KS3 At news.bbc.co.uk1 sharedsplhiworld05bird_flu_maphtml1.stm, play the sequence of maps to find out where avian flu started and how far it has spread. Ask pupils to write a commentary to accompany the maps using appropriate geographical vocabulary (continents, countries, compass directions etc.).
KS4-5
Visit www.geographyinthenews. rgs.orgnewsarticle?id=2700 as a starting point for a geographical enquiry into avian flu: what is it, where did it start, how and why is it spreading, what are its economic, social and environmental impacts?
Avian flu could affect 25 per cent of the population at any one time. Ask students to draw a flow diagram to illustrate the impact of this on transport, communications and economic productivity, including farming.
They should link related factors.
Investigate how pandemics have affected global, regional and local populations in the past, e.g. bubonic plague, Spanish influenza. Ask students to prepare a set of enquiry questions and then carry out a web search to answer them.
