Teaching Notes Understanding Immunity: a modeling Activity

Suggestions for how to use this activity:


Materials: Any and all materials on hand can be used to model the proteins and cells in this activity. For example construction paper, pipe cleaners, beads, clay, fabric etc. The main objective in this modeling exercise is that the students should be able to show structure of the cell(s) and/or protein(s) and move the various components around to model their interactions and functions.


Safety: No special considerations


Planning ahead:
Each student should receive a copy of the activity and appropriate modeling materials should be provided. Students may be grouped into groups of 2 or 3 and assigned one of the three themes

1. 
   innate response
   
2. 
   cell-mediated response
   
3. 
   humoral response
   

After building the models, the student groups need to work together in larger groups to simulate how all three types of responses (innate, cell-mediated and humoral) interact with each other.


Extensions and Modifications
After following through the immune response for a single infection, students could try to predict what happens with a second infection of the same pathogen occurs and compare the response with a time line. Also, they could use the same model and use HIV as the pathogen to demonstrate how the virus is difficult to fight.


Modeling Activity
To understand the function of the immune system, it is helpful to understand the various cells, proteins and complexes involved and relate them to their function.
Key ideas:

1. 
   The immune response is a complex set of reactions that relies on interplay among the different cells.
   
2. 
   Cells communicate with one another using different chemical messengers. Each of these chemical messengers has a structure that is directly related to its function.
   
3. 
   Immunity is the state of having body defenses, which protect, eliminate and provide future protection against invaders.
   
4. 
   In vertebrates, immunity can be either innate or adaptive. Innate immunity is general and adaptive is specific to a particular pathogen or infectious agent. Adaptive immunity is effected by two groups of lymphocytes and can be subdivided into the humoral response and the cell-mediated response, each governed by a different group of lymphocytes.
   

Activity:

1. 
   Students will investigate the workings of innate immunity, humoral response and cell-mediated response.
   
2. 
   Students will work in groups and each group will become the expert for one of the following types of immune responses:
   
   1. 
      Innate response
      
   2. 
      Humoral response
      
   3. 
      Cell-mediated response
      
3. 
   Students will make a model showing how the assigned type of immune response works and then use it to explain this to other groups. When designing the model, students should demonstrate:
   
   1. 
      their understanding of structures as well as the functions of the proteins involved.
      
   2. 
      Key cells, structures and proteins for each of the immune responses are listed below
      
   3. 
      Models should also show the spatial reference, in other words, students should show where these events are occurring.
      
4. 
   Students may include additional relevant terms that are not listed here.