Lesson Plan
Other

Marian Koshland Science Museum: Bird Flu Today Public Awareness Campaign

For Teachers 9th - 10th
With this WebQuest, high school or undergraduate students make recommendations to the public or policy makers about how Americans should handle the potential arrival of an avian influenza epidemic. How will your students decide to handle...
Interactive
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Sounding an Alarm on a Growing Epidemic: Blood Sugar Rising

For Students 6th - 8th
In this short interactive lesson, students learn about the severity and prevalence of diabetes, particularly for people of color.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Online News Hour: Extra: 2009 H1 N1 Flu: The Next Pandemic? (Lesson Plan)

For Teachers 10th - 12th
This lesson plan focuses on viruses, particularly the Swine Flu, and allows students opportunities to simulate how viruses spread and the results.
Unit Plan
Virginia Tech

Digital History Reader: Demographic Catastrophe: Native Population

For Students 9th - 10th
When Christopher Columbus discovered the New World he and his entourage brought with them not only the views of Europeans, but also diseases of Europeans. This was catastrophic to the natives in the Caribbean Islands and Meso-America as...
Handout
World Health Organization

World Health Organization: Meningitis

For Students 9th - 10th
Read an overview of the communicable illness meningitis. Includes a fact sheet on types of meningitis, methods of transmission and ways in which the disease is treated.
Website
NPR: National Public Radio

Npr: In a Pandemic, Authorities Face Daunting Tradeoffs

For Students 9th - 10th
A May 2007 report on a Center for Disease Control exercise designed to study decision making in the event of a pandemic. Also provides links to related NPR stories.
Activity
Other

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

For Students 9th - 10th
A comprehensive look at the global issues and events that are impacting countries across the world. Disasters, living conditions, crises, diseases, and the humanitarian efforts are all detailed on this site.
Article
A&E Television

History.com: When the Supreme Court Ruled a Vaccine Could Be Mandatory

For Students 9th - 10th
In 1901 a deadly smallpox epidemic tore through the Northeast, prompting the Boston and Cambridge boards of health to order the vaccination of all residents. But some refused to get the shot, claiming the vaccine order violated their...
Handout
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Microbial Life: The Microbes Within: Webquest

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A student WebQuest studying the effects of endosymbiosis on reproduction, evolution and human health. Students will investigate the biology an intracellular bacteria and serve on a specialized task force to prevent the next epidemic.
Unit Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Pbs News Hour: Coronavirus Update: Where Things Stand Three Months Into Quarantine

For Students 9th - 10th
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, states are balancing public health through stay-at-home orders and crowd limits with concern for jobs and the economy. Alabama was among the last states to issue a stay-at-home order on April 3rd...
Activity
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Cross Curricular: Science

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Explore global health issues by participating in research, discussions and presentations on topics such as exploring the dangers and scientific foundation of nuclear weapons and tracking the discovery, spread and control of disease.
Website
Center for Educational Technologies

Nasa Classroom of the Future: Rift Valley Fever

For Students 9th - 10th
The Classroom of the Future provides a nice activity integrating many subject areas. Students work in groups to research outbreaks of Rift Valley Fever in Kenya, and determine actions to control and prevent its spread. Background...
Activity
Other

University of Maryland Medical Center: Plague of Athens: Medical Mystery Solved

For Students 9th - 10th
A medical discussion of the plague of Athens and a diagnosis of it as epidemic typhus fever.
Online Course
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Polio Epidemiology

For Students 9th - 10th
An overview of the polio as an epidemic prior to 1900 and how the infectious disease has slowly diminished but for three countries (Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan).
Website
United Nations

United Nations Cyberschoolbus: Fighting Disease

For Students 9th - 10th
The United Nations has distributed this list to make school age children aware of the communicable diseases that have most recently had an effect on society. Good descriptions are provided for each of the 11 diseases.
Article
Other

Reuters: u.s. Orders Diplomats' Families to Leave Liberia as Ebola Spreads

For Students 9th - 10th
As Ebola spread in 2014, the families of American diplomats were ordered to leave the nation of Liberia. (Published Aug. 7, 2014)
Handout
Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic: Encephalitis

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the MayoClinic.com provides a great look at the acute inflammation of the brain caused by a viral infection known as encephalitis. Sections in the article include: signs and symptoms, causes, screening, treatment,...
Activity
Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments: Numb3 Rs: Sir Models

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Based off of the hit television show NUMB3RS, this lesson helps students understand how diseases, epidemics, etc. are tracked by health organizations. Using the SIR (susceptible, infected, recovered) model, students track the number of...
Unit Plan
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Centers for Disease Control: Bam! Your Body: Operation: Flame Out!

For Students 3rd - 8th
Tells the story of how, as tobacco became more popular, it changed human health, and what the CDC did to fight the epidemic.
Article
A&E Television

History.com: How Five of the World's Worst Pandemics Finally Ended

For Students 9th - 10th
As human civilizations flourished, so did infectious disease. Large numbers of people living in close proximity to each other and to animals, often with poor sanitation and nutrition, provided fertile breeding grounds for disease. And...
Graphic
Curated OER

New York Times Learning Network: Investigating Sars

For Students 9th - 10th
A lesson plan from the New York Times Learning Network for students to investigate the SARS epidemic in China. They will present a mock emergency health summit to discuss concerns of affected countries. Includes links for students and...