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NERD (novel emerging respiratory disease) is a fictional disease created for this curriculum. NERD etiology, data, events, and information presented are loosely based on the understanding of COVID-19 prior to a vaccine becoming available. Some details have been generalized for educational purposes.

The CDC NERD Academy curriculum was designed bySTEM teachers and CDC public health experts. It is made possible through a partnership between the CDC Science Ambassador Fellowship program and the CDC Foundation.

Educators working within any of the related disciplines may use this curriculum. On the first page of each STEM lesson plan, STEM connections are listed to indicate the related disciplines covered such as science, engineering, math, chemistry, English language arts, and social studies to name a few.

The curriculum was designed for all teachers, including those who are new to public health and those who have experience teaching public health concepts. The STEM lesson plan equips teachers with all that they need, including student handouts and detailed answer keys, for teaching the lesson. The student-facing educational videos present all the subject matter content needed to answer the key public health questions and complete the activities. Students do not need any former knowledge of foundational public health science topics.

Each module has been carefully aligned with the National Health Education Standards and Next Generation Science Standards practices and cross-cutting educational concepts to fit into most classroom curricula. The modules use real-world examples that build upon student curiosity while teaching them foundational science and math skills. If teachers do not have enough room to teach all eight topics, they can choose any of the standalone modules to complement existing curriculum.

Teachers can download modules and use them sequentially in a comprehensive series, reorder them, or use modules as standalone lessons. Each module focuses on a key public health question. Students learn the scientific content necessary to answer each question through a student-facing educational video. Then, students apply their knowledge to a data-driven NERD-focused activity provided in the STEM lesson plan.

Each lesson plan has an overview, learning objectives, key vocabulary with definitions, alignment with national standards including the National Health Education Standards and Next Generation Science Standards, detailed activity instructions, discussion prompts, extension ideas, student handouts with answer keys, a career spotlight, and more.