Healthy Environment K-2 Literature Sources
Elizabeth Sutermeister and Carly Waner
HLED 455

Fiction book: Germs Are Not For Sharing

General Information:

• Title: Germs Are Not For Sharing
• Author: Elizabeth Verdick
• Publication date: January 15, 2006
• Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing
• This book is a quick read for a read aloud with kindergarteners or for 1st or 2nd grade readers to read on their own. It covers how germs spread and teaches readers what to do in certain instances where germs are spread, like washing hands after using the bathroom or coughing into your arm. This book could be integrated into vocabulary, spelling and reading activities like comprehension.

• Germs Are Not For Sharing: YouTube Read Aloud

Core Integration:

• To integrate this into a core topic, I would first read the book aloud to kindergarten or first graders, or allow time for second graders to read the book on their own. This book would be useful when teaching and assessing literacy and fluency during reading. I would check for understanding and comprehension by asking readers to recall the details of the story. By asking students questions like, “What did the little girl do with her cookie after she dropped it?” or “What did the character have to do after using the bathroom?” “Why did they need to do these things?” we are asking the students to work on comprehension. These questions will also help them understand why we read this story and how they can use these tips in their own lives to avoid “sharing” germs. Another useful integration would be to pull spelling and vocabulary words from the book and use them for the week.

 NHES Standards:

• Standard 1: Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health.

1.2.1: Identify that healthy behaviors impact personal health.

1.2.3: Identify ways to prevent communicable diseases.

• Standard 7: Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and avoid or reduce health risks.

7.2.1: Demonstrate healthy practices and behaviors to maintain or improve personal health.

• Learning Objectives: Students will become more aware of the different types of germs, what they do, and how they can prevent diseases and maintain a healthy environment.

Literacy Standards:

• • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1
    Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
    Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
    Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.