At a glance
Spread the word about the CDC NERD Academy curriculum, a public health STEM curriculum for grades 6–12. Use these resources to share via newsletters, social media, and more.
About
We are calling on STEM educators and partners to help get this curriculum into middle and high school classrooms. Please use and share the CDC NERD Academy curriculum among STEM educators and leaders using our partner resources.
With your help, we can get this innovative curriculum into the hands of middle and high school STEM teachers and empower students to make informed public health decisions and to see themselves in public health careers!
Spanish-language lesson plans, career posters, and glossary are available to aid in student comprehension for those who are learning English and Spanish is their first language.
Promotional videos
Use these videos to showcase how CDC’s NERD Academy curriculum and career spotlights can inspire students and open doors to new STEM horizons!
Learn how CDC NERD Academy empowers students to apply STEM concepts, make informed health decisions, and pursue public health careers.
Seven CDC STEM professionals introduce their careers and briefly describe what they do. This trailer is a preview of the full career spotlight videos.
Key messages
Design and share your own promotional materials using key messages about the CDC NERD Academy curriculum.
- CDC NERD Academy includes an 8-module, standards-based STEM curriculum that uses engaging videos and STEM classroom activities centered around a fictional novel emerging respiratory disease (or NERD for short). Each module includes English and Spanish language STEM lesson plans and career posters, with the following videos in English only: an educational video for students, an activity demonstration video for teachers, and a career spotlight video. Modules can be downloaded and used sequentially in a comprehensive series, reordered, or used as standalone lessons.
- Designed as a collaboration between STEM teachers and CDC public health experts, the CDC NERD Academy curriculum modules are age-appropriate and use relatable scenarios. The curriculum can enrich classroom engagement and help empower your students to make informed public health decisions for themselves and their communities and to see themselves in public health careers.
- Public health is an innovative way to teach STEM knowledge and skills. 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 in public health issues while teaching them foundational science, math, and critical thinking skills.
- STEM teachers and other educators are the key to inspiring middle and high school students to pursue STEM careers, including those in public health. To support these efforts, the CDC NERD Academy curriculum brings to life diverse characters, each highlighting specific jobs in public health, using videos and scenario-based STEM activities that middle and high school students can relate to.
- The career spotlights, offered in video and poster formats, introduce students to diverse public health STEM professionals who serve critical roles in outbreak investigation. Downloadable posters provide an overview of each career within the curriculum, and corresponding videos feature real CDC experts explaining what it's like to work in public health. These career spotlights help students see themselves in a future public health STEM career.
Newsletter or blog content
Share some content that we put together for you. Tailor the narrative content and download any of the images provided within the social media section to help customize an article for your newsletter or blog.
Looking for a STEM curriculum that helps English- and Spanish-speaking students answer critical public health questions like, “What exactly is a pandemic?”, “How does disease spread?”, “Who is at risk?”, or “Why do laboratory testing?” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the CDC Foundation present CDC NERD Academy—a middle and high school public health curriculum that covers eight basic concepts in public health and epidemiology using a fictional novel emerging respiratory disease, or NERD for short. While NERD is fictional, it is based on real, scientific data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Designed as a collaboration between STEM teachers and CDC public health experts, the curriculum modules are age-appropriate and use relatable scenarios that will keep students engaged while learning about public health and its many career opportunities. 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.
The CDC NERD Academy curriculum features:
- English and Spanish language STEM lesson plans for teachers including detailed instructions and student handouts with answer keys.
- Educational videos for students to present the science content necessary to answer each question while activating student learning using a whiteboard animation style.
- Activity demonstration videos for teachers to illustrate how to prepare for and teach the activities in the classroom.
- Career spotlight videos and posters that bring public health careers to life by highlighting specific roles, such as an epidemiologist, public health nurse, health communication specialist, and more. Posters are offered in English and Spanish.
This curriculum empowers your students to make informed public health decisions and to see themselves in public health careers!
To learn more about CDC NERD Academy and to start using it today, visit www.cdc.gov/nerd-academy.
Social media
The social media below has been developed to spread the word about this curriculum across several platforms. Pair a downloadable graphic with a message to post on your social media platforms. Different file sizes are provided for each graphic to accommodate differing specifications across social media platforms. Feel free to tag the accounts listed in the social media posts below!
Graphics
Are you a STEM educator looking to enrich your classroom with public health? The @CDC, in collaboration with @CDCFoundation, present CDC NERD Academy, an innovative public health curriculum – available in English and Spanish – for middle and high school students! STEM teachers can help students answer key public health questions and see themselves in public health careers. Learn more and start using it today: https://bit.ly/CDCNERDAcademy
Calling all middle- and high-school STEM educators! Want to teach public health in your classroom? @CDC’s NERD Academy curriculum – available in English and Spanish – uses real-world public health examples, including videos of real CDC career experts to encourage students to see themselves in public health careers! Learn more: https://bit.ly/CDCNERDAcademy.
Calling all middle and high school STEM educators! Are you looking to teach public health in your classroom? Using real-world public health examples in the classroom encourages students to practice foundational science and math skills while empowering students to see themselves in public health careers! The @CDC introduces NERD Academy, an innovative, standards-based STEM curriculum available in English and Spanish. Learn more: https://bit.ly/CDCNERDAcademy
Calling #STEM educators! @CDCgov presents NERD Academy, a public health curriculum available in English and Spanish! Teach students about epidemiology and what it takes to investigate and solve the nation’s #PublicHealth threats. You can inspire our youth to make a difference in public health. Learn more: https://bit.ly/CDCNERDAcademy
#STEM educators: Inspire your students to influence the future of #PublicHealth. Start today by using @CDCgov NERD Academy curriculum – available in English and Spanish – to teach the basics of #epi with real COVID-19 data & highlight public health #career paths. Learn more: https://bit.ly/CDCNERDAcademy
Calling all middle- and high-school STEM educators! Want to teach public health in your classroom? @CDC’s NERD Academy curriculum – available in English and Spanish – uses real-world public health examples, including videos of real CDC career experts to encourage students to see themselves in public health careers! Learn more: https://bit.ly/CDCNERDAcademy.
Are you a #STEM educator ready to engage students in #PublicHealth? The @Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in collaboration with @CDC Foundation, presents the CDC NERD Academy curriculum – available in English and Spanish – for middle and high school #STEM teachers. Engage students in outbreak investigations, lab testing, data analysis, and other interactive activities while empowering them to pursue #careers in public health. #CDCSTEM Learn more: https://bit.ly/CDCNERDAcademy
Middle and high school #STEM educators can teach #epidemiology and #PublicHealth concepts with @Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s NERD Academy curriculum, available in English and Spanish! The 8-module series covers pandemics, disease spread, lab testing, and other topics using a mix of educational videos, critical thinking activities, and public health experts representing #STEMCareer paths. Learn more: https://bit.ly/CDCNERDAcademy #CDCSTEM
Looking for a #STEM curriculum that help students answer critical #PublicHealth questions? @CDCgov, in collaboration with @CDCfound, presents NERD Academy, a public health curriculum available in English and Spanish! This curriculum helps #STEM teachers bring public health into their middle and high school classrooms. Teach students how to investigate and solve public health threats while inspiring them to seek STEM #careers in public health. Learn more: https://bit.ly/CDCNERDAcademy #CDCSTEM
Middle & high school #STEM educators can help inspire students to see themselves in public health career & influence the future of #PublicHealth. @CDCgov introduces NERD Academy! NERD is an innovative curriculum, available in English and Spanish, designed to cover basics of #epidemiology & introduce public health as a STEM #career. Learn more and start using it today: https://bit.ly/CDCNERDAcademy #CDCSTEM