John Hay
John Hay Biomedical
Student Hub · Go Hornets 🐝
My ClassAboutFeedback
Wed, Nov 18, 2026Fall (Semester 1) · Week 13Day 58 of 7580-min block

Outbreak data and agent ID lab

Today's target

Students build outbreak visualizations and run identification tests to characterize the infectious agent.

Due today · Data table Required

Completed data table with line-list summary, plotted epidemic curve (labeled with transmission type), spot-map cluster description, agent-ID results, and one stated measurement error.

Your 4 steps today
  1. 1
    Do this
    Students build outbreak visualizations and run identification tests to characterize the infectious agent.
  2. 2
    Use this resource
    Open the posted files in the Resources section below
  3. 3
    Submit this
    Data table: Completed data table with line-list summary, plotted epidemic curve (labeled with transmission type), spot-map cluster description, agent-ID results, and one stated measurement error.
  4. 4
    Submit it here
    1. 1CMSD website. Go to clevelandmetroschools.org and click the Clever button.
    2. 2Clever. Clever opens. Sign in if it asks.
    3. 3Microsoft (district) login. Use your district Microsoft account (the one for school).
    4. 4Schoology. Open Schoology, then your class, then Assignments, and find the file named below.
    The file to submit is named: Principles of Biomedical Technology (Principles of Biomedical Science) › Unit 3.1 Outbreak Evidence: Line lists, maps, epidemic curves, infectious-agent identification lab or simulation. › Data table
    Open Schoology
Were you absent? Jump to the make-up plan
Open PLTW / submit on Schoology Guided notes PDF If you were absent
AgendaPLTW WorkDaily TrackerResourcesLab & SuppliesVocabularyWebXamCareersAbsentExtra Credit
Where this fits
Tested on (Ohio WebXam)
Principles and Practice of Biomedical Technology · 072110
PLTW lesson
PBS · Outbreak data and agent ID lab
WebXam domain
Biotechnology Research and Experiments
Evidence to produce
Data table
Lab / skill
CDC: principles of epidemiology and outbreak investigation
Quick glossary
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 — you open it through Schoology.
Learn first

Minute-by-minute · 80-minute block

💡 Big idea: Outbreak investigation is applied science: you turn a line list into a curve, a map, and a narrowed agent list before you can recommend a control.

  1. 0-8 minReview SOP for line-list completion and test-result recording; write it in your notebook.
  2. 8-15 minIdentify and record independent variable, dependent variable, and controlled variables.
  3. 15-38 minComplete line list from case data; plot epidemic curve on graph paper or provided template.
  4. 38-52 minPlot spot map; identify geographic cluster.
  5. 52-68 minRun or interpret agent-identification test results; record candidate pathogens in data table.
  6. 68-80 minRecord one measurement error source and one data-set limitation; begin organizing for Thursday CER.
Mr. Mendoza's 5-minute intro
  • • Today you work as an outbreak investigation team: the line list is your raw data and the lab is your analysis pipeline.
  • • Every result you record must follow the SOP exactly, because a misrecorded test result can redirect an entire investigation.
  • • This is a WebXam 072110 strand 1 day: Handling/Preparation/Storage/Disposal procedures are being assessed.
  • • Document your measurement error source: it is part of the lab report, not an optional add-on.
Do this, step by step
  1. 1Record the SOP for completing the line list and recording test results.
  2. 2Identify the independent and dependent variables in the agent-ID procedure.
  3. 3Plot an epidemic curve and a spot map from the provided case data.
  4. 4Run or interpret the identification test results to narrow the candidate agent.
  5. 5Note sources of measurement error and one limitation of the data set.
You'll be able to
  • • Produce an accurate epidemic curve and map from the line list.
  • • Narrow the infectious agent and state one procedural limitation.
Know by the end
  • • Independent variable: the case data provided; dependent variable: the epidemic curve shape and agent-ID result.
  • • Plotting a spot map requires converting addresses or zones into a visual cluster to reveal a common source.
  • • Agent-identification tests each detect a specific pathogen property: morphology, biochemical profile, or antigen.
📺 Tutor me: NCBI: Identifying Microbes
Do the work

Your PLTW work today

Open this PLTW section today

Unit 3.1 Outbreak Evidence: Line lists, maps, epidemic curves, infectious-agent identification lab or simulation. · Outbreak data and agent ID lab

Day 3 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (reached through Schoology), then do the work below.

Do this: Open myPLTW and locate the Lesson 3.1 Nosocomial Nightmare outbreak lab activity. Use the platform data or reference materials to guide your epidemic curve construction and agent-ID interpretation.

Complete

Submit test-result responses in myPLTW alongside your handwritten data table.

How far to get

Platform responses for this Lesson 3.1 lab should be submitted before you leave today.

Upload as evidence

Handwritten data table with epidemic curve and map plus platform submission.

All PLTW activities are completed inside the PLTW course environment — this page only gives direction. Submit producibles on Schoology.

The plan

Today's PLTW tracker

Check things off as you work, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible on Schoology.

Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.

Unit 3.1 Outbreak Evidence: Line lists, maps, epidemic curves, infectious-agent identification lab or simulation.Day 3 of this projectSee the full week plan
Today's PLTW target

Unit 3.1 Outbreak Evidence: Line lists, maps, epidemic curves, infectious-agent identification lab or simulation. · Outbreak data and agent ID lab

Open myPLTW and locate the Lesson 3.1 Nosocomial Nightmare outbreak lab activity. Use the platform data or reference materials to guide your epidemic curve construction and agent-ID interpretation.

Platform responses for this Lesson 3.1 lab should be submitted before you leave today.

This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.

1 · What you do today

🎯 Students build outbreak visualizations and run identification tests to characterize the infectious agent.

  • Record the SOP for completing the line list and recording test results.
  • Identify the independent and dependent variables in the agent-ID procedure.
  • Plot an epidemic curve and a spot map from the provided case data.
  • Run or interpret the identification test results to narrow the candidate agent.
  • Note sources of measurement error and one limitation of the data set.
2 · Turn in today

Data table: Completed data table with line-list summary, plotted epidemic curve (labeled with transmission type), spot-map cluster description, agent-ID results, and one stated measurement error.

Submit on Schoology

Upload by 11:29 PM for full credit.

Where to find it
Open the posted files in the Resources section below
3 · Who's doing what (team)
TaskWho
Record the SOP for completing the line list and recording test results._______
Identify the independent and dependent variables in the agent-ID procedure._______
Plot an epidemic curve and a spot map from the provided case data._______
Run or interpret the identification test results to narrow the candidate agent._______
Note sources of measurement error and one limitation of the data set._______

Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.

4 · Words I can use correctly
5 · I'm successful today when I can…
  • Produce an accurate epidemic curve and map from the line list.
  • Narrow the infectious agent and state one procedural limitation.
6 · Reflection & next steps
Where are you today?0/7 checked
Pick your period and code first.
Explore

Resources & readings

Hand-picked materials for this lesson. Class file items open the document directly; the rest are vetted readings and interactives from other biomedical programs.

How infections spread (for line lists & epidemic curves)ReadingCDCOpen Emerging infectious diseases & outbreak agentsReadingNIH / NIAIDOpen
Lab day

Lab & supplies

Bring / set up
Printed line-list case data set (one per student or pair)Graph paper or epidemic curve templateSpot-map grid or blank map of the scenario areaAgent-identification test materials or printed test-result cardsColored pencils or markers for curve and map plottingRulerPencil or pen
Safety / SOP
  • • If using simulated biological samples, wear gloves and avoid touching face.
  • • Dispose of all simulated sample materials in the designated waste container, not the regular trash.
  • • Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling any lab materials.
  • • Keep all printed case data at your station; do not share papers between stations to prevent data contamination.
CDC: principles of epidemiology and outbreak investigation
Words

This unit's vocabulary

epidemiology/ep-ih-dee-mee-OL-uh-jee/line listepidemic curveincubationprevalenceincidencecausative agent

Tap the speaker to hear a term. Weekly vocabulary task: add two of these terms to your notebook glossary with a definition and an example in your own words.

Check yourself

WebXam practice

Tap an answer to check it · nothing is recorded or graded
In epidemiology, what does incidence measure?
An outbreak line list records each patient's onset date, symptoms, and exposures. What is its main purpose?
An epidemic curve rises sharply, peaks, and falls after a single event. What does this point-source pattern suggest?
To confirm the causative agent of a foodborne outbreak, what evidence is most definitive?
Check yourself

Cumulative WebXam review

A quick mixed-review pulling questions from earlier units plus today, so the WebXam material stays fresh.

Tap an answer to check it · nothing is recorded or graded
[Review: Genetic Risk: karyotypes, pedigrees, and diagnosing from mixed evidence] A genetic test reports a result without listing its false-positive rate. Why does that limit an evidence-based conclusion?
[Review: New to the Practice: building a new-patient diagnostic workup] When synthesizing several test results into a recommendation, what makes the recommendation most defensible?
[Review: Nosocomial Nightmare: the chain of infection and how to break it] During plating, why is a face shield considered user PPE rather than sample PPE?
In epidemiology, what does incidence measure?
Explore

Where this leads — careers

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.

Forensic Science TechnicianCollect and analyze physical evidence to answer medical and legal questions.Medical ExaminerDetermine cause of death using autopsy, lab work, and case evidence.Clinical Laboratory TechnologistRun the lab tests that diagnose disease from blood and tissue samples.EpidemiologistTrack how diseases spread and design ways to stop outbreaks.
Safety net

What to do if you were absent

Today was a lab — do this instead

Hands-on outbreak lab: complete the line list, plot the epidemic curve and spot map, and run the agent-identification tests to record candidate pathogens.

CDC: Quick-Learn Epi Curves

Then submit your Data table on Schoology.

If MR. MENDOZA is absent

Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:

CDC: principles of epidemiology and outbreak investigation
Explore

Optional extra credit (async)

You've passed Unit 2, so the optional extra-credit track is open. Complete reserved-unit work from home (virtual labs included) for extra credit, all submitted on Schoology.

Open the extra-credit track
How this is graded
For: Data table — Completed data table with line-list summary, plotted epidemic curve (labeled with transmission type), spot-map cluster description, agent-ID results, and one stated measurement error.
  • Complete
    Every required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
  • Accurate
    The science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
  • Scientific reasoning
    You explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
  • Professional communication
    Clear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
  • Submitted
    Turned in the right way (Schoology for routine work) and confirmed.
Submission Zone

Drop your Wed, Nov 18, 2026 · Outbreak data and agent ID lab here. Use a clear file name (your initials + project). Routine work still goes to Schoology (via the CMSD portal).

Upload a project
Previous dayThis week's overviewNext day
Was this helpful?
Give quick feedbackAsk a question Family feedback