Interdisciplinary project database

Standing up for yourself goes beyond being willing to take a stand in-person. Increasingly, hatred and bullying finds itself almost entirely online, especially in anonymized spaces. Conduct an independent investigation of how cyberbullying emerges in your community, offering countermeasures for other young people to take and presenting on these ideas.

Research and identify a specific music artist, visual artist, or culinary expert. Analyze, critique, and highlight the importance of one or more of their works, presenting on this information and how it can impact others.

Use the following online tool, Exploring Your Cultural Iceberg, to get an understanding of your own visible and hidden cultural characteristics. How would you describe your cultural identity? Revisit this lesson through the lens of cultural identity. For example, how might these scenarios be different between people from different cultures based on how we perceive visible and hidden cultural characteristics?

Death is inevitable. And as a result, art has always exemplified (and even celebrated) the concept of death. Create an art piece that highlights the meaning, symbolism, and emotions evoked through death.

Consider the impact of stereotypes and biases in regards to gender, disability, race, religion, and more in regards to sports and competitions. Why do people hold these viewpoints? What can be done to ensure that everyone is treated fairly and justly?

How does body type, identity, and health become twisted through the use of social media? Read about how young people are having their self-image shaped by the photos they view on social media, and discuss why it is dangerous to buy into the myths of social media.

Analyze the systems of your own community. What is an issue that exists that needs to be solved? How many people are connected to that issue? How can they be brought together? Make a systems-thinking map to analyze a solution.

Research famous speakers and business developers. Analyze how they use speech and written word to exemplify their ideas, noting the various tools they use to best convey their ideas. Convert this into a guide for others to follow.

Coordinate and host a focus group session in your community over a topic, such as something involving your school or an initiative you’d like to see happen. Gain permission and record the conversation, analyzing what people have said and making a policy proposal incorporating their perspectives.

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.

Let students brainstorm issues in their community, then analyze the game played in the lesson below. How could it be modified, improved, and transformed? Write new instructions and explain to each other how to play, including the new issues as additional cards.

Embracing the different languages of the world can lead to a flourishing, multicultural society. However, there is a fear that these languages will “replace” the mainstream language of the area. Showcase your community’s various speakers and dialects, highlighting the importance of a diverse community.

What local sites are vital to your own cultural heritage or those of others in your community or region? Research or visit these to understand their impact and importance!

Analyze the chemicals used within the fast fashion industry. How does wearing these clothes impact one’s body? Consider operating a lab that studies the impact of wearing different clothes, with their materials and production components, on one’s body.

Consider how bullying and discrimination specifically targets marginalized groups and how allies of these movements can demand action. For example, utilize The Trevor Project’s Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth.

Creativity is an applicable skill in understanding how to maintain a healthy lifestyle beyond a linear look at gyms and dieting. Consider what other ways people can be healthy, such as nature photography or becoming a part-time community dog walker.

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.

Consider the impact that hostile architecture has not only on people, but on the environment. For example, spikes are added to the ledges of buildings to prevent birds from gathering and dirtying walls. How does this impact the ecosystem?

What is the poverty line where you live? What structural and systemic economic, social, and political barriers keep people in poverty? Research the factors that produce inequality and poverty in your community, state, or country.

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.

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.

Consider the concept of scale. How much larger is a building in your community to a person? The land mass of your city to your country? Earth to Jupiter? Explore the mathematical possibilities of scale (and with it, distance!)

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.

Develop a plan to tackle a personal or community challenge. What steps will you need to take in order to get there? What actions can you take within a certain number of weeks to make a difference? Log your progress and take on the challenge!

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.

What makes modern art valuable? In the past, art was typically contracted — and the value of the materials and time it took to create determined its value. Now, it is up to the interpretation of the viewer and owner to decide its value. Have the class examine these contemporary modern art pieces: are they valuable? What makes them beautiful? Not beautiful?

Learn about how body language presents itself for autistic people. Consider how this information differs from what was presented in the lesson below. How can we use this information to inform others about neurodiversity? How does this challenge our assumptions? 

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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.

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.

Oftentimes, artists are their worst critic, and keeping hope as an artist is especially difficult. Check out this article on overcoming the myth of the “starving artist”, which argues that modern day artists thrive and earn livable wages in stable careers.

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.

Read this article from Big Think titled Can mathematics be spiritual? Ask Einstein. Notice how mathematicians have connected religion and mathematics, exploring how faith can be used (and doesn’t have to be used!) as a mechanism for purpose-finding.