1. Explore - Foundations of Viruses, Their Parts and Types
In this section, students build the scientific foundation needed to understand what viruses are and why they are unique biological entities. They explore how viral structure relates to function, how viruses replicate using host cells, and how viruses can be classified into different types. This Explore phase prepares learners for the next stages of the unit, where they will model viruses using 3D tools and visualize them in Augmented Reality (AR), transforming invisible biology into interactive learning objects.
Questions for Reflection
- Why are viruses considered different from living cells?
- How does a capsid protect the viral genome, and why might its shape matter?
- What is the difference between enveloped and non-enveloped viruses, and how might that affect transmission or stability?
- How does “structure → function” help explain why viruses infect specific host cells?
- Which virus feature do you think would be easiest to represent in a 3D model, and which would be hardest? Why?