covid 19 assignment for students

Writing Prompts, Lesson Plans, Graphs and Films: 150 Resources for Teaching About the Coronavirus Pandemic

This cross-curricular resource collection, including math, history, science and music, helps students process, deepen and challenge their understanding of the pandemic and its effects on our society.

By The Learning Network

Since January, The Learning Network has published over 150 resources to help students process, deepen and challenge their understanding of the pandemic and its far-reaching effects on our society.

Via our daily writing prompts, we’ve asked students to share their experiences: finding joy in the face of isolation, staying fit, and managing social distancing and online schooling. Through our daily lesson plans, we’ve encouraged students to explore topics like the science of the virus, the history of global pandemics and the effects of social class.

Our graphs have encouraged students to analyze how interventions can slow the spread of the coronavirus, and our short films have helped students consider how the crisis has contributed to growing racism and inequality — and a need for ice cream. We also have a quiz to help educate students on the basics.

While our regular daily and weekly features are on hiatus during the summer, we’ll be back in September with many more resources for the new school year. Let us know what else we might add to this collection as the world continues to battle the virus by making a comment or emailing us at [email protected].

Teaching Resource Collections

A good place to start exploring the Learning Network’s materials on the coronavirus pandemic is our three in-depth resource collections below. Each includes student-centered activities and projects as well as a wealth of links to New York Times coverage.

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Resource Pack (3)

Resource Pack: Thematic (3)

Teaching Pack (3)

Teaching Pack: Lessons (3)

Publication (4)

Web Portal (2)

Middle-School Teachers (1)

High-School Teachers (3)

Digital/Media Literacy (2)

Data/Visualization (3)

Critical Thinking (6)

Leadership (3)

Global Learning (3)

Classroom (4)

Blended (4)

This " Teaching Toolkit " includes 6 individually curated collections to support teaching and learning about the COVID-19 pandemic. These include: Teaching Pack: COVID-19 Relevant Teaching Cases Resource Pack: COVID-19 in U.S: State Variation & Disparities Resource Pack: COVID-19 and Racism Resource Pack: Ethics, Human Rights, Pandemics Teaching Pack: COVID-19 Middle/High-School Resources Teaching Pack: COVID-19 College/Graduate Resources This toolkit is intended to be "educator-facing" and has been assembled by the Global Health Education and Learning Incubator at…

Teaching Toolkit

This Teaching Toolkit includes 6 individual collections curated to support teaching and learning about the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides educators with accessible, evidence-based information for curricula, teaching materials, student assignments and learning experiences.

How can educators leverage the COVID-19 pandemic to engage students in active learning? This collection …

How can educators leverage the COVID-19 pandemic to engage students in active learning? This collection of resources was curated to support high-school and middle-school teachers in bringing timely, high-quality material on the current COVID-19 pandemic into the "classroom" whether it be online, hybrid or physical. Each tile within the collection brings together a key resource on the topic and some sample activities, discussion prompts, or tools to generate ideas for teaching and learning. This teaching pack is…

This curated collection includes teaching cases that could serve as useful resources for educators teaching …

This curated collection includes teaching cases that could serve as useful resources for educators teaching about topics that are relevant to COVID-19, including but not limited to: pandemic risk preparedness, mitigation and response; policy coordination between federal, state and local government; drugs, vaccines and supply chains; international collective action and global governance. Cases include both domestic and international experiences with SARS, H1N1, H5N1, Ebola and COVID-19. While some cases are older, they represent the challenges,…

This set of resources provide insight into the trajectory and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic …

This set of resources provide insight into the trajectory and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Selected publications, data portals, interactives, and graphics depict the national experience over time, and allow users to explore the variation in epidemiology and outcomes by state and population subgroup. Resources were selected to also reflect particular attributes of the U.S. experience, such as the increasing evidence for racial disparities in terms of the most severe outcomes,…

This curated resource portal highlights racial injustice in the United States, spanning from racial disparities …

This curated resource portal highlights racial injustice in the United States, spanning from racial disparities in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) to the continued police violence experienced by persons of color. This sampling of resources provides an overview of the relationship between COVID-19 and the disproportionate number of cases and deaths experienced by Black Americans, broader health trends that result from racial inequities, and injury and mortality trends tied to police violence. The resource collection incorporates…

This curated resource collection includes reports, articles and guidelines that consider both ethics and human …

This curated resource collection includes reports, articles and guidelines that consider both ethics and human rights, as they relate to public health practice and clinical research in the setting of national and international emergencies, particularly epidemics and pandemics. In addition to ethical frameworks developed specifically for pandemic preparedness, the collection also includes insights from prior guidelines focusing on research, compassionate use therapeutics and vaccine trials for Ebola. Others resources outline how to conduct research effectively…

How can educators make course content relevant to learners? The current COVID-19 pandemic offers a …

How can educators make course content relevant to learners? The current COVID-19 pandemic offers a wealth of opportunities for college and graduate educators to integrate real-world events, salient to their students' everyday lives, into existing or new courses. This collection brings together timely, high-quality material that explores global and local patterns of disease, transmission and epidemiology, social determinants of health, health sector and non-health sector responses, and the variation in policies and their impact. Each…

Welcome to the Incubator's Digital Repository

Our digital repository is a searchable library of selected resources that support learning and teaching about interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary population health challenges across the globe. It includes general resources (e.g., reports, articles, country profiles, data, etc.) and teaching resources (e.g., teaching cases, curated resource packs, and lesson-based teaching packs). Open-access sources are prioritized, and include peer-reviewed journals, global reports from multilateral institutions and alliances, and knowledge-related public goods from reputable research and policy organizations.

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Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

Six Online Activities to Help Students Cope With COVID-19

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNESCO estimates that 91.3% of the world’s students were learning remotely, with 194 governments ordering country-wide closures of their schools and more than 1.3 billion students learning in online classrooms.

Now that the building blocks of remote education have been put into place and classroom learning is underway, more and more teachers are turning their attention to the mental health of their students. Youth anxiety about the coronavirus is rising , and our young people are feeling isolated, disconnected, and confused. While social-emotional education has typically taken place in the bricks and mortar of schools, we must now adapt these curriculums for an online setting.

I have created six well-being activities for teachers to deliver online using the research-based SEARCH framework , which stands for Strengths, Emotional management, Attention and awareness, Relationships, Coping, and Habits and goals. Research suggests that students who cultivate these skills have stronger coping capacity , are more adaptable and receptive to change , and are more satisfied with their lives .

The virtual activities can be used for specific well-being lessons or advisory classes , or can be woven into other curricula you are teaching, such as English, Art, Humanities, and Physical Education. You might consider using the activities in three ways:

• Positive primer: to energize your students at the start of class to kickstart learning, prompt them to think about their well-being in that moment, get them socially connected online, and get their brain focused for learning.
• Positive pause: to re-energize students at a time when you see class dynamics shifting, energy levels dropping, or students being distracted away from the screen.
• Positive post-script: to reward students and finish off the class in a positive way before they log off.

Rather than viewing these activities as another thing you have to fit in, use them as a learning tool that helps your students stay focused, connected, and energized.

1. Strengths

Activity: Staying Strong During COVID-19 Learning goal: To help students learn about their own strengths Time: 50 minutes Age: 10+

Prior to the lesson, have students complete the VIA strengths questionnaire to identify their strengths.

Step 1: In the virtual class, explain the VIA strengths framework to students. The VIA framework is a research-based model that outlines 24 universal character strengths (such as kindness, courage, humor, love of learning, and perseverance) that are reflected in a student’s pattern of thoughts, feelings, and actions. You can learn more about the framework and find a description of each character strength from the VIA Institute on Character .

Step 2: Place students in groups of four into chat rooms on your online learning platform and ask them to discuss these reflection questions:

• What are your top five strengths?
• How can you use your strengths to stay engaged during remote learning?
• How can you use your strengths during home lockdown or family quarantine?
• How do you use your strengths to help your friends during COVID-19?

Step 3: As a whole class, discuss the range of different strengths that can be used to help during COVID times.

Research shows that using a strength-based approach at school can improve student engagement and grades , as well as create more positive social dynamics among students. Strengths also help people to overcome adversity .

2. Emotional management

Activity: Managing Emotions During the Coronavirus Pandemic Learning goal: To normalize negative emotions and to generate ways to promote more positive emotions Time: 50 minutes Age: 8+

Step 1: Show students an “emotion wheel” and lead a discussion with them about the emotions they might be feeling as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. You can use this wheel for elementary school and this wheel for high school.

Step 2: Create an anonymous online poll (with a service like SurveyMonkey ) listing the following 10 emotions: stressed, curious, frustrated, happy, angry, playful, sad, calm, helpless, hopeful.

Step 3: In the survey, ask students to enter the five emotions they are feeling most frequently.

Step 4: Tally the results and show them on your screen for each of the 10 emotions. Discuss the survey results. What emotions are students most often feeling? Talk about the range of emotions experienced. For example, some people will feel sad when others might feel curious; students can feel frustrated but hopeful at the same time.

Step 5: Select the top two positive emotions and the top two negative emotions from the survey. Put students into groups of four in virtual breakout rooms to brainstorm three things they can do to cope with their negative emotions, and three action steps they can take to have more positive emotions.

Supporting Learning and Well-Being During the Coronavirus Crisis

Activities, articles, videos, and other resources to address student and adult anxiety and cultivate connection

Research shows that emotional management activities help to boost self-esteem and reduce distress in students. Additionally, students with higher emotional intelligence also have higher academic performance .

3. Attention and awareness

Activity: Finding Calm During Coronavirus Times Learning goal: To use a mindful breathing practice to calm our heart and clear our mind Time: 10 minutes Age: All

Step 1: Have students rate their levels of stress on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being very calm and 10 being highly stressed. 

Step 2: Do three minutes of square breathing, which goes like this:

• Image a square in front of you at chest height.
• Point your index finger away from you and use it to trace the four sides of the imaginary square.
• As you trace the first side of the square, breathe in for four seconds.
• As you trace the next side of the square, breathe out for four seconds.
• Continue this process to complete the next two sides of the square.
• Repeat the drawing of the square four times.

Step 3: Have students rate their levels of stress on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being very calm and 10 being highly stressed. Discuss if this short breathing activity made a difference to their stress.

Step 4: Debrief on how sometimes we can’t control the big events in life, but we can use small strategies like square breathing to calm us down.

Students who have learned mindfulness skills at school report that it helps to reduce their stress and anxiety .

4. Relationships

Activity: Color conversations Purpose: To get to know each other; to deepen class relationships during remote learning Time: 20 minutes Age: 10+

Step 1: Randomly assign students to one of the following four colors: red, orange, yellow, and purple.

Step 2: Put students into a chat room based on their color group and provide the following instructions to each group:

• Red group: Share a happy memory.
• Orange group: Share something new that you have learned recently.
• Yellow group: Share something unique about you.
• Purple group: Share what your favorite food is and why.

Step 3: Come back to the main screen and ask three students to share something new they learned about a fellow student as a result of this fun activity.

Three Good Things for Students

Help students tune in to the positive events in their lives

This is an exercise you can use repeatedly, as long as you ensure that students get mixed up into different groups each time. You can also create new prompts to go with the colors (for example, dream holiday destination, favorite ice cream flavor, best compliment you ever received).

By building up student connections, you are supporting their well-being, as research suggests that a student’s sense of belonging impacts both their grades and their self-esteem .

Activity: Real-Time Resilience During Coronavirus Times Learning goal: To identify opportunities for resilience and promote positive action Time: 30 minutes Age: 10+

Step 1: Have students brainstorm a list of all the changes that have occurred as a result of the coronavirus. As the students are brainstorming, type up their list of responses on your screen.

Step 2: Go through each thing that has changed, and have the students decide if it is something that is within their control (like their study habits at home) or something they cannot control (like not attending school on campus).

Step 3: Choose two things that the students have identified as within their control, and ask students to brainstorm a list of ways to cope with those changes.

You can repeat this exercise multiple times to go through the other points on the list that are within the students’ control.

Developing coping skills during childhood and adolescence has been show to boost students’ hope and stress management skills —both of which are needed at this time.

6. Habits and goals

Activity: Hope Hearts for the Coronavirus Pandemic Learning goal: To help students see the role that hope plays in setting goals during hard times Time: 50 minutes Age: 10+

Step 1: Find a heart image for students to use (with a program like Canva ).

Step 2: Set up an online whiteboard to post the hearts on (with a program like Miro ).

Step 3: Ask students to reflect on what hope means to them.

Step 4: Ask students to write statements on their hearts about what they hope for the world during coronavirus times, and then stick these on the whiteboard. Discuss common themes with the class. Finally, discuss one small action each student can take to create hope for others during this distressing time.

Step 5: Ask students to write statements on their hearts about what they hope for themselves, and then stick these on the whiteboard. Discuss common themes with the class. Finally, discuss one small action each student can take to work toward the goal they’re hoping for.

Helping students to set goals and have hope at this time can support their well-being. Research suggests that goals help to combat student boredom and anxiety , while having hope builds self-worth and life satisfaction .

The six activities above have been designed to help you stay connected with your students during this time of uncertainty—connected beyond the academic content that you are teaching. The intense change we are all facing has triggered heightened levels of stress and anxiety for students and teachers alike. Weaving well-being into online classrooms gives us the opportunity to provide a place of calm and show students they can use adversity to build up their emotional toolkit. In this way, you are giving them a skill set that has the potential to endure beyond the pandemic and lessons that may stay with them for many years to come.

About the Author

Lea Waters , A.M., Ph.D. , is an academic researcher, psychologist, author, and speaker who specializes in positive education, parenting, and organizations. Professor Waters is the author of the Visible Wellbeing elearning program that is being used by schools across the globe to foster social and emotional elearning. Professor Waters is the founding director and inaugural Gerry Higgins Chair in Positive Psychology at the Centre for Positive Psychology , University of Melbourne, where she has held an academic position for 24 years. Her acclaimed book The Strength Switch: How The New Science of Strength-Based Parenting Can Help Your Child and Your Teen to Flourish was listed as a top read by the Greater Good Science Center in 2017.

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Epistemic Practices Embedded in Issue Centered Science Education

COVID-19 Curriculum Materials

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global health emergency. It offers an example of why scientific literacy , conceptualized broadly to include science concepts, the nature of scientific evidence, and ideas about how science works (Roberts & Bybee, 2014), is so critical. We contend that it is essential for science education to support all learners in exploring complex issues like the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning experiences should help students develop science understandings associated with these issues and how science can inform solutions and personal decision-making.

This socio-scientific issues based unit includes learning activities to guide students through epistemic practices around infectious viruses, viral transmission, and the role of society and science during such emergencies. Using COVID-19 as a curricular anchor, the unit is sequenced through eight activities featuring opportunities for learners to engage in modeling practices, systems thinking, and argumentation.

Major Themes of the Unit

• Viral transmission
• Media literacy
• Data analysis
• Argumentation
• Scientific and mathematical modeling for learning and reasoning

Driving Questions

• How do viruses such as COVID-19 spread?
• What is the responsibility of governments, organizations, and individuals in mitigating the spread of deadly viruses?
• What challenges do social vulnerabilities present as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?

NGSS Connections

Science & Engineering Practices

• Asking questions and defining problems
• Developing and using models
• Analyzing and interpreting data
• Engaging in argument from evidence
• Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

Crosscutting Concepts

• Systems and system models
• Cause and effect: Mechanism and explanation
• Scale, proportion, and quantity
• Structure and function
• Stability  and change

Overview of the Unit

The unit is made up of 8 lessons that will likely take about 10-15 hours of instructional time. The Unit Overview document describes the lessons, identifies learning objectives, and provides time estimates. Individual lessons are described in more detail, and associated materials are provided in the “Instructional Activity” section below. We have created Teacher Guides for the activities that provide rationales for many of the design decisions made and suggestions form implementation.

COVID_Unit_Overview

Instructional Activities

System mapping.

Links to materials:

Systems Mapping Presentation

Systems Mapping-Teacher Guide

Developed by Li Ke, Rebecca Rawson, and Troy Sadler, with support from REESE Teachers and Staff.

Model of Viral Spread

The model for student use and supporting questions .

Article about viral spread . This article, written by epidemiologist Joseph Eisenberg, presents an accessible overview of the intensity of viral transmission and the the calculation of R0.

Model of Viral Spread Teacher Guide

Developed by Troy Sadler, Jordan Rockett and Taylor Tidwell with support from REESE Teachers and Staff.

Why Handwashing Stops Viral Spread

Handwashing activity

Handwashing Teacher Guide

Developed by the REESE project teachers and staff.

Exploring the Effectiveness of Masks

Data Analysis: Face Masks

Mask Activity Teacher Guide

Developed by Dan Miller, Jessica Plato, and Jamie Elsner with support from other REESE project teachers and staff.

Infection Curve Simulation

Student activity sheet

Video introducing the Netlogo simulation

Netlogo simulation

Extension activities

Infection Curve Simulation Teacher Guide

The Netlogo simulation along with the video were developed by Jacob Kelter from Northwestern University. The learning activities were developed by Brandon Wagner, Pat Friedrichsen, Christy Darter, and Tanner Oertli with support from REESE Teachers and Staff.

Comparing National Responses to COVID-19

Comparing National Responses: Student Worksheet

Comparing National Responses Teacher Guide

Media & Information Literacy (MIL)

The Teacher’s Guide presents an overview of the materials and offers some suggestions for promoting media and information literacy. The Know Your Sources Tool and CRAP Test offer questions for students to ask of their information sources as they become more savvy consumers of media. The Evaluating Sources Presentation offers PowerPoint slides to share basic principles and strategies for information literacy. The Media Literacy KWL , Media Scavenger Hunt , and Media Links documents present related activities to help students build their media literacy skills. Finally, we have adapted a Nature of Science Activity to highlight the tentative nature of scientific knowledge in the context of the COVID-19 issue.

Media Literacy Materials

Media Literacy Presentation

CRAP Test Resources

Know Your Sources Resources

Nature of Science Resources

Media Literacy Teacher Guide

Another link to materials we found helpful for supporting MIL (but that we did not create): Newslit.org

Developed by Andrew Kinslow, Eric Kirk, Sarah Apple, Abigail Nahlik, and Rhiannon McKee with support from REESE Teachers and Staff.

Social Vulnerabilities & COVID-19

Social Vulnerabilities and COVID-19 Student Materials

Social Vulnerabilities & COVID-19 Teacher Resource

Social Vulnerabilities Teacher Guide

Developed by Jamie Elsner and Rebecca Rawson with support from REESE staff.

Culminating Activity: Considering Policy for My City

Culminating Activity Handout

Culminating Activity Teacher Guide

Additional Resources & Activities (not included in the COVID unit)

Considering covid-19 from multiple perspectives.

The first activity is a graphic organizer, the “Star Chart,” designed to help students summarize and organize information about COVID-19 from different knowledge domains. The second activity encourages students to create “Multiple Perspective Maps” that show how potential solutions may be experienced differently by people with different perspectives. It is often helpful for students to complete a Star Chart to help prepare for the creation of a Multiple Perspectives Map.

Multiple Perspectives Map

Developed by Clayton Elmy, Li Ke, Eric Kirk, and Molly Ewing with support from REESE Teachers and Staff. The original Star Chart developed for a different SSI-based module was created by Amanda Peel and Hai Nguyen.

Media Creation Project

Purpose : Students regularly consume media; this activity challenges them to also create media. Engaging in media creation requires carful consideration of content, representation, and design. This activity can help students understand key dimensions of media literacy including how authors shape their messages for different audiences, how media formats impact the message, and the importance of sourcing materials.

As a part of the activity, students read a long-form article about the COVID-19 pandemic. Then they are challenged to create a shortened media account for a different audience such as their high school peers, younger students, family members, or members of their community.

We have identified a few articles that could be used as a starting point for this assignment (in the link below), but they could be easily substituted if a teacher wanted to select material that was more accessible or relevant to their students. (Image credit: https://time.com/magazine/us/5806214/march-30th-2020-vol-195-no-11-u-s/.)

Media Creation Project Description

Developed by Kate Sheppard, Troy Sadler, and the “Fake News/Real Science” Instructional Team at UNC-CH.

These materials were created as a part of the Responding to an Emerging Epidemic through Science Education (REESE) project. We thank the talented group of teachers and researchers who came together on short notice and challenging circumstances to develop these activities.

REESE Teachers : Sarah Apple, Christy Darter, Clayton Elmy, Andrew Kinslow, Rhiannon McKee, Abigail Nahlik, Jordan Rockett, Taylor Tidwell, Brandon Wagner, and Melissa Wessel

REESE Project Staff : Troy Sadler, Pat Friedrichsen, Laura Zangori, Li Ke, Molly Ewing, Rachel Juergensen, Eric Kirk, and Tanner Oertli

Sadler, T. D., Rawson, R., Kirk, E., Elsner, J., Ke., L., Apple, S., Elmy, C., Huber, D. H., Kinslow, A. T., McKee, R., Miller, D., Platto, J., Rockett, J., Wagner, B., Friedrichsen, P., & Zangori, L. (2021).  COVID-19: A model-oriented issues-based science unit  [Curriculum]. Chapel Hill, NC: School of Education University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  https://epiclearning.web.unc.edu/covid/

Acknowledgements

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants No. 2023088 – RAPID: Responding to and Emerging Epidemic through Science Education (REESE) and No. 2101083 – Learning about Viral Epidemics through Engagement with Different Types of Models . Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Support has been provided by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Education and the University of Missouri College of Education. We thank Ms. Marjorie Buckley for establishing the Thomas James Distinguished Professorship in Experiential Learning, which helped make this project possible.

Course is available

Introduction to COVID-19: methods for detection, prevention, response and control

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Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are known to cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

A novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was identified in 2019 in Wuhan, China. This is a new coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans.

This course provides a general introduction to COVID-19 and emerging respiratory viruses and is intended for public health professionals, incident managers and personnel working for the United Nations, international organizations and NGOs.

As the official disease name was established after material creation, any mention of nCoV refers to COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus.

Please note that the content of this course is currently being revised to reflect the most recent guidance. You can find updated information on certain COVID-19-related topics in the following courses: Vaccination: COVID-19 vaccines channel IPC measures: IPC for COVID-19 Antigen rapid diagnostic testing: 1) SARS-CoV-2 antigen rapid diagnostic testing ; 2) Key considerations for SARS-CoV-2 antigen RDT implementation

Please note: These materials were last updated on 16/12/2020.

Course contents

Emerging respiratory viruses, including covid-19: introduction:, module 1: introduction to emerging respiratory viruses, including covid-19:, module 2: detecting emerging respiratory viruses, including covid-19: surveillance:, module 3: detecting emerging respiratory viruses, including covid-19: laboratory investigations:, module 4: risk communication :, module 5 : community engagement:, module 6: preventing and responding to an emerging respiratory virus, including covid-19:, enroll me for this course, certificate requirements.

• Gain a Record of Achievement by earning at least 80% of the maximum number of points from all graded assignments.
• Gain an Open Badge by completing the course.

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A College Assignment About the Pandemic

One professor shares her inspiring approach..

Posted April 2, 2020 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch

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Class Assignment: So much conversation is swirling around about the shift to online instruction during this global pandemic. Here, I discuss one strategy for streamlining in a college class that also works for enhancing applied learning. The purpose is to consider the core concepts, themes, and theoretical principles of one's field of study and ask students to show how the class material is relevant to grappling with, and making meaning of, the pandemic. As a sociology professor, I decided to drop the exam and the group project in my introductory sociology class and instead have students write an integrated analysis where they can tap into topics that matter to them and look at them through the prism of the pandemic. This becomes a productive way for students to synthesize what they have learned and to channel their concerns and questions into something meaningful, creative, and possibly hopeful and visionary. Below, I share this assignment with the hope and intention that it will be helpful to other instructors of various disciplines.

Sociology of the Coronavirus Assignment:

Before beginning your paper on the sociology of COVID-19, please read this carefully. Using the skills, tools, concepts, and vocabulary you have gained from our class, write a paper on the sociology of COVID-19. You may focus on any aspect that feels meaningful and interesting to you. Use your sociological imagination to do this! To help you get started, you might consider topics that already interest you that intersect with this global crisis—perhaps, you will want to think and write about any of the following (you will see that some even relate to topics we had originally planned for group projects that we can no longer do but this gives you a chance to still pursue these):

• the various mental health implications
• the economic implications
• families living in tight quarters and complicated family dynamics
• the college experience and what this means now and later
• implications for higher ed as a result of this—more schools might assume more can be moved online. What does that mean to you as students?
• racism amidst the virus—i.e. the treatment of Asians and Asian Americans
• ageism and the treatment of the elderly
• expecting a baby at this moment in history
• relationships and intimacy now (people away from boyfriends and girlfriends, the toll on marriages, etc)
• unemployment
• food insecurity and hunger
• the trappings of domestic violence and incest and assault amidst quarantine
• health care
• effects on friendships
• creativity that emerges during these rocky periods in history—art, music, literature, dance, film, poetry, etc.
• ... and the list goes on. Pick what speaks to you or create your own topic!

Here are some things to be sure to do to help you succeed:

You may choose to interview someone as a way to connect with someone and to gain insights from that person to use in your paper, quoting them, etc.

Formulate a thesis statement about what you want to focus on, critically analyze, and write about.

You should draw on our readings to make connections. Use the books! They are jammed with ideas that relate! Quote from them to help substantiate and enrich your papers. When doing this, be sure that you do not leave the quotations hanging alone to do all your analytical connections; examine and interpret them thoroughly.

This paper is to be no more than three pages in length.

You can and should definitely use “I” in your papers. I want to hear what you think and feel!

This is a chance to show some mastery of what you gleaned in the course and an opportunity to reflect on a difficult time in our individual and collective lives. By writing, we can come to think more clearly and know what we know and feel what we feel.

You may also include your own creative writing (i.e., a poem) but if you do this you still need a regular paper to accompany that.

Good luck! I hope this helps you sort out your thoughts and feelings in ways that build on and deepen what we have been doing in our class and in ways that will support you to productively move forward!

Deborah J. Cohan, Ph.D., is a professor of sociology at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort where she teaches and writes about the intersections of the self and society.

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A timely assignment: Wake students complete COVID-19 class project

December 9, 2020 by Laurie D. Willis   |   [email protected]   |  336.758.5237

As the total number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. exceeds 15 million and cases surge to record levels in places around the world, understanding the pandemic and its ongoing impact remains critically important.

Students in biology professor Sarah McDonald Esstman’s virology class spent several weeks exploring COVID-related topics for a course project. Groups named the virologists, the physicians, the epidemiologists, the immunologists, the communicators and the policy makers – consisting of five or six students each – were responsible for creating 20-minute PowerPoint presentations.

Students presented their findings virtually just before the University let out for Thanksgiving.

Maddie Porter, a senior biology major, took on the policy maker perspective and studied the balance between health, economics, social and environmental impacts of COVID 19.

“We focused mainly on the U.S. but also pulled in different things we’ve been seeing globally,” Porter said. “For example, on the environmental impact we noted that there’s a large decrease in smog in some parts of the world like India, New Delhi and Los Angeles, because fewer people are driving to work. We talked about the state quarantine orders, the mask mandates and the declarations of emergency.”

Porter’s group examined non-medical impacts of the pandemic, including the Paycheck Protection Program and unemployment rates. She focused on mental health impacts and found a study released by the CDC that said in June the suicide ideation rates were disproportionate among young people aged 18-24, essential care workers and Hispanic and Black patients.

Sarah McDonald Esstman

Esstman, an expert on rotavirus, wanted her students to work on the project as a means of incorporating what they’re experiencing, because of the pandemic, with the virology concepts they discussed during the semester. She spent several years earlier in her career studying coronaviruses and the mechanisms of coronavirus replication.

“It was fun for me to sit and listen to what they put together,” Esstman said after the first day of presentations. “It was interesting to hear about the clinical management of the virus in the hospital from students in the physicians group. I felt like I was the student.”

Porter said the class has exceeded her expectations.

“Dr. Esstman is very well versed on many viruses, and her class has opened my eyes on how complex and evolutionary diverse viruses are and how they can impact our global food security, major food crops that we rely on and other things,” she said. “All of the biology behind it was eye-opening for me. This has definitely been my favorite class this semester.”

Porter acknowledges that being a college student in the midst of a global pandemic has been challenging and said working on the COVID-19 project made the virus even more real for her.

“It made me look at the pandemic in a different light because I got to understand the biology behind it and understand what was happening in people’s bodies,” she said. “Things that people were saying now have more meaning to me.”

The policy makers group also examined what the post-pandemic society will look like and concluded, among other things, that remote working will continue, travel will decrease – at least for a few years – and there will likely be major lasting impacts on poor and impoverished people.

“We were able to draw connections to one another’s subtopics which speaks to the interconnectedness of the multitude of effects COVID-19 has had on the earth and society,” said Porter, who is minoring in chemistry and environmental science. “Our group presented last and we ended with our predictions of how this virus is going to forever impact our world and society in the future.”

Members of the media that want to interview Esstman or Porter should contact [email protected] .

Categories: Experiential Learning , Research & Discovery

Media Contact Wake Forest News [email protected]   |  336.758.5237   |   @WakeForestNews

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Rewiring the classroom: How the COVID-19 pandemic transformed K-12 education

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, brian a. jacob and brian a. jacob walter h. annenberg professor of education policy; professor of economics, and professor of education - university of michigan, former brookings expert cristina stanojevich cs cristina stanojevich doctoral student - michigan state university.

August 26, 2024

• The pandemic changed K-12 classrooms through new technologies, instructional practices, and parent-teacher communications, along with an emphasis on social-emotional learning.
• Less tangibly, COVID-19 might have shifted perceptions of the value and purposes of K-12 schooling.
• The durability and effects of these changes remain unclear and will depend on how educational leaders and policymakers manage them.

In March 2020, virtually all public school districts in the U.S. shut their doors. For the next 18 months, schooling looked like it never had before. Homes became makeshift classrooms; parents became de facto teachers. But by fall 2022, many aspects of K-12 education had returned to “normal.” Schools resumed in-person classes, extracurricular activities flourished, and mask mandates faded.

But did schools really return to what they were before the COVID-19 pandemic? Our research suggests not. We interviewed teachers, school leaders, and district administrators across 12 districts in two states, and then we surveyed a nationally representative set of veteran educators in May 2023. We found that the COVID-19 pandemic transformed K-12 education in fundamental ways.

Below, we describe how the pandemic reshaped the educational landscape in these ways and we consider the opportunities and challenges these changes present for students, educators, and policymakers.

Accelerated adoption of technology

One of the most immediate and visible changes brought about by the pandemic was the rapid integration of technology into the classroom. Before COVID-19, many schools were easing into the digital age. The switch to remote learning in March 2020 forced schools to fully embrace Learning Management Systems (LMS), Zoom, and educational software almost overnight.

When students returned to in-person classrooms, the reliance on these digital tools persisted. Over 70% of teachers in our survey report that students are now assigned their own personal device (over 80% for secondary schools). LMS platforms like Google Classroom and Schoology remain essential in many schools. An assistant superintendent of a middle-income district remarked, “Google Classroom has become a mainstay for many teachers, especially middle school [and] high school.”

The platforms serve as hubs for posting assignments, accessing educational content, and enabling communication between teachers, students, and parents. They have become popular among parents as well. One teacher, who has school-age children herself, noted :

“Whereas pre-COVID…you’re hoping and praying your kids bring home information…[now] I can go on Google classroom and be like, ‘Oh, it says you worked on Mesopotamia today. What was that lesson about?’”

Transformed instructional practices

The pandemic’s impact on student learning was profound. Reading and math scores dropped precipitously, and the gap widened between more and less advantaged students. Many schools responded by adjusting their schedules or adopting new programs. Several mentioned adopting “What I need” (WIN) or “Power” blocks to accommodate diverse learning needs. During these blocks, teachers provide individualized support to students while others work on independent practice or extension activities.

Teachers report placing greater emphasis on small-group instruction and personalized learning. They spend less time on whole-class lecture and rely more on educational software (e.g., Lexia for reading and Zearn for math) to tailor instruction to individual student needs. A third-grade teacher in a low-income district explained:

“The kids are in so many different places, Lexia is very prescriptive and diagnostic, so it will give the kids specifically what level and what skills they need. [I] have a student who’s working on Greek and Latin roots, and then I have another kid who’s working on short vowel sounds. [It’s] much easier for them to get it through Lexia than me trying to get, you know, 18 different reading lessons.”

Teachers aren’t just using technology to personalize instruction. Having spent months gaining expertise with educational software, more teachers find it natural to integrate those programs into their classrooms today. Those teachers who used ed tech before report doing so even more now. They describe using software like Flowcabulary and Prodigy to make learning more engaging, and games such as Kahoot to give students practice with various skills. Products like Nearpod let them create presentations that integrate instruction with formative assessment. Other products, like Edpuzzle, help teachers monitor student progress.

Some teachers discovered how to use digital tools to save time and improve their communications to students. One elementary teacher, for example, explains even when her students complete an assignment by hand, she has them take a picture of it and upload it to her LMS:

“I can sort them, and I can comment on them really fast. So it’s made feedback better. [I have] essentially a portfolio of all their math, rather than like a hard copy that they could lose…We can give verbal feedback. I could just hit the mic and say, ‘Hey, double check number 6, your fraction is in fifths, it needs to be in tenths.’”

Increased emphasis on social-emotional learning

The pandemic also revealed and exacerbated the social-emotional challenges that students face. In our survey, nearly 40% of teachers report many more students struggling with depression and anxiety than before the COVID-19 pandemic; over 80% report having at least a few more students struggling.

These student challenges have changed teachers’ work. When comparing how they spend class time now versus before the pandemic, most teachers report spending more time on activities relating to students’ social-emotional well-being (73%), more time addressing behavioral issues (70%), and more time getting students caught up and reviewing routines and procedures (60%).

In response, schools have invested in social-emotional learning (SEL) programs and hired additional counselors and social workers. Some districts turned to online platforms such as Class Catalyst and CloseGap that allow students to anonymously report their emotional state on a daily basis, which helps school staff track students’ mental health.

Teachers also have been adapting their expectations of students. Many report assigning less homework and providing students more flexibility to turn in assignments late and retake exams.

Facilitated virtual communication between parents and teachers

The pandemic also radically reshaped parent-teacher communications. Mirroring trends across society, videoconferencing has become a go-to option. Schools use videoconferencing for regular parent-teacher conferences, along with meetings to discuss special education placements and disciplinary incidents. In our national survey, roughly one-half of teachers indicate that they conduct a substantial fraction of parent-teacher conferences online; nearly a quarter of teachers report that most of their interactions with parents are virtual.

In our interviews, teachers and parents gushed about the convenience afforded by videoconferencing, and some administrators believe it has increased overall parent participation. (One administrator observed, “Our attendance rates [at parent-teacher conferences] and interaction with parents went through the roof.”)

An administrator from a low-income district shared the benefits of virtual Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings:

“It’s rare that we have a face-to-face meeting…everything is Docusigned now. Parents love it because I can have a parent that’s working—a single mom that’s working full time—that can step out during her lunch break…[and] still interact with everybody.”

During the pandemic, many districts purchased a technology called Remind that allows teachers to use their personal smartphones to text with parents while blocking their actual phone number. We heard that teachers continue to text with parents, citing the benefits for quick check-ins or questions. Remind and many LMS also have translation capabilities that makes it easier for teachers and parents to overcome language barriers.

Moving forward

The changes described above have the potential to improve student learning and increase educational equity. They also carry risks. On the one hand, the growing use of digital tools to differentiate instruction may close achievement gaps, and the ubiquity of video conferencing could allow working parents to better engage with school staff. On the other hand, the overreliance on digital tools could harm students’ fine motor skills (one teacher remarked, “[T]heir handwriting sucks compared to how it used to be”) and undermine student engagement. Some new research suggests that relying on digital platforms might impede learning relative to the old-fashioned “paper and pencil” approach. And regarding virtual conferences, the superintendent of a small, rural district told us, “There’s a disconnect when we do that…No, I want the parents back in our buildings, I want people back. We’re [the school] a community center.”

Of course, some of the changes we observed may not persist. For example, fewer teachers may rely on digital tools to tailor instruction once the “COVID cohorts” have aged out of the system. As the emotional scars of the pandemic fade, schools may choose to devote fewer resources to SEL programming. It’s important to note, too, that many of the changes we found come from the adoption of new technology, and the technology available to educators will continue to evolve (e.g., with the integration of new AI technologies into personalized tutoring systems). That being said, now that educators have access to more instructional technology and—perhaps more importantly—greater familiarity with using such tools, they might continue to rely on them.

The changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic provide a unique opportunity to rethink and improve the structure of K-12 education. While the integration of technology and the focus on social-emotional learning offer promising avenues for enhancing student outcomes, they also require continuous evaluation. Indeed, these changes raise some questions beyond simple cost-benefit calculations. For example, the heightened role of ed tech raises questions about the proper role of the private sector in public education. As teachers increasingly “outsource” the job of instruction to software products, what might be lost?

Educational leaders and policymakers must ensure that these pandemic-inspired changes positively impact learning and address the evolving needs of students and teachers. As we navigate this new educational landscape, the lessons learned from this unprecedented time can serve as a guide for building a more resilient, equitable, and effective educational system for the future.

Beyond technological changes, COVID-19 shifted perspectives about K-12 schooling. A middle-school principal described a new mentality among teachers in her district, “I think we have all become more readily able to adapt…we’ve all learned to assess what we have in front of us and make the adjustments we need to ensure that students are successful.” And a district administrator emphasized how the pandemic highlighted the vital role played by schools:

“…we saw that when students were not in school. From a micro and macro level, the environment that a school creates to support you growing up…we realized how needed this network is…both academically and socially, in growing our citizens up to be productive in the world. And we are happy to have everyone back.”

At the end of the day, this realization may be one of the pandemic’s most enduring legacies.

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COVID-19: Disease, management, treatment, and social impact

a Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Taibah University, Al-Medina Al-Munawara 41477, Saudi Arabia

b Department of Chemistry, Jamia Millia Islamia, (Central University), New Delhi 11025, India

Omar M.L. Alharbi

c Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Taibah University, Al-Medina Al-Munawara 41477, Saudi Arabia

COVID-19 was originated from Wuhan city of Hubei Province in China in December 2019. Since then it has spread in more than 210 countries and territories. It is a viral disease due to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. The patients show flu-like symptoms with a dry cough, sore throat, high fever, and breathing problems. The disease due to SARS-CoV-2 was named as COVID-19. About 2.2 million people have been infected with more than 0.15 million deaths globally. The United States of America is the most affected country with the highest patients of about 0.7 million. Despite great efforts, there is no treatment of this disease. However, prevention and management are the best options. This article describes SARS-CoV-2, disease, prevention and management, treatment and social impact on society. It was analyzed that a combination of antiviral drugs with hydroxyl-chloroquine and azithromycin (with the consultation of a medical practitioner) may be the best option to treat the patients, depending on the patient's conditions and symptoms. However, Unani therapy may be useful along with allopathic treatment. It is urgently advised and requested that all the persons should follow the preventive measures, managements and quarantine strictly without any religious discrepancy otherwise the situation may be the worst. Also, there is an urgent requirement to educate our new generation for science and technology to fight against any such disaster in future; if any. There is no need to be panic and proper prevention and management are essential to combat this disease. This article may be useful to create awareness among the public, to prevent, manage and treat COVID-19.

Graphical abstract

1. Introduction

Coronaviruses belong to the Coronaviridae family and appear just like spiked rings when observed through an electron microscope. The surface looks with various spikes, which are helpful to attack and bind living cells. These are the viruses causing the simple common cold disease to severe illnesses like Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). The source of these viruses is some animals including bats. The word coronavirus is a derivative of the Latin corona, which means crown or halo, that states to the typical look indicative of a crown or a solar corona around the virions. These viruses are having a positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome (27 to 34 kilobases) and helical symmetry nucleocapsid ( Su et al., 2016 ; Sexton et al., 2016 ). Typically, the coronaviruses are of ~20 nm size draped with a large petal or club-shaped surface appearance. The first coronavirus was discovered in 1937 in the birds and later on in the 1960s in humans ( Coronavirus: Common Symptoms, Preventive Measures, and how to Diagnose it. Caringly Yours, 2020 ). The various types of viruses, capable to infect human beings are 229E, OC43, HCoV-NL63, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, HKU1 and SARS-CoV-2. There are several outbreaks from time to time due to these viruses. The most notorious outbreaks were in 2003, 2012, 2015 and 2018 with 774, 400, 36 and 42 deaths, respectively. It is important to mention that the 2019–2020 outbreak is started in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China in December 2019 ( The Editorial Board, 2020 ) when a new strain of coronavirus was detected on 31st December 2019 ( WHO, 2020 ). World Health Organization (WHO) has given name to this virus as 2019-nCoV ( Novel Coronavirus 2019, 2020 ) which was later renamed as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. The diseases caused by this virus is called as coronavirus disease 2019 and abbreviated as COVID-19 [CO: corona, VI: virus, D: disease and 19: 2019 year]. This virus was found to have 86.9% resemblance to a bat coronavirus, and, hence, is suspected to develop from bats ( Lu et al., 2020 ; Wan et al., 2020 ; Zhu et al., 2020 ). This virus is out broken in pneumonia type of disease with respiratory problems, leading to death due to respiratory failure. About 210 countries and territories have been reported to be infected with major outbreaks in the USA, China, South Korea, Italy, Iran, Japan, etc. tolling about 2.2 million patients with more than 0.15 million deaths globally. The United States of America is the most affected country with the highest patients of about 0.7 million and about 35,000 deaths. This article is dedicated to the recent outbreak of 2019–2020 describing the diseases, symptoms, spread, prevention, and treatment. This article may be useful to control the present outbreak and future spread.

2. Disease and symptoms

Coronaviruses infect the upper gastrointestinal and respiratory tract of the mammals (including humans) and the birds. These viruses cause many diseases in animals and human beings but we are limited in this article with SARS-CoV-2, leading to COVID-19 disease. The whole clinical picture of COVID-19 is not completely known. The occurrence of the illness ranged from mild to severe. SARS-CoV-2 propagate through RNA replication using RNA-dependent RNA polymerases enzyme. This virus can mutate slowly, posing a challenge for its treatment and control. The symptoms of COVID-19 may arise within 2 to 14 days after the infection. Besides, in some cases, the diseases prevail after 27 days. However, Chinese researchers mentioned 5.2 days as an average incubation period ( Li et al., 2020 ). The duration of the survival of death is 6 to 41 days after infection of the coronavirus. It depends on the age, health and clinical conditions of the patients ( Wan et al., 2020 ).

The common signs of infection are fatigue, muscle pain, sneezing, sore throat, dry cough, high fever, respiratory problems, etc. with some severe cases having pneumonia, serious respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death ( Huang et al., 2020 ; Hui et al., 2020 ; Ren et al., 2020 ). The COVID-19 risk is greater in older people, kids and the patients having other health problems like lung diseases, heart diseases, diabetes, and cancer. It is important to mention that it is not necessary to have COVID-19 if these symptoms are seen because such types of symptoms are also seen in the case of other virus infections, except breathing and diarrhea problems. The pathological conditions of coronavirus include greater counts of chemokines, cytokines, and leukocytes, and high levels of plasma pro-inflammatory cytokines and C-reactive protein. The chances are greater of COVID-19 if there is shortness of breath, dry cough, and a person comes in the contact with a COVID-19 patient or traveled with COVID-19 effected area. Under such a situation, the clinical test for COVID-19 is a must. However, some persons recover easily while others may take some time depending on the health conditions and the age of the patients. WHO categorized the COVID-19 virus as of β-CoV of group 2B ( Carlos et al., 2020 ). The genome of this virus is identified and it resembles the SARS-CoV (80% similarity) and MERS-CoV (50% similarity) ( Lu et al., 2020 ; Ren et al., 2020 ). It is interesting to note that both MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV have their origin in the bats ( Cui et al., 2019 ).

3. Modes of transmission

During the last few decades, it was observed that coronaviruses can infect rats, mice, cats, dogs, horses, turkeys, cattle and pigs. Occasionally, these animals may communicate coronaviruses to humans. The coronavirus is spread by the sneezing, cough droplets and contact. Normally, this virus enters the body through the mouth, nose, and eyes ( Transmission of Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), 2020 ). It has been reported that the virus may infect a person at a distance of about a 6 ft (1.8 m) radius. The virus can survive for 2 h to few days in cough and sneezing droplets lying on the surface or ground. An infection may be by touching an object or surface which has already a virus but it is not the major course of the infection. This virus has been detected in stools of the patients but no infection via stool has been reported.

The cellular infection model is very similar to SARS-CoV. The main target of this virus is lungs and the virus spikes (binding domains) get attached to the cell receptors of the lungs. These are known as angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors ( Jaimes et al., 2020 ; Wan et al., 2020 ). Belouzard et al. (2009) reported that a proteolytic cleavage occurs at SARS-CoV S protein at position (S2') interceded the membrane fusion and viral infectivity. The chances of the infection may arise if a person comes in contact with the infected person. Now, COVID-19 has become pandemic as per the WHO report. The data of the patients in the different countries at a different time was analyzed and the efforts are made to find out the routes of transmission globally. Consequently, the routes of COVID-19 pandemic in most of the effected countries are shown in flow chart ( Fig. 1 ).

COVID-19 routs of transmission to the most effected countries.

4. Prevention and the management

The prevention and management are very important issues to control COVID-19. Therefore, there is a great need for the collective efforts of the public and the government. The regular and the proper care of the homes and hospitals are very important to control this calamity. The regular recommendations to minimize the infection are cleaning of your area. The most important is to avoid sneezing and cough at the public place. The hand cleaning with soap and sanitizer, mouth and nose coverage with mask during sneezing and coughing are essential. Thoroughly washing foodstuff before cocking may help in this regard. The simple house-keeping disinfectants may kill the virus on the surfaces. Regularly cleaning of the surface by the disinfectants may control the virus outbreak. It is always better to avoid the interactions with anyone; suspecting respiratory problems symptoms like sneezing, coughing, breathing problem, etc. It is also advisable to stay at home if anyone has flue and common cold-like symptoms. It is also better not to go to school, work and public places, not use public means of transport (aircraft, train, metro, bus, taxi, etc.). Some important suggestions may include avoiding travel, and collection at a particular place. The drinking of hot water after every hour may be helpful. Plenty of lukewarm water (~ 5 L per day) may help in this regard. The governments should provide facilities for the decontamination of the hands at the public places. The guidelines are available for healthcare providers, medical staff, researchers and public health individuals ( Jin et al., 2020 ). They can use to control COVID-19 globally. During the entire period of COVID-19, it was realized that this disease is spreading among those who are not taking it seriously and are not following the directions of WHO and the local government. Some people are trying to target one community for the spreading COVID-19 while this virus does not recognize and race, creed, sex, age, and religion. Therefore, it is urgently advised and requested that all the persons should follow the preventive measures, managements and quarantine strictly without any religious discrepancy otherwise the situation may be the worst.

5. Treatment

There is no precise treatment for coronavirus but prevention, management and supporting healthcare may provide relief in the outbreak of COVID-19. However, some approaches have been or may be used to control this disease. These approaches may be categorized in Allopathic, Unani and Homeopathic treatments. But before all this treatment, plenty of testing facilities should be available to the health care sectors.

5.1. Allopathic medicines

Allopathic treatment and management include oxygen therapy, intravenous fluid infusion with life support in dangerous cases. It is also advisable to contact a medicinal practitioner if the flue like symptoms prevails. Coronavirus may show comparable proteins for virus replication to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Therefore, HIV protease inhibitors and nucleoside analogs may be operative to treat COVID-19 ( Lu, 2020 ). A combination of lopinavir and ritonavir, previously used for SARS-Cov and MERS-Cov, may be useful ( Chu et al., 2004 ; Momattin et al., 2019 ). China is doing clinical trials of remdesivir, which was developed for the Ebola virus. Besides, other anti-viral medicines like oseltamivir, ganciclovir, ribavirin, favipiravir, nelfinavir, arbidol, remdesivir and galidesivir are being examined for COVID-19 treatment ( Agostini et al., 2018 ; Chen et al., 2020 ; Guangdi and Clercq, 2020 ; Sheahan et al., 2020 ; Xu et al., 2020 ). Wang et al. (2020) reported that a combination of remdesivir and chloroquine may be effective to treat COVID-19 disease. Besides, the peptide (EK1), neuraminidase inhibitors, DNA synthesis inhibitors (tenofovir disoproxil and lamivudine) may be useful to control COVID-19. Also, 2 (ACE2)-based peptides (an angiotensin-converting enzyme), 3CLpro-1 (3CLpro inhibitor) and vinylsulfone protease inhibitors are known to show antiviral activities ( Morse et al., 2020 ). Recently, an Italian patient of COVID-19 is treated in Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital, Jaipur India by giving a combination of lopinavir (200 mg) and ritonavir (50 mg) twice a day. Besides, the patient was also given a combination of oseltamivir and chloroquine medicine. The patient test was found negative for COVID-19. Cheng et al. (2006) extracted some saikosaponins (a group of oleanane derivatives, usually as glucosides) and tested against the proliferation of some viruses. The authors reported that saikosaponin B2 (6 μM) inhibited human coronavirus 229E effectively. In this way, the saikosaponin B2 along with other glucosides may be tested for COVID-19. The broad range of spectrum antibiotics may be used to control the additional bacterial infection after a virus attack. Some drugs are under clinical trial and results are still awaited. The best approach to fight with viruses is vaccination. Therefore, scientists are trying to develop a vaccine for this virus and probably may be available after some time.

5.2. Unani medicines

Generally, the Unani medicines (plant-based medicines) are non-toxic and without any side effects. Unani and Ayurvedic methods of the treatment are based on the plant materials. The different parts of the various plants are well known for a long time for their anti-viral activities ( Li et al., 2005 ; Lin et al., 2014 ; Kim et al., 2010 ). The most important plants are Glycyrrhiza glabra , Allium cepa, Allium sativum, Ocimum sanctum, Ocimum tenuiflorum, Piper nigrum, Cinnamomum verum, Daucus maritimus , Curcuma longa , etc. An aqueous extract of these plants along with lemon juice and honey was found to be effective for flu and common cold virus infections. The ingredients present in this recipe have ant-viral properties ( Bano et al., 2017 ; Chang et al., 2013 ; Bayan et al., 2014 ; Fatima et al., 2016 ; Ghoke et al., 2018 ; Hashemipour et al., 2014 ; Jiang et al., 2013 ; Konowalchuk and Speirs, 1978 ; Lee et al., 2012 ; Miladi et al., 2012 ; Omer et al., 2014 ; Praditya et al., 2019 ; Weber et al., 1992 ). The root of Licorice ( Glycyrrhiza glabra ) is known to have a good antiviral potential ( Wang et al., 2015a ). This plant is native of Asia and Europe and recognized as a weed. Fiore et al. (2008) carried out an in vitro study of Glycyrrhiza glabra plant and reported that this plant showed antiviral activities of several viruses including SARS related coronavirus, HIV-1, and respiratory syncytial virus. Asl and Hosseinzadeh (2007) presented a review of the antiviral activity of Glycyrrhiza glabra . The authors reported this plant active against SARS, HIV, varicella zoster, hepatitis A, B, C, cytomegalo virus herpes simplex type-1. Another review was from Anagha et al. (2014) on the antiviral activity of Glycyrrhiza glabra plant. The authors described the activity of this plant against various viruses like H1N1, H5N1, Influenza A virus (IAV), Hepatitis C virus, Rotavirus, HIV and SARS-associated coronavirus. Similarly, Wang et al. (2015b) also presented a review of the antiviral and antimicrobial activities of Glycyrrhiza glabra . The authors described the presence of more than 300 flavonoids and 20 triterpenoids in this plant. The authors summarized the active components and the most probable mechanisms of these constituents. Therefore, an aqueous extract of this plant along with other plants as mentioned above may be useful to control COVID-19. On January 29, 2020, the Government of India issued an advisory based on Indian traditional medicine practices Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani, New Delhi. The advisory includes the ways of preventive management and described a list of some Unani medicines. The interested persons may find these medicines at https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1600895# and can use after proper consultation with the Unani medical practitioners.

5.3. Homeopathy

In homeopathy, arsenic at very low concentration is considered beneficial for several diseases including viral infections. Recently, Directorate of AYUSH, New Delhi, India issued an order dater on January 30, 2020, to take prophylactic medicine to avoid coronavirus infection. The directorate suggested taking 4 pills of Arsenic Album-30 medicine once daily in empty stomach for 3 days. Arsenic Album-30 is highly diluted arsenic trioxide and work as homeopathic prophylaxis. It is important to mention here that there is no clinical evidence for Arsenic Album-30 medicine as an effective medicine. After that, a criticism for homeopathy came into existence and it was called as pseudoscience. An article is published in Taiwan Medical News on February 18, 2020 ( https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/india-slammed-for-proposing-usage-of-homeopathy-to-prevent-coronavirus ) and some people criticized homeopathy to manage COVID-19 infection. The persons who criticized are Dr. David Robert Grimes (Irish science write) and Dr. Edzard Ernst (an emeritus professor, University of Exeter, UK and a critic of homeopathy). However, Dr. Mitchell Fleisher (second vice president, American Institute of Homeopathy) advised to carry out a comparative clinical study on the acute coronavirus infection by giving to homeopathic medicines to an individual and experimental group, and allopathic medicines to another, for 250 patients in each group. It was stated to confirm the scientific truth. But after this statement again Dr. David Robert Grimes criticized it as completely unethical and according to him, Homeopathy has no reasonable mechanism of action. Furthermore, he added that it is irresponsible to propose a trial for a serious pandemic. He also mentioned that many studies on homeopathy have indicated that it does not work. Also, the news director of Thailand Medical News Jakkapong Watcharachaijunta criticized the use of homeopathic medicine in controlling COVID-19. At this point, it is very important to mention the work of Dr. Robert T. Mathie et al. (2013) whose research work described that Arsenicum album medicine as effective to reduce fever, runny nose, headache, sore throat in the patients with swine flu symptoms. During writing this article under this section, it was realized that the subject matter is debatable and needs the scientific study to support the working of Homeopathic medicine for COVID-19. It is suggested that some research work should be funded by the government and the research should be carried out to make the situation clear. It is significant to add here that personally I (Prof. Imran Ali) used some homeopathic medicine when living in India for some diseases and found them effective. Besides, I also observed that some homeopathic medicines are effective to treat a variety of diseases.

6. Immune system boosters

It is observed that early deaths were in older people, probably because of the poor immunity, which fosters faster progress of COVID-19 ( Li et al., 2020 ; Wang et al., 2020 ). Therefore, it is significant to boost our immune system. It is important to suggest that people should use some supplements to boost their immune systems. Healthy people should take plenty of citrus fruits having various vitamins. Some dry fruits (almonds, walnuts, and dates) are also useful to improve the immune system. However, older people and the patients may take vitamins and zinc supplements with the consultation of medical practitioners. The important vitamins are A, C, D and E. It is also advisable to take zinc and iodine intakes. It is too wise not to smoke and take other narcotic products. Always an adequate sleep is essential to boost up the immune system. Avoid any stress and do proper and regular exercises.

7. Social impact

In the present scenario, COVID-19 has affected all the sectors of society. There is a big loss globally, and it cannot be estimated exactly. However, some aspects are discussed herein. Nowadays, the whole world is just like a family where everyone has to contribute to run the family. Similarly, the production of various items including medicines, machines, motor vehicles, computers, mobiles, etc. are controlled by many countries. Generally, the different components are being manufactured in various countries while these are assembled in other countries – Globalization. It is just like a chain process where the progress is stopped if even a single chain-link gets collapsed. It is a well-known fact that China is the biggest manufacturer of the various components, APIs and other raw materials while China is the most affected country due to COVID-19. And that is why the whole world is affected economically very badly due to a decrease in industrial production. The travel ban has been imposed by some countries resulting in millions of dollars loss to the airlines and tourism industry. There is a shortage of medicines, sanitizers, masks, and other commodities, which has hiked the prices of these items many times. The various functions, especially scientific conferences, business meetings, sports events, fashion shows, and the marriage parties are suggested to avoid, which is a big social impact on society. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has provisionally banned Umrah (pilgrimage) for the pilgrims to Mecca and Medina (the two holiest cities of the Islam religion). All these factors affected the local and global share markets badly. The USA big stock indexes such as S & P 500 Index, NASDAQ-100, Dow Jones Industrial Average, etc. have shown sharp fall since 2008. Many countries have banned to attend the classes in schools, colleges, and the Universities and millions of the student are not getting a good quality of education. It is very difficult to assess this loss in terms of money but has a big disadvantage to the students and their families. Briefly, there is a big loss to the worldwide economy and the expert assessed a loss of about 2.7 trillion US dollars ( https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-coronavirus-pandemic-global-economic-risk/ ).

8. Future perspectives

As expected SARS-CoV is zoonotic and originated from the bats. It is observed that many people are consuming various animals as food-stuffs. Some animals like bats, snakes, cats, mice, rats, dogs, pigs, etc. should not be consumed as these may have dangerous microbes while the only safe animals should be consumed. Moreover, it is also advisable that we should consume vegetables and fruits as maximum as possible in our food. There is an urgent need to educate our new generation for science and technology to fight against any such disaster in future; if any. Of course, the world is progressing towards advancement and even then We don't have highly specialized research centers. Therefore, there should be highly specialized research centers under the umbrella of WHO and funded by all the countries of the world. These centers should be located in the various parts of the world and be efficient, capable and specialized to control any calamity in the world in the future. The most important required research centers are for viral diseases, bacterial illnesses, mosquito, and insect-based diseases, cancer, etc. These centers are essential to combat any future calamity in the world if any. A paper was published by Casanova et al. (2010) and the authors studied the effect of temperature and humidity on the survival of gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) and mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) on the surface. The authors reported that the chances of the virus's survival are poor at 40 °C or high temperature with low humidity. Furthermore, the authors reported that TGEV and MHV could be used as conservative surrogates for modeling experience, transmission risk and control measurements for enveloped viruses like influenza virus and SARS-CoV virus on the surfaces. Therefore, it may be expected that the propagation of SARS-CoV-2 will decrease at high temperatures and low humidity. Now, we are at the end of April 2020 and progressing towards the summer. Therefore, it is expected that the coronavirus cases will decrease in the coming time; especially in the Middle East countries.

9. Conclusion

COVID-19 disease is originated from Wuhan city of Hubei Province in China in December 2019 and has become pandemic as per WHO. The disease has spread in 210 countries and territories with about 2.2 million patients and more than 0.15 million deaths globally. The United States of America is the most affected country with the highest patients of about 0.7 million. It is a viral disease due to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. The patients show flu-like symptoms with high fever and breathing problems. The disease due to SARS-CoV-2 was named as COVID-19. Still, there is no treatment of this disease. However, prevention and management are the best options. A combination of antiviral drugs with hydroxyl-chloroquine and azithromycin (with the consultation of a medical practitioner) may be the best option to treat the patients, depending on the patient's conditions and symptoms. However, Unani therapy may be useful along with allopathic treatment. Probably, the number of COVID-19 cases may decrease in the coming time as the summer is approaching and the rate of virus transmission may be low at high temperature and low humidity. It was realized that this disease is spreading among those who are not taking it seriously and are not following the directions of WHO and the local governments. Therefore, it is urgently advised and requested that all the persons should follow the preventive measures, managements and quarantine strictly without any religious discrepancy otherwise the situation may be the worst. Also, there is an urgent requirement to educate our new generation for science and technology to fight against any such disaster in future; if any. There is no need to be panic and proper prevention and management are essential to combat this disease. Briefly, there is a need for collective efforts globally without any religious discrepancy to fight against such diseases in the future.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Imran Ali: Conceptualization, Methodology. Omar M.L. Alharbi: Investigation, Writing - original draft.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgment

The authors are thankful to the administration of Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah and Government of Saudi Arabia for providing facilities and the encouragement to write this article.

Funding source

No funding source for this work.

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11 Meaningful Writing Assignments Connected to the Pandemic

Writing gives students an outlet to express their feelings and connect with others during this unsettling time in their lives.

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With students currently at home because of the pandemic, it’s helpful to provide learning opportunities that get them talking about what’s happening in the world with trusted adults and peers.

These ideas for home assignments build connection and help our young people process this difficult experience while developing their writing skills.

11 Writing Assignments for the Current Moment

1. Interview senior members of the community: With our older community members at higher risk, hearing their stories has increasing significance. Generate interview questions with your students, and conduct a sample interview as a model.

Students can interview family members, senior members of the school staff, or others through handwritten letters, phone calls, or video chats. When students write up and share their interviews with the class, they will get a broader, more nuanced view of older generations’ experiences.

2. Folding stories: In the traditional version of this activity, one person writes a sentence or two on a piece of paper and then folds the paper so that only the last word or phrase can be seen. The next person continues the story for a few sentences before again hiding all but the last word or phrase and then passing the paper on.

To do this remotely, set up a randomized list of all of your students. The first student sends you their contribution, and you send the last phrase of that to the next name on the list. Compile all the contributions in order in a Google Doc to create a single story. Once everyone has contributed, share the whole story with the class.

The format may allow students an imaginative outlet for anxious thoughts and predictions about the future, and the result is almost guaranteed to be hilarious and inspiring to both eager and reluctant writers.

3. Dialogue journals: A journal in which a teacher and student write back and forth to each other is an ongoing communication that helps teachers build relationships with each student while they model writing and observe students’ progressing skills. Start this off by writing a first short entry for each of your students in separate Google Docs, choosing topics you already know they’re interested in and offering personal details about yourself.

You can ask each student to write something once a week—and you’ll respond to each entry, so this does entail a time commitment on your part. The benefit in relationship-building, so difficult to do in distance learning, makes this worth the work.

4. Student-to-student letters: Organize pen pals or small letter-writing groups. Ask students to write back and forth to one or more peers using provided prompts and sample questions. Teach students to consider their audience and to keep a written dialogue going over several letters as they write to different peers. Encourage students to include self-created activities in their letters to peers: They might make a crossword puzzle using the class vocabulary words, create a maze, or share a recipe or a silly joke.

5. Write to an author: A professional writer may be a great correspondent for a young fan, offering insight into key aspects of a favorite book. Follow #WriteToAnAuthor on Twitter for access to mailing addresses of authors who are standing by for letters from young readers. Provide your students with prompts, templates, samples, and feedback to support them in writing thoughtful letters.

6. Adapt a text to reflect current conditions: Lately any story we read or watch can be a painful reminder of how much is changing. Characters are dancing, hugging or shaking hands, and talking to each other in public places. Some students find it comforting to be immersed in that world, but others find these moments upsetting. Assign students the task of rewriting a scene from a story, show, or movie, considering what needs to change for it to be realistic in our current situation but still retain the original essential themes and meaning.

7. Letters to the editor: What do students think about our leaders, policies, and proposed solutions to this pandemic? Guide them through the art of writing a well-crafted letter to the editor, and post submissions on your district, school, or class website, if privacy policies permit that. Give your students guidelines that specify word count, style, and topics, just as official publications do.

8. Student-created blog: Begin by sharing strong examples of student journalism as mentor texts. Invite students to brainstorm ideas for articles and columns. Some students can assume the role of section editors—News, Features, Arts—and others can write articles, take photos, and work on the design and marketing of the website, which students can build using Edublogs .

9. “Slow looking” documentation: Shari Tishman describes “slow looking” as prolonged observation that occurs through all the senses. Students can use a variety of slow looking strategies to observe their setting and sketch or write about their observations. There are seasonal changes to observe, among other things. By practicing slow looking, students may learn to see things they never noticed before. When they share their observations with the class, everyone gains a broader perspective of how the larger environment is changing.

10. Covid-19 comics: The genre of  graphic medicine —which uses comics to explore the physical and emotional impacts of medical conditions—shows that comics can be a good way for students to explore troubling experiences. Share comics related to Covid-19  that engage with the wider implications of the pandemic, such as feeling increased isolation, processing conflicting news, and coping with social distancing or unemployment.

Invite students to explore their experiences through an intentional combination of words and pictures. Make it collaborative by having students write text for a peer’s drawings. Students can use Canva to make comics , or draw them on paper and then take photos to upload to the class learning management system.

11. Pandemic journals: A pandemic journal invites students to process their feelings and document their experience for future generations. To structure the assignment, provide prompts and templates. Suggest to students that they layer in artifacts such as news reports, a note received from a friend or neighbor, a copy of an online school schedule for a day, a snippet of an overheard conversation, or a sketch of a parent hunched over a laptop.

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Judge denies an order sought by a Black student who was punished over his hair

FILE - Darryl George stands next to his mother, Darresha George, in front of Galveston County Court House, May 23, 2024, in Galveston, Texas. A federal judge on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024 denied a request by Darryl George, a Black high school student in Texas for a court order that the student’s lawyers say would have allowed him to return to his high school without fear of having his previous punishment over his hairstyle resume.(Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)

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HOUSTON (AP) — A federal judge on Friday denied a request by a Black high school student in Texas for a court order that the student’s lawyers say would have allowed him to return to his high school without fear of having his previous punishment over his hairstyle resume.

Darryl George had sought to reenroll at his Houston-area high school in the Barbers Hill school district after leaving at the start of his senior year in August because district officials were set to continue punishing him for not cutting his hair. George had spent nearly all of his junior year serving in-school suspension over his hairstyle.

The district has argued that George’s long hair, which he wears to school in tied and twisted locs on top of his head, violates its policy because if let down, it would fall below his shirt collar, eyebrows or earlobes.

George, 19, had asked U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown in Galveston to issue a temporary restraining order that would have prevented district officials from further punishing him if he returned and while a federal lawsuit he filed proceeds.

But in a ruling issued late Friday afternoon, Brown denied George’s request, saying the student and his lawyers had waited too long to ask for the order.

George’s request had come after Brown in August dismissed most of the claims the student and his mother had filed in their federal lawsuit alleging school district officials committed racial and gender discrimination when they punished him.

The judge only let the gender discrimination claim stand.

In his ruling, Brown said he also denied George’s request for a temporary restraining order because the school district was more likely to prevail in the lawsuit’s remaining claim.

Brown’s ruling was coincidentally issued on George’s birthday. He turned 19 years old on Friday.

Allie Booker, an attorney for George, and a spokesperson for the Barbers Hill school district did not immediately return a call or email seeking comment.

George’s lawyer had said the student left Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu and transferred to another high school in a different Houston area district after suffering a nervous breakdown over the thought of facing another year of punishment.

In court documents filed this week, attorneys for the school district said George didn’t have legal standing to request the restraining order because he is no longer a student in the district.

The district has defended its dress code, which says its policies for students are meant to “teach grooming and hygiene, instill discipline, prevent disruption, avoid safety hazards and teach respect for authority.”

George’s federal lawsuit also alleged that his punishment violates the CROWN Act , a recent state law prohibiting race-based discrimination of hair. The CROWN Act, which was being discussed before the dispute over George’s hair and which took effect in September 2023, bars employers and schools from penalizing people because of hair texture or protective hairstyles including Afros, braids, locs, twists or Bantu knots.

In February, a state judge ruled in a lawsuit filed by the school district that its punishment does not violate the CROWN Act.

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