Eeny, meany, miny, moe. It's time to choose a side. Scholars learn about taking a position by watching a video of a speech about local organic food. Next, pupils use graphic organizers to plan their speeches about which food chain is...

Scholars consider their reading in The Omnivore's Dilemma to develop a claim answering the question, "Which food chain would you choose to feed your family—the local sustainable food chain or the hunter-gatherer food chain?" To guide...

Swimming pools are no fun without water. For a pool in the shape of a trapezoidal prism, scholars first calculate the amount of water needed to fill the pool. They use experimental data on water flow to determine whether to haul water...

Not all heroes wear capes—or cleats. Class members identify unsung heroes in their schools or towns for interviews, then create trading cards. A celebration including presentations or trading of cards completes their investigation of...

Warm up to a vacation-finding activity. After choosing a location for a vacation, pupils research the average monthly temperatures for the locality. They create scatter plots of the data and then determine the equations of the best-fit...

To vote or not to vote, that is the question. Secondary scholars explore voter turnout in the United States. The resource uses informational text, group discussion, and  a worksheet to help academics understand hindrances to voting...

Pay attention! Scholars view the video"Why College Students Should Start Paying Attention to Water" multiple times to complete a note catcher. After discussing their thoughts with the class, learners watch "The Water Crisis Isn’t...

Make a big splash with a lesson about water safety. After reading three articles related to water safety, high schoolers first choose one water safety rule to research and write a report summarizing their findings. They then use an...

People can make a difference in the world without leaving their homes. Using an eye-opening resource, scholars complete a handout as they consider the strengths and weaknesses of the Internet as a tool for social activism. Finally,...

Academics turn into storytellers in an engaging activity on activism. The activity focuses on promoting social change in local communities with stories. Young historians plan a storybook to target a specific audience and social issue and...

Timing is everything. Introduce young historians to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" with a resource that underscores the significance of the timing of the Good Friday Birmingham march, King's subsequent...

It is a tangled web the ecosystem weaves. Learners begin an activity on ecosystem interactions by building a food chain and then a food web with yarn as a group. To finish, they research local environmental changes that may impact the...

Field guides are a like a window into an ecosystem. Young scientists collaborate to create their own field guides by recording observations from a local ecosystem. Ideally, they collect information over time to create a more complete...

Health Smart provides a instructional activity that shows middle schoolers how they can step up and help someone exhibiting self-harming behaviors. After learning the signs and symptoms of depression and suicide, teams research local...

Plan a panel on public policy. On the first day of lessons, scholars identify local government planners and create questions to ask regarding renewable energy and infrastructure. On the second day, they conduct the panel and learn about...

Put the infinite power of the sun to good use. Young scientists learn about solar energy by completing a challenging project. They imagine that they are in charge of planning a solar panel array for a building and must decide where to...

An activity packet about food begins with reading two texts: Stone Soup by Marcia Brown or John Muth and Where Does Food Come From? by Shelley Rotner and Gary Goss. Learners then take part in three activities. They design a puzzle...

Young activists examine local civil rights issues presented in news media sites to determine what elements make these stories attention-grabbing and trustworthy. Using this information and their worksheets from the first two lessons in...

The trial of Derek Chauvin, former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd, is the focus of a lesson that asks pupils to compare how local, nationial, and international news organizations reported the testimony of...

After brainstorming a list of contemporary local, regional, and national civil rights issues, pairs of scholars select one of these issues and design an information campaign to spread awareness of the issue.

Young journalists engage in a role-playing exercise that asks them to consider the journalism and ethical issues raised by the coverage of the mass shootings at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007. Pupils play the role of either a reporter...

Flotsam by David Wiesner and The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor by Joanna Cole, illustrated by Bruce Degen, begin a reading adventure pack focusing on oceans. With story listening and thoughtful discussion, scholars complete several...

Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter From Birmingham Jail" was written in response to "A Call for Unity," written by eight white ministers from Birmingham and published in the local newspaper. After reading both letters and following a list...

Elmer Imes was not only a brilliant physicist but also a civil rights activist. After an introductory lecture, groups read two articles about a traffic accident that killed one Fisk University student and injured several others. The...