Live On: A Classroom Curriculum
Share the Importance of Organ Donation
As a teacher, you know that some lessons should educate while inspiring action. It’s why we’ve designed this curriculum to provide your students with basic information on organ, eye and tissue donation and to encourage them to discuss this important topic with their family and friends. Combine any or all these elements to create your own instruction plan!
The curriculum will help your students:
- Understand and describe the urgent need for organ, eye and tissue donors in the Commonwealth and in our country.
- Identify and locate within the body the organs and tissues used in transplantation.
- Determine and explain the different types of donors.
- Discover and describe the impact donation has on donor families and recipients.
- Understand the donation process.
- Discuss and determine a personal plan for becoming a donor.
- Instruct family and friends on the important steps to becoming an organ, eye and tissue donor.
Share the Curriculum With Students
Live On is a self-administered, interactive curriculum that can be accessed from a computer, tablet or mobile phone. To begin, instruct your students to visit donatelifevirginia.org/liveon/intro
This website runs best on the latest versions of the most popular browsers and operating systems.
Classroom Activities
Want to expand the curriculum into a larger lesson plan? Here are a few ways to enhance your students’ learning and allow them to explore their creative talents.
A Rhyme With a Reason
Instruct your students to write an original poem or song lyrics. Then have them read or perform their work in front of the class.
Art That Makes a Difference
Challenge your students to create a poster promoting organ, eye and tissue donation. It could be a traditional poster or a digital poster that students could share on their social media platforms.
Say It Out Loud
Host a speaking contest promoting organ, eye and tissue donation.
Make Headlines
Have your students write an article for your school or community newspaper or website. Using our resource list, challenge them to reach out to different professionals and obtain further information about organ, eye and tissue donation.
Super Sign-Up Day
Have your students plan and oversee a donor drive for the school or community. Similar to a blood drive, students can promote and register students, teachers and community members to become organ, eye and tissue donors.
Time Is Running Out
Set a timer for 10 minutes. When the timer goes off, ask your students to draw a “stick person” on a sheet of paper. Re-set your timer and continue the exercise every 10 minutes until the end of class. Remind students that another person is added to the national organ transplant waiting list each time the timer goes off.
Every Breath I Take
Give a small straw or coffee stirrer to each student. Have the students hold their nose and breathe through their straw for 15-20 seconds. This demonstrates what it’s like to be waiting for a lung transplant and struggling for each breath. Ask your students to imagine what it would be like to wait this way for months.
I Can See Clearly Now
Pass a piece of wax paper around the classroom and have each student look through it. This simulates the clouded vision of someone needing a cornea transplant.
Test Your Donation/Transplant Knowledge
Use the final exam on the website as a pre- and post-instruction tool to measure attitudes and learning. Feel free to share your scores with Donate Life Virginia by emailing them to administrator@donatelifevirginia.org
About Donate Life Virginia
Donate Life Virginia serves to save the lives of Virginians by working to increase the number of registered donors in the Commonwealth by promoting organ, eye and tissue donation for transplantation, research, education and therapy.
Teachers, students and parents are welcome to contact Donate Life Virginia at any time for further information. Call 1-866-VADonor (1-866-823-6667) or email administrator@donatelifevirginia.org
External Resources
The following partner organizations are members of Donate Life Virginia and can offer additional information about organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation.
- Hume-Lee Transplant Center, VCU Health System
- Infinite Legacy
- lnova Transplant Center
- LifeNetHealth
- Lions Medical Eye Bank
- Tennessee Donor Services
- Old Dominion Eye Foundation
- Sentara Transplant Center
- University of Virginia’s Charles O. Strickler Transplant Center
- Virginia Transplant Center, Henrico Doctors’ Hospital
- Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
- Donate Life America
- National Kidney Foundation serving Virginia
- United Network for Organ Sharing
- Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association
- Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters