Students who participate in this lesson will gain an
understanding of the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as a greater understanding
of the power of memory and of all the things that can go wrong with memory if
one has Alzheimer’s disease.
To introduce this exploration of Alzheimer’s disease, have
students watch the video, “My name is Lisa,” which is available on the website,
“Alzheimer’s Association: Just for Kids and Teens,” listed under Resources, below.
Discuss student reactions to the video and ask if anyone in
the class has a family member, or knows someone who has Alzheimer’s disease, or
is taking care of someone with Alzheimer’s disease. Encourage students to share stories of their
know knowledge of the disease.
Explain to students that part of the effect of early
Alzheimer’s disease is the loss of short term memory. In order to demonstrate short term memory,
divide the class into groups of two and give each dyad a bag containing 12
randomly selected objects.
Ask
one member of the dyad to show the other member each object for 2-3 seconds,
then put it back in the bag. Ask the
observing member to recall each object in the order in which it was shown. Ask students to keep track of how many items
were recalled correctly. The point is to
show how memory in healthy people is faulty – imagine how difficult remembering
things is for a person with Alzheimer’s disease.
After
this exercise, working individually or in small groups, students should research
various aspects of Alzheimer’s disease and report their findings to the class
in some manner – papers, poetry, drawings, PowerPoint presentations, etc.
Have students create a memory box for the current year, or
for last year, if it is now early in the current year. A shoebox works well for this project. The
box can include both photos and artifacts.
It can include special people and events from home, school or both.
Invite parents to help with the memory box. Encourage students time to decorate
their memory box.
Books:
Davis, Patti. The Long
Goodbye.New York: Knopf, 2011.
Sakai.
Sachiko Means Happiness. Hong Kong: Marwin Productions, 1990.
Scacco, Linda, Ph.D. Always My Grandpa: A Story for Children about Alzheimer’s
Disease. Washington, D.C.:
Magination Press, 2005.
Shriver, Maria. What’s Happening to Grandpa? New
York: Little Brown and Company and Time Warner Books,
2004.
Websites:
Alzheimer’s Association: Just for Kids and Teens
What Is Alzheimer's?
Fact Sheet on Alzheimer's
Alois Alzheimer
Alzheimer's First Patients
Credits:
This lesson was developed by Debra L. Clark, Kent State University.