Technological Advances and Limitations After 1900: Disease
Teacher Resources
Driving Question: To what extent has technology helped mitigate the effects of diseases, and where has it failed to do so?
The environmental historian J.R. McNeill argues that since the end of the Second World War, the pace of change produced by human activities has accelerated at an unprecedented rate. During the era of intense globalization, technological innovation, population growth, and human impacts on the planet have all increased exponentially. Why did this dramatic acceleration start, and how will it impact life on Earth?
Learning Objectives
- Explain how environmental factors affected human populations over time.
- Create and support arguments using historical evidence to communicate conclusions.
Vocab Terms:
You can switch out any of the terms in this quick vocab opener. Check out the Unit 9 Vocab Guide for options.
Understanding globalization requires us to revisit some familiar terms while learning some fresh ones at the same time. This matching activity will help you connect the old with the new.
Flip the script on students and have them create guiding questions. After reading a section of the article, they design a challenge question about the reading or how it relates to what they’re learning in class. Once students are done reading individually, they meet with a partner and ask each other the challenge questions. They’re not allowed to use the text to answer.
The mummification of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, medieval plague pits, campaigns to stop people spitting in the street—all examples of how humanity’s deadliest pandemics have changed how we understand and fight disease. Explore the history of the deadliest pandemics and the lessons we’ve learned in this blog post.
Despite the technological leaps and bounds made in the past 125 years, roadblocks and limitations to these successes continue.
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Guiding Questions
The eradication of smallpox was a huge step in helping ensure the safety of mankind. What can we learn from this feat to help prevent future pandemics?
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Guiding Questions
Now that you’ve learned a bit about globalization, see if you can boil down this huge and complex process into a simple advertising jingle.
