Germs! Germs! Germs! By Bobbi Katz, illustrated by Steve Björkman. Published on November 1, 1996 by Cartwheel Books. This is a great book to teach children K-2 facts about germs and hygiene.

Why this is the best non fiction choice:

This book gives students a large amount of detailed information about germs in a short format. They discuss how germs are everywhere, how they can get into your body through food or injuries, and how we can combat them with soap and warm water. This book fits well into a Science curriculum for a K-2 classroom. Attached below is a recording the book being read.

Core Integration:

For the core topic, I would do a science experiment to help continue the students’ learning about germs. Rather than having them fill out a worksheet, we would get three apples and put them each into a Tupperware of their own. The first apple we would just put in without doing anything to it, the second we would rinse with warm water, and the third we would wash with warm soapy water. Then, we would watch throughout the week to see if they rotted faster or slower having been cleaned (de-germed) different ways. This sort of hands on, visual learning will help students understand how they can use science to learn about their health.

The health standards related to this book are:

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

• 2.2 State why hygiene is important to good health
  -HBO 1: Brush and floss daily
  -HBO 2: Practice appropriate hygiene habits
• 2.3 Identify the benefits of personal health care practices such as washing hair and bathing regularly
• 2.11 Identify different ways that disease-causing germs are transmitted
  -HBO 6: Practice behaviors that prevent infectious diseases
• 2.12 Identify ways to prevent the spread of germs that cause common infectious diseases
  -HBO 6: Practice behaviors that prevent infectious diseases

NHES 4: Students will demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks.

• 2.1 Demonstrate how to effectively communicate needs, wants, and feelings in healthy ways to enhance personal health and wellness.
• 2.2 Demonstrate effective active listening skills including paying attention, and verbal and nonverbal feedback to enhance personal health and wellness.

NHES 5: Students will demonstrate the ability to use decision-making skills to enhance health.

• 2.1 Identify situations that need a decision related to personal health and wellness (e.g. washing hands before eating, wearing sun protection, brushing teeth daily)
• 2.3 Explain the potential positive and negative outcomes from personal health or wellness-related decisionsNHES 7: Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and avoid or reduce health risks.
• 2.1 Identify personal health and wellness practices that reduce or prevent health risks
• 2.2 Make a commitment to practice positive personal health and wellness behaviors

General Core Standards:

• K-ESS2-2 Earth’s Systems

Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs.

• K-ESS3-1 From Molecules to Organisms

Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.