Subject Lead:
Mathematics
Misleading Graphs is a great resource to help students understand how to lie and mislead with statistics and graphic information. Have students improve upon the examples on the site. Give students a data set and have them create their own “misleading graph”!
Subject Lead:
Any Subject
Many websites offer resume templates for different professions. Find a template for a profession you see yourself involved in and design a “dream resume” for yourself in that field. Pair this with your five-year plan to set and align short-term goals!
Subject Lead:
Science
The way mathematics was applied to study these different concepts was often used to advance science, specifically exploring the Earth. Demonstrate how different mathematical inquiries led to scientific breakthroughs in astronomy, cartography, and oceanography.
Subject Lead:
Art
Using Nick Sousanis’ Blind Accessible Comics as a resource, redesign/remix existing art pieces to improve accessibility to art and culture for a range of impairments and disabilities.
Subject Lead:
Science
Creativity and science are both intrinsically and extrinsically linked: experimentation is an inherent part of creativity, and creativity itself has been studied through the use of science. Consider having students learn about different forms of artistry: such as color psychology or the color light spectrum, and have students design and test hypotheses on the topics.
Subject Lead:
Any Subject
Great art is often done in partnership with others. Reach out to local artists to listen, learn, and improve on. Who are the great local artists of your area? What do they specialize in? Research more about them and conduct interviews on their tips and techniques. Then, use this work to inform your own.
Subject Lead:
Any Subject
A symbol and gathering spot of one’s local community is often a mural: something that highlights the community, its history and inhabitants. Conceptualize what a mural would look like for your school or local community. What would it include? Make a proposition: is this something you could take on?
Subject Lead:
Any Subject
Research methods of allyship and informing others on positive ways to counteract the stereotype threat, including having conversations, bringing people together, and practicing anti-racism.
Subject Lead:
Mathematics
Highlight excerpts from “The Art of Code - Dylan Beattie”, which demonstrates how nuanced and creative the field of coding is, and how much it takes to develop the applications that govern much of what we do in the modern world. Have students reflect: how are math and science connected to art?
Subject Lead:
Any Subject
Using your knowledge of the algorithm, research how these concepts could be used to advertise a business or nonprofit. Partner with a local organization, offering to manage their social media, developing a content and branding strategy to increase engagement.
Subject Lead:
Social Studies
Look at the impact that one person can have on their local community. Is there a famous organizer or leader in your school’s town? Demonstrate how they started and the lasting impact they made on your area.
Subject Lead:
Language Arts
Does listening to an audiobook count as “reading”? As one of the fastest growing forms of entertainment in the world, many argue that audiobooks are “cheating”, and that it isn’t the same as reading a book. Have a class discussion about audiobooks. Is it reading? If we say it isn’t reading, what about those who have difficulty reading books for a variety of reasons?
Subject Lead:
Science
Scientists are frequently making discoveries that have a wide-ranging impact on society. Consider all of the accidental discoveries that scientists have made. How has this impacted the systems of our society?
Subject Lead:
Any Subject
Have a business or invention idea? Prepare a formal presentation for your product or service. Utilize the concepts presented here, as well as other resources on presentation skills, to make a pitch deck on your idea.
Subject Lead:
Social Studies
Our social and cultural biases often appear in the study of history itself, whose stories are told, whose perspectives get left out, and how we remember historical events in public spaces. Research or visit historical monuments in your area. Whose stories do they tell? How are those stories remembered? What people or events should be commemorated in public spaces but aren’t? Design a historical monument!
Subject Lead:
Physical Education
Look at how sports, culture, and art all influence each other. For example, the graffiti and skateboarding “scene” has a specific “look” each decade. How does this compare to the look of say, golf? Tennis? Basketball? Why is it that different sports have different artistic and cultural styles?
Subject Lead:
Any Subject
Create a list of mitigated risk activities that would occur in your community, such as public speaking, creating a public mural, and exploring a park. Consider your comfort level and preparedness for these tasks, then sign up for a wide variety of activities that challenge your safety level (within reason). Make a log of everything that you complete.
Subject Lead:
Any Subject
Connect with one of the volunteer organizations in your community that is connected to one of your personal goals. Network with members of the organization to figure out how to accomplish your long-term goals and become more involved in the organization.
Subject Lead:
Science
In adopting an internal locus of control, a huge barrier in today’s age is social media. The expectations we set for ourselves based on “the algorithm” distorts realistic expectations. Analyze this study on the impact of social media, isolation, and happiness.
Subject Lead:
Physical Education
The link between physical activity and well-being is undeniable. Brainstorm or research the barriers to physical activity for individuals and groups in your community. What can you do to help remove those barriers and improve the well-being of your community through accessible physical activities?
Subject Lead:
Physical Education
Incorporate soft skills and team building into a series of games. Have students reflect on why they work or don’t work well together as a group, how they can improve their individual role, etc. Play the games again after reflection to put their new understanding into practice!
Subject Lead:
Any Subject
Research the state of “flow” and connect it to the hobbies you love (or take on a new hobby!) Document how understanding a “flow state” changes, for better or worse, your interest, engagement, or motivation in conducting your hobby.
Subject Lead:
Any Subject
Seek out in-depth interviews with your friends and peers over a concept or idea you have for an invention, company, or community proposal. With permission, record the conversations and compare how many of them feel about the idea. Create documentation on how you’ve adjusted your concept over time as a result of peer feedback.
Subject Lead:
Any Subject
Find a local nonprofit, NGO, political party, or organization who would be willing to take a large action on this issue and partner with them to extend their impact.
Subject Lead:
Physical Education
Finding reliable health and nutrition information is incredibly difficult. There is so much mis- and disinformation about health, nutrition, and fitness. How do you know what to trust? Create a health misinformation guide with students to sort out what is reliable from what is false or potentially harmful. To show that they know the tricks, have them use those tips to create their own health and nutrition disinformation ad or video.
Subject Lead:
Any Subject
An ethnography is an observational research method used to understand societies and cultures. Create an ethnography of your class, highlighting unique characteristics of individuals of groups, routines and rituals, etc.
Subject Lead:
Science
Watch “How This Guy Uses A.I. to Create Art | Obsessed | WIRED”. What is fascinating about this clip? Consider the idea: is it possible for artificial intelligence to create art on its own? If so, is this art as valuable as human-created art? Why or why not?
Subject Lead:
Language Arts
Showcasing random acts of kindness is a great first step to thinking about the impact one can make on the world. Have students write a simple act they can take today on a note card, sharing this with each other and committing to making a difference.
Subject Lead:
Science
Relate a "trolley problem" to the environmental crisis. Climate change is a major problem facing the world’s population and it is likely that individual actions will need to change to create a sustainable society. Are individuals willing to give up daily actions they take for granted? Is this the only way to solve the problem?
Subject Lead:
Social Studies
As people begin to demand more opportunities for personal time, more and more workplaces are offering 4 day workweeks. What impact does this have on the world? Examine how this practice impacts society.
Subject Lead:
Physical Education
How do we know that someone is truly paying attention to us? How do we communicate that we are hearing them? Present different ways in which one can have a full conversation with other people, identifying distractions or charismatic faults that may interfere with positive communication.
Subject Lead:
Language Arts
Read about the various ways that world hunger is associated with other UN Sustainable Development Goals (beyond feeding the world), such as 15) Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. How can war impact the ability to supply food around the world? Have students trace and document different examples of how the food supply chain is negatively impacted by various undesirable events.