10-12
© 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.
Activity Duration: 4-5 hr
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
High school teacher: Very well organized. Open-ended student investigation of all aspects of avian influenza and Spanish flu (1918). Good connections with STS (Science, Technology, and Society). Excellent teacher and student materials. Rating: Highly recommended
Virologist comments:
Students conduct research into the 1918 pandemic and discuss the findings themselves. There is a link from this activity to NOVA ScienceNOW that was really good and that could maybe be shown to classes. Rating: Highly recommended
10-12
© 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.
Activity Duration: 3 hr
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
High school teacher: Well thought-out activity that asks students to work in groups and create a service announcement about modern-day pandemic flus using data from earlier outbreaks. The students are well directed in this assignment and the provided Web sites are useful. Rating: Recommended
Virologist comments:
This is a very useful exercise to generate discussion of influenza public-health issues. Under "Researcher No. 1" there is a reference to a blog whose writer could not be identified; therefore it is not a credible resource. Rating: Recommended
9-12
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.
Activity Duration: 2-3 hr
Cost: cost of supplies
Standards:
Teacher comments:
High school teacher: Good activity. Wisc.edu link no longer operational, as is "Avida" site. Good organization and content. A number of links are dead. Rating: Recommended
Virologist comments:
Great influenza life-cycle animation. The activity spans 2-3 days and seems heavy for a general biology class. The "gotcha" activity at the beginning is a more general activity and appropriate for many classes. Rating: Recommended
6-12
© 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.
Activity Duration: 30-60 min
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: All in one lesson. Complete with objective, materials list, procedure, vocab list and assessment. Activity involves many aspects of science including problem solving, collecting data, graphing, and inquiry. This activity might need to be split up over two or three days. I don't see it fitting in one class period. Rating: Recommended
High school teacher: Excellent glossary, student handouts, teacher materials. Good application of exponential spread. Really easy to use and informative for teacher. Could use video, but do not have to. (Vocabulary too high for middle school.) Rating: Highly recommended
Virologist comments:
Excellent advanced exercise that explores stages of an epidemic as well as how preventive measures (vaccination) can affect numbers of people infected. Rating: Highly recommended
6-12
© 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.
Activity Duration: 30-60 min
Cost: cost of supplies
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: The NOVA video clip, making sense of the numbers involved in disease spreading, is excellent. The perfect length to get and keep students' attention without losing them. The activity that follows is a little too in-depth for a middle-level student. It would be a good activity for a high school student or as an enrichment activity for a middle-level student. Rating: Acceptable
High school teacher: Great teacher/student materials--ready to use, and inexpensive to duplicate. Video currently available online at no cost. Rating: Highly recommended
Virologist comments:
Good hands-on activity with inexpensive materials. Students will learn well not only about how the flu virus is different from other viruses, but also about the extensive biology of the flu virus. Rating: Recommended
9-10
© 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.
Activity Duration: 30-60 min
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: Great activity that includes inquiry, problem solving, critical thinking, sharing, etc. Bird flu (2005) is still recent enough; it's relevant, and students can relate to it. An excellent addition to a lesson. Images are large, clear, and well organized. Rating: Highly recommended
High school teacher: I was able to get a PDF and a word doc, but neither was terribly helpful, and the links for resources were old. Avian flu is important, but may not have the same attraction as H1N1. Rating: Questionable
Virologist comments:
This is a good one-day classroom activity. It brings social and political issues into the learning process as students are asked to make recommendations to the government about bird flu. Rating: Recommended
6-10
© 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.
Activity Duration: 15-30 min
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: Excellent activity showing effectiveness of immunizations. Images are clear and visible. Group activity will allow students with lower math ability to participate as well. Rating: Recommended
High school teacher: This has colored poster sheets that are interesting but will be expensive to provide. It is basically an outline that requires significant teacher expertise and has higher-level vocabulary. Bird flu is important, but for current students it's "old news." Rating: Questionable
Virologist comments:
Helps students calculate the number of people who could die during a pandemic. Also shows importance of vaccination. The calculations are done with and without populations being vaccinated. Rating: Highly recommended
6-9
© Copyright Science upd8, UK. In this simulation students learn how pandemics spread and why a virus may be dangerous to humans.
Activity Duration: 5 days x 15 min
Cost: cost of supplies
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: "PiggiFlu" looks like a fun activity if you can get the kids to buy in. There is a lot of trust, assumptions, and gray areas (distances, contact, etc.) that have to be followed. Especially when there is "free time" around the room or when the activity falls over multiple days. If you know your students, and this seems like something they can handle, it is a great activity. The table tents are clear and well organized and the badges are a nice addition. Rating: Acceptable
High school teacher: This site has interesting material, but the activity requires color duplication and expensive materials (UV dye). It would be a nice once-a-year activity, but is time consuming and has a limited message. Rating: Acceptable
Virologist comments:
All of the upd8 activities are very good scientifically. This is particularly good for teaching concepts of viral transmission and mortality rates. Some of this activity may be difficult to do on a whole-school level as advised. Rating: Recommended
9-12
© 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.
Activity Duration: 15-30 min
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
High school teacher: Great diagram of influenza evolution! "Read it" links require payment--okay if school has subscription services. Really useful reading material. Students need a substantial vocabulary. Rating: Acceptable
Virologist comments:
Content appears to be accurate EXCEPT for the electron micrograph of H5N1, which appears as a filamentous or rod-shaped virus particle. 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
7-12
© 2011, The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska. A pathologist visits a cemetery in Alaska to look for tissue samples from victims of the 1918 flu pandemic that might help him develop a vaccine. A mysterious woman tells him a terrifying story about a shape-shifting chimera who infected and then devastated the villagers.
Activity Duration: 15-30 min
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: "Frozen Horror" is a great history lesson as well as an informative way of introducing a pandemic. The story is easy to follow with not a lot of characters to confuse kids. The paperless PDF format will work great in a lab setting or can be printed for supplemental work for individual students. Rating: Recommended
High school teacher: This comic is an excellent way to tell the story of the 1918 pandemic, how viral mutation in pigs and ducks generates human disease, and how we reconstructed the genome of the 1918 influenza pandemic. Rating: Highly recommended
Virologist comments:
Great plot to educate about the influenza virus as it is traced historically. It is interesting to read, although there is not much information about biology of the influenza virus other than the concept of changing hosts among humans, pigs, and birds. However, I expect the readers at this level to gain the curiosity that will move them to the next step--pursuing other educational tools about the influenza virus, which are abundantly available. 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
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:
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
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:
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
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:
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
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:
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
