© 2011 by The University of California Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley, and the Regents of the University of California. This news brief from November of 2005 describes the threat of avian flu. A discussion of how viruses evolve is followed by news updates from August 2008 and July 2009. Discussion questions follow the article.

© Copyright Science upd8, UK. In this simulation students learn how pandemics spread and why a virus may be dangerous to humans.

© Copyright Science upd8, UK. Students develop their math skills to appreciate the value of immunization. In a numeracy activity, they compare the death tolls in vaccinated and non-vaccinated populations.

© Copyright Science upd8, UK. After a classroom discussion about the flu pandemic of 1918 and the avian flu of 2005, students take on the role of medical and scientific advisers to the government, suggesting how to control the spread of avian flu.

© 1996-2011 WGBH Educational Foundation. In a short online video, scientists contrast the ways bird flu and human flu spread. Students simulate the spread of a virus using colored stickers and develop a sense of the numbers of people affected by the 1918 flu. Students make avian and human influenza A virus models and then infect a model lung cell to make a hybrid virus that has some avian and some human RNA segments and surface proteins.

© 1996-2011 WGBH Educational Foundation. Students perform a sequence of six short simulations to model how an infectious disease can spread through a human population; then they graphically represent the data generated from the simulations. Students discuss the risks associated with biological hazards, such as viruses, and explain ways that infectious disease can be prevented, controlled, or cured.

NESCent (National Evolutionary Synthesis Center). Licensed under Creative Commons. Through a game modeling a viral infection, students discover that viruses do not infect cells randomly and that it is possible for viruses to avoid detection by the immune system. Students explore viral structures and how the virus replicates by building their own influenza virus.

© 2012 National Academy of Sciences. Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences. Through a WebQuest, students become experts in different research areas, finding answers to questions about avian influenza. Then they pool their knowledge with other students to put together a public awareness campaign.

© 2008 Elizabeth Lindsey, Emory University and Gerda Louizi, North Springs High School. Creating Active Student Engagement in the Sciences (CASES Online), Emory University. This case uses a real-world article to emphasize the reality of the flu and the importance of mastering a basic understanding of biology and science. Through research and panel discussions, students learn about the genetic makeup and transmission of viruses, and describe host specificity.