Gut Check: Cholera, Vaccines, and the Biology of Global Health

This lesson was created by Rebecca Brewer, a biology educator in Troy, Michigan, as part of the fall 2025 Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellowship program. It is designed for facilitation across approximately two class periods.

For more lessons created by Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellows in this cohort, click here.

By examining Pulitzer Center journalism and learning about the challenges faced by communities in cholera-affected regions — limited access to vaccines, public health infrastructure, and climate-related vulnerabilities — this lesson fostered global awareness and empathy for underserved communities. Many of my students intend to pursue careers in healthcare, and reading about Dr. Firdausi Qadri’s work personalized the struggles of affected populations and showed how AP Biology concepts intersect with social and real-world health issues.

Lesson Overview

Students diagnose cholera patients, model the biological mechanisms of an infection,  learn about vaccine issues in Bangladesh,  conduct research about local vaccine safety and effectiveness, and design vaccine awareness flyers.

Objectives

• Describe the social and environmental barriers in cholera-impacted countries.
• Describe the mechanism of a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR).
• Explain how a cholera infection impacts cellular solute and water homeostasis.
• Increase community awareness of vaccine safety and effectiveness.

Performance Task

Students do an extended online research project on vaccine safety for homework and create flyers to display across the school and/or on social media. This community-centered project aims to raise awareness of vaccine safety and effectiveness, inspired by the work of Dr. Firdausi Qadri in Bangladesh, featured in the Pulitzer Center articles.

Assessment

Formative assessments are embedded in the lesson sequence, modeling cholera’s impact at a cellular level in the small intestine, and sequencing cards depicting how vaccines generate immunity. The summative assessment is the performance task of students creating flyers on vaccine safety and posting them in the school and/or on social media. 

Notes on Context & Content Advisory

This lesson was taught to AP Biology students who have already completed introductory biology and chemistry.

Two-day lesson plan, including science activity, texts and video resources, and a creative final project. Download below to read the complete lesson plan.

Lesson Resources

AP Biology Learning Objectives:

2.5.A Describe the mechanisms that organisms use to maintain solute and water balance.

2.8.A Describe the processes that allow ions and other molecules to move across membranes.

4.2.B Describe the role of components of a signal transduction pathway in producing a cellular response.

4.3.B Explain how a change in the structure of any signaling molecule affects the activity of the signaling pathway.

In this lesson, students used Pulitzer Center reporting to study cholera and then completed an activity where they assumed the role of health practitioners to diagnose patients with cholera. After processing their findings and learning more about the spread of cholera, students created informational posters to inform others about vaccine safety and effectiveness.