What malaria is and how it spreads
A tiny parasite, carried from person to person by the bite of an infected mosquito.
Planned. This module is part of the plan and is not written yet.Handled with care: read the note under Practicalities before using this module.
Why it matters
In malaria areas, most families know someone who has had malaria. Knowing what really causes it is the first step to stopping it.
Draft outline · in review- For
- Level 5–7 · Primary 5 to JSS 1
- Inside
- 4 lessons and a test · about 45 minutes
- Topic
- Malaria · foundation, 1 of 4
Inside the module.
4 lessons in order, about 45 minutes in all, then a short test. Learners go at their own pace; the minutes are a guide, not a timetable.
Draft outline · in review
Lesson 1: A tiny parasite
Malaria is caused by Plasmodium, a parasite too small to see without a microscope.
Explain10 min, from minute 0
Lesson 2: Myths and facts
Why rain, mangoes and night air are not the cause.
Discussion10 min, from minute 10
Lesson 3: How the mosquito carries it
A female Anopheles mosquito picks up the parasite from one person's blood and passes it to the next person she bites.
Explain15 min, from minute 20
Lesson 4: Dusk to dawn
When these mosquitoes bite, and what that means for protection.
Review10 min, from minute 35
End-of-module test
Explain what causes malaria, describe how the parasite passes between people through mosquito bites, and say when these mosquitoes mostly bite.
Mastered at 85% or more. Retake it until you pass; nothing is lost, and each try gives feedback.
Already know it? A Challenge Test (planned) clears the whole module: 90% overall, no objective below 75%.
Last stageafter about 45 min
Practicalities
Draft outline · in reviewHandle with care
Health education, not medical advice. If you or someone you know is unwell, talk to the facilitator and a local health worker.Many learners will have had malaria, and some will have lost family to it. Facilitators should be ready to listen and talk. Not shown below Level 4. Will come with a facilitator note.
Built to run offline
Planned to run on the Lantern's own computer, with no internet needed.
Languages
Planned first in English; every module aims to reach all of the Lantern's languages.
Try a question.
One question from the module, as a learner would meet it. Have a go, then open the worked solution a step at a time.
Draft outline · in review
What causes malaria?
Particulars
Where it sits
What a learner can do after it
- Explain that malaria is caused by a tiny parasite, not by rain, mangoes or bad air.
- Describe how the parasite passes between people through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito.
- Know that these mosquitoes mostly bite between dusk and dawn.
Needs first
This module has no prerequisites of its own. Like every first step, it assumes the Digital skills gateway: the first module on using a computer, which a Challenge Test clears in minutes.
We suggest first (never a lock)
Level
Level 5–7 · Primary 5 to JSS 1
Level mappings are approximate. A qualified teacher or lecturer in each country must check them before they appear in the app.
Difficulty for its level
1 of 4 · Foundation
Time
About 45 minutes
Alignments
- Aligned to NERDCpartial · in reviewNERDC Basic Science / Civic and health education: common diseases (descriptive ref)
- Aligned to Kenya CBCpartial · in reviewKenya CBC Science and Technology: common diseases (descriptive ref)
Alignment in review until a qualified teacher or lecturer checks it. No exam body, university or vendor endorses us; learners still sit the real exam.
Challenge Test
Planned: a Challenge Test to prove you know it and skip it. Pass at 90% overall, with no objective below 75%.
University courses it previews
Medicine and Surgery, Public Health, Medical Laboratory Science, Microbiology
The route here.
Everything this module builds on, drawn as a route from its foundations. Solid lanes must be mastered first, or cleared by a Challenge Test; dashed lanes are suggestions that never lock anything.
- SC-BIO-MIC-01Microorganisms: friends and foesSciences · JSS 1 to JSS 3 (BECE) (Level 7–9) · Planned · recommended
- HM-DIS-MAL-01What malaria is and how it spreadsHealth & medicine · Primary 5 to JSS 1 (Level 5–7) · Planned · the destination Needs Microorganisms: friends and foes (recommended).
Help light the room where this is learned.
Every route on this map starts in a classroom with 24 stations, a tutor that works offline and a facilitator upstairs. Four are planned and waiting for light.