Interdisciplinary project database

When we’re overwhelmed and feeling hopeless, we can seek out time for introspection, relaxation, and calm. The best way to do this? Getting outside! Take students on a city or nature walk with no specific goal: just relax.

Take a moment to celebrate how weird and bizarre trends are during the modern era (and perhaps, the past!) Potentially, try dancing to various trendy dances throughout the years. Here’s a sequence of dances from the video game Fortnite…with their references!

Consider how the impact global hunger has on your daily life. Perform research on how different regions of the world are struggling with food shortages, offering guided analysis on ways people in your area can assist. What steps can be taken at a local level to make a global impact? Share your findings in the global World Food Prize competition.

What systems impact our health? What about systems beyond individual control? We often consider diet and exercise as mainstream ways to improve our health, but what about societal factors? Consider other concepts like air and water pollution, access to gym and outdoor spaces, use of cars and public transportation, city design, safety, and more — and consider how your community could be a healthier system.

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?

This is a powerful article from mathematics educator and author Sunil Singh on the Western narrative entrenched in mathematics education. Whose cultural narrative is the narrative of mathematics? Why do more children know about Newton than, say, Brahmagupta?

Analyze what the “perfect” form of your language is. Why is it perceived this way? What does it mean? Where is it found? What is its history?

One of the greatest risks one can take in their career is starting their own business. For many reasons, this is a complex task, but certainly has added complexity due to financial information. Calculate how much it would cost to start businesses and take on creative endeavors.

Read the opinion piece To feed the world in 2050 will require a global revolution by Ehrlich & Harte, which highlights the challenges to mobilize governments to make the necessary changes to solve food insecurity and hunger. Consider the claims by the authors: is their reasoning valid? What will it take to overcome these challenges?

Consider your community and the areas with a lower cost of living. Why is it that those areas have lower property values? What could bring more awareness and sustainability to these areas? Prepare a report.

Math is all around us, especially in music. Continue to study how music theory is connected to mathematics, creating a presentation that helps those see the relevancy between the two subjects.

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.

Analyze how graffiti artists move their craft from sketches to spray painting, highlighting how professional graffiti artists hone their craft. Then, demonstrate and create projects together using these techniques.

“Climate-themed art is no new concept, but #Fridaysforfuture lends the trend a new urgency and a heightened need for real-life application.” Check out how artists are communicating the need to act on climate change and create your own #FridaysForFuture art contribution!

Survey teachers, family members, community members, local employers and employees, about the top 10 skills they want to see in their students, kids, and future employees. Compare their top 10 list with this one from the World Economic Forum. What is similar or different?

Repeat the Value Sort activity (in this lesson) with adults in your community: have students repeat it with parents, have teachers complete it in your building, have different groups in your community complete the value sort. Compare responses: what stands out as notably similar or different? What accounts for generational differences, or those explained by culture, religion, class, ethnic background, etc.?

Why is it that people in urban, rural, and suburban areas all have different dialects and vernacular? How are people from these different places perceived? Why is it important to counteract stereotypes about SLI?

Interview a parent/guardian/community member about their vocational/career path. What factors led to where they are today? What do they wish they had known when they were the students’ age?

Consider how scientists work together with their faith, recognizing that many scientists are religious, such as through intelligent design theory. Point to times in which science and faith have been in conflict, both historically and in current events.

Have students write about one of their family traditions. Optionally, this can be shared with the class to create a shared story that highlights the diversity of students’ lives.

Consider negotiation in the spirit of financial decision-making. When one needs to make a large purchase with the approval of a partner, or perhaps is negotiating with their own company, they need to have the proper knowledge to 1) know how to negotiate numbers, and 2) understand how they can adjust numbers as needed.

Look at historical examples of perspectives and biases across major world events (e.g., Charge of the Light Brigade, Sinking of the Lusitania, End of Apartheid, American Civil War, etc.)

Look at the impact of environmental racism on communities. Consider studying how lead poisoning affects people and why it matters that we care for all people in communities.

Doodling can help us take complex ideas and get them on paper. Seeing all of these ideas at once helps us visualize concepts and break them down.

Task students with considering all the things that they want to accomplish in their life. Have them write these ideas on paper, then doodle/draw sketches of each.

Achieving a state of calm is paramount to being content. By finding a healthy, manageable, and enjoyable exercise, we can relax and de-stress. Perform a series of basic exercises to help students find ways to expel energy.

Instead of leading to lifelong health and thriving, does physical education and “gym culture” in school promote a single path to fitness that contributes to sedentary lifestyles in adulthood? Examine the ways adults stay healthy compared to how schools teach physical education? What are the biggest barriers to healthy living and fitness outside of school?

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?

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?

Check out “Why you might be counting in the wrong language” by Anand Jagatia, which summarizes the idea of a base-10 counting system (having a set structure for stating different decimals). Consider with students: why is it that math is practiced and stated in different ways around the world? How has math developed over time in different areas of the world?

Continue the examination of cultural values with resources from Gallup. Gallup has tracked global well-being and happiness over time. What factors contribute to well-being? What is the relationship between GDP and well-being? Why do some regions of the world report higher levels of well-being than others?

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?

Have students consider a work of art that they love: such as an album, video game, or book. Write a review about it — what does it do well? Who would like it? How could it be better?