Current Events Lesson Plan: March 10-17, 2016
Current Event: Your Dog May Be A Superhero!
A dog recently saved the life of a Los Angeles boy with diabetes. The boy experienced a dangerous drop in blood sugar as he slept. However, the life-saving Labrador retriever, who was specially trained to help the boy’s family monitor his blood-sugar level by smell, alerted his parents, who came to the rescue. Smell is the dog’s superpower. With more than 40 times more scent receptors compared to humans, dogs can smell thousands of odors that the human nose is unable to detect. Some scientists believe the dog’s supreme sense of smell is so sensitive that it can detect tiny biochemical changes that occur in the human body. In some studies, dogs have been trained to sniff out unique scents associated with several types of cancer in humans. Other dogs are trained to recognize subtle clues to indicate a person is about to experience a seizure, as a result of epilepsy or other conditions. Several organizations in the United States and other countries are currently training dogs to recognize different scents and other clues related to a person’s health. Scientists do not yet know exactly how some dogs seem to be able to detect changes in a person’s health. They have not identified any specific chemical changes that the dogs are picking up among the many biochemical compounds that change in health and disease. Some experts think that dogs may be picking up subtle visual cues associated with various health conditions.
Objective:
Dogs have lived among people for more than 10,000 years, longer than any other animal. Breeders have developed about 400 dog breeds to perform various tasks and provide companionship. Most scientists believe that prehistoric human beings first valued dogs as watchdogs. Later, people realized that dogs could also be used for herding and hunting other animals. The intelligence, loyalty, and tracking ability that make dogs useful to herders and hunters serve people in other roles as well. For example, police departments use dogs to track criminals and to sniff out illegal drugs and hidden explosives. Dogs assist people with disabilities in many ways. For example, they guide the blind and serve as “ears” for the deaf. Dogs of all breeds provide companionship for human beings, and many breeds were developed for this purpose. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore dogs and other animals.
Words to know:
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students to name as many dog breeds as they can. (The “Breeds of purebred dogs” table in World Book’s Dog article lists over 175 dog breeds, many of which have World Book articles.)
2. Ask your students to name some ways that responsible dog owners can properly take care of their pets. (Students might say keeping their dog on a leash in public areas, spaying or neutering their dog, picking up after their dog when they take it on a walk, making sure their dog gets regular veterinarian check-ups.)
3. Ask your students to debate this hot-button issue, “Dogs make better pets than cats.”