The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
Scroll and Explore Implementation Suggestions
Written by Nadeene Riddick, HHMI
To enhance students’ engagement with and deepen their understanding of the concept of life, consider pairing this narrative with the following classroom resources:
The HHMI BioInteractive activity What Is Life?
This card activity encourages students to explore the characteristics of living things and helps them determine what qualifies as life. After reviewing the HIV life cycle, students can use this activity to discuss and debate whether viruses, like HIV, fit the criteria for being considered alive.
The SciShow Video What Makes Something “Alive”?
This SciShow video provides an engaging overview of the concept of life and the challenges of defining it. It can serve as an excellent introduction or follow-up to the narrative, sparking further discussion on whether viruses are living or nonliving entities based on the evidence observed about the HIV life cycle.
The HHMI BioInteractive animation HIV Life Cycle
After presenting the narrative on HIV replication, use this animation to provide a detailed, dynamic, visual representation of the process. Have students create a flowchart that outlines the HIV replication process. They can base this on the animation and the narrative, reinforcing their understanding of the sequence of events.
The HHMI BioInteractive animation Treating HIV Infection with a Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor
Use this animation to introduce students to the way that antiviral drugs target specific stages of the HIV life cycle. Ask students to discuss how inhibiting reverse transcriptase interrupts HIV’s ability to replicate and how this connects to what they have learned. You could also have students explore current research or advances in HIV treatment.
By integrating these resources with the narrative and corresponding visuals, students can critically examine the characteristics of life and apply their understanding to real-world examples like viruses.