As we're approaching a full year in the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are desperate to get back to "normal". The challenges we face away from school, the barriers to social encounters, and the severity of health consequences can be frustrating and difficult to maintain.

The question we face is: what are the best steps to take to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus? What can our communities do to come out of this pandemic as soon as possible?

To answer these questions, we will complete this WebQuest to identify factors that have made the COVID-19 pandemic persist for so long, and at such a severe level. Students will identify these factors, and integrate their knowledge to propose, campaign for, and vote on policies that their communities should implement to slow the spread of the pandemic in our fantasy city, Metropolis.

Your task will be to create a proposal for action in the form of a campaign poster, suggesting next steps for our city of Metropolis. Your poster will cite facts on the spread of the coronavirus locally, nationally, and globally to suggest policy or policies to slow the spread of the virus. This poster can also take the form of a social media post, to be shared on the internet, across communities.

Over the last several days, we've identified key vocabulary related to the virus, learned how the virus spreads between people, and organized a KWL chart exploring the factors in favor and negative impacts of the widely-spread virus. Now, we're going to answer "What should we do now?" by proposing solutions for change.

In groups, you will design a campaign promoting actions people should take, policies that should be implemented, or procedures that should be enforced to slow the spread of the virus. You'll start by reading through the resources listed below, then working with your group to identify what steps should be taken to improve our pretend city of Metropolis.

In your proposal, make sure to consider the following:

• Use our Vocabulary for the COVID-19 pandemic

• Address each of the four types of information we outlined regarding the spread of the virus (global approaches, factors that affect the rate of spread, risk of catching the virus, and precautions we can take)

• Cite any information that you use from our Resources

Your proposal should be 8-10 sentences in length, organized in the Google Slides template below.

Below, you can find our set of resources for exploring the impact of the coronavirus.

Science News for Students - Explainer: What is a coronavirus?

This link shares a student-friendly overview of the virus itself, and how it functions in our bodies.
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-what-is-a-coronavirus

World Health Organization (WHO) - Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)

This video also provides an overview, with helpful graphics, about the symptoms, impacts, and origins of the coronavirus.
https://youtu.be/mOV1aBVYKGA

Science News for Students - Here’s how COVID-19 is changing classes this year

This article explains the many different perspectives that educators and families have regarding reopening schools for in-person instruction.

Consider: What does YOUR policy propose about opening schools?
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/coronavirus-covid-19-changing-school-classes

Science News for Students - What ‘community’ spread of coronavirus means

This article explains how the virus can easily spread from one person to many, and how this community spread can quickly lead to outbreaks.

Consider: Does YOUR policy account for the severity of community spread?
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/what-community-spread-of-coronavirus-means

Science News for Students - Coronavirus lockdowns may have avoided 531 million infections

This article describes the millions of lives that have been saved by the lockdowns in place in early 2020.

Consider: How does YOUR policy weigh the lowered risk vs. missing normalcy that comes with lockdown orders?
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/covid-19-coronavirus-lockdowns-infection-impact

At the end of this project, you should have a campaign poster, suggesting next steps for our city of Metropolis. Your poster shares facts about the spread of the coronavirus locally, nationally, and globally to inform our community, and will be used in our class to suggest policy or policies to slow the spread of the virus. As a class, we will come together and vote on the policies that we think will help stop the virus!