6-12
© 2007 National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). The Science Reflector, Summer 2007, Volume 36, Number 2. The North Carolina Science Teachers Association (NCSTA). In this investigation, students create an icosahedral virus model and consider how virus structure and behavior could be mimicked in nanotechnology applications. Students describe the structure of a virus, how viruses function as nanomachines, and how viruses self-replicate.
Activity Duration: 30-60 min
Cost: cost of supplies
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: Kids love to "build things." This activity is a great way to reinforce the structure and function of a virus. The models the students build will not only give them something they can hold/take home; they can also be used in other classroom activities or displayed in the classroom and/or school. Setup and prep is appropriate. Rating: Highly recommended
High school teacher: This activity is a good starting point for a virus unit. Can be flexible for content level, and is well explained. It deals only with icosahedral viruses, so care must be taken to explain not all viruses have this structure. Activity materials are easy to duplicate and inexpensive. Rating: Recommended
Virologist comments:
Great directions for assembly of icosahedral head structure. Rating: Highly recommended
6-12
© 2011 Discovery Education. In this activity, students create a larger-than-life model of one of six different viruses and then compare their completed models to see differences in virus types.
Activity Duration: 30-60 min
Cost: cost of supplies
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: A good virus model activity. This activity might be a little difficult or hard to manage, as there isn't a "cutout" to base the structure on. There is room for students to make their own interpretations of the model (good and bad). Materials list can be somewhat difficult or expensive to obtain. Rating: Recommended
High school teacher: Good virus pictures, nice comparison chart of metric measurement. Rating: Acceptable
Virologist comments:
I am not certain how students are supposed to model their constructs. No obvious template is provided. Rating: Questionable
6-12
© 2011 Nasco. This model was designed to introduce students to the structure of a virus. It illustrates the major components with removable pieces. The model is constructed of resilient, nontoxic EVA foam. A teacher’s guide includes inquiry-based lab activities, reproducible worksheets, background information, and assessment ideas.
Activity Duration: 15-30 min
Cost: $72.50
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: I like the large size of this. Can be used as a demo or a small-group project. Rating: Highly recommended
High school teacher: Very nice-looking model, easy to assemble. Very expensive and I question the durability of the foam material. Single-use model (only shows one type of virus), but could be used to teach virus structure. Great if you have lots of dollars and space. Rating: Not recommended
Virologist comments:
Great three-dimensional representation of HIV; however, a model with this level of detail should contain a legend that indicates the identity of the pieces. Rating: Highly recommended
9-12
©RCSB Protein Data Bank. Students learn about viral infection and immunity. Students also build 3-D preprinted paper models of icosahedral viruses in order to understand the use of symmetry in virus assembly.
Activity Duration: 1 hr
Cost: cost of supplies
Standards:
Teacher comments:
High school teacher: This activity seems like something that could be used in a high-level microbiology class. It basically provides a number of modeling activities for higher-level microbiology students. Most 9th graders will not take microbiology, so this may not be applicable for that age. Rating: Acceptable
Virologist comments:
This activity is of high quality. The materials are clear and useful for educators, and are excellent resources. Rating: Highly recommended
9-12
© Science Kit & Boreal Laboratories. Groups of students build their own models of 5 different viruses: tobacco mosaic, mumps, influenza, potato X, and a bacteriophage. They discover the structural diversity of different viruses and realize that animals, plants, and bacteria are all susceptible to viruses. The activity provides an excellent lead into lessons on the lytic and lysogenic cycles of viruses.
Activity Duration: 1-2 hr
Cost: $59.99
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: The opportunity to have a hands-on activity is great. However, I'm afraid of all the "little pieces." Not sure how this will hold up. This would probably work well in a small-group setting or possibly a mentored or diff (gifted) program. Probably a better fit for a high school classroom in an overall sense. It does cover structure/naming/cycles, etc. Rating: Acceptable
High school teacher: This is a nice way to begin this building activity and replenish supplies as you go. Offers different virus morphologies--probably worth the dollars. Rating: Recommended
Virologist comments:
The exercises are very useful for understanding virus structure. I particularly enjoyed the adenovirus assembly exercise--great way for students to understand an icosahedral virus structure. Rating: Highly recommended
10-12
Resource for Biocomputing, Visualization, and Informatics (RBVI), University of California – San Francisco. Students construct three-dimensional icosahedral models by cutting and folding preprinted figures of the dengue virus that shows the arrangement of proteins in the virus capsid.
Activity Duration: 1 hr
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
High school teacher: The activity is interesting and could be used as a supplemental activity for an afterschool club or a microbiology class. It probably is only relevant curriculum-wise if the more common shapes are made, but for advanced students the whole spectrum of shapes could be made. Rating: Acceptable
Virologist comments:
I love this! This is a terrific and fun activity for kids to make the virus by themselves from the template. It gives them an appreciation of the virus shape and introduces proteins and RNA. The exercise for high school students is also very good. The Virus Particle Explorer is a great resource. Rating: Highly recommended
9-12
©RCSB Protein Data Bank. Using preprinted paper, students construct a three-dimensional paper model of the dengue virus.
Activity Duration: 15-30 min
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
High school teacher: The model of DNA is a good intro to DNA structure. The Web site is easy to work through. Objectives are not stated, but the activity could be useful for a 9th-10th grade biology teacher. Rating: Recommended
Virologist comments:
Very nice paper-folding model of dengue virus. The Protein Data Bank of Dengue virus is very well done. Rating: Highly recommended
