Interdisciplinary project database

Use your collected value lists to generate a list of collective commitments - beliefs and actions agreed upon by staff and students - that can guide classroom decision-making and culture. Generate 3-4 commitments each for yourself, peers, and adults.

Examine how different cultures deal with the idea of death. Do cultural differences change their opinion of expanding the science of age reversal and expansion? What about in other scientific inquiries? At what point does culture outweigh the need for scientific advancement?

Learn about how art can be used to intentionally break apart stereotypes. Music, dance, and traditional art all have the power to counteract stereotypes and make people think abstractly and critically about a multitude of issues.

Consider how “proper English” has evolved overtime, and that one singular form of English hasn’t always existed. Most recently, a great example would be the APA making a singular “they” proper English. This was a result of gendered stereotypes about who would be speaking. Further, one can analyze modern interpretations of Shakespeare.

Read about how school affects burn out. This guide written for teachers can be analyzed with students to identify pain points, recognize ways to improve the classroom, and have an open dialogue about stress and frustration.

Art is an intimidating subject for many students. Demonstrate how artists have been judged and rejected over the years, despite being fundamental to their field.

Partner up with another family and analyze each other’s lifestyle. Learn about what they do everyday, their family traditions, and what they enjoy doing. Compare and contrast how this differs from your own. If time, expand this analysis to other families to showcase and celebrate the differences of your classroom community.

Perform an in-depth study on a job site, documenting what different employees do, why they do them, and what happiness they obtain from their workplace. Connect this to your interests — is this something that you (or someone else) would love doing?

Analyze the impact and efficacy of utilizing social media for marketing. How much would it cost to implement a social media campaign for a hypothetical business? Is it worth paying, or should it all be organic (word of mouth) advertising? How much money would we need to make an impact?

Research local food deserts in your area. Figure out why there is a food desert there. Conduct interviews with local businesses or trusted adults, compiling this information, which can help inform organizations and politicians on why and how this needs to be changed.

Host a “Job/Career Fair” for students in your building to learn about opportunities in the community and connect students with representatives from different industries.

Navigate this repository to design problems and questions around "wicked problems" (problems with no easy solution).

Read deeper about the stereotype threat, understanding how it impacts people and why this information matters to a flourishing society.

Are there economic practices that put cultural or environmental heritage at risk of being damaged or lost? What can be done to mitigate those concerns and preserve our cultural and environmental heritage?

Analyze your community and consider what it means to have a “good” and “bad” part of town. Create an infographic and/or map that highlights how environmental racism and discrimination has played out in your community.

Consider the impact of biotechnology on world hunger. Will the implementation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) alleviate the hunger crisis? Is there any danger to the production and consumption of GMOs?

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.

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.

Have students recall a time where they’ve been in an argument or disagreement with a friend or family member. Journal on the experience and how it made them feel, offering an emotional outlet through writing. View similar works by poets, essayists, and other writers.

Our language evolves through slang. Determine how slang is used in sports and why certain phrases are used, such as in American football: “hut hut hike”, or how football (soccer) teams communicate to make plays.

The power of the written word is something steadfast in human history. Novels, poetry, and speeches have transformed our society and culture. What can you contribute? Brainstorm and begin writing your own work, such as a fiction novel.

So many people have unrecognized abilities. Hold a talent competition for a specific music, art, or culinary style. Showcase the talents of the competitors to the community.

Find an adult mentor, role model, or someone you look up to and talk to them about how they demonstrate tenacity. Ask them to take the Grit Scale quiz (see below) and discuss their own barriers to grittiness.

Explore and assess the impact of fast fashion production on the communities and cultures in developing nations where production is concentrated (eg., Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Turkey, etc.) .

How does production disrupt traditional cultures and ways of living? How does production connect developing nations to global markets? In what ways are these connections positive and negative for the people and communities in these areas?

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Art has developed overtime, sometimes in hostile ways. Read about the impact of colonization on African art. How did this change what was depicted? And now, in the modern age, globalization has streamlined artistic connections across the entire world. Is this for the better? Or has something been lost?

Reach out to local mathematicians, such as at a local university, to better understand what mathematicians do in the modern age. Consider the problems that have yet to be solved and the reason why these matter.

Compare housing data to various environmental outcomes and conditions. Consider: what did prices used to be? What are they now? Why?

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?

Connect the ideas in the lesson below to historical inventions. What would a pitch look like for various historical novels: such as the printing press, telephone, or radar? Would all constituents be for their use? Who would be for and against these ideas? Were they accepted during their time?

Create a cost-benefit analysis for another decision you face in life now or in the future. Alternatively, create a cost of living analysis of the community in which you live.

Conduct a walking tour of your local community. As you explore the city, have students document the concepts in this lesson: third places, green spaces, infrastructure, and more. As you walk around and explore, talk about the highlights of the city, any history you’re aware of, and connect with local residents.

“You can't understand someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes.”

Using this quotation as a starting point and sample questions from resources like this from CAMBIAR Education, develop and conduct an empathy interview to better understand your peers. Expand the empathy interview to any group that might be relevant or interesting!