Developing An Effective Elementary Education Program

ADRP

May 3, 2007

Background

2005 / 2006 School Year – Pilot project undertaken designed to educate students about blood, healthy lifestyles and the importance of donating blood

Goal – education rather than recruitment

Need / Opportunity

Ipsos-Reid polling of Canadian donors suggests that familiarity breeds intent – the earlier students know about donating, the more likely they are to donate

Almost all committed blood donors who participated said that they were originally exposed to the idea or practice of blood donation early in life

Need / Opportunity

Plant the seed of blood donation in young people

Strengthen relationships with schools and communities

Build the Canadian Blood Services brand

Program Development

Presentation developed using Ontario Ministry of Education curricula for Science & Technology and Health & Physical Education

Focus on grade seven & grade eight students

Program DevelopmentContent Objectives:– The function of blood in the body– The four components of blood– Blood groups– The need for, and importance of, blood

donation– Healthy lifestyle choices (important for future

blood donors)– The process of donating blood

Program Roll-Out

Met with Science and Health & P.E. consultants from two local school boards-Follow up for approvalSchool board contacts disseminated Educator Overview Piece to elementary school principals routed to grade seven & eight teachersTeachers contacted Canadian Blood Services individually to book presentations

Program Roll-Out

Between November 2005 and June 2006, 19 presentations made in nine schools

613 students introduced to Canadian Blood Services and the idea of donating blood

The human body has so many miles of blood vessels, they could go around the earth more than twice!

Blood can make a complete round of the circulatory system in 24 seconds

Blood Basics

White Blood Cells

White cells help keep us from catching the same diseases over and over again

They “eat” harmful bacteria like the kind you would have in a cut, a scraped knee or an infected ear

Blood Groups

Humans have one of four blood groups: A, B, O or AB

Blood groups are genetic, like the colour of your eyes

Your blood group is further broken down into a type -- Positive or Negative

Red cells are used by people who have been in accidents, or having surgery

Platelets are used by people with leukemia and other cancers, and by people with bleeding disorders

Plasma is used by burn victims and by people suffering from shock

Blood components are used for…

People who donate blood do it because they know they are helping others -- they are special people!

One blood donation can help three people

Everyday Heroes

Healthy blood donors make wise food choices

Healthy Lifestyles

Donors then fill out a health questionnaire and see a nurse, who takes their temperature and blood pressure

Collecting Blood

Remember, when you turn 17, you can start saving

lives too!

Find out more…

www.blood.ca/blackboard

Cats donate blood for other cats!

The house cat in a Vet’s office has many jobs -- one is to be the Blood Donor Cat

And even…

Presentation Wrap-Up

Demonstration to teachers that learning outcomes were met Q & A session with students at end of presentation

All students presented with a small Canadian Blood Services token, as well as a soft-sell recruitment piece for their parents and an invitation to visit www.blood.ca/blackboard

“All About Blood!” is a classroom learning session designed to teach elementary students about the composition and function of blood in the body, as well as encouraging healthy lifestyle choices and educating them about the need for, and importance of, blood donation.  “All About Blood!” was presented in your child’s class recently – we wanted to give you the opportunity to talk with your child about what they learned and provide you with web resources if you’d like to learn more. Visit the “Blackboard” section of our Web site with your child at www.blood.ca/blackboard to learn some facts about donating blood and check out the fun activities posted there.  You never know when someone might need blood. Our hospitals need blood every day – both for scheduled treatments and emergencies. If you’ve been thinking about donating blood, turn your good thoughts into a good deed. Blood donors can give as often as every 56 days. You can help up to three people with one blood donation. 

This is your opportunity to save a life. For more information on blood donor clinics in your area, or to make an appointment to donate blood, call 1 888 2 DONATE (1 888 236-6283).   It’s in you to give.

Teacher Evaluation

Teachers asked to fill out a short, two-page questionnaire on presentation content, design and curriculum fit

Feedback generally positive

Overall presentation rating 4.74 / 5

“Blackboard”

Teachers given a thank you piece directing them to “Blackboard” – an area of our website for students and teachersActivities for students; classroom activities and assignment ideas for teachers who wish to further the lesson after the presentationOver 4,000 hits made to “Blackboard” page during the pilot phase

Thank you very much for your support of Canadian Blood Services’ Elementary program, “All About Blood!” We’ve always had tremendous support from the education community and wanted to find a way to volunteer our time and expertise to educators at the elementary level. Our hope is that you have found this a valuable presentation.  We encourage you to visit the “Blackboard” section of our website at www.blood.ca/blackboard. There is information posted there about the presentation, as well as some interesting activities for the students. In addition, we have posted some curriculum resources that we hope you’ll find useful. You’ll find classroom activities, as well as ideas for student assignments, based on information presented in “All About Blood!” We hope you’ll find this a valuable source of information for your classroom. We’d like to hear what you think about these resources … please send your feedback on the Blackboard site to maryann.ducedre@blood.ca. Thanks again for your support!  It’s in you to give.

BlackboardWelcome youth, students, teachers and parents! Our blackboard is designed to assist you:

    

Research on blood, blood productsand bone marrow.

    

Understand Canadian Blood Services’ role and function.

    

Learn about classroom, donor and volunteer opportunities.

    

Organize a blood donor clinic.

    

Play games and more!

For Youth Teachers and parents

Thinking about donating blood? Click on 'Future Donors' to learn more. Access information on popular research topics and facts about blood.Read more >>

Why not volunteer or donate with your son/daughter? Or help your students organize a clinic or coordinate education sessions about blood. Read more >>

      

Organize events at school

What's your type?

Organize blood presentations, What’s Your Type events, and clinics in your school. Or initiate a school Challenge!Read more >>

Do you know what your ‘type’ says about you? If you know your blood type you can view some of the presentation online. Read more >>

Activities & Project Starters

Activities

Word FindTry our Word Find and learn about Canada's blood system during the game. Go to Word Find >>       

Curriculum-appropriate activitiesDownload a list of activities to share with youth - mathematical questions, vocabulary lists, health and physical activities and language questions. These activities are based on the All About Blood elementary school program offered in Southwestern Ontario.       All About Blood activities (PDF: 136 K)

What’s Next?

Pilot results show that an elementary education program can be a valuable educational tool

Positive feedback and interest from Donor Services departments in other regions, as well as a need to capture this important demographic further demonstrates its worth

What’s Next?

Plan presently being developed to roll out an Elementary Education program throughout Canadian Blood Services

Plan would improve upon, and add to, the original materials, based on feedback and broaden the target audience (grades five through eight)

Program Elements

Educator Overview PieceNew and improved PowerPoint presentationVideo / DVDInstructional Guide (Presenter / Teacher)Props / GiveawaysFeedback forms (Students / Teachers)Thank you pieces

Key Program Objectives

Educate all target audiences about blood, blood donation and Canadian Blood Services

Create blood system advocates among all target audiences

Motivate audiences to become donors, or future donors

Effectively reaching out to, and educating the next generation of blood

donors is critical to ensuring the development of a culture of committed

donors in the future

For More Information …

Mary Ann Ducedre

Recruitment Coordinator

Canadian Blood Services, Southern Ontario

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

519.251.4203

maryann.ducedre@blood.ca