4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Inspiring Critical Thinking on the World’s Deadliest Animal

Rick Reynolds training teachers on Fight the Bite lessons at 2018 workshop.

Serious diseases such as West Nile virus have been spreading into Oregon, and our youth and families need to understand why this is happening and how to protect themselves. Mosquitoes are considered the deadliest animal to humans because they carry so many deadly diseases.

Clackamas County Vector Control has teamed up with Janet Nagele, 4-H Youth Development Educator, and curriculum writer, Rick Reynolds, to create a free curriculum for classroom teachers called Fight the Bite. The lessons and supporting materials seek to inspire students to think critically about mosquitos and other potential disease vectors, including their fascinating life cycles and adaptations, through hands-on experiments and other engaging activities.

In 2018, two county-wide workshops exploring the new curriculum were held for teachers, with more scheduled.