes, students compared the 1918 Influenza pandemic to the curre pandemic. They discussed mortality rates, medical care, and ho quickly germs spread throughou the world.

Art students created "Germs" while theater students created skits about "how to stay away from the flu". Computer classes completed an online scavenger hunt about the flu and flu vaccines, while the journalism classi wrote articles for the school new paper about the day's activities and the yearbook students took photos.



Copyright 2009 The Free Press, Buda, Texas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2010 The Free Press Buda, Texas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

More from The Free Press