CURRICULA & REVIEWS

Curricula


Web Activities or Games

Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


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.


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


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


7-12

© 2012 National Academy of Sciences. Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences. Through videos and text, this online interactive site allows students to explore: viruses, their evolution and distribution; the role of vaccines and the human immune system; the HIV pandemic; and malaria. Students choose different control measures for several diseases and see the outcomes of their choices.


Activity Duration: 30-60 min

Cost: free

Standards:

Health Educaton Standard 1


National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 5-8
Life Sciences
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives


Grades 9-12
Life Sciences
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: Good site but a little hard to navigate. It would require some prep time by the teacher to establish some clear instructions for the students to follow. Can be used to explore or gather information for research. Great graphics and information. Rating: Recommended

High school teacher: This is probably the best informational site I have seen. There are eight well-defined sections that deal with the modern issues having to do with viruses. This site is probably inappropriate for any age below 9th grade because the material is more complicated. It would be a great resource for a high school microbiology class, as it deals with virus propagation, world-wide health issues, and remediation. Rating: Highly recommended

Virologist comments:
This is an impressive Web site. The interactive animations are very useful for understanding the challenges of some global diseases, antibiotic resistance, and vaccines. The resources listed at the bottom of the menu are excellent. Rating: Highly recommended


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


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:

National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 5-8
Unifying Concepts and Processes
Life Science


Grades 9-12
Unifying Concepts and Processes

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


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


7-12

© 2001 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) NOVA ONLINE. Students learn about the role smallpox played in the development of vaccines and learn the difference between live and non-live vaccines. An interactive animation walks students through the steps of various techniques used to make six different vaccines in a virtual laboratory.


Activity Duration: 15-30 min

Cost: free

Standards:

Health Education Standard 1


National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 5-8
Life Science
Science and Technology
History and Nature of Science


Grades 9-12
Life Science
Science and Technology
History and Nature of Science

Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: Awesome activity for middle school students--super visuals and display of information. The site is easy to navigate. Students will love to make the vaccines. Rating: Highly recommended

High school teacher: Great activity to teach vaccination, and it has a built-in attention getter with the bioterror title. Instead of learning about the manufacture of vaccines through a book, students get to see a visual representation, which is great. Rating: Highly recommended

Virologist comments:
This is an excellent program. The links at the bottom lead to associated programs that, when combined, present much good information about bioterrorism. Rating: Highly recommended


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


9-12

Copyright 2004-2012 Dark Realm Studios. This Web-based game is a simulation of a deadly virus that is released on the world. The objective is to ‘evolve’ different traits of the disease so that it spreads around the world and kills as many humans as possible before humans develop a cure. It discusses virus lethality, transmissions, types of viruses, and virus defense mechanisms.


Activity Duration: 30-60 min

Cost: free

Standards:

National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 9-12
Life Sciences
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Teacher comments:
High school teacher: Presentation is great for kids; it meets microbiology standards. Rating: Highly recommended

Virologist comments:
Pandemic II presents an attractive game format with detailed information about the symptoms, transmission, and durability characteristics of viruses, bacteria, and parasites. I was impressed with the way the creators showed the potential for movement of infectious agents around the globe. The game requires players to try different combinations of pathogen characteristics in order to achieve the ultimate goal of "killing everyone." My only criticism is that the player is not allowed to simply check out the results of different pathogen characteristics--one must wait until sufficient "evolution points" are accrued before buying or selling an option for a given trait. Rating: Recommended


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


9-12

© 2011, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Explore how an ocean virus, Emiliania huxleyi virus (EhV), battles algae in order to maintain ecological balance in Earth’s oceans. Embedded in this graphic story are interactive learning activities that explore the numbers of viruses in the ocean relative to icebergs, jellyfish, etc. Explore an algal bloom up close. Open the virus to see inside and learn about the parts. The app includes an essay and a 30-minute radio documentary.


Activity Duration: 1 hr

Cost: free from the App Store

Standards:

National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 9-12
Unifying Concepts and Processes
Life Science
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
History and Nature of Science

Teacher comments:
High school teacher: Interesting reading, listening, and decoding images. This is a setoff activity that combines a creative use of animation and navigation of a view from space into the interior of a virus. Students will see how a virus helps maintain the balance of an ecosystem essential to Earth's ecology. Engaging and accessible to a wide spectrum of abilities. Rating: Highly recommended

High school teacher: I liked the analogy of the virus hunt being like using a goat as bait to lure a tiger. Great ecology details; the nutrient-release function of viruses and the message that stuff we think is yucky is crucial. Nice info about common ancestors, the idea that viruses differentiate from common ancestors. Great job of playing into Darwin's theories--the natural selection at a microbial level was clear and easy to understand. I liked the idea that one of the key roles of viruses is transferring genes between organisms. When we talk about the idea that self-replicating molecules may have preceded the development of cells on Earth, it makes more sense when you think about viruses evolving. Would be really useful when discussing population growth and limiting factors in an ecology unit or class. Rating: Highly recommended

Virologist comments:
This activity provides students with a balanced perspective of the diversity of viruses - particularly the fact that viruses can be good, if not essential, for the health of certain ecosystems. The "game" is not very informative, and doesn't add much in my opinion, but the comic, essay, and radio documentary were useful and entertaining. Rating: Highly recommended


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


8-10

© 2011 Morgridge Institute for Research, Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. This action-and-strategy game focuses on complex interactions in biological systems. Players experience what it takes to infect a cell, replicate, and escape to infect other cells.


Activity Duration: 30-60 min

Cost: free

Standards:

National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 5-8
Life Science

Grades 9-12
Life Science

Teacher comments:
High school teacher: The game was very insightful, if a little simple. It did teach content about various immune-system agents in an interesting way that is very visual and easy enough that middle school students can comprehend and upper-level students can still enjoy. The game had to have a special plugin to work, which could become a problem in schools. Rating: Recommended

Virologist comments:
This game is good and challenging. It is likely that children who are accustomed to playing video games will learn quickly how to advance to each level of the game. I would recommend this for middle school students, but the cell biology concepts are at a sufficiently high level so that high school students could benefit as well. Rating: Highly recommended


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


6-8

© 2001-2010 Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning, Rice University. MedMyst is a problem-based adventure game provided in two versions. The original version engages the player in the role of a scientist/historian/detective who discovers infectious agents and transmission pathways. In the new reloaded version, students choose to work as an epidemiologist, microbiologist, or veterinarian to solve mysteries. Teacher materials and activities are provided. Available in Spanish.


Activity Duration: 30-60 min each

Cost: free

Standards:

Health Education Standards 1 and 5


National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 5-8
Unifying Concepts and Processes
Science as Inquiry
Life Science
History and Nature of Science

Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: WOW! Excellent resource. A lot of time and effort has been put into this! This needs to be used by students. This interactive game has everything. Students will have fun navigating through the different challenges. Headphones might be helpful in a lab setting. Rating: Highly recommended

Virologist comments:
The game is a little bit long; players can't get out of it until the game is complete. BUT, very good graphics and great explanations. Plus it is a game scenario, so kids learn as they complete the game. Rating: Highly recommended


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


9-12

©1994 to 2011, Quill Graphics. This site describes the difference between viruses and bacteria and how the virus infects E. coli. A short time-lapse animation shows what a population of E. coli looks like as it is wiped out by the bacteriophage.


Activity Duration: <15 min

Cost: free

Standards:

National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 9-12
Life Science

Teacher comments:
High school teacher: This is a good, short tutorial in virus scale. Be aware that some of the links need to be purchased. Rating: Highly recommended

Virologist comments:
Good content. I'm not certain about the usefulness of the 800x-speed video (low resolution) of a phage killing E. coli cells. Rating: Acceptable


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


9-12

© 2011, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Explore the biology of the foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) through a graphic story. Different types of FMDV are portrayed as prisoners in a high-security laboratory on Plum Island. Learn about the impact of FMDV on the environment and how deadly the virus can be. The FMDV “prisoners” are plotting their escape while researchers seek to understand how to prevent the next wave of infection. Embedded in this graphic story are interactive activities that help the reader learn where in the world FMD outbreaks have occurred recently. Open the virus to see inside and learn about the parts. This app includes an essay and 30-minute radio documentary.


Activity Duration: 1 hr

Cost: free from the App Store

Standards:

National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 9-12
Unifying Concepts and Processes
Life Science
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
History and Nature of Science

Teacher comments:
High school teacher: This is a very good introduction to the topics of virus research and containment. The explanations of FMDV effects and the history of the virus is well explored in the essay (Terror on the Farm) and the Traveling Types of FMDV activity. This is engaging, informative, and offers a multimedia approach good for different learning styles. Rating: Highly recommended

High school teacher: I like the cross-curricular aspects (economic, etc.). This might make it more relevant to non-farm kids. Great point regarding "one health" - interconnectivity of the health of humans, animals, and the environment. I'd like to see some discussion aspect on how kids feel about having the Plum Island stuff moved to Kansas (agriculture country). This could draw connections to the lack of variation in livestock making them more vulnerable to viruses, showing disease spread as a density-dependent limiting factor. Rating: Recommended

Virologist comments:
The activity overall was excellent. I had some difficulty with the game, "Traveling Types of FMDV," which did not work smoothly. It would be nice if the "passports" of different types were easy to pop up and remove. The comic was entertaining, and the explanation of vaccination and prevention strategies was well stated. The best part of this activity is probably the radio documentary, which highlighted the economic devastation of the 2001 UK outbreak as well as the emotional toll on farmers and keepers of livestock. Rating: Highly recommended


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


6-10

© 2010 Baylor College of Medicine. BioEd: The Science of Microbes. This Web-based magazine introduces microbes and explains how they are transmitted and how the body defends itself against them. It gives a brief history of past epidemics, then explores the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the technology used to study viruses, and careers in science and medicine.


Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: Awesome magazine that will fit into middle school science for virus, bacteria, and disease transmission. Great use of color, diverse people are represented in the pictures, and it's very appealing to middle school students. The reading level is appropriate for middle school readers. It could also be used in a health class. Rating: Highly recommended

High school teacher: It's a great magazine to use during any microbiology unit whether it is 6th or 10th grade. Hits nearly all standards dealing with infection, virus-host relationships, vaccines, antibiotics, and prevention. Very appealing magazine, fun to read, and even has a section that encourages continued learning in microbiology. Rating: Highly recommended

Virologist comments:
These files are excellent supplemental materials for the classroom. They will serve to stimulate many important discussions. Rating: Highly recommended


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


9-12

© 1994 to 2011, Quill Graphics. Explore HIV infection at the cellular level. Diagrams and simple animations show a series of steps from initial attachment of a viral particle to a lymphocyte through budding of new viruses from that cell.


Activity Duration: 15-30 min

Cost: free

Standards:

National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 9-12
Unifying Concepts and Processes
Life Science
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Teacher comments:
High school teacher: Cells Alive! is a great site, and this activity is another example of that. The diagrams and animation are clear with clickable links. Really good tool for explaining reverse transcription. Rating: Highly recommended

Virologist comments:
Rating: Acceptable


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


7-12

Northwest Association for Biomedical Research. Licensed under Creative Commons. This Web-based image explores the scientific challenges faced by researchers in developing an HIV vaccine.


Activity Duration: < 15 min

Cost: free

Standards:

National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 5-8
Life Science
Science and Technology


Grades 9-12
Life Science

Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: Great visual to explore why it is so hard to make a vaccine for HIV. Easy to manipulate the diagram and provides six short tutorials on various places on the cells. The site uses higher-level vocabulary that may not be consistent with middle school reading levels. Rating: Recommended

High school teacher: Great activity to use after learning about vaccines. Students may not understand why we cannot "cure" HIV; therefore this animation does a great job of explaining why. Curriculum relevant only due to its being an extension of the study of vaccines. The site has a very attractive animation. It's probably not appropriate for middle school students because the important info has to do with reverse transcriptase. Rating: Highly recommended

Virologist comments:
This animation does not offer interaction. Rather than giving an understanding of the multifactorial basis for difficulties in vaccine development, this site gives an overview of the HIV life cycle. If presented to students as a small part of a virology teaching module, it may be adequate. Rating: Questionable


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


9-12

© 2011, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Explore HIV through a riveting graphic story about aliens who visit Earth in search of a cure for AIDS. Embedded in this graphic story are interactive learning activities that explore the biology of HIV and the world distribution, since 1990, of people living with HIV. Open the virus to see inside and learn about the parts. This app includes an essay and 30-minute radio documentary.


Activity Duration: 1 hr

Cost: free from the App Store

Standards:

National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 9-12
Unifying Concepts and Processes
Life Science
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
History and Nature of Science

Teacher comments:
High school teacher: Really terrific embedded modules in comic show biohazard lab levels, equipment use, HIV virus morphology--all explained and interactive. Explanation of HIV infection is very clearly diagrammed and captioned. Exceptional lesson on retrovirus/host cell interactions. This has particular appeal for students interested in "extraterrestrial" scenarios and biohazard labs. A definite bonus for my class! Rating: Highly recommended

High school teacher: Nice job of explaining how a retrovirus works. Kids need to understand DNA structure and function before they will understand this. I like the economic aspects since cross-curricular methods always make it more relevant for kids. Rating: Highly recommended

Virologist comments:
The radio documentary gives a good perspective of efforts to educate around the world about safe sex and prevention. The success of antiviral vaginal gel, announced recently, was tempered by the realities of South Africa, and the high percentage of infected people. Students will benefit from learning about the challenges that have slowed vaccine development. Rating: Highly recommended


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


7-12

© SOGC 2009. Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. Through a series of questions, students gain knowledge of HPV, how to prevent it, and how it is transmitted.


Activity Duration: < 15 min

Cost: free

Standards:

Health Education Standard 1


National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 5-8
Life Science
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives


Grades 9-12
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: The game is loaded with HPV content. Presented in a student-friendly manner. This game is a nice reinforcement or introduction activity. Probably best suited for a health classroom. Rating: Recommended

High school teacher: This is a targeted education activity to inform adolescents about HPV. It moves fast and supplies good information that is easily understood by average readers. Rating: Recommended

Virologist comments:
The HPV Challenge is an excellent educational tool, which uses a flash animation quiz to test the user's knowledge. The content is scientifically accurate to an acceptable extent. The final question seems to imply that the vaccine would protect against all High Risk HPVs, and this is simply not yet the case. Rating: Highly recommended


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


9-12

© 2011, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Explore HPV biology through a graphic story. Learn how HPV attacks the body and creates a runaway infection. This is based on the true story of Dede, an Indonesian fisherman, who was transformed into the Tree-Man by HPV. An American doctor discovers the cause of Dede’s illness and proposes a cure. Learn about HPV transmission, prevention, and risk factors by playing an interactive card game. Download “Attack of the P Virus” and discover entertaining and quirky facts about HPV. Open the virus to see inside and learn about the parts. This app includes an essay and 30-minute radio documentary.


Activity Duration: 60-75 min

Cost: free from the App Store

Standards:

Health Education Standard 1


National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 9-12
Unifying Concepts and Processes
Life Science
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
History and Nature of Science

Teacher comments:
High school teacher: Very interesting radio documentaries with real-life applications make this module particularly applicable to adolescents. This activity would work in biology, anatomy, physiology, and health classes. Good explanation of virus penetration into the human system and subsequent reprogramming of cellular reproductive mechanisms. Great connections with real life and current issues. Rating: Highly recommended

High school teacher: The mutation that caused Dede's immunodeficiency is interesting as a real example of what a mutation can do. I like that the comic is about the balance a virus needs to achieve with its host--i.e., it is not good for the virus if the host dies. Great factoid is "more viruses than visible stars." Radio program has a nice discussion on the effect of viruses on naive hosts. Nice detail about smoking increasing risk factors. Gardasil info is outdated since it says it is approved for females. The comic fits the evolution standard. Rating: Highly recommended

Virologist comments:
The comic had a fun edge, which will likely be popular with high school students. My favorite part of this activity is the radio spot, "HPV and Men," which suggests (contrary to some strategies for vaccination against HPV) that young men and boys as well as young women and girls should be vaccinated. This is consistent with widely accepted theories of herd immunity. I think that this information in general might be good to introduce to students at a younger age, in order to help foster a better understanding of vaccination among the next generation of parents. Rating: Highly recommended


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


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:

Health Education Standard 1


National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades K-4
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Grades 5-8
Life Science
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

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


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


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:

Health Education Standard 1


National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades K-4
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Grades 5-8
Life Science

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


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


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:

Health Education Standard 1


National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 5-8
Unifying Concepts and Processes
Life Science
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

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


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


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:

Health Education Standard 1


National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades K-4
Science as Inquiry
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives


Grades 5-8
Science as Inquiry
Life Science


Grades 9-12
Science as Inquiry
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

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


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


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:

Health Education Standard 1


National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades K-4
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Grades 5-8
Life Science

Grades 9-12
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

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


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


6-12

U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center. Learn about different flu strains and the difficulties of immunization with the “Pick the Flu” game.


Activity Duration: < 15 min

Cost: free

Standards:

Health Education Standard 1


National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 5-8
Unifying Concepts and Processes
Life Science


Grades 9-12
Unifying Concepts and Processes

Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: "Pick the Flu" leaves a lot to be desired. If anything, it diminishes the value of the flu shot. It does enlighten students to the fact that there are many different flu strains. It also explains why we haven't been able to find a "cure" for the flu. This activity will bore students pretty early. Not worth a trip to a computer lab. It would be a nice addition to a lesson if used on a SmartBoard/Promethean board. Rating: Acceptable

High school teacher: This is a short activity that demonstrates flu math. The variable possibilities of the different H genes combined with the different N genes give students an idea of the challenge of formulating the correct vaccine in any given year. Rating: Recommended

Virologist comments:
I didn't like this game because it wanted the player to pick which H and N could combine and infect people. Even though all 16 H and 9 N were available to pick, in reality, there are very few combinations that actually infect people. It was misleading in that it appeared that all combinations could be infectious to people. Rating: Questionable


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


9-12

©Australian Academy of Sciences. NOVA Science in the News. Students learn about the swine flu and vaccines. They test their knowledge with the online swine flu quiz.


Activity Duration: 1-2 hr

Cost: free

Standards:

Health Education Standard 1


National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 9-12
Life Science
Science and Technology
History and Nature of Science

Teacher comments:
High school teacher: Very nice-looking reading assignment on how a pandemic-flu vaccine is made. Very important topic for future voters. High-quality visuals in the reading. Rating: Highly recommended

Virologist comments:
This site has a large amount of science content that should be useful to K - 12 science educators. The contents are described in enough detail for advanced students to potentially understand the theory behind vaccination. Rating: Recommended


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


9-12

© 2011, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Explore the influenza virus through a graphic story about a scientist who travels to a remote village in Alaska to retrieve frozen samples that contain the dreaded 1918 pandemic influenza strain. Embedded in this graphic story are interactive learning activities that explore the biology of influenza and its many strains. Open the influenza virus to see inside and learn about the parts. This app includes an essay and 30-minute radio documentary.


Activity Duration: 1 hr

Cost: free from the App Store

Standards:

Health Education Standard 1


National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 9-12
Unifying Concepts and Processes
Life Science
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
History and Nature of Science

Teacher comments:
High school teacher: Very well-told story about the influenza pandemic of 1918. Good connections with bird/pig gene reassortment told in an engaging fashion. Excellent connections with agriculture. Well related to current issues in the news. Great RNA information and influenza history. Rating: Highly recommended

High school teacher: I had a bit of trouble with the H/N dial. I like "tap the questions" in "Many Strains." I also like comparing the "trees," which provided nice practice for what common ancestry means. The detail in the text about the eight viral genes is pretty interesting since it clarifies how simple influenza virus is. "Fittest" doesn't have to mean "most complex." There are nice cross-curricular details. I also like the economic aspects of H1N1. Rating: Highly recommended

Virologist comments:
I like the imaginative approach used for this activity. The story line will catch the attention of students, and the segment where students are invited to "spin the dial" to discover new H#N# designations was useful. I believe that students in grades 9-12 will make the connection between the "creature" and the sources of influenza. The radio documentary might be clarified by indicating that the "current" pandemic actually refers to the 2009 H1N1 "novel flu" pandemic. Great content using the example of a college student who is diagnosed and quarantined. The explanation of surveillance programs and the livestock industry was very effective. Rating: Highly recommended


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Grade Level
Activity Name
Description


9-12

© 2009 video stock: science view. Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands. As the leader of the World Pandemic Control, your mission is to prevent a pandemic. You can implement a variety of strategies to try to save the world, including assigning research teams, closing schools and markets, finding a vaccine, and distributing antiviral medicine–and you also have a limited budget to work with.


Activity Duration: 30-60 min

Cost: free

Standards:

Health Education Standards 1, 7 and 8


National Academy of Science Content Standards:


Grades 9-12
Unifying Concepts and Processes
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Teacher comments:
High school teacher: This is a pretty interesting Web game. It took forever to load on my connection and might need a cable connection. Not sure that it would work in a classroom, but would be good for after school or at home. Good info; intriguing format. Rating: Recommended

Virologist comments:
This game is a good idea, but it was difficult to play. I couldn't really find any instructions, but I'm not a gamer, so I might have missed it. Rating: Acceptable


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