Media Smarts
Packaging Tricks
As part of their study of how advertisers use various techniques to influence consumers, kids examine the design, the promotions, and the product placement in the packaging of their favorite foods.
Missouri Department of Elementary
STAR Deputies
Scholars become STAR deputies in a lesson that encourages them to be problem-solvers. Small groups gather to complete a worksheet by answering questions. A discussion presents a scenario in which a problem occurs on the playground. Small...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Lean Mean Coping Machine!
Seventh graders are asked to choose and rank five scenarios from a list of ten that are most important to them. After explaining the reasons for the choices, they then identify the coping skills they used to make their decisions.
Missouri Department of Elementary
Positive Self Talk
Mirror, mirror. Hook sophomores into the benefits of positive self-talk with a lesson that asks them to reflect on the roles they play at home, at school, and in their communities. Class members fill out a “Looking At Me In My...
Curated OER
Cultural Awareness
Eighth graders define the term "culture" and all aspects of culture. They spend one week photographing culture in their own lives. They create a poster of the photos and explain why each photo is included.
Curated OER
Japanese Tea and Teacups
Upper graders use the potter's wheel to make Japanese style tea cups, which they will use in a Japanese style tea ceremony. They hone their sculpting techniques while exploring Japanese cultural and the history of tea. There are two...
Safe Drinking Water Foundation
Water Bottles Everywhere
Young environmentalists examine how water bottle use is polluting the waters on our earth. In groups, your young scholars study the handout on their assigned topic and present their findings to the rest of the class. Leading up to this...
Curated OER
The Price of Happiness: On Advertising, Image, and Self Esteem
Are your students aware of the effect advertising can have on their self-image, self-esteem, and happiness? This lesson from the Media Awareness Network is aimed at increasing that awareness and mitigating any negative effects it might...
Curated OER
Potato Ways
Students analyze the packaging process. In this consumer awareness instructional activity, students analyze the process of packaging a potato and identify positive and negative ways of packaging. Students study statistics on an overhead...
Curated OER
Who Knows? Your Privacy in the Information Age
Teach young adults how to become advocates for their privacy in the modern information age. In a series of five lessons, learners explore their beliefs and opinions about privacy vs. the actual laws regarding who has the right to access...
Missouri Department of Elementary
STAR Deputies, Unite!
STAR deputies unite! Scholars gather in small groups to solve problems using the STAR method. Pupils read a card that describes a situation that requires problem-solving. They role-play the scenario in front of their peers.
Missouri Department of Elementary
To Give In or Not to Give In—That Is the Question!
No! A very simple word that can be very hard to say. Seventh graders have an opportunity to practice this difficult skill as they engage in a series of role-playing scenarios. As an exit ticket, 7th graders write a reflection on the...
Missouri Department of Elementary
If It’s to Be, It’s Up to Me
Here's a clever switch on the tale of Pandora's Box. Rather than lifting the lid and having problems escape, class members write a problem on a strip of paper and place it in Pandora's Problem Box. A student then pulls a problem from...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Juggling New Opportunities
Life is like trying to juggle three tennis balls! That's the big idea in a lesson that asks freshmen to consider that sometimes juggling the areas of their lives (social/emotion, academic, and career) runs smoothly and sometimes not so...
Global Change
Impact of a Changing Climate on the Pacific Walrus
How many of us can say they've seen a Pacific walrus? Not many and one of the reasons is the impact of climate change on their aquatic environment. Children get to think about the food web of the Bering Sea by creating an actual web with...
Curated OER
Japan Teacher Implementation Plan/ Japanese Culture
Students in a variety of activities in order to appreciate the culture of Japan. The primary assessments are an art project and a written report. This lesson plan is extremely helpful because it includes the rubric for both projects.
Forest Foundation
Nature's Treasure Chest
Renewable, recyclable, and biodegradable. As part of their study of the forest ecosystem, class members read "Nature's Treasure Chest" about the many products made from trees and then craft their own recycled paper.
Global Oneness Project
Deconstructing Consumerism
A short, engaging video provides a critique of the hyper-consumerist mentality that many think have taken over the Western world. After watching the video, pupils reflect on their own habits and use evidence to respond to discussion and...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Relationships…Going Up While Growing Up
The final instructional activity in a series of five that focus on developing the interpersonal skills required to develop and maintain positive relationships asks class members to identify their best friend-making skill. Individuals...
Global Oneness Project
Rethinking the Fabrics We Wear
What are fibersheds and what what do they have to do with environmental protections? A photo essay and audio recordings about Mimi Luebbermann, and her sheep, cause consumers to reflect on how their clothing choices can support local...
Teacher Web
1920's Magazine
What a creative and engaging project to incorporate into your studies of the 1920s! Your young historians will work in groups to design a magazine discussing the political and cultural topics of the decade, each member writing one...
Curated OER
The Technological Impact on 1950's Culture
Learners examine the impact of technological advancements on Cold War America. In this 1950's America lesson plan, students research politics, Cold War society, suburbia, and consumerism during the decade in order to better understand...
Practical Money Skills
Saving and Investing
You have to have money to make money, especially in the world of banking and investments. High schoolers learn about interest rates, saving and investment options, and ways to stay aware of their money's security and earning ability with...
Curated OER
The Consequences of Our Consumer Behavior - Toys And Games
Students examine how consumer information can protect consumers from unsafe products. They identify popular games and toys, discuss labelling, role-play sharing and playing safely with toys, and plan and design their own safety...