Interdisciplinary project database

Cyberbullying

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.

Historical Inventions

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?

Sports Stereotypes

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?

Collective Commitments

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.

Textbooks of the Past

Compare a historical textbook (e.g. using Archive.org or materials from previous years) and compare what was learned and how history was taught in the past versus what was learned and how history is taught now.

Why is it that we learned about things differently in the past? Was there anything we were incorrect about? What implications does this have for learning history?

Tenacity

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.

Mythology

Examine mythology and folklore of various ancient religions. Identify the morals of various stories, dissecting why these stories were written and the goals the authors had for their work.

Art and Emotion

Emotions have a physical connection to how we present ourselves through body language. And of course, humans have also perceived emotion through art for thousands of years. Look at how artists present different forms of emotion through art, both through drawing and music, then have students present an emotion artistically.

How can we realistically feed the world?

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?

Hostile Architecture

Examine ways in which hostile architecture is harmful to everyone based on where you live. In many cases, this would be a local metro area with a larger population.

Climate Change "Trolley Problems"

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?

Artistic Judgment

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.

Analyzing World Hunger

Analyze charts and other data to recognize how we can go about feeding the world by 2050 (as our population exponentially increases). Think about what steps young people can take to ensure that these changes happen.

The "Dark Ages"

The Golden Age of Islam was in the same time period as the “Dark Ages”, yet when many refer to this era of history…the Dark Ages is the universal term. Explore why this may be the case and introduce students to ideas of historiography.

Sound Waves

Learn about how sound waves connect to pitch, volume, tempo, and rhythm, noticing how the creation and manipulation of sound is heavily connected to frequency. By understanding sound waves, we can create music that goes beyond traditional sounds (e.g. through digital manipulation).

Art and Death

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.

AI & Mathematics

How can artificial intelligence be used to improve our understanding of mathematics?

One way AI can be used to improve our understanding of mathematics is by providing a way to visualize mathematical concepts. For example, consider the concept of a function. AI can be used to create a 3D graph of a function, which can help us to better understand how the function behaves. Additionally, AI can be used to create models of mathematical problems, which can help us to better understand the underlying principles at work.

Control and Social Media

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.

Counting "Right"

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?

Consider the Future

Consider the future. What will it hold? Is it a utopia? A dystopia? Not much different than today? Establish a writing prompt that highlights the daily life of those 500, 1000, or 5000 years in the future. Consider the scientific advancements and how this would impact how people live.

Cost-Benefit Improvements

Highlight an issue in your community, such as funding parks or fixing potholes. Using local news sources, have students conduct a cost-benefit analysis of incorporating these ideas. This can consist of financial data, but also data on how these improvements affect elements of community life.

Credability

Use the Credibility Game as a starting point or design your own quiz game to help students understand and evaluate reliable, credible sources.

Examining Death

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?

Analyzing Rap

Music, rhythm, math, and lyricism are all intrinsically connected. Learn about how lyric-based music, especially rap and hip hop, utilize language to convey meaning and messaging, all-the-while adhering to strict rules about rhythm (and therefore, math)!

Arcology

Arcology is a future-driven building initiative to create self-sustaining communities, usually in the form of large, multi-faceted skyscrapers. Check out this link which provides information about the practice. What stands out to students? Is this a viable practice? What would be the alternatives?

Voting Age

In many countries around the world the minimum voting age is between 16-18. But is that minimum voting age fair, should it be raised or lowered? What are the arguments for or against raising or lowering the minimum voting age? What would be the benefits or the costs? What about society would look different as a result?

Outside the "Timeline"

Learn about major historical events that occur in another country that are rarely, if ever, spoken about in your country’s curriculum. Consider if these historical events matter to you, and if the historical events of your country would impact them.

Addressing World Hunger

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.

Community Mapping | Green Space

Having access to quality green spaces ensures that community members have healthier, more desirable places to live. Make a map of your community that highlights all of the areas that could be renovated, demolished, or rezoned for green space. Consider the impact on the community (including the areas that you’re changing), and whether or not these green spaces are worthwhile. Present this to local stakeholders.

Experimental Design

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.

Job Fair

Reach out to local businesses and establish a school “job fair”, where learners practice job interview schools with interested companies.

Art and Sustainability

Read about the various ways that artists are connecting with the food sustainability movement to promote just causes. Brainstorm how your community could convey the need for sustainable practices through an art project.