Combine agriculture and an increase in population density in sub-Saharan Africa and what do you get? Malaria! Young immunologists explore malaria's deadly rise to fame in a video. The narrator discusses its beginnings as a hitchhiking species of algae, its evolution into a moderately infectious bacterium present in localized areas, and its current status as one of the world's leading causes of death and illness.

Concepts

malaria, human impact on the environment, illness, mosquitoes, blood, food production, population density, population growth, cause and effect

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Have the class create a timeline of events that illustrates how malaria developed into its current form, complete with the conditions that helped to promote it
• Use the video as a model for a cause-and-effect project

Classroom Considerations

• Preface the video by providing details about how malaria affects someone that has contracted the disease

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Shows a clear relationship between agriculture, population density, and a rise in both the strength of malaria and the number of people infected with it
• The content's technical nature is presented simply, making the video a great choice for middle and high schoolers

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.7.2 SL.9-10.2