This lesson guides students through a UNICEF magazine article about efforts to vaccinate children globally. It discusses how vaccines dramatically reduced child mortality in the 20th century but that 20% of children remain unvaccinated. The lesson then covers promising solutions to close this immunization gap and compares obstacles to vaccination in developing countries versus the United States. Students are asked to create a visual metaphor representing vaccination efforts and possible actions to help increase access to vaccines worldwide.

1. 1
OVERVIEW
This lesson guides students through the Immunizations: Closing the Gap issue
of the UNICEF ACT student magazine, Ambassador Edition. In the first part,
students read about the great advances in medicine and efforts to vaccinate
children around the world that dramatically decreased child mortality rates in
the 20th century. Students then delve into the modern challenge of reaching
the 20 percent of children globally who are not fully vaccinated. In the second
part of the lesson, students learn about promising solutions aimed at closing
the immunization gap. Students then discuss obstacles to protecting children
in the United States against deadly diseases, comparing these obstacles with
those faced globally. The lesson concludes with an examination of the many
metaphors in the magazine and an opportunity to construct their own visual
metaphors about the efforts to close the gap.
Immunizations:
Closing the Gap
UNICEF ACT Immunizations: Closing the Gap
About
This
Lesson
Time
90–120 minutes or
two class periods
Grade Level
Grades 6–8
Vocabulary
• Cold chain
• Developing
countries
• Eradicate
• Herd immunity
• Immunization
• Immunization gap
• Indigenous
• Mobilization
• Smallpox
• Sustainable
Development Goals
• Vaccine
• Vulnerability
©UNICEF/NYHQ2015-1540/Mugabe

2. 2
Immunizations: Closing the Gap
OBJECTIVES
Students will
• Explain how the immunization gap
leaves a fifth of the world’s children
unvaccinated against preventable
diseases.
• Demonstrate empathy for children
around the world who are suffering
needlessly from vaccine-preventable
diseases.
• Describe solutions aimed at closing
the immunization gap.
• Compare the global and local situations
with regard to vaccination coverage.
• Construct a visual metaphor to convey
one aspect of the efforts to increase vaccination coverage.
MATERIALS
• UNICEF ACT: Immunizations: Closing the Gap (Ambassador Edition), at
teachunicef.org/unicef-act/immunizations-closing-gap
• Computer and Internet access
• Screen and LCD projector or interactive whiteboard
• Art supplies (paper, colored pencils, etc.)
PREPARATION AND SETUP
• Reproduce UNICEF ACT, Immunizations: Closing the Gap (Ambassador
Edition), one copy per student.
• Prepare to show videos, if you so desire (see steps 3b and 3c).
DIRECTIONS
Part I: Understanding the Immunization Gap (45–60 min)
1. Introduction
Find out what students know about diseases that threatened children’s
lives in the early 20th century (e.g., polio, measles, mumps, smallpox,
whooping cough, etc.). Discuss why they are no longer the threats that
they once were in the United States. Introduce the topic of vaccines and
their role in reducing the threat of disease.
©UNICEF/NYHQ2006-1800/Estey

3. 3
Immunizations: Closing the Gap
2. Review of pages 2–4 of UNICEF ACT, Diplomat Edition
a. As a class, read the article “News in Brief: Immunizations: The (Nearly)
Universal Life Preserver” on page 2. Ask students what the main idea of
the article is, and ask them for the key details that support the main idea.
b. Note that the 1980s was a turning point in the fight against vaccine-
preventable diseases. As a class, read page 3 of the magazine, noting
what the key factor was that contributed to the turning point. Discuss.
c. Mention the enormous decline of measles noted on page 3. In small
groups, have students review the graph “Total Deaths of Leading
Diseases” and complete the exercise “What’s the Bottom Line?”
d. As a class, read the article “The Immunization Gap” on page 4 and ask
students to explain the concept in the title. Review the reasons given
for the gap. Discuss with students to understand the injustice.
HOMEWORK: Assign students to read pages 5–7 of the magazine. Have
them complete the exercise “Think, Write, Discuss” on page 4.
Part II: Using Metaphors to Amplify a Humanitarian Message
(45–60 min)
3. Homework review
a. Review the reasons given for the
immunization gap; bring in students’
answers for the first “Think, Write,
Discuss” question.
b. Review the story “Observer’s Notebook:
What I Saw” on page 5. Ask students what
the main idea of the article is, and and ask
them for the key details that support the
main idea. Discuss students’ answers to the
second “Think, Write, Discuss” question.
OPTIONAL: Show the U.S. Fund for
UNICEF’s video “Journey to a Polio-Free
Africa: Nigeria’s Eradication Milestone,” at bit.ly/NigeriaPolioErad (6:34),
to illustrate the story “Observer’s Notebook”, as well as the individual
impact of the immunization gap.
c. Review the article “Closing the Gap” on page 6, specifically the general
methods and efforts to increase vaccination coverage. Have students
read the section “Closing the Gap in …” at the bottom of the page and
determine how each example connects to one of the categories in the
article (e.g., the Laos story is an example of maintaining the cold chain,
the Congo story is an example of training health workers).
To break up the long
review described here,
consider inserting the
“Test Your Vocab”
activity on page 7 when
student interest wanes.
NOTE: Due to some
footage of the insurgent
group Boko Haram (4:18-
4:21), it is advised that
you first preview this
segment to determine its
suitability for your class.
©UNICEF/GHAA2015-01044/Quarmyne
Figuratively closing the immunization gap: UNICEF workers
cross a makeshift bridge in eastern Ghana to monitor a polio
eradication campaign.

4. 4
Immunizations: Closing the Gap
d. Review the article “Meanwhile at Home” on page 7 and discuss the
obstacles to protecting all children in the United States against deadly
diseases. Ask students to compare the challenges to attaining high
vaccination coverage in the United States with those in the countries in
which UNICEF works. As an optional assignment, have students study
the issue further as directed in “It’s Up for Debate,” and prepare for a
future in-class discussion about the issue.
4. Metaphor construction activity
a. Mention that this magazine contains many examples of figurative
language. Ask students to identify the figurative language on the cover
(the gap). Note that it’s not an actual gap (i.e., physical space), but
helps us understand the idea that 20 percent of the world’s children
are not fully vaccinated. Challenge students to find other examples of
figurative language, such as the following:
• Text: e.g., life preserver (page 2), cold chain (pages 4, 6), herd
immunity (page 7)
• Images: e.g., valley (page 4), bridge (page 6)
Tell students that the words here are metaphors, or language that
allows us to understand and experience one kind of thing in terms
of another.* Similarly, the images here are visual metaphors. In both
cases, they use common concepts (e.g., a gap or a bridge) to help
them understand something more complex.
b. Assign students to work in pairs or small groups to construct a visual
metaphor to convey one aspect of the efforts to increase vaccination
coverage. Emphasize that their metaphor should use both an image
and supporting text, as in the valley example. Give students the choice
either to create a visual metaphor for any of the text examples above
(e.g., draw an iced-over chain to create a visual metaphor of a cold
chain), or to come up with a visual metaphor for another concept from
the magazine, such as the mobilization of immunization efforts in the
1980s (page 3). Distribute art materials, and have students begin.
c. Have students present and explain their work to the class. Discuss.
HOMEWORK: Assign students to read “Kids Helping Kids” on page 8 of the
magazine. Challenge them to identify one action they might take to help raise
awareness about the immunization gap or get a vaccine to a child in need. In
subsequent classes, work with students to plan and carry out an action. See
teachunicef.org/unicef-act/immunizations-closing-gap for take-action strategies
that your students might enact.
* G. Lakoff and M. Johnson, Metaphors We Live By (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1980). Note
that this is likely a different definition than students had in their English language arts classes, where one
thing is said to figuratively be another thing (e.g., “you are my rock”).
Consider showing one
or more of the following
UNICEF videos that depict
efforts to close the gap:
• Getting the vaccines:
“In Chad, Vaccine
Takes a Long Journey
to Save a Life,” bit.ly/
VaccJrnyChad (4:27)
• Maintaining the cold
chain: “Relinking
the Cold Chain,
in Post-Typhoon
Philippines,” bit.ly/
ColdChainPhilippines
(2:48)
• Confronting resistance:
“Protecting Every
Child in Pakistan from
Measles,” bit.ly/
PakistanMeasles (1:53)
As a writing assessment,
assign the “Exercise
Your Rights” activity
on page 6. By requiring
students to introduce
their claim clearly and
supporting it with reasons
and evidence, you are
connecting to College
and Career Readiness
Standard 1 for Writing
from the Common Core
State Standards for
English Language Arts
and Literacy, as well
as promoting good
writing habits. See bit.
ly/ACTImmunSA for full
standards alignment.
Refers to Step 3C