How does your class view themselves? High schoolers explore body image through a series of four activities. Groups collaborate to examine the changes we experience as a part of growing up, how the media influences body image, and healthy...

Students examine drug and alcohol abuse by American teens. In this health journalism lesson, students read the USA Today article titled "Boomers Assess High School", respond to discussion questions regarding the article, and...

Bystander or upstander and advocate? Three lessons have high schoolers investigating data about bullying and school safety. Participants then learn how to take a stand against bullying and use what they have learned to create a PSA to...

Gender roles and gender identity are the focus of a lesson designed for high school special education classes. Read the introduction to the packet carefully, as it contains advice about how to approach the subject with your...

Learners analyze parent involvement in their high school children's lives. In this journalism lesson, students read the USA Today article titled "Value of Parent-Teacher Meetings Increases at High School Level", respond to discussion...

Understanding the science of the spread of infectious diseases is the first step in controlling them. Learners begin by researching the factors that affect the contraction and spread of these diseases and the challenges communities face...

How vulnerable are you to COVID-19? High school mathematicians use the Pandemic Vulnerability Index to create models that help them collect and analyze data about the risk factors associated with COVID-19. After investigating four groups...

Assertive communication is an acquired skill. Teaching young people to ask for what they need and to believe that they have a right to ask is at the core of a unit on assertive communication. Over the course of the unit, middle and high...

"Understanding Influences," a richly detailed, carefully scaffolded unit, asks middle and high school scholars to examine how internal and external factors like friends, media, and society influence their attitudes and...

Students read "Shooting at School Leaves 2 Dead and 13 Hurt" in the New York Times online. They explore their own thoughts and emotions about school violence in the wake of the March 5, 2001 school shooting in Santee, California.

The national epidemic of opioid addiction is making its way into high school populations. Educate the students in your class about the ways prescription opioids can both block pain and deliver large amounts of dopamine that make it very...

Not a lesson in the traditional sense, this is a collection of resources with which you can craft a lesson on metabolic processes. It includes an outline of topics, some brief discussion, and a large array of animations, images, and...

Many teenagers don't believe that marijuana is harmful, but if they do, it affects whether they use it or not. Analyze the relationship between what high school seniors believe about marijuana and their tendency to use it with a reading...

Adolescents explore self-esteem and the various factors that influence a person's sense of self in this four-part lesson series. Through a combination of whole class instruction, small group discussions, and independent work,...

Energy comes in many forms, but how do living things get the energy they need to survive and thrive? In a simple, controlled experiment with yeast, water, and sugar, groups make observations about how yeast reacts with water alone, then...

11 lessons, designed to be used in consecutive order, ask middle and high school scholars to consider the effects of various drugs and the consequences of taking them for themselves and their families. They also develop the communication...

Explore nutrition and healthy eating habits with a study on youth obesity. Learners watch a PBS documentary on the obesity epidemic which discusses government programs aimed at healthier choices, as well as more localized efforts. Kids...

Kids fight obesity by comparing the USDA food intake suggestions to what they personally consume throughout the day. They watch a video, read texts, and explore related vocabulary which they use as they compose an oral presentation. 

Does smiling take as much energy as running a lap around the track? Everything the body does requires energy. The more vigorous the activity, the more energy the body requires to perform the activity. Compare different low-energy...

Knowing yourself is a great start to getting through high school! A series of activities introduce individuals to the rest of the group as they share their backgrounds, their interests, and their goals in life.

Students examine conflicts in schools and ways to reduce school violence. In this school violence lesson, students research the types of violence in schools. Students discuss ways to prevent and  report the violence. Students create...

Students complete conflict resolution skills training as a part of creating a caring school community. In this conflict resolution lesson, students work with a group of peer student leaders to resolve conflicts. Students visit freshman...

It's every health and science teacher's favorite subject to cover: the reproductive system. This comprehensive lesson introduces adolescents to the reproductive anatomy of men and women with the help of a series of diagrams,...