Understanding CORONA Virus

What do we know? & What can we do?

Myths or Facts

There is a lot of bad information about the current COVID crisis.

Take a look at the the myth or facts sentences. Identify which one of the statements is a fact and which one his a myth.

Your Challenge: Protect Your Family

Directions: As scientists, our job is help our community stay healthy. Your job is to help everyone in your family learn about Viruses in order to keep everyone safe.

Your Challenge: Protect Your Family

Understanding Viruses Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DGwOJXSxqg

Understanding Viruses Video

1. What is a Virus?
2. What are the parts of a Virus?
3. How does a Virus copy itself?
4. What is an Antigen?

5. What are antibodies?

6. What are Alveoli?

Virtual Reality

Prepare your VR Goggles for a virtual reality tour of how viruses impact cells.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL9YU_ZzGF4&t=56s

Reading

This is a picture of the Corona Virus (COVID-19). It is so small, hundreds of them can fit on one hair! All the little “knobs” on the outside of the virus help to give the virus structure. And it is this structure that must be identified by a vaccine.

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Structure of Viruses

Viruses vary in their structure. A virus particle consists of DNA or RNA within a protective protein coat called a Capsid. The shape of the capsid may be different from one type of virus to another. The capsid is made from the proteins that are decided by the genes The shape of the capsid is how scientists give the viruses their name. The Corona virus is called Corona, which mean “Crown” in Spanish. They thought the virus’s capsid looked like a crown.

The picture below shoes the basic structure of the virus. It has the protein spikes that allow it to attach to cells, RNA in the middle, and a protein coat known as the Capsid.

Reading

Antigen

Scientists call the invaders that can cause disease antigens. Anything that enters your cells that are not supposed to be there are called antigens. Antigens trigger our body to send out things to fight the antigens. We have specific immune response in the body for different types of antigens. Your body will attack bacteria and viruses different. One of the main immune responses is the production of special proteins that help to fight off the antigens called antibodies. If you have a virus, your body makes antibodies to fight it, so the next time you get exposed to the virus your body can fight it off quickly.�

How do the antibodies know which cells to attack? 

Reading

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In order to work properly, the immune system must know which cells are good cells and which are bad. Antibodies are designed with specific binding sites that only bind with certain antigens. They ignore "good" cells and only attack the bad ones. You can see from the picture on the lef that the antibodies each have a specially designed

binding sites. They will only bind with the antigen that has a "marker" that matches up perfectly. 

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Explain it to me?

Directions: Use the space below to explain each of the key concepts?

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1. What is an antibody?
2. How do viruses replicate?
3. How can we flight COVID in our body?

Myths or Facts

1. COVID mutated from a common cold? Myth or Fact
2. There is no cure for COVID, but we have treatments to help heal us? Myth or Fact
3. The Virus will die in summer temperatures? Myth or Fact
4. Creating a vaccine will help us make our own antibodies to fight COVID? Myth or Fact
5. The Virus started because people ate Bats? Myth or Fact
6. The virus enters our cells and causes are cells to make more viruses? Myth or Fact

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Video Analysis

Directions: After watching the video answer the following questions:

1. What are 3 things your family need to know?
2. How do we protect people?
3. Who are most likely to get sick & why?

Video Analysis

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2. https://www.kqed.org/science/1963200/how-covid-19-attacks-your-lungs

Laboratory

To help us understand how a lung works and how COVID impacts our body, we will make two models:

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1. One model will be a model of a virus,

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(2) the second will be a model of a lung.

News Broadcast

Directions: Use the remaining time to record a news broadcast that teaches everyone in your family about how viruses work and what we can do to be safe.

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In your video explain: a. Viruses, b. Antibodies, c. Antigens, d. What we can do to protect ourselves from COVID-19?