Share Your COVID Story - Have students draw, write, take a picture, or create something that expresses their COVID-19 experience.  The Illinois State Museum is asking Illinoisans of all ages to reflect on their experiences during the pandemic.  We invite students to Share Their Stories with us so those in the future will understand what it was like to live through this time.  This is a great way to help students process what they are going through. We suggest that if students are comfortable, they share with their classmates. 

Oral Histories - Have students participate in doing oral histories with family and friends about COVID-19 experiences. Use the teacher page Exploring History Using Oral Histories and Recording Histories as They Happen (MS Word, PDF). 

Share Your COVID Story - Have students draw, write, take a picture, or create something that expresses their COVID-19 experience.  The Illinois State Museum is asking Illinoisans of all ages to reflect on their experiences during the pandemic.  We invite students to Share Their Stories with us so those in the future will understand what it was like to live through this time. We suggest that if students are comfortable, they share with their classmates. 

Oral History - Have students participate in doing oral histories with family and friends about COVID-19 experiences. Use the teacher page Exploring History Using Oral Histories and Recording Histories as They Happen (MSWord, PDF). 

Bats and COVID Video (8 minutes video from Bats Conservation International) - What exactly is the connection between bats and coronavirus? Dr. Winifred Frick, chief scientist of BCl, describes what we know and the importance of bats. Ask students questions about bats and COVID-19. What have they heard about where COVID-19 came from? After watching the video, have students discuss the following: Why are people scared of bats? How is COVID-19 transmitted? What role do humans play in the virus and it's spread? 

Explore the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918 - What are some similarities between 1918 and now? How did officials across the world handle the outbreak?  How does that compare to the COVID-19 Pandemic?   Why the 1918 Flu Pandemic Really Never Ended - Watch the video and read about the pandemic with History Channel. Do you find the thesis they put forward true or false?  How does this relate to COVID-19 and our future? Read about the Why the Second Wave of the 1918 Flu Pandemic Was So Deadly . How does this compare to COVID0-19's second wave? Read about the cover-up  in As the 1918 Flu Emerged , Cover-Up and Denial Helped It's Spread. Explore and compare mask wear in 1918 and today in When Masks-Wearing Rules  in 1918Pandemic Faced Resistance and Mask Resistance During a Pandemic isn't New. 

Elementary Standards Connections

Middle & Jr. High School Standards Connections 

High School Standard Connections