Vaccines: Lesson 4 Immunity

Key outcomes for the lesson:

explain why vaccination is able to protect against diseases caused by particular pathogens

compare and contrast active and passive immunity (also natural and artificial), and categorise given examples
 
explain what is meant by herd immunity, and why it is able to protect unvaccinated individuals in a population. Explore ethical issues surrounding vaccine use

The main powerpoint guides students through these objectives. A reduced version of the powerpoint is included in the resources and this can be printed for students to annotate.

Students have a comprehension sheet to read, which is intended to develop their appreciation of possible ethical issues related to vaccine use including:

1. concerns about their possible harmful side-effects;
2. compelling individuals to be vaccinated for the benefit of society;
3. uneven access to the benefits of vaccines;
4. selection and use of individuals for clinical trials of vaccines.

The questions are great for generating discussion in small groups and then reviewing as a whole class. There is an accompanying sheet with some guidance on discussing these issues with students.

The final slide of the powerpoint is a checklist of outcomes for the immunity topic, and it can be printed at any point in the lesson sequence to facilitate students reflecting on their learning.

A possible plenary sheet is included which simply includes the objectives in the centre of a page with space for reflective annotation.