Contemporary History Pre-1900: Introduction
Learning Objectives
- Students will understand that developments in public health have had profound effects on life today.
- Students will understand how the development of modern states has led to greater peace and stability.
Length
One 45-minute period
Grade Level
High School
Materials
Homework
- Complete Part 1 of the guided reading handout.
Class One
- (5 Minutes) Debrief Homework: On the board, identify the eight developments discussed in the reading, and highlight the point made at the end, that these developments are distributed unevenly around the world.
- (20 minutes) Have students search online for examples of these developments being distributed unevenly around the world. Collect examples using a Google Jamboard, Padlet, or similar tool. Point students to sites such as the WHO, Think Global Health, Stat, and KFF Health News.
- (10 minutes) Watch: Why Do We Live in Countries? (5:56). Optionally have students fill out the guided reading handout.
- (10 Minutes) T-Chart: As a class, create a T chart on the board comparing life before the Peace of Westphalia with our life today where we live in sovereign countries.
Vocabulary
- epidemic
an increase, often sudden, in the number of cases of a disease above what is typical for a certain population in an area.
- immunization
process of protecting or strengthening people’s immune systems to fight off particular infectious diseases, usually accomplished through vaccines.
- infectious disease
also called communicable, a disease that spreads via people, animals, insects, or contaminated food and water—such as the flu, chickenpox, or Ebola.
- noncommunicable disease
disease that cannot be transmitted via people or animals. Examples include cancer and diabetes.