Colds, Flu, and the Immune System

I've caught my first cold in two years. And like a lot of people I become a miserable grump when I'm sick. The upside of getting sick is that it reminded me of some resources that can help students understand colds, flu, and the immune system. Those resources are included below.

With the flu and cold season arriving, it's a good time to remind students of the importance of hand washing. The Scrub Club offers some nice resources for sharing those reminders with students in grade K through 3. Scrub Club is a website designed to teach students why they need to wash their hands. The Scrub Club offers videos, comics, and games designed to promote healthy hygiene habits to prevent the spread of diseases like the flu. For teachers, Scrub Club offers free downloads of posters, cartoon books, and lesson plans to promote hand washing. The downloads are available in English, Spanish, and French.

What is the difference between having a cold and having the flu? Explania has the answer in the video below.


What is ‘flu? - Explania


So how is a cold or flu passed from person to person and what exactly is it doing to your body? NPR answers those questions in the following animated video.


Paul Andersen explains the immune system to high school students in the video below. This is a video that would be a excellent to use as part of a flipped lesson.