Investigating an outbreak: evidence and connections
Open your materials, follow the steps, then turn in your work.
Organize the seven main Day 1 case histories and build a contact map supported by the supplied records.
Today is Checkpoint A: seven case notes and a labeled contact map. Use the official Day 1 histories in Schoology and keep your editable copy. Finish these investigation checkpoints before the DNA lesson.
1. Open your materials
2. Start the work
Open the student guide. Read the rule and Model M, then open PLTW Activity 1.1.2 and its three-page Outbreak Investigation Day 1 sheet through the Schoology materials hub.
Show all 4 required steps
- Open the student guide. Read the rule and Model M, then open PLTW Activity 1.1.2 and its three-page Outbreak Investigation Day 1 sheet through the Schoology materials hub.
- Make one case note for each of the seven main histories. Separate observed or measured signs from reported symptoms. Record stated contacts or exposures and the source page. Write not stated for missing facts.
- Draw a contact map using the Day 1 sheet. Label every connection with a source fact. You may write a labeled connection list instead. Do not add arrows that claim who infected whom.
- Check all seven notes and the map, then submit them together as one PDF in the September 8 Schoology assignment (8520302210) on today's portal page. Keep your editable copy. Stop at Checkpoint A; research and conclusions continue in the next lessons.
Lost your place? Find the first unfinished case note. Reopen its source page and fill only the fields the source can answer. Then continue the map.
Check your work before submitting
- I included all seven main Day 1 case histories and their source pages.
- I kept observations, reported symptoms, and explanations separate.
- Each map connection has a label supported by the source.
- I marked missing facts instead of inventing them and kept later evidence out of this record.
3. Turn in your work
DueCheck Schoology- Hand in
- Day 1 case notes and labeled contact map
How to submit and name your file
Submit your seven case notes and labeled contact map as one PDF in the September 8 assignment (8520302210) on today's portal page. Include clear photos if you drew the map on paper. Keep an editable copy for the next checkpoint. Check Schoology for the deadline.
In Schoology, open your course and the assignment for this lesson. Attach your file, select Submit, and check that it appears in the submission.
PDF upload helpYou get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
Find this lesson's Schoology assignments
These are existing assignments for your section. Follow the directions in the assignment you are working on; this list does not add new work. Check Schoology for each deadline.
Link will not open? Open Schoology, choose your course and section, and find the title shown above.
How this lesson connects
Day 1 case notes → contact map → researched explanations → DNA evidence. Keep one investigation record and revise it as new evidence arrives.
Need help? Warm-up, timing, and directions▸
💡 Big idea: Record the clue before explaining it. A connection is not proof of .
- 0-10 minRead the rule and Model M; check both required files
- 10-40 minRead all seven histories and record case notes
- 40-65 minBuild and label the contact map or connection list
- 65-75 minCheck each connection against its source; mark unknowns
- 75-80 minSubmit Checkpoint A and keep the editable record
- • Today we begin the official PLTW outbreak record. Use the Day 1 histories in Schoology, not an unrelated practice case.
- • I will model how to separate a clue from an explanation. Keep one document as the investigation grows.
- • Today's checkpoint is the case notes and contact map. We will research possible causes and explain our thinking before moving to DNA evidence.
- • A sign is observed or measured; a symptom is experienced and reported.
- • An exposure is contact with a possible source of illness, not proof of infection.
- • A contact map records stated connections, not a proven direction of .
PLTW connection and today's work
Use PLTW Activity 1.1.2, Investigating an Outbreak, and the linked Outbreak Investigation Day 1 sheet in Schoology. The portal guide supplies original support; the official case evidence stays in Schoology.
Today's stopping point: Stop at Checkpoint A: case notes and contact map. Research and conclusions continue before Activity 1.1.3; do not open Day 2 or Day 3 evidence yet.
PLTW activity titles identify the course connection. If your account will not open, use the posted materials for today and tell Mr. Mendoza. Do not mark an online activity complete unless you completed it.
Course connection
- Activity 1.1.2 Investigating an Outbreak
Use the turn-in directions at the top of this page. Do not create a second submission unless your teacher asks for one.
Show another explanation or a smaller first step
Need help? Choose a starting point
Lesson resources: reading, slides, and vocabulary▸
Use the slides and optional guided notes to help with the checkpoint work listed above. Submit only the parts named in this lesson.
Generated from this lesson's canonical data with a red-team citation check.
For the original slide animations, use the PowerPoint download.
Citation auditHow does a starting number become a plan you can check?
Record the clue before explaining it. A connection is not proof of .
Driving question: What does the first set of case histories show, and what still needs testing?
What you already know: You can tell a measurement from a feeling. The guide defines sign, symptom and exposure before you record anything.
New idea: Record the clue before explaining it. A connection is not proof of .
Visual or model: F1. F1 is the recording rule from the guide, not a case fact. Your map records only stated connections, each with its page. What to notice: Record the clue before explaining it. A connection is a stated fact with a source page, not proof of transmission.
- Open the official Day 1 sheet through the Schoology hub and read one history at a time.
- Sort each clue by how it was collected: a measured or observed sign, or a reported symptom.
- Record stated contacts or exposures with their source page; write "not stated" for anything the history does not say.
- Connect people only by stated facts on the map or connection list, with no arrows claiming who infected whom.
Real biomedical example: A case record that keeps observations separate from explanations can be checked by another investigator. Source: Original Outbreak Day 1 evidence guide: rule, Model M, note outline.
What the evidence supports: The records and references support the Checkpoint A product: seven case notes using the guide's outline and a labeled contact map or connection list, submitted in Checkpoint A.
What it cannot prove: These records cannot show who infected whom, and they cannot name a cause.
- • Sign: A clue another person observes or measures, such as a temperature reading.
- • Symptom: A clue the person experiences and reports, such as a headache.
- • Exposure: Contact with a possible source of illness, not proof of infection.
- • Contact map: A drawing or list of stated connections between people, each labeled with its source fact.
- • Hypothesis: An explanation we can test with new evidence.
- • Checkpoint: A stopping point in the official activity. Each checkpoint is one PDF.
Use it now: Use Model M. Does the record show which person became ill first? What do you write?
Go further, optional: The guide contains every required definition and the outline. The official histories are in Schoology.
The seven main case histories on the three-page Outbreak Investigation Day 1 sheet, opened through the Schoology materials hub. Signs, symptoms, stated contacts and source pages come from there.
Limit: Official case evidence stays in Schoology and is not reproduced here. Day 2 and Day 3 evidence is out of scope at this checkpoint.
Original fictional practice: Model M shows a symptom, a sign and a stated connection. The guide supplies the note outline; mark missing facts "not stated". Never copy Model M into the official case record.
Limit: Original fictional practice. Never copy Model M into the official case record.
Check each history for onset timing, a test result and a confirmed exposure; record only what it states and mark the rest not stated. A shared place or contact is a stated connection.
Limit: A connection cannot show a direction of infection or a cause.
MI-OUTBREAK-A · Simulated classroom evidence scenario
Your role: intern on the outbreak investigation team
Decision: A classmate wants to draw an arrow from the first person who felt ill to everyone they met. Decide how you will record connections before you draw the map. Use E1, Model M and the limits in E3.
- • Draw an arrow from the first person who felt ill to everyone they met, since the earliest case shows the direction of spread.
- • Leave the map blank until a test result names the , because connections drawn now will only have to change.
- • Record each history's signs, symptoms and stated contacts with their source pages, mark unknowns, and connect people only by stated facts.
Response: One PDF: seven case notes using the guide's outline and a labeled contact map or connection list, submitted in Checkpoint A. The choice discussion is preparation, not another submission.
Claim ceiling: Record what the Day 1 sheet states and connect people by stated facts. These records cannot show who infected whom, and they cannot name a cause.
Students often think a shared contact proves one person infected the other. The trap: a shared contact is a possible exposure link. The record does not yet prove infection or its direction
Original fictional practice. Never copy Model M into the official case record. Model M says M1 reports a headache. A clinician measures M2's temperature at 38.2 degrees Celsius. Both attend the same club. Record the headache as a reported symptom and the temperature as a measured sign. Link M1 and M2 with the label same club. This connection does not show who infected whom, or even that they have the same illness.
| Record | Evidence type | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| M1 | Reported symptom | Headache |
| M2 | Measured sign | Temperature 38.2 degrees Celsius |
| M1 and M2 | Stated connection | Same club; transmission not established |
This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: Original simulated practice for recording evidence. These are not facts from the official PLTW case.
- Date and label the entry.
- Record the procedure, observation, or design decision clearly.
- End with what the evidence means and the next step.
Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.
Also due today: Use the official Day 1 histories for your own case notes and labeled contact map. Model M is practice only.
- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning: make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure, the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities. Find it in Clever with your Microsoft sign-in, right next to Schoology.
Practice: try a question, then check your answer▸
Claim ceiling for this check: Record what the Day 1 sheet states and connect people by stated facts. These records cannot show who infected whom, and they cannot name a cause.
Two people attend the same club, and one reports a headache. What can a contact map show from these facts?
Write an answer and pick a confidence to unlock the key.
Missed class or ready for more?▸
What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.
Use the same guide and official Day 1 sheet. Work alone if needed, and use a connection list instead of a diagram. Submit the same case notes and map together. If a required source will not open, tell me and set up your headings without inventing evidence.
Day 1 evidence guideSubmit your seven case notes and labeled contact map as one PDF in the September 8 assignment (8520302210) on today's portal page. Include clear photos if you drew the map on paper. Keep an editable copy for the next checkpoint. Check Schoology for the deadline.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
Day 1 evidence guide and Model MHow I will check this work
- I included all seven main Day 1 case histories and their source pages.
- I kept observations, reported symptoms, and explanations separate.
- Each map connection has a label supported by the source.
- I marked missing facts instead of inventing them and kept later evidence out of this record.
This checkpoint is your evidence record, not a final diagnosis or a formal CER. Use the Schoology assignment linked above to submit it.
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