COVID-19 is a virus that is causing disease in people across the world.
The world is responding in new ways because this is a new virus. It first infected humans in December 2019. COVID-19 was given its name by the Director-General of the World Health Organization on 11 February 2020. It stands for ‘coronavirus disease 2019’. The World Health Organization is calling COVID-19 a pandemic.
As the world responds to the COVID-19 pandemic, lots of specific language is being used. The language may be at a level above what some students can read and comprehend. Consider working through the activities as a family. This also creates an opportunity for adults, caregivers and students to discuss specifics about COVID-19 and the changes it has made to normal routines. The Ministry of Education has advice when talking to children about COVID-19 at various levels.
In this activity, students will become familiar with some of the terminology used in the COVID-19 pandemic. They will use and develop their literacy skills within a science context.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
- understand key words relating to the COVID-19 pandemic
- identify key personnel that can help during a pandemic
- describe how everyone can help.
Download the Word file (see link below). It includes background information, activity worksheets for students and answers.
The PDF (see link below) contains student worksheets only.
Related content
We offer a variety of resources that support distance learning for anyone who is teaching and learning at home, start with our article Support for distance learning.
Science is everywhere and there are lots of simple science activities that require very few resources. Check out this article which is full of helpful tips and links.
Useful links
See our Pinterest board – full of activities, articles and more to help teachers, schools and/or parents setting up online learning at home.
Visit the Learning from home government website for more activity ideas.
The New Zealand Government’s Unite against COVID-19 website.