Ticks and Other Vectors
Module Summary
The ticks and other vectors of disease module can be completed in any high school environmental science class. The students will complete four different activities. The first activity will teach them to use dichotomous keys and to identify vectors. The following two activities will introduce students to the process of DNA extraction from ticks followed by analysis of the tick DNA via agarose gel electrophoresis. The final activity reveals how pathogens are transferred and diseases are transmitted.
Grade Levels
9-12
Module Materials (view or download)
Arthropod and Insect ID
DNA Isolation: Tick Extraction
Vectors and Disease
Are Deer Ticks Carrying Lyme Disease?
Module Activity Overview | Estimated Class Time |
Arthropod and Insect ID | 1 (45 min) class |
Tick DNA Extraction | 1 (45 min) class |
Vectors | 1 (45 min) class |
Are Deer Ticks Carrying Lyme Disease? | 1 (45 min) class |
Last updated: 3/10/2015