5-8
© 2004-2011 Baylor College of Medicine. Through a series of inquiry-based lessons, students explore the world of microorganisms. They learn that microbes can be bacteria, fungi, protists, or viruses, and they create scale models to compare microbes’ relative sizes. Using evidence to determine whether a patient has a cold, flu, or strep infection, students discover the differences between bacterial and viral infections; they explore modes of transmission for infamous diseases, and they are introduced to the human immune system.
Activity Duration: 30-60 min each
Cost: cost of supplies
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: This is a nice resource because it's a complete lesson: pre-assessment, lab activity, and post-assessment. Students should leave this activity being able to say what they learned. The concept map might be a little difficult for students on their own, but could be a good post-discussion activity. NOTE: There are some materials that need to be purchased (Glo kit). Rating: Recommended
Virologist comments:
Great emphasis on critical thinking for diagnosis and importance of distinguishing viral from bacterial infections (e.g., antibiotic over-prescription). Rating: Highly recommended
4-7
© 2008 Hall of Health. Children’s Hospital & Research Center, Oakland; Health & Biomedical Science for a Diverse Community. Students better understand communicable diseases as they create models of germs, act out the response of the immune system, watch germs spread, solve epidemiological mysteries, and test methods for killing germs.
Activity Duration: 5 x 1 hr
Cost: cost of supplies
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Elementary School teacher: This is a very user-friendly and organized Web site for teachers. This activity is more related to the health curriculum than to science standards. Rating: Recommended
Middle School teacher: This is a nice resource because it is complete: summary, lesson plans, and student worksheets. Each lesson can stand alone or be used with others. The lesson plans include extensions and references. The worksheets are student-friendly and easy to reproduce. Students should leave this activity being able to explain key concepts about how infectious diseases are spread. Rating: Recommended
Virologist comments:
This activity has lots of good concepts and provides much opportunity for discussion. It leads up nicely to Lesson 5 on antigens and antibodies. Rating: Highly recommended
4
Division of Vector Borne Diseases (DVBD), National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCZID), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A series of 5 lessons introduces students to the life cycle and behavior of mosquitoes and how they transmit disease. A discussion of the prevention of La Crosse Encephalitis is relevant to other mosquito-borne diseases.
Activity Duration: 5 x 1 hr
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Elementary school teacher: The objectives and materials were well stated, but the lesson itself was long. The actual lesson steps were not stated. It did not seem to be a lesson plan for students but rather a lesson for the teachers on mosquitoes. This is not a teacher-friendly Web site. The homework projects were much clearer. There is a lot of material here. Rating: Questionable
Virologist comments:
This activity is very well done and can be adapted to a large number of age groups. Many important topics are covered. The role of mosquitoes in viral transmission is very clear. The movie and the slides are excellent. The Teacher's Guide is very good. Rating: Highly recommended
2-4
© 2008-2012 The Regents of the University of California. All Rights Reserved. Science & Health Education Partnership. Students learn about different classes of germs via a book and discussion. Students first assign germ names to stuffed “microbe” animals, then they describe the symptoms and modes of contracting germs. Finally, they try to wash “GLO Germ” off their hands to reinforce the importance of personal hygiene.
Activity Duration: 2-3 hr
Cost: $55 per GlitterBug kit
$15 per book
$7 per stuffed "microbe"
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Elementary school teacher: Good hands-on activities for students and concrete examples for three different types of germs. Most supplies, however, would need to be purchased. Rating: Acceptable
Middle School teacher: The Glo Germ would be a great way to introduce viruses and bacteria, but Glo Germ and the black light are expensive. The vocabulary fits with 7th Grade life science topics. Rating: Acceptable
Virologist comments:
This activity is very age appropriate. Sounds like fun! Rating: Highly recommended
4-8
SAFER·HEALTHIER·PEOPLE™, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services. This activity introduces students to the world of microbes, explores how we are protected by our immune system, and discusses how vaccines help fight disease.
Activity Duration: 15-30 min
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: Excellent resource for students to reinforce infectious diseases. The Immune Platoon comic is a great way to engage kids in reading passages that can actually come to life. The other parts of the CDC Web site are also a great resource; they could allow for follow-up, or a more in-depth activity. NOTE: Have students find the "sound off" button, or have headphones in a lab setting. Rating: Highly recommended
Virologist comments:
Virologist 1: This is a great use of comics to explain the immune system, although it is not a story. Descriptions of the case files are very good. Most are about viruses: Mumps, Measles, Rubella, Influenza, Varicella, and Hepatitis B. Rating: Recommended
Virologist 2: Not a lot of information but good explanations of immune platoon and flu krew. The case studies have to be downloaded, which is a bit of a pain. It would be easier if there were links to the pages through the Internet. Rating: Highly recommended
3-9
© 2009 by Capstone Press, a Capstone Publisher Company. Students follow the adventures of Max Axiom as he explains the science behind viruses.
Activity Duration: 15-30 min
Cost: $8.00 to $22.00
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: Excellent! Readability is perfect for the middle-level student. Well laid out with a table of contents, full color comic, extensions following, glossary, and index. I think this would also fit in a middle-level reading program as well as a science class. A great way to include reading in a science class! Rating: Highly recommended
High school teacher: This is a well-constructed comic that explains viruses. It has good logical progression of ideas, clear graphics, and a nice glossary and index. Rating: Highly recommended
Virologist comments:
Well-organized comic with table of contents of 4 units: basic microbiology, compare and contrast between bacteria and viruses, how viruses cause diseases, and how to stay healthy. Pop-up explanations are helpful for readers at this grade level. It is completed with glossary, index, and scientific references. Rating: Highly recommended
3-8
© 2004-2011 Baylor College of Medicine. This Web-based magazine introduces students to basic concepts in microbiology including: healthy and unhealthy microbes and how they spread, past epidemics, the human immune system and vaccines, and HIV/AIDS.
Activity Duration: 30-60 min
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Elementary school teacher: A very colorful, well-laid-out magazine for upper elementary students. There are quick assessments within the magazine that could be done as it is read or used as a final assessment at the end. The HIV/AIDS topic toward the end is very appropriate for 3rd - 5th grade students. Students would be very attracted to the modern-looking, colorful media. Rating: Highly recommended
Middle school teacher: Very creative, fun book for middle school students. The color and pictures should capture their attention. There are mini activities for students to answer. It is a great way to include reading within science. Internet sites for additional research are provided. Rating: Highly recommended
Virologist comments:
This excellent activity covers a lot of important concepts in a very clear manner. It would be useful for a wide range of age groups. Rating: Highly recommended
5-12
© 2011 Genetic Science Learning Center, University of Utah. Use a scroll bar to understand the relative sizes of cells, including a coffee bean, a skin cell, E. coli bacterium, HIV, and a carbon atom.
Activity Duration: < 15 min
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: Love this site! The clarity of the images all through the zoom is excellent. This is a great way to differentiate between macro- and micro-organisms. This site can be used in many different aspects of science. The write-ups that follow may not be suited to certain grade levels, but you can use the activity as it pertains to your audience. Rating: Highly recommended
High school teacher: This is a multifunctional Web site that shows biological scale and can be a concept explanation for the metric system. Very useful to show students order of size and metric measurement! Rating: Highly recommended
Virologist comments:
Lesson provides useful scale and references to familiar items (grain of rice, sesame seed). Sliding scale bar is easy to manipulate and allows students to "zoom in." The metric conversion chart is a very important tool and shows the relationships between units while students view the increasingly smaller items in the scale window. Rating: Highly recommended
5-12
© 2011 Baylor College of Medicine. This curriculum consists of five activities that explore part of the HIV/AIDS story. Students construct paper models of the HIV virus to understand its structure and how it replicates itself. Students learn how to calculate exponential growth, graph transmission rates, and plot the spread of HIV on a world map. They then focus on the United States when they create presentations about HIV/AIDS in America.
Activity Duration: 7-9 hr
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Elementary school teacher: Of the five lessons, I found the exponential growth and the two mapping activities well suited for 4th and 5th graders and perhaps an appropriate way of introducing this disease. The two particle lessons would be very difficult for most elementary students to grasp, even with the student- made models. Lessons utilize cooperative learning groups with hands-on activities. Rating: Acceptable
Middle school teacher: The Teacher's Guide is very well done, easy to follow, and has great instructions. Extensions for learning are included and there are awesome stats to explore. Visuals are included for each activity. Rating: Highly recommended
High school teacher: Nice site with tons of information that encompasses all types of virus information and most virus objectives found through most curricula. This can be used by a wide range of age groups. The only problem is that the information is contained in PDF files. More flash animations or more interactive info would make it a perfect site. Rating: Recommended
Virologist comments:
This site provides fantastic detail in all aspects of the exercises and is accompanied by an impressive list of support URLs for the teacher. The first two activities help students visualize a virus particle and the important points of virus replication. These exercises will engage students' imaginations and help them understand general concepts applicable to all microbes and infectious disease. The detailed descriptions of cooperative learning methods in the epidemiology module are likely to engage students with different learning styles as they work in teams to model the process of "virus hunting." I believe that the exercise is a good learning tool for grades 5 - 8. Rating: Highly Recommended
5-10
©2006 by the National Science Teachers Association. University of Nebraska State Museum. After being introduced to viruses, students do three activities to gain a better understanding of HIV: 1) meet HIV and make a flip book to watch the action of a virus attack; 2) investigate how HIV from a mother can evolve into new strains when it is passed on to her baby; 3) after reading HIV fact cards, create an educational poster about the virus. Used with permission: NSTA Press.
Activity Duration: 1-2 hr
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: The three activities are different and can be used in different curricula. The flip-book movie is something fun that students can take with them. The activities on mutations are a little deeper. Not sure how many middle-level classrooms cover the A, G, C, U aspect of biology. But it could be modified. Part three (HIV) is probably better suited for a health classroom. Rating: Recommended
High school teacher: The writing is very accessible for students and the concept levels are appropriate. Clear descriptions and activities for virus structure, virus infection, mutation. Activities easy to duplicate and inexpensive. Rating: Highly recommended
Virologist comments:
Great exercises demonstrating HIV evolution. I think the vaccine design exercises are especially clever. These exercises involve abstract thinking. I expect that the flip book and general information will be useful for students in grades 5-8. Rating: Highly recommended
4-8
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology (DHCPP). Through a series of questions, students learn what rabies is and how they could get the disease. They discover how to tell if an animal has rabies, and what to do if an animal bites you. There is an opportunity for students to test their memory with an online quiz.
Activity Duration: 15-30 min
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: Excellent way for students to learn about rabies. All the information needed is presented in an easy-to-navigate format. I could see a teacher making up a "scavenger hunt" for information and letting students surf the site to complete it. This activity is best suited for an upper elementary to lower middle-level audience. Rating: Recommended
Virologist comments:
Great presentation of content to grades 4-8. Rating: Recommended
4-8
SAFER·HEALTHIER·PEOPLE™, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services. Follow the investigators to track down SARS and where it spread.
Activity Duration: < 15 min
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: The activity is basically "information only." Teachers could set up a fact-finding scavenger hunt to encourage students to navigate and read through all four parts of the site. Excellent information on the SARS outbreak and how it was discovered and dealt with, and how it relates to other infectious diseases. The Web site is well organized and easy to navigate. Rating: Recommended
Virologist comments:
"Stalking SARS" provides information about how the CDC functions following the identification of an emerging epidemic. The information is organized in a straightforward question-and-answer format and should be easy to understand. Additional information is also available through links placed throughout the Web site. Rating: Highly recommended
5-8
© Montana State University 2006. Burns Technology Center at MSU-Bozeman. In this interactive scientific mystery, students choose the direction the story takes and make decisions that influence the outcome of the story. Students learn about West Nile virus and other insect-borne diseases, as well as human health, migratory birds, and wetlands habitat.
Activity Duration: 30-60 min
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: Excellent scientific mystery. Students will be hooked with the story and the characters. The "options" buttons help make students feel like they are actually involved in the case. A lot of reading; might be difficult for students with lower reading levels. Teachers could maybe pair up students and the passages could be read out loud. Great site. Rating: Highly recommended
Virologist comments:
An online comic book basically. No serious errors, but little interaction and little real chance to solve a mystery compared to other programs. Rating: Acceptable
5-10
© MEDIKIDZ LIMITED 2009. Jasmine contracts swine flu and doesn’t understand why. A journey to Mediland–a distant planet whose geography and inhabitants bear a striking resemblance to the human body–reveals how the virus invades the body and how the immune system fights back.
Activity Duration: 15-30 min
Cost: $11.99
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: Swine flu is likely still a hot topic among students. This really addresses facts and myths. Does a good job following the path of a virus to the end (or no end). A good supplement. Rating: Recommended
High school teacher: Really good analogies/descriptions of virus structures and evolution (birds, pigs, humans). Colorful and appealing. Probably will work for accelerated 5th graders, but generally contains high concept levels. Rating: Recommended
Virologist comments:
A great comic to teach children about biology of the influenza virus, how to contract it and therefore prevent it, and about the body's immune system. There are fun characters leading the readers to step-by-step learning with interest. This comic is able to explain complicated topics in a simple way, which is suited for children and even for parents and general public. Rating: Highly recommended
4-12
Science Museum of Minnesota. Students learn to identify bacteria, viruses, and parasites, discover ways our bodies fight off disease, navigate a timeline of infectious diseases, and explore images in a microbe gallery. The Quiz Show (Activity 3) tests students’ knowledge about basic flu facts. In Predict the Flu (Activity 10) students design a flu vaccine, then watch a brief animation that depicts the development of this vaccine.
Activity Duration: < 15 min
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: This is an excellent site! It would be a great way to introduce students to the facts about the flu as well as vaccines and how they work. Informational and fun at the same time. Could be used in a computer lab setting (headphones would be good) or in a classroom/group setting with a projector. Rating: Highly recommended
High school teacher: Excellent background on how vaccine is made. Great short quiz on how influenza is spread. Very good at addressing constructive learning. Rating: Highly recommended
Virologist comments:
This site is well done and lots of fun. It is a good introduction for kids to the world of microbes. Rating: Highly recommended
4-12
Produced for Channel 4 and the Wellcome Trust by Oil Productions and Player Three © 2008. MINICLIP PLAY ONLINE GAMES. The consequences of allowing the flu to spread are illustrated in this interactive simulation intended to inform people of the measures that help prevent further spread of the flu.
Activity Duration: 15-30 min
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: Students will want to play this game. Not a lot of educational value from it. Would be a nice way to reward students for completion/achievement of a related assignment/assessment. Could be used as an enrichment activity in a computer lab if there is extra time. Not sure if it's worth a trip to the computer lab. It sure is fun at first, but students will want to stray very quickly. Rating: Acceptable
High school teacher: Very engaging game--includes great public health lessons. Good illustration of aerial virus transmission. Rating: Highly recommended
Virologist comments:
Not very informative but it does allow kids to figure out how the virus travels from person to person. Rating: Acceptable
