© 2009 by Capstone Press, a Capstone Publisher Company. Students follow the adventures of Max Axiom as he explains the science behind viruses.

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.

© 2011 Discovery Education. Students learn the basics about viruses, recognizing their occurrence in plants as well as animals and that some viruses are helpful to humans. Students imagine they are part of a team of scientists assigned to stop a local weed epidemic by genetically engineering a virus that will target the weed. They sketch the weed they would like to target, and then they sketch a virus they have designed to attack the weed.

© 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.

© 2011 Genetic Science Learning Center, University of Utah. This activity demonstrates the specificity of viral vectors for target cells in gene therapy delivery methods using two approaches: 1) Styrofoam models demonstrate viral ligand binding to receptor proteins on the surface of target cells; 2) Students use paper models of viruses and cells to find the appropriate match between viral ligands and cell receptors.

Columbia University’s Summer Research Program for Science Teachers. This lesson plan simulates an infectious disease outbreak based on an actual outbreak in 2005 in Angola. Students work in teams as Special Pathogen Agents to gather information about blood and pathogens to formulate a diagnosis. They explore molecular genetics and immunology to identify the true pathogen and the cause of the outbreak.

Columbia University’s Summer Research Program for Science Teachers. This lesson plan encourages students to explore how viruses and bacteria spread, how the body defends against pathogens, and how to identify white blood cells.

© 2011 by AAAS. Students simulate the spread of a disease with tap water and NaOH and try to determine the original source. Using disease cards, which include descriptions of symptoms, students act out different diseases for the class to identify. Internet resources are used to understand how viruses infect humans and interfere with normal body functions, and how infectious diseases can be treated or prevented.

©1999 by the BSCS and Videodiscovery, National Institutes of Health. Students explore the relationship between basic biomedical research and the improvement of personal and public health. They classify diseases as emerging, re-emerging, or endemic and assume the roles of public health experts to investigate the cause of a mystery disease. They give examples of how infectious agents can be transmitted to humans and explain how environmental changes can result in the emergence of infectious diseases.

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.