The Immune Response
When you cut your finger, your immune system kicks in to protect you from pathogens.
Resources on Immunology
Yellow Fever Virus (decade3d, iStockphoto)
Yellow Fever Virus (decade3d, iStockphoto)
How does this align with my curriculum?
Curriculum Alignment
NU
11
Knowledge and Employability Science 20-4 (Alberta, 2006)
Unit C: Disease Defence and Human Health
YT
8
Science Grade 8 (British Columbia, June 2016)
Big Idea: Life processes are performed at the cellular level.
NT
11
Knowledge and Employability Science 20-4 (Alberta, 2006)
Unit C: Disease Defence and Human Health
BC
12
Anatomy & Physiology 12 (June 2018)
Big Idea: Organ systems have complex interrelationships to maintain homeostasis
Resource page including articles and career profiles related to immunology.
Our immune system is an important part of our body. It allows us to respond to and control invasions of pathogens from our environment. Pathogens include things like bacteria and viruses. Once in our body, they can do a lot of harm if our immune system can't fight them. Our bodies are pretty good at fighting these things, but sometimes they need a bit of help. That's were things like antibiotics and vaccines come in. Antibiotics are often used to help our bodies fight bacteria and vaccines are used to help our bodies fight viruses.
Our immune system is pretty amazing, but it's not perfect. Sometimes it can think things like food, pet hair and even our own cells are out to get us. This is why some people have allergies and others have auto-immune diseases. Thankfully, there are many researchers out there working to help us understand and support our immune system.
Visit our Biology video channel for some of the latest stories on the fight against COVID-19 and how it is affecting our lives and society. Be sure to check out the Credibility Meter at the bottom of each video. It helps you assess how trustworthy and accurate a news story is.
Also, below you will find some Let’s Talk Science resources to help you learn more about how your immune system works, what happens when it doesn't and how we can improve its efficiency with vaccines.
Articles and Backgrounders
The Immune Response: A Cellular War
An inflammatory response is your body’s attempt to fight invaders. Learn how your body springs into action when attacked!
The Surprising Reason You Feel Awful When You're Sick
Viruses can make you feel awful! This article explains how feeling bad might be your immune system’s way of helping you heal.
Herd Immunity: How Vaccines Protect the Most Vulnerable
What is herd immunity and how does it protect some of the most vulnerable people in our communities?
Immunity and Vaccination
Learn about the history of vaccines and how vaccines trigger an immune response that keep us from getting some dangerous diseases.
COVID-19 Resources
COVID-19 learning resources and suggestions for discussing with students.
Can Your Own Cells Cure Cancer?
When a person has cancer, CAR-T Therapy uses their own cells to destroy the cancer cells in their body.
Celiac Disease: When You Really Need to Stay Gluten-Free
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder. Gluten triggers an immune system response, seriously affecting nutrition.
Organ Transplantation
Learn about organ transplantation - what it is, how it can save lives, how your immune system responds, and how the matching process works.
Careers
Learning about the professionals involved is ideal to establish relations between STEM studies and skills, and the real world. Below are some suggested career profiles to show the variety of people working in immunology
Teaching Resources
To start thinking about our immune system, teachers can ask students questions such as:
- Do you know how your body reacts when faced with a foreign object or organism? Can you name some of the reactions? (E.g., fever, rashes, hives, respiratory problems)
- Do you have allergies? If so, to what?
- What do you think an auto-immune disease is? Do you know anyone who has an auto-immune disease?
- Do you know what vaccinations you have received in your lifetime? What were they for?
- How do vaccines work?
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You can use the KWL: What I Know, What I Want to Know, and What I Learned Learning Strategy to introduce the topic.
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Initial discussion
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Using the questions above, discuss the topics with students. This can be done in the classroom or online, you can also have an asynchronous discussion by using a collaborative platform in which students can share their thoughts and opinions on the different questions. This option gives more space for introvert expression.
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Articles
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Teaching suggestions for can be found at the bottom of each of the articles.
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Questions for Discussion with Students
To start thinking about our immune system, teachers can ask students questions such as:
- Do you know how your body reacts when faced with a foreign object or organism? Can you name some of the reactions? (E.g., fever, rashes, hives, respiratory problems)
- Do you have allergies? If so, to what?
- What do you think an auto-immune disease is? Do you know anyone who has an auto-immune disease?
- Do you know what vaccinations you have received in your lifetime? What were they for?
- How do vaccines work?
Teaching Suggestions
-
You can use the KWL: What I Know, What I Want to Know, and What I Learned Learning Strategy to introduce the topic.
-
Initial discussion
-
Using the questions above, discuss the topics with students. This can be done in the classroom or online, you can also have an asynchronous discussion by using a collaborative platform in which students can share their thoughts and opinions on the different questions. This option gives more space for introvert expression.
-
-
Articles
-
Teaching suggestions for can be found at the bottom of each of the articles.
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