Does a ban on vending machines infringe on student rights, or do school officials have an obligation to monitor foods sold on school grounds? Your class members will explore the educational, health, and financial issues related to...

Students explore food. In this nutrition lesson, students investigate multiple facets of healthy eating and how the fast food industry impacts our society. They will participate in class discussions, read from their text-book, and watch...

Exploring the similarities and differences between the Black Death and HIV/AIDS, students write persuasive essays answering which is the "worse plague." This cross-curricular activity between Language Arts and Social Studies addresses...

Peer pressure is not always negative. It can also inspire, encourage people to get involved, and help push change. Class members select a quotation from a provided list and craft a paragraph about the meaning of the statement, how it...

It's one thing to prevent yourself from becoming a bully, but how do you convince others to follow suit? Take the first step in creating a better world with a public speaking lesson that prompts learners to write and present persuasive...

Feeling high is not the only side effect of abusing prescription opioids. Middle and high schoolers learn more about specific painkillers, including Fentanyl, Oxycodone, and Clonazepam, as well as their common brand names and extensive...

Investigate popular scientific claims and gather evidence to defend or argue against an author's stance. Writers synthesize information and compose their own "Really?" columns modeled after those found in the weekly "Science Times"...

Check the label! That's the big idea in a lesson about using the nutrition facts on food labels rather than advertising hype to make healthy choices about what to eat. After reading background articles and learning how to read nutrition...

Recognize risky behaviors and avoid them! That's the big idea behind two activities designed to teach middle schoolers to think critically about online safety. After reading background articles about protecting online identity,...

Fifth graders investigate bullying and nonviolent ways to deal with bullies.  In this conflict management lesson, 5th graders discover the definition for the word ahimsa and examine ways to incorporate that philosophy into their...

Two options for a health class project are presented in this assignment: a persuasive paper or an advocacy project. The persuasive paper is on students' choice of controversial topics, most of which require a high level of maturity. The...

Students explore persuasive writing in advertisements. In this advertisements lesson, students evaluate tobacco advertisements for persuasion techniques. Students then create a counter advertisement against smoking.

For this persuasive writing activity, students create a postcard to convince someone to stop smoking by drawing a picture of someone participating in a healthy activity and writing a couple of sentences explaining why they should stop....

An essential skill for 21st-century learners is to know how to find reliable sources of information. Two activities help high schoolers learn how to determine the reliability of health-related news from websites, TV, magazines, or...

Flu fighters unite! To get the word out about the importance of getting vaccinated against the flu, groups create posters that persuade teens to get immunized. Also, scholars read articles about how to cope with colds, then create...

Develop critical thinkers and awareness of the media's techniques. Impressionable minds analyze advertisements they see all around them in this potentially 3-week long unit of five complete lesson plans. Extended discussions, outside...

What should young people think about before drinking alcohol? Have your class consider the eight reasons listed here, some of which are facts, and others opinions. Pupils rank each statement from one to eight, where one is the most...

Students write a persuasive letter to someone they care about who smokes. They must use both logical and emotional appeals in their letter.

Widespread video gaming makes this content relevant and high interest. Developing youth awareness about the impact of violence in games is important to promote literacy, critical thinking, health, and consumer awareness. After reading...

Two engaging activities encourage teens to turn off their screens and tune into healthy activities. Learners use a tracker to assess their daily screen-time habits, read several articles about the value of exercise, then research the...

Students participate in a nonprofit organization activity for hunger outreach problems. In this service project lesson, students practice counting coins, complete a service project for a hunger outreach, discuss nutrition and healthy...

Students examine the current debate over sex education. They examine a variety of sex education approaches and determine which one is use in thier school district.

Students research community gardens. In this community garden instructional activity, students discover the history of community gardens and assess the benefits of locally grown food. Students create propaganda posters...

High schoolers work together to brainstorm dialogues intended to persuade another person to engage in a sexual activity. They supply creative and persuasive refusals to these requests.