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Lesson 1

We will watch a section of a 2015 PBS Frontline video, “The Vaccine War,” paying close attention to the arguments both for and against vaccinations. We will analyze and discuss the video. Then, we will reflect on the video and our notes, evaluating which arguments were solid and which need further explanation.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I express an accurate understanding of the central ideas and arguments presented in a video?

  • Can I form and support a claim about mandatory vaccinations in relation to the common good or individual rights?

Texts

Core

  • Digital Access
    • “The Vaccine War,” Frontline, Public Broadcasting Service, 2015
  • Unit Reader
    • “What Would Happen If We Stopped Vaccinations?,” Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Domain, 2018

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: View – Write

We will begin the lesson by watching the first section of “The Vaccine War.” we will use a copy of the video Note-Taking Tool to write down and analyze key details related to arguments for and against mandatory vaccination.

As you watch the video, take notes about the ideas and arguments presented using a copy of the Video Note-Taking Tool. As you take notes, consider the following guiding question:

  1. What are the arguments that experts and parents present for and against vaccinations?

Activity 2: Discuss – Write

We will work in pairs to discuss what we learned from watching the video, and how it might connect to previous lessons.

Turn to a neighbor and discuss the following questions:

  1. What are the benefits of vaccinating, according to medical officials?

  2. Why have some parents, such as Jennifer Margulis, begun to oppose mandatory vaccination?

  3. What about Ashland makes its pro-vaccination citizens concerned about potential disease risks?

  4. What is the strongest argument for not vaccinating that you heard or saw?

  5. What is the strongest evidence for vaccinating that you heard or saw?

Share what you have written down on the Video Note-Taking Tool.

As a class, discuss the last two questions, about the strongest arguments for and against vaccination. Make a class chart that presents the key positions on each side of the debate.

Activity 3: View – Discuss

We will watch the final 12 minutes of the documentary, which returns to ashland, oregon, and presents arguments about the relationship of vaccination decisions to the common good and to individual rights.

Watch the final section of "The Vaccine War," using the Video Note-Taking Tool to write down details and comments related to the unit’s Central Question:

How do we balance the common good with individual rights and personal liberty?

Think about the following ethical questions from the Analyzing Ethical Issues Question Set, which we will consider when reading argumentative texts throughout the unit:

Philosophical Issues and Approaches

  1. The Common Good: In what ways does the argument reflect consideration of the common good?

  2. Individual Rights and Personal Liberty: In what ways does the argument reflect consideration of individual rights or personal liberty?

Public Health Issues and Controversies

  1. Mandates and Objections: In what ways does the argument reflect controversies between governmental mandates and citizen objections?

As a class, discuss how the two ethical perspectives we have been considering, the common good and individual rights, play out in the arguments around vaccination, as presented in "The Vaccine War."

Activity 4: Write – Discuss

We will individually reflect on what we have learned and thought about while watching “The Vaccine War” documentary. We will form a claim that expresses our current view of parental choice about whether or not to vaccinate their children.

Review your Video Note-Taking Tool as you reflect on the video. In your Learning Log, summarize the arguments you have noted in terms of both the common good and individual rights. Which arguments seem effective to you? Which ones need more explanation or evidence?

Form a claim that expresses your current view about the unit’s Central Question, as it applies to the arguments you have heard in the documentary and this question:

  1. When parents are making decisions about whether or not to vaccinate their children, which perspective should prevail: the common good of their communities or their individual rights as parents?

If time allows, share and compare your claim with those of other students in the class.

Activity 5: Read – Write

For homework, we will do a first reading of an article that outlines what would happen if we stopped giving vaccinations.

For homework, access the article "What Would Happen if We Stopped Vaccinations?" from the CDC in the Unit Reader. Read and annotate the article, answering the following question in your Learning Log:

  1. What seems to be the central position of the CDC regarding the need to continue widespread vaccination? Identify one to two sentences that most clearly communicate that position.

Write new or interesting words you encounter in your Vocabulary Journal.