COVID-19 Health & Equity Grades K-2: What can we do to keep our community healthy? Teacher Edition

COVID-19 has caused so many changes in our lives. What are we doing differently now? Why are we doing those things, and how do we feel about all of the changes? In the context of decisions their families make, students explore the basics of how the virus affects people, and design investigations to explore how it spreads from person to person, and what we can do to prevent that spread.

Students explore examples of inequity that mean not everyone gets to make the same decisions about staying safer from the coronavirus. Some of these inequities are related to how society has treated some people unfairly for a long time. Asking “Should we…?” questions help students and their families to consider the kinds of informed actions we can take to care for ourselves and others. We might need to adjust our decisions as we learn new information or are in different situations. This multidisciplinary unit includes integrated social-emotional learning and supports for teachers and families in addressing these emotional topics.

This unit is centered around a current event with rapidly changing data and information. Be aware that this unit was written in August 2020 and revised in March and April 2021. Due to the evolving pandemic situation, our growing knowledge about COVID-19, and availability of effective vaccines, you may need to adjust or update some of the information provided in this unit when you teach it.