Week 2, Day 2

Mini-Challenge #3: Immune System Simulation

Do Now: Brainstorm several action verbs you associate with the cell or role in the left column.

For example, if the thing was “cell wall,” I might brainstorm verbs like: guards, separates,
holds, protects, or others and write them in the second column

Now you go! You have 5 minutes!

Thing or Role Action Word or Phrase Metaphor

Association

Virus/Pathogen

Memory B-Cell

Helper T-Cell

Antibody

Macrophage

Antigen

Body Cell

Pair-share for third column (words or phrases that could finish the S-V clause) For example,
for Memory B-Cell, individuals may have brainstormed ‘remembers or recognizes’ and in
pairs they might say ‘recognizes a virus/pathogen, remembers a previous infection or attack’

To make this more real, let’s use a metaphor of a hat factory, where a normal happy cell
makes good, pleasant hats, but a rogue, sinister virus (with a super ugly hat) tries to take
over the factory. What might each of these roles be in that metaphor? (May find it easier to
work together as a class)

AAACHOO!   
Oh no! Ms. Durkee, Four Rivers co-founder is sick!

We have reason to believe she may have the rhinovirus.

As we all now know, there is no cure for the common cold, and Ms. Durkee doesn’t want us to
make her any chicken noodle soup or ginger ale. Instead, she’s asked us to show her what’s
going on in her body at the molecular level.

You need to figure out a way to model the immune system, so that when she comes by the class
to visit in fifteen minutes, she’ll be able to clearly understand how her immune system is
fighting the virus. Oh, and since cells can’t talk, you won’t be able to explain your
demonstration with words.

Materials for you:

● Spiky hats
● Smooth hats
● Construction paper
● Tape
● Markers, Pens, Pencils
● Ask if you feel you need others

If Ms. Durkee can explain your demo to us all correctly, everyone gets one actively infected,
mature ​C. elegans!

Allow students to re-vise and redo if she has questions or confusion; don’t tell them this
initially.

Assessment and Discussion

What role did you play?

How did the interaction work?

Could it have gone on forever?

What if you’d had twice as many ​(choose the cell type they had less of, virus/pathogen, T-cells,
etc.)?

Exit Activity:

Write three ‘quiz’ questions for Ms. Durkee based on the activity and what you helped her to
learn about viral infection and the immune response.

These will be used later in the week during the relay based challenge—no need to explain that
now​.