Lesson Plans
"Spanish Flu" Lesson Plan
This lesson should be taught in unison with World War I. The lesson is more advanced therefore it should be presented to gifted classes. The "Spanish Flu" lesson can be utilized for a critical thinking lesson to go along with the war.
Key Concepts/Big Idea: The Spanish Flu was a devastating virus that struck the world at the end of World War I. The students should use their knowledge, already discussed about World War I, and determine why this might have played an important role at the time in the lives of people in the United States and the world. They should also determine why World War I might have made this situation worse.
Description of Activity/Task: The beginning of the lesson should begin with the teacher doing a brief review session over World War I. The teacher should then divide the students up into at least 3, preferably 4 or 5 groups. The groups of students will be instructed to go to 5 different stations across the room. Each station will consist of a fact, person, situation, or idea involving influenza (they can be written on posters and hung on the wall or done with pictures/newspapers from that time). Each station can consist of just one of those, some of them, or all of them. This will depend on the classroom learning level and class time. Each group will start at one station and discuss/write with each other what the pandemic was, how World War I affected it based on that station, who was involved, etc. The teacher is important at this step to get the students thinking. After every group has been to each station, the teacher will meet with the students as a class, and they will all discuss what they have learned about World War I and the Spanish Influenza.
Materials: Materials can depend on how the teacher decides to do the stations.
· Poster
· Tape (to hang information for stations)
· Students need notebook paper
· Students need pen/pencil
· Stories/facts/old newspapers/biographies/pictures/situations involving the Spanish Influenza