Lesson 2-2: The human and social drama of malaria- Reading and Class Discussion

Engaging the Student (Entry Task) 

Checking for Understanding (exit ticket)

1 class period 

• Reading Selection: "In Another Village a Mother Dies"

• Copy the reading selection (or excerpts) called “In Another Village a Mother Dies” (Robert S. Desowitz, The Malaria Capers, WW Norton & Co., 1991) for your students. The text should give your class an idea of the true dimensions of the disease – both in human and social terms.

Suggested discussion topics:

Does the author think the woman could have been saved?

What social factors contributed to her death?

What would likely have happened if the woman had caught the

disease in a European country?

Sometimes families faced are forced to choose between selling an

animal (such as a cow) which they urgently need to survive and

buying medicine to save a child. They do not always choose in

favor of the child. Can you imagine having to make such a choice?

Does the author propose any concrete ways to solve the social

issues that are raised? Can you think of any?

What are the “side effects” of malaria? Why is there a special risk

for pregnant women? Why might malaria victims run a special risk

of catching AIDS or another disease?