Medicine: Then and Now

Some scientists argue that air pollution now causes more deaths than smoking. The second unit in a six-part series focuses on air quality. Scholars learn what's in the air, how clean the air around their school is, and what they can do...

How do product designers come up with the variety of things we see in stores and on TV every day? They identify a need, then create something that meets that need. Sounds simple, right? A two-week activity puts seventh graders in that...

Don't fall for these common misconceptions about falling objects! Using two sports balls with different masses, the interviewer demonstrates in a brief video the forces at work. Participants marvel as a much-heavier medicine ball lands...

Choosing between a medicine ball and a basketball, which will hit the ground first when dropped? Learners watch as visitors at a festival demonstrate in an interview-style video. The narrator asks visitors to guess, then drops the balls....

Throughout the 20th Century, the world has become a healthier place. By examining the public-health issues and diseases doctors faced during the 1900's, students will compare and contrast life from today vs. life in the 1900's. Their...

Investigate herbal medicine in the science or health classroom with this lesson from the New York Times. After a discussion about class members beliefs about and experiences with herbal medicines, pupils read an article that might impact...

Fascinating content about current medical research on brain-controlled prosthetics comes in cloze activity form with a link to the original article. Useful for listening and reading comprehension skills development, and for any science...

During the first few sniffles of a cold, you can't help wondering where you picked up the illness. Watch an Ed Ted video that details the difference between miasma theory and germ theory, and the ways that Dr. John Snow's research...

Middle schoolers read ancient Greek texts to explore ancient healing practices and compare them to those of modern times. They explain Greek healing practices for wounds.

Students identify plants used in the eighteenth century for medicinal purposes, and compare eighteenth-century remedies with remedies of the twentieth century.