Unit 23 — Epidemics, Viruses, and Pandemics

Smaller than bacteria, viruses are microscopic organisms that need another living thing - a host - to live and multiply. This unit teaches the most important vocabulary to discuss viruses as well as the dramatic spread of illnesses to cause epidemics and even pandemics.

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Vocabulary Builder Activity

Students will learn the following key terms and phrases:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Contagion Dodged a bullet Easily overtake Genetic material H1N1 Had succumbed to Host Inject Microscopic Miniscule amount of Multiply Mutate New strain Organism Pandemic Progression World Health Organization
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Reading Activity: Viruses, Epidemics, and Pandemics

Improve your reading comprehension and vocabulary in context with our interactive reader.

Viruses are strange microscopic organisms that behave unlike most other organisms we know. First, they are much smaller than even bacteria and they are not self-sufficient. Viruses need another living thing, called a host, in order to live and multiply. A virus manipulates its host’s cells into creating more viruses. Thus they are thought to be mostly parasitic in nature.When certain viruses…
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Reading Comprehension Quiz

Test your understanding of the reading material with a quick comprehension quiz.

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Multiple Choice Activity

Students will be able to select the best match between unit terms and their definitions.

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Listening Comprehension Activity

Students will be able to listen to short audio clips in English and then spell them correctly.

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Spelling and Recognition

Students will be able to identify and spell a vocabulary term correctly given only the definition.

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Speaking Practice Activity

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Protozoa are microscopic, amoeba-like organisms that live in liquid.
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The study found that crawfish, frogs, and other organisms had been destroyed over a large area of the estuary.
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A living cell is the host in which a virus multiplies.
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Writing Practice Activity

Improve your formal and informal writing skills with guided essay questions and professional correction.

  • Has there been any serious viral outbreaks since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic? What was it? How did the medical community, press, and public at large respond?
  • If you were a virus, what effect would you have on children, middle-aged people, and the elderly? Would you be a good virus or a bad virus? Is there even such a thing as a good virus? Explain.
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