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Journey in Time: Campaigns

We The People, Stories and Perspectives

Journey in Time: Campaigns

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Students read, analyze, and discuss news reports from the same event—the New Hampshire primary—for 4 different presidential campaigns.

Discover Activity

Modern Manufacturing Quiz

Future Ready: Learning and Earning, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Modern Manufacturing Quiz

After-School All-Stars

6 - 8

5 Minutes

Take the Discovery Education: Modern Manufacturing online quiz to continue exploring Advanced Manufacturing and Automation and how it impacts daily life.

Discover Activity

What Is Opportunity Cost?

Future Ready: Learning and Earning, We The People

What Is Opportunity Cost?

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

This activity explores the concept of opportunity cost in the context of choosing a summer job. Students discuss the opportunity costs of making a decision in a fictional scenario and watch a video that explains the basic concepts of opportunity costs. They then break into small groups and identify the opportunity costs of different summer job opportunities. They wrap up the activity with a group discussion about opportunity costs.

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Create Your Life Vision

Belonging and Community, Stories and Perspectives

Create Your Life Vision

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

A vision board or poster can help people visualize what their ideal life would look like, which is considered an essential goal-setting step in finding true success. Students form a deeper understanding of their needs for a balanced, happy, and healthy life.

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Public Speaking: Wrap it Up

Stories and Perspectives, Digital Voices

Public Speaking: Wrap it Up

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students compete to make the most engaging summary, or wrap-up, for a presentation.

Discover Activity

Checking out Nutrition Labels

Whole Body, Whole Self, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Checking out Nutrition Labels

Mizzen Education, Inc.

3 - 5

45 Minutes

The government regulates nutrition labels to inform consumers about the content of processed foods. This activity helps students analyze the information in these labels. Students work in small groups to calculate and visualize the amount of sugar in common processed foods and beverages.

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Engineering an Upgrade (Grades 6-8)

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, Future Ready: Learning and Earning

Engineering an Upgrade (Grades 6-8)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Student teams work together to improve an existing product and then present their ideas to the group. This activity builds analytical thinking and cooperative learning skills while developing speaking and listening skills.

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Visualizing the Legacy of Slavery: Gallery Walk and Quote Museum

We The People, Stories and Perspectives

Visualizing the Legacy of Slavery: Gallery Walk and Quote Museum

Pulitzer Center

6 - 12

45 Minutes

Students will learn about the ways in which slavery’s legacy persists in U.S. systems and society by examining images and text in an engaging gallery walk activity. They will also practice visually communicating tone and information to others by creating a group “quote museum.”

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Banner Design

Arts in Action, We The People

Banner Design

Mizzen Education, Inc.

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students use design elements and principles to create a banner that celebrates an invention or displays a well-liked quotation or saying.

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Persistence Stories

Future Ready: Learning and Earning, Stories and Perspectives

Persistence Stories

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Students read and report on stories of persistence paying off in business and discuss characteristics of and similarities across the stories and how they might use them in their own lives.

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Be a Sales Representative (Grades 3-5)

Future Ready: Learning and Earning, Stories and Perspectives

Be a Sales Representative (Grades 3-5)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Successful sales representatives know all of the advantages and disadvantages of their products and how their product compares with the competition. In this activity, students act as sales representatives for brands of sneakers. They deliver sales pitches that portray their products as attractively as possible to potential customers.

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Evaluate a Business Idea (Grades 6-8)

Future Ready: Learning and Earning, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Evaluate a Business Idea (Grades 6-8)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Entrepreneurs evaluate their business plans to make sure that they are devoting their time wisely and investing their money wisely as well. In many cases, seeking other people's opinions about their plans is a smart decision. These opinions might identify opportunities or drawbacks the entrepreneur had not considered. In today's activity, students will learn about several start-up ideas from their peers. Finally, they will conduct SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analyses about the business ideas and then apply the technique to evaluate their ideas.

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Your Career

Future Ready: Learning and Earning, Stories and Perspectives

Your Career

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Today, career choices may be more diverse and numerous than ever before. Advances in technology are constantly making career options more complex, as they may lead to new careers while decreasing the demand for older careers. As a result, many adults will take on several careers during their lives—in some cases, simultaneously! In this activity, students research and report on various careers that they may find interesting, rewarding, and appealing.

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Drawing a New Invention (Grades 6-8)

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, Arts in Action

Drawing a New Invention (Grades 6-8)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students brainstorm an invention that can be used in everyday life. They make a detailed drawing of their invention, including labels and descriptions, and then share their invention idea with the group.

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Planet Mooz Diner

Arts in Action, Leadership and Teamwork

Planet Mooz Diner

VentureLab

K - 2

1 Hour

Students create a name and menu for a diner on a strange, newly discovered planet called Mooz. Watch out, though! Moozians eat very different things than we do on planet Earth, so students will need to use their creativity to put together a stellar menu. After creating the menu, students will create play food and try each other's "food" out as customers at their diners. This engaging activity allows students to explore their creativity in a meaningful way, as they get a chance to create new menu items, invent a diner name, and showcase their work to their peers while role-playing.

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Mixed-Up Sentences

Stories and Perspectives, Digital Voices

Mixed-Up Sentences

Mizzen Education, Inc.

3 - 5

45 Minutes

In this activity, students work in pairs to determine and construct sentences from a series of words. Then, students reconvene as a whole group for discussion.

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Does the Current Climate Change Pose a Threat to Humans?

The Natural World, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Does the Current Climate Change Pose a Threat to Humans?

The Nature Conservancy

9 - 12

1 Hour

Students research trends within a state’s climate and determine how those trends will impact humans.

Discover Activity

What’s an Adaptation?

The Natural World, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

What’s an Adaptation?

National Wildlife Federation

K - 8

50 Minutes

An adaptation is any trait that helps an animal or plant survive in its habitat. Adaptations are helpful only in the habitat for which an animal is adapted. A freshwater newt, used to living in or near water, wouldn’t survive long in the desert.

Diet, behavior, physical anatomy, and even physiology (internal mechanisms), are ways animals adapt to their surroundings. Many living things have evolved unique ways of dealing with the problems of survival. An animal’s adaptations develop over a very long time and can pass to their children, such as an eagle’s keen sense of sight or a hummingbird’s long beak

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The Blues: Lyrics & Chords

Arts in Action, Stories and Perspectives

The Blues: Lyrics & Chords

Jazz at Lincoln Center

3 - 8

2 Hours

Students create lyrics and a blues-inspired comic strip by expressing the sounds and associated feelings of major, minor, and blues chords. Students learn that the blues not only have a characteristic lyrical style, but also use specific musical structures to convey meaning; the blended major and minor chord progressions used by blues musicians are recognizable to audiences and can be duplicated by other musicians.

Discover Activity

What Can You Hear?

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, The Natural World

What Can You Hear?

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

In this activity, students conduct tests of their hearing. First, groups conduct a simple test to check the upper range of their hearing. Then, individuals conduct a second test to identify their complete hearing range. Students then compare and graph the results for their group. Finally, they have the option to conduct additional tests to find out more about their hearing. This activity builds understanding of how the ear works and the frequencies at which humans can hear.

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Preparing for an Interview

Stories and Perspectives, Digital Voices

Preparing for an Interview

PBS

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Visualizing success! Discover the power of mental preparation for interviews. Learn how to align your questions with your story angle for interviews that shine.

This is lesson 9 in “Building a News Hour,” the second module from PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs’ module series.

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Number Line Run

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, Leadership and Teamwork

Number Line Run

PowerUp Fitness

K - 5

10 Minutes

PowerUp Number Line Skills - problem solve across the number line with this math and movement game.

Discover Activity

What Is a Digital Footprint?

Digital Voices, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

What Is a Digital Footprint?

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students create a visual record of their recent online activity to help them see actions that are forming their permanent digital footprints.

Discover Activity

Can You Guess This Fictional Character?

Stories and Perspectives, Digital Voices

Can You Guess This Fictional Character?

Mizzen Education, Inc.

K - 2

45 Minutes

In this activity, children try to guess a fictional character by listening to a description by another child. One child randomly picks a slip with a character's name. That child then describes the character without using their name while the group tries to guess who it is. After everyone has a turn, the group reconvenes for discussion.

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How Well Can You See?

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, The Natural World

How Well Can You See?

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

In this activity, students conduct several eye tests. First, groups conduct a simple test to check their visual acuity. Then individuals conduct several online tests. Each person conducts the test twice under different conditions to compare the results. This activity builds understanding of how vision tests work and the differences in how people see.

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What Is Media? (Grades 9-12)

Digital Voices, Stories and Perspectives

What Is Media? (Grades 9-12)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

In this activity, students will explore the many different types of media. They will begin by defining media and identifying specific categories, including print, digital, broadcast, social, audio, and visual. Students will then break into teams and brainstorm examples of the media they use and observe in their daily lives. They will discuss how media influences them, their community, and society in general. Each team will then create a brief presentation to share their ideas and findings with the group.

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Body Percussion

Leadership and Teamwork, Arts in Action

Body Percussion

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Students stand in a circle and practice making different percussive sounds, starting with hand-clapping and finger-snapping. Next, they move on to using combinations of multiple parts of the body. Then students work in small groups to prepare short percussive pieces to perform for the whole group.

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Stories of Resistance: Queen Njinga, Elizabeth Freeman, and Today

We The People, Belonging and Community

Stories of Resistance: Queen Njinga, Elizabeth Freeman, and Today

Pulitzer Center

K - 8

1 Hour

In this activity, students explore different ways resistance can look through the stories of Queen Njinga and Elizabeth Freeman. Then, they will analyze text and multimedia to inform a written reflection and group discussion about the legacy of Black resistance and how we can resist injustice.

An optional extension activity guides students in completing a research project on Black leaders resisting injustice throughout history.

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Blanket Toss (Team Building) Game

Leadership and Teamwork, Belonging and Community

Blanket Toss (Team Building) Game

!Mpact Players

3 - 12

15 Minutes

Heave piles of stuffed animals across the room from one sheet to another!

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Teens Curate Teens: Opening the Exhibition

Arts in Action, Stories and Perspectives

Teens Curate Teens: Opening the Exhibition

ArtsConnection

9 - 12

1 Hour 30 Minutes

It's the exhibition opening! Teen curators work as a collective team to design, plan, install, and host an art event featuring artwork by teens open to the public. Students prepare for the opening and dates of the exhibition.

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Farm to Table 3: Prototype Build

Arts in Action, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Farm to Table 3: Prototype Build

OregonASK

6 - 8

45 Minutes

In this activity, students build the kitchen/farm inventions they created.

This is part 3 of 6 in a series. Start this series with “Farm to Table 1: Prototype Brainstorm” and “Farm to Table 2: Prototype Selection.” To take learning further after this activity, proceed to “Farm to Table 4: Prototype Test & Modify,” “Farm to Table 5: Prototype Naming” and Farm to Table 6: Prototype Share”

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Area Dice

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, Stories and Perspectives

Area Dice

After-School All-Stars

6 - 12

15 Minutes

Students practice multiplication and visualizing area spaces with this fun math game.

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S.INQ Sound: Sound Travels

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, The Natural World

S.INQ Sound: Sound Travels

OregonASK

K - 5

30 Minutes

In this lesson, students will use a tuning fork and place it on different objects in order to find out through which material sound travels best, and through which material sound doesn’t travel well. These experiments in sound conductivity will help them visualize sound as a wave that travels through matter as a vibration.

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Interview Setup Evaluation Checklist

Digital Voices, Stories and Perspectives

Interview Setup Evaluation Checklist

PBS

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Picture this: You're setting up for an important interview. The ambiance, the lighting, the background - they all play pivotal roles. But how do you ensure your interview set is perfect for your journalistic masterpiece? That's where an Evaluation Checklist comes in! Students work in teams and as a class to craft an Evaluation Checklist.

This is lesson 23 of PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs' second module, Building a News Hour.

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A Logo for You

Arts in Action, Future Ready: Learning and Earning

A Logo for You

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Today, logos help define all sorts of organizations, including commercial products, large businesses, schools, and government organizations. In this activity, students explore the kind of logo that they would present to the world, either to represent themselves as individuals or for a business they would run.

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Acoustic Experiment

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, Arts in Action

Acoustic Experiment

Jazz at Lincoln Center

3 - 8

2 Hours

Students learn the basic components of acoustics. They use this knowledge to build a model performance space.

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Carbon Cycle Role-Play

The Natural World, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Carbon Cycle Role-Play

California Academy of Sciences

3 - 12

45 Minutes

How does the finite amount of carbon on this planet move around in the environment, from one place to another? How do the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere interact? In this active demonstration, students model the carbon cycle, and consider ways in which human actions play a role.

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Guess the Function

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, The Natural World

Guess the Function

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Math students often struggle to understand the concept of a function and to use function notation. In this activity, students are introduced to functions by playing a simple guessing game, generating functions of their own, and interpreting the functions of others.

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Cell Phone Policy: Keep or Change?

Belonging and Community, Stories and Perspectives

Cell Phone Policy: Keep or Change?

Mizzen Education, Inc.

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students debate whether their school’s cell phone policy is too strict or appropriate. After discussing the issue in groups, students write letters to their teachers or school administrators to communicate their recommendations.

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What Is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization? (Grades 3-5)

We The People, Stories and Perspectives

What Is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization? (Grades 3-5)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students explore how countries settle disputes and why they might form alliances. After learning some basic information about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), students color a map of Europe to identify all the current NATO members. They wrap up the activity with a discussion about NATO members and the benefits of joining an alliance.

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Does Social Media Contribute to Stress? (Grades 6-8)

Digital Voices, Belonging and Community

Does Social Media Contribute to Stress? (Grades 6-8)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students learn to recognize different ways that social media can be a stressful experience and discuss ways of handling or responding to that stress.

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The Spelling Web (Grades 3-5)

Stories and Perspectives

The Spelling Web (Grades 3-5)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students compete to spell words by connecting the letters in a web and then create spelling webs of their own.

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Finding the Fast Food Facts: Researching the Nutritional Value of Fast Food

Whole Body, Whole Self, The Natural World

Finding the Fast Food Facts: Researching the Nutritional Value of Fast Food

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Fast food often provides a quick and inexpensive option for a meal, but may have detrimental health effects. In this activity students work in small groups to research the nutritional value of a meal from a fast food restaurant. They also explore the daily requirements for calories, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates, sugar, and sodium and the risks associated with consuming too much of any one category. They wrap up the activity with a discussion on what they have learned and how it might influence their future fast food orders.

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Be an Assignment Editor: Design Your News Hour Main Stage

Digital Voices, Arts in Action

Be an Assignment Editor: Design Your News Hour Main Stage

PBS

3 - 5

30 Minutes

Lights, camera, design! In this lesson, budding news show creators become stage designers. They craft the perfect main stage that looks amazing and reflects a show's theme and brand.

This is the culminating lesson in SRL’s module From Concept to Screen: Building Your News Hour. Students must complete the previous 20 lessons before attempting this activity. This module is followed by a second that deepens student knowledge and skills.

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Functional Fitness Week 9: Day 2

Whole Body, Whole Self, Leadership and Teamwork

Functional Fitness Week 9: Day 2

Active Kids and Minds

K - 8

40 Minutes

Continue building week 9 skill of the week: Walking Lunges. In this activity, students pair-up for exercise stations and a game of Down, Down, Down. Then, they learn evaluate which fats should be consumed often, sometimes, or once in a while.


This activity is part of the Active Kids and Minds Functional Fitness 12-week program. If you are new to the program, visit the Active Kids and Minds Functional Fitness: Weeks 1-4 Collection before getting started.

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Gallery Walk (Grades 6-8)

Arts in Action, Belonging and Community

Gallery Walk (Grades 6-8)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students look at a virtual art gallery from the Children’s Museum of Art called “Home Sweet Home” and describe what they see through sketching, writing, discussion, and art creation. These works are diverse, and each student can find something to talk about.

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Water Quality Testing

The Natural World, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Water Quality Testing

City Parks Foundation

6 - 8

1 Hour 10 Minutes

Understanding whether water is clean or polluted requires more than just what the naked eye can see and therefore gives educators like you the opportunity to dive into chemistry with students!


In this lesson students will learn about the way pollutants are introduced into the water cycle and how these pollutants can impact ecosystems and human health. They will then learn how to perform water quality testing on several water samples, identifying the sources of contamination. Students will also learn how green space, specifically street trees in urban areas can be used to reduce contamination events in local ecosystems.


This is activity 2 of 3 in the "Sustainable Cities" module from City Parks Foundation.

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Rhyme in Super-Quick Time

Stories and Perspectives, Arts in Action

Rhyme in Super-Quick Time

Foundations, Inc.

K - 5

20 Minutes

This game practices rhyming and is excellent for pre-school and younger elementary age kids as well as English Language Learners (ELLs). Rhyming is a great way to help children and youth develop vocabulary, pronunciation, and listening skills.

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Planning a Studio Set

Digital Voices, Stories and Perspectives

Planning a Studio Set

PBS

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Welcome to the creative world of set design for news shows! Students design an engaging and relevant interview set.

This is lesson 20 in “Building a News Hour,” the second module from PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs’ module series.

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Hidden Costs of Consumer Goods

Future Ready: Learning and Earning, We The People

Hidden Costs of Consumer Goods

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

When a gallon of gasoline is purchased at the pump, the price does not include the cost of the pollution that the gasoline will release or the pollution involved in its product. In this activity, students analyze the hidden costs of a wide variety of products.

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Respect and Learn from Others (Grades 9-12)

Belonging and Community, Stories and Perspectives

Respect and Learn from Others (Grades 9-12)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Students learn about tolerance by learning about their peers and recognizing and appreciating their similarities and differences. This activity builds communication and listening skills and helps students learn to respect one another’s strengths, interests, and perspectives.

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Make an Eclipse Viewer

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, The Natural World

Make an Eclipse Viewer

NASA

3 - 12

45 Minutes

Students create a simple pinhole projector. Also, students have the opportunity to test their projectors and view the sun safely!

Discover Activity

Electric Cars

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, We The People

Electric Cars

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students read about the benefits and drawbacks of electric vehicles, and they consider ideas for developing these vehicles in the future. They discuss the facts and opinions about electric vehicles, and make recommendations for the future.

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Stories from Photos (Grades 6-8)

Stories and Perspectives, Arts in Action

Stories from Photos (Grades 6-8)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students use photos as prompts to create characters and write a story (or the beginning of a story). This engaging activity promotes creativity and teaches writing skills.

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Free Speech and Social Media

Digital Voices, We The People

Free Speech and Social Media

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Students explore how freedom of speech applies to the internet and online interaction on social media platforms. They work in teams to analyze the content policies of different social media platforms, and then discuss the types of online content (if any) that should be restricted or regulated.

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Modeling How the Heart Works

The Natural World, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Modeling How the Heart Works

Mizzen Education, Inc.

3 - 5

45 Minutes

In this activity, students use paper cups and coffee stirrers to model a human heart. They use the models to examine how the heart pumps blood. This activity builds an understanding of the structure and function of the heart muscle.

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A News Show Structure: Run-of-Shows

Digital Voices, Stories and Perspectives

A News Show Structure: Run-of-Shows

PBS

3 - 5

30 Minutes

Calling all future news show producers! Dive into our dynamic lesson, where students become the architects of a 60-minute news show. They'll learn the art of story organization and create their run-of-show.

This activity can be completed as a standalone lesson. It is, however, best completed as part of SRL’s The News Show Structure. This series is also the second section of SRL’s First Module From Concept to Screen: Building Your News Hour. The module is broken into three sections. The first two contain lessons that can be completed as standalone activities or as part of a series. All three sections converge to provide a powerful and fun introduction to producing and hosting news shows. The module is followed by a second that deepens student knowledge and skills.

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Habitat Planning

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, The Natural World

Habitat Planning

NASA

3 - 8

45 Minutes

Students think about and discuss the basic needs and activities that astronauts might partake in while living on the moon, and draw a habitat that can accommodate those activities.

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The Marshmallow Challenge

Arts in Action, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

The Marshmallow Challenge

VentureLab

6 - 12

45 Minutes

Students work in teams to complete a challenge to build the tallest free-standing structure out of dry spaghetti noodles that also supports the weight of a regular-sized marshmallow. Along the way, teams will be asked to reflect on what they've been doing and how they're feeling as they experience what it means to have an entrepreneurial mindset. It will also help students start building some key entrepreneurial skills including creativity, team work, and prototyping.

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Guess the Photo (Grades 9-12)

Digital Voices, Arts in Action

Guess the Photo (Grades 9-12)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Students take close-up photographs of familiar objects and then guess what each photo shows. This activity helps students develop new perspectives on the world around them.

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Protest Songs: Sounds of Resistance

We The People, Stories and Perspectives

Protest Songs: Sounds of Resistance

Pulitzer Center

K - 8

2 Hours

In this two-part activity, students learn about the history of American protest songs and explore how Black Americans have utilized music to resist injustices and empower and uplift themselves.

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The Lindy Hop

Arts in Action, Leadership and Teamwork

The Lindy Hop

Jazz at Lincoln Center

3 - 8

1 Hour

Students learn four basic, Lindy Hop steps through an instructional video. Then as a group, students add their own twists on this classic dance.

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Raccoons

The Natural World, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Raccoons

National Wildlife Federation

K - 8

50 Minutes

Raccoons live throughout the continental United States in woods, wetlands, suburbs, parks, cities, and anywhere there is cover, food, and water. Predators of raccoons include the coyote, fisher, bobcat, red fox, and great horned owl.

Raccoons are omnivores, meaning they will eat both meat and vegetables. They like grasshoppers, nuts, berries, mice, squirrels, and bird eggs. They are nocturnal and search for food at night. Raccoons are opportunistic feeders and are well known by people for their skillful attempts at stealing food from garbage cans in parks and neighborhoods.

Raccoons can get food that other animals cannot because they have nimble, almost hand-like paws that can grasp tree branches, nuts, fruits, and even the lids of garbage cans.

Raccoons are solitary, except during the breeding season, which occurs from January to June. Females usually have one litter a year, with three to seven offspring per litter.

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Pantomime (Grades K-2)

Arts in Action, Belonging and Community

Pantomime (Grades K-2)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

K - 2

45 Minutes

Children will plan and pantomime a scene to act out, involving preparing favorite foods.

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The Monarch Butterfly

The Natural World, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

The Monarch Butterfly

National Wildlife Federation

3 - 8

50 Minutes

The large and brilliantly-colored monarch butterfly is among the most easily recognizable butterfly species that call North America home. Monarch butterflies are found across North America wherever their habitat’s needs are being met. They are broken into two populations separated by the Rocky Mountains, called the eastern and western populations.

Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed. As caterpillars, monarchs feed exclusively on the leaves of milkweed, wildflowers in the genus Asclepias. North America has several dozen native milkweed species with which monarchs coevolved and upon which they rely to complete their life cycle.

The monarch migration is one of the greatest phenomena in the natural world. Monarchs know the correct direction to migrate even though the individuals that migrate have never made the journey before. They follow an internal “compass” that points them in the right direction each spring and fall. A single monarch can travel hundreds or even thousands of miles.

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Making Costumes for Characters from Books

Arts in Action, Stories and Perspectives

Making Costumes for Characters from Books

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Fiction and fashion unite in this fun activity. Students design and draw a costume for a favorite character from a book or story and for use in a scene from the book or an imagined event.

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Chemical Element Family Feud

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, The Natural World

Chemical Element Family Feud

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

It’s the alkaline earth metals vs. the halogens in Chemical Element Family Feud. In this engaging and educational activity, students act as contestants, announcers, and even the scoreboard of the famous television game show, but with the twist that the subject is the periodic table. Make sure that someone records the activity because it will be a hit with school science teachers.

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NBA Math Hoops Lesson 10: NBA Math Hoops Championship Week

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, Leadership and Teamwork

NBA Math Hoops Lesson 10: NBA Math Hoops Championship Week

Learn Fresh

3 - 8

50 Minutes

In this activity, students collaborate to build a tournament bracket for the in-class NBA Math Hoops Championship. Along the way, they develop an understanding of how math contributes to the development of sports tournaments.

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The Angle

Stories and Perspectives, Digital Voices

The Angle

PBS

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Let's continue our news adventure! In today's mission, students dive deep into story angles, identifying the right approach to reporting on the first cellphone call.

This is lesson 5 in “Building a News Hour,” the second module from PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs’ module series.

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Which Website Is a Good Source of Information? (Grades 6-8)

Digital Voices, Stories and Perspectives

Which Website Is a Good Source of Information? (Grades 6-8)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

When students conduct research online, they easily can feel overwhelmed by the huge number of websites dedicated to a certain subject or that provide tangential but still useful information. But there is 1 rule of thumb: not all information is good information. In this activity, students learn how to identify and evaluate websites in order to determine if they are reliable tools for research.

Discover Activity

Wacky Inventions

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, Leadership and Teamwork

Wacky Inventions

VentureLab

6 - 12

45 Minutes

Students use a playful frame of mind to explore objects and ideas to help them become inventors.

Discover Activity

Spelling Bee (Grades K-2)

Stories and Perspectives, Arts in Action

Spelling Bee (Grades K-2)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

K - 2

45 Minutes

This activity provides a fun alternative to the traditional spelling bee. Children take turns spelling a word letter by letter, involving an element of chance. Play the game to build interest in spelling practice!

Discover Activity

Straw Bridge Design Challenge

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, The Natural World

Straw Bridge Design Challenge

OregonASK

6 - 8

1 Hour

Students work in teams as engineers to create their own straw bridges! By using only plastic straws and tape, students work together to see how many marbles their bridge can hold.

Discover Activity

Chill or Grill

Future Ready: Learning and Earning, Leadership and Teamwork

Chill or Grill

Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship

6 - 12

1 Hour 40 Minutes

As an engaging way to introduce students to NFTE’s entrepreneurial mindset domains, students will either complete an interactive digital module or engage in an investigation to make rapid-fire decisions pertaining to a new restaurant opening.

This lesson plan is written around the completion of a hands-on activity, but you can replace or supplement this activity with a couple of digital interactives. See the Modifications section at the end of this lesson plan for more details.

Discover Activity

Grow Where You’re Planted: Understanding Plant Hardiness Zones

The Natural World, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Grow Where You’re Planted: Understanding Plant Hardiness Zones

Farm to Table Kids

3 - 8

1 Hour 5 Minutes

Every region has its own unique climate, and not all plants can grow everywhere! In this activity, students will use the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map to identify their zone and determine which plants thrive where they live. By exploring plant cards, categorizing crops, and creating personalized garden plans, students will understand why it’s essential to “grow where you’re planted.”

This activity is 1 of 4 in the "Things to Know Before You Grow" module from Farm to Table Kids. Visit the module to view the full set of learning resource and learn more about Part 2 of the module series, "How to Grow Dahlias."

Discover Activity

Journey in Time: Campaigns

We The People, Stories and Perspectives

Journey in Time: Campaigns

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Students read, analyze, and discuss news reports from the same event—the New Hampshire primary—for 4 different presidential campaigns.

Discover Activity

Modern Manufacturing Quiz

Future Ready: Learning and Earning, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Modern Manufacturing Quiz

After-School All-Stars

6 - 8

5 Minutes

Take the Discovery Education: Modern Manufacturing online quiz to continue exploring Advanced Manufacturing and Automation and how it impacts daily life.

Discover Activity

What Is Opportunity Cost?

Future Ready: Learning and Earning, We The People

What Is Opportunity Cost?

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

This activity explores the concept of opportunity cost in the context of choosing a summer job. Students discuss the opportunity costs of making a decision in a fictional scenario and watch a video that explains the basic concepts of opportunity costs. They then break into small groups and identify the opportunity costs of different summer job opportunities. They wrap up the activity with a group discussion about opportunity costs.

Discover Activity

Create Your Life Vision

Belonging and Community, Stories and Perspectives

Create Your Life Vision

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

A vision board or poster can help people visualize what their ideal life would look like, which is considered an essential goal-setting step in finding true success. Students form a deeper understanding of their needs for a balanced, happy, and healthy life.

Discover Activity

Public Speaking: Wrap it Up

Stories and Perspectives, Digital Voices

Public Speaking: Wrap it Up

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students compete to make the most engaging summary, or wrap-up, for a presentation.

Discover Activity

Checking out Nutrition Labels

Whole Body, Whole Self, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Checking out Nutrition Labels

Mizzen Education, Inc.

3 - 5

45 Minutes

The government regulates nutrition labels to inform consumers about the content of processed foods. This activity helps students analyze the information in these labels. Students work in small groups to calculate and visualize the amount of sugar in common processed foods and beverages.

Discover Activity

Engineering an Upgrade (Grades 6-8)

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, Future Ready: Learning and Earning

Engineering an Upgrade (Grades 6-8)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Student teams work together to improve an existing product and then present their ideas to the group. This activity builds analytical thinking and cooperative learning skills while developing speaking and listening skills.

Discover Activity

Visualizing the Legacy of Slavery: Gallery Walk and Quote Museum

We The People, Stories and Perspectives

Visualizing the Legacy of Slavery: Gallery Walk and Quote Museum

Pulitzer Center

6 - 12

45 Minutes

Students will learn about the ways in which slavery’s legacy persists in U.S. systems and society by examining images and text in an engaging gallery walk activity. They will also practice visually communicating tone and information to others by creating a group “quote museum.”

Discover Activity

Banner Design

Arts in Action, We The People

Banner Design

Mizzen Education, Inc.

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students use design elements and principles to create a banner that celebrates an invention or displays a well-liked quotation or saying.

Discover Activity

Persistence Stories

Future Ready: Learning and Earning, Stories and Perspectives

Persistence Stories

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Students read and report on stories of persistence paying off in business and discuss characteristics of and similarities across the stories and how they might use them in their own lives.

Discover Activity

Be a Sales Representative (Grades 3-5)

Future Ready: Learning and Earning, Stories and Perspectives

Be a Sales Representative (Grades 3-5)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Successful sales representatives know all of the advantages and disadvantages of their products and how their product compares with the competition. In this activity, students act as sales representatives for brands of sneakers. They deliver sales pitches that portray their products as attractively as possible to potential customers.

Discover Activity

Evaluate a Business Idea (Grades 6-8)

Future Ready: Learning and Earning, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Evaluate a Business Idea (Grades 6-8)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Entrepreneurs evaluate their business plans to make sure that they are devoting their time wisely and investing their money wisely as well. In many cases, seeking other people's opinions about their plans is a smart decision. These opinions might identify opportunities or drawbacks the entrepreneur had not considered. In today's activity, students will learn about several start-up ideas from their peers. Finally, they will conduct SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analyses about the business ideas and then apply the technique to evaluate their ideas.

Discover Activity

Your Career

Future Ready: Learning and Earning, Stories and Perspectives

Your Career

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Today, career choices may be more diverse and numerous than ever before. Advances in technology are constantly making career options more complex, as they may lead to new careers while decreasing the demand for older careers. As a result, many adults will take on several careers during their lives—in some cases, simultaneously! In this activity, students research and report on various careers that they may find interesting, rewarding, and appealing.

Discover Activity

Drawing a New Invention (Grades 6-8)

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, Arts in Action

Drawing a New Invention (Grades 6-8)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students brainstorm an invention that can be used in everyday life. They make a detailed drawing of their invention, including labels and descriptions, and then share their invention idea with the group.

Discover Activity

Planet Mooz Diner

Arts in Action, Leadership and Teamwork

Planet Mooz Diner

VentureLab

K - 2

1 Hour

Students create a name and menu for a diner on a strange, newly discovered planet called Mooz. Watch out, though! Moozians eat very different things than we do on planet Earth, so students will need to use their creativity to put together a stellar menu. After creating the menu, students will create play food and try each other's "food" out as customers at their diners. This engaging activity allows students to explore their creativity in a meaningful way, as they get a chance to create new menu items, invent a diner name, and showcase their work to their peers while role-playing.

Discover Activity

Mixed-Up Sentences

Stories and Perspectives, Digital Voices

Mixed-Up Sentences

Mizzen Education, Inc.

3 - 5

45 Minutes

In this activity, students work in pairs to determine and construct sentences from a series of words. Then, students reconvene as a whole group for discussion.

Discover Activity

Does the Current Climate Change Pose a Threat to Humans?

The Natural World, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Does the Current Climate Change Pose a Threat to Humans?

The Nature Conservancy

9 - 12

1 Hour

Students research trends within a state’s climate and determine how those trends will impact humans.

Discover Activity

What’s an Adaptation?

The Natural World, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

What’s an Adaptation?

National Wildlife Federation

K - 8

50 Minutes

An adaptation is any trait that helps an animal or plant survive in its habitat. Adaptations are helpful only in the habitat for which an animal is adapted. A freshwater newt, used to living in or near water, wouldn’t survive long in the desert.

Diet, behavior, physical anatomy, and even physiology (internal mechanisms), are ways animals adapt to their surroundings. Many living things have evolved unique ways of dealing with the problems of survival. An animal’s adaptations develop over a very long time and can pass to their children, such as an eagle’s keen sense of sight or a hummingbird’s long beak

Discover Activity

The Blues: Lyrics & Chords

Arts in Action, Stories and Perspectives

The Blues: Lyrics & Chords

Jazz at Lincoln Center

3 - 8

2 Hours

Students create lyrics and a blues-inspired comic strip by expressing the sounds and associated feelings of major, minor, and blues chords. Students learn that the blues not only have a characteristic lyrical style, but also use specific musical structures to convey meaning; the blended major and minor chord progressions used by blues musicians are recognizable to audiences and can be duplicated by other musicians.

Discover Activity

What Can You Hear?

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, The Natural World

What Can You Hear?

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

In this activity, students conduct tests of their hearing. First, groups conduct a simple test to check the upper range of their hearing. Then, individuals conduct a second test to identify their complete hearing range. Students then compare and graph the results for their group. Finally, they have the option to conduct additional tests to find out more about their hearing. This activity builds understanding of how the ear works and the frequencies at which humans can hear.

Discover Activity

Preparing for an Interview

Stories and Perspectives, Digital Voices

Preparing for an Interview

PBS

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Visualizing success! Discover the power of mental preparation for interviews. Learn how to align your questions with your story angle for interviews that shine.

This is lesson 9 in “Building a News Hour,” the second module from PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs’ module series.

Discover Activity

Number Line Run

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, Leadership and Teamwork

Number Line Run

PowerUp Fitness

K - 5

10 Minutes

PowerUp Number Line Skills - problem solve across the number line with this math and movement game.

Discover Activity

What Is a Digital Footprint?

Digital Voices, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

What Is a Digital Footprint?

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students create a visual record of their recent online activity to help them see actions that are forming their permanent digital footprints.

Discover Activity

Can You Guess This Fictional Character?

Stories and Perspectives, Digital Voices

Can You Guess This Fictional Character?

Mizzen Education, Inc.

K - 2

45 Minutes

In this activity, children try to guess a fictional character by listening to a description by another child. One child randomly picks a slip with a character's name. That child then describes the character without using their name while the group tries to guess who it is. After everyone has a turn, the group reconvenes for discussion.

Discover Activity

How Well Can You See?

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, The Natural World

How Well Can You See?

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

In this activity, students conduct several eye tests. First, groups conduct a simple test to check their visual acuity. Then individuals conduct several online tests. Each person conducts the test twice under different conditions to compare the results. This activity builds understanding of how vision tests work and the differences in how people see.

Discover Activity

What Is Media? (Grades 9-12)

Digital Voices, Stories and Perspectives

What Is Media? (Grades 9-12)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

In this activity, students will explore the many different types of media. They will begin by defining media and identifying specific categories, including print, digital, broadcast, social, audio, and visual. Students will then break into teams and brainstorm examples of the media they use and observe in their daily lives. They will discuss how media influences them, their community, and society in general. Each team will then create a brief presentation to share their ideas and findings with the group.

Discover Activity

Body Percussion

Leadership and Teamwork, Arts in Action

Body Percussion

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Students stand in a circle and practice making different percussive sounds, starting with hand-clapping and finger-snapping. Next, they move on to using combinations of multiple parts of the body. Then students work in small groups to prepare short percussive pieces to perform for the whole group.

Discover Activity

Stories of Resistance: Queen Njinga, Elizabeth Freeman, and Today

We The People, Belonging and Community

Stories of Resistance: Queen Njinga, Elizabeth Freeman, and Today

Pulitzer Center

K - 8

1 Hour

In this activity, students explore different ways resistance can look through the stories of Queen Njinga and Elizabeth Freeman. Then, they will analyze text and multimedia to inform a written reflection and group discussion about the legacy of Black resistance and how we can resist injustice.

An optional extension activity guides students in completing a research project on Black leaders resisting injustice throughout history.

Discover Activity

Blanket Toss (Team Building) Game

Leadership and Teamwork, Belonging and Community

Blanket Toss (Team Building) Game

!Mpact Players

3 - 12

15 Minutes

Heave piles of stuffed animals across the room from one sheet to another!

Discover Activity

Teens Curate Teens: Opening the Exhibition

Arts in Action, Stories and Perspectives

Teens Curate Teens: Opening the Exhibition

ArtsConnection

9 - 12

1 Hour 30 Minutes

It's the exhibition opening! Teen curators work as a collective team to design, plan, install, and host an art event featuring artwork by teens open to the public. Students prepare for the opening and dates of the exhibition.

Discover Activity

Farm to Table 3: Prototype Build

Arts in Action, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Farm to Table 3: Prototype Build

OregonASK

6 - 8

45 Minutes

In this activity, students build the kitchen/farm inventions they created.

This is part 3 of 6 in a series. Start this series with “Farm to Table 1: Prototype Brainstorm” and “Farm to Table 2: Prototype Selection.” To take learning further after this activity, proceed to “Farm to Table 4: Prototype Test & Modify,” “Farm to Table 5: Prototype Naming” and Farm to Table 6: Prototype Share”

Discover Activity

Area Dice

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, Stories and Perspectives

Area Dice

After-School All-Stars

6 - 12

15 Minutes

Students practice multiplication and visualizing area spaces with this fun math game.

Discover Activity

S.INQ Sound: Sound Travels

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, The Natural World

S.INQ Sound: Sound Travels

OregonASK

K - 5

30 Minutes

In this lesson, students will use a tuning fork and place it on different objects in order to find out through which material sound travels best, and through which material sound doesn’t travel well. These experiments in sound conductivity will help them visualize sound as a wave that travels through matter as a vibration.

Discover Activity

Interview Setup Evaluation Checklist

Digital Voices, Stories and Perspectives

Interview Setup Evaluation Checklist

PBS

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Picture this: You're setting up for an important interview. The ambiance, the lighting, the background - they all play pivotal roles. But how do you ensure your interview set is perfect for your journalistic masterpiece? That's where an Evaluation Checklist comes in! Students work in teams and as a class to craft an Evaluation Checklist.

This is lesson 23 of PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs' second module, Building a News Hour.

Discover Activity

A Logo for You

Arts in Action, Future Ready: Learning and Earning

A Logo for You

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Today, logos help define all sorts of organizations, including commercial products, large businesses, schools, and government organizations. In this activity, students explore the kind of logo that they would present to the world, either to represent themselves as individuals or for a business they would run.

Discover Activity

Acoustic Experiment

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, Arts in Action

Acoustic Experiment

Jazz at Lincoln Center

3 - 8

2 Hours

Students learn the basic components of acoustics. They use this knowledge to build a model performance space.

Discover Activity

Carbon Cycle Role-Play

The Natural World, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Carbon Cycle Role-Play

California Academy of Sciences

3 - 12

45 Minutes

How does the finite amount of carbon on this planet move around in the environment, from one place to another? How do the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere interact? In this active demonstration, students model the carbon cycle, and consider ways in which human actions play a role.

Discover Activity

Guess the Function

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, The Natural World

Guess the Function

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Math students often struggle to understand the concept of a function and to use function notation. In this activity, students are introduced to functions by playing a simple guessing game, generating functions of their own, and interpreting the functions of others.

Discover Activity

Cell Phone Policy: Keep or Change?

Belonging and Community, Stories and Perspectives

Cell Phone Policy: Keep or Change?

Mizzen Education, Inc.

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students debate whether their school’s cell phone policy is too strict or appropriate. After discussing the issue in groups, students write letters to their teachers or school administrators to communicate their recommendations.

Discover Activity

What Is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization? (Grades 3-5)

We The People, Stories and Perspectives

What Is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization? (Grades 3-5)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students explore how countries settle disputes and why they might form alliances. After learning some basic information about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), students color a map of Europe to identify all the current NATO members. They wrap up the activity with a discussion about NATO members and the benefits of joining an alliance.

Discover Activity

Does Social Media Contribute to Stress? (Grades 6-8)

Digital Voices, Belonging and Community

Does Social Media Contribute to Stress? (Grades 6-8)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students learn to recognize different ways that social media can be a stressful experience and discuss ways of handling or responding to that stress.

Discover Activity

The Spelling Web (Grades 3-5)

Stories and Perspectives

The Spelling Web (Grades 3-5)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students compete to spell words by connecting the letters in a web and then create spelling webs of their own.

Discover Activity

Finding the Fast Food Facts: Researching the Nutritional Value of Fast Food

Whole Body, Whole Self, The Natural World

Finding the Fast Food Facts: Researching the Nutritional Value of Fast Food

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Fast food often provides a quick and inexpensive option for a meal, but may have detrimental health effects. In this activity students work in small groups to research the nutritional value of a meal from a fast food restaurant. They also explore the daily requirements for calories, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates, sugar, and sodium and the risks associated with consuming too much of any one category. They wrap up the activity with a discussion on what they have learned and how it might influence their future fast food orders.

Discover Activity

Be an Assignment Editor: Design Your News Hour Main Stage

Digital Voices, Arts in Action

Be an Assignment Editor: Design Your News Hour Main Stage

PBS

3 - 5

30 Minutes

Lights, camera, design! In this lesson, budding news show creators become stage designers. They craft the perfect main stage that looks amazing and reflects a show's theme and brand.

This is the culminating lesson in SRL’s module From Concept to Screen: Building Your News Hour. Students must complete the previous 20 lessons before attempting this activity. This module is followed by a second that deepens student knowledge and skills.

Discover Activity

Functional Fitness Week 9: Day 2

Whole Body, Whole Self, Leadership and Teamwork

Functional Fitness Week 9: Day 2

Active Kids and Minds

K - 8

40 Minutes

Continue building week 9 skill of the week: Walking Lunges. In this activity, students pair-up for exercise stations and a game of Down, Down, Down. Then, they learn evaluate which fats should be consumed often, sometimes, or once in a while.


This activity is part of the Active Kids and Minds Functional Fitness 12-week program. If you are new to the program, visit the Active Kids and Minds Functional Fitness: Weeks 1-4 Collection before getting started.

Discover Activity

Gallery Walk (Grades 6-8)

Arts in Action, Belonging and Community

Gallery Walk (Grades 6-8)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students look at a virtual art gallery from the Children’s Museum of Art called “Home Sweet Home” and describe what they see through sketching, writing, discussion, and art creation. These works are diverse, and each student can find something to talk about.

Discover Activity

Water Quality Testing

The Natural World, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Water Quality Testing

City Parks Foundation

6 - 8

1 Hour 10 Minutes

Understanding whether water is clean or polluted requires more than just what the naked eye can see and therefore gives educators like you the opportunity to dive into chemistry with students!


In this lesson students will learn about the way pollutants are introduced into the water cycle and how these pollutants can impact ecosystems and human health. They will then learn how to perform water quality testing on several water samples, identifying the sources of contamination. Students will also learn how green space, specifically street trees in urban areas can be used to reduce contamination events in local ecosystems.


This is activity 2 of 3 in the "Sustainable Cities" module from City Parks Foundation.

Discover Activity

Rhyme in Super-Quick Time

Stories and Perspectives, Arts in Action

Rhyme in Super-Quick Time

Foundations, Inc.

K - 5

20 Minutes

This game practices rhyming and is excellent for pre-school and younger elementary age kids as well as English Language Learners (ELLs). Rhyming is a great way to help children and youth develop vocabulary, pronunciation, and listening skills.

Discover Activity

Planning a Studio Set

Digital Voices, Stories and Perspectives

Planning a Studio Set

PBS

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Welcome to the creative world of set design for news shows! Students design an engaging and relevant interview set.

This is lesson 20 in “Building a News Hour,” the second module from PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs’ module series.

Discover Activity

Hidden Costs of Consumer Goods

Future Ready: Learning and Earning, We The People

Hidden Costs of Consumer Goods

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

When a gallon of gasoline is purchased at the pump, the price does not include the cost of the pollution that the gasoline will release or the pollution involved in its product. In this activity, students analyze the hidden costs of a wide variety of products.

Discover Activity

Respect and Learn from Others (Grades 9-12)

Belonging and Community, Stories and Perspectives

Respect and Learn from Others (Grades 9-12)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Students learn about tolerance by learning about their peers and recognizing and appreciating their similarities and differences. This activity builds communication and listening skills and helps students learn to respect one another’s strengths, interests, and perspectives.

Discover Activity

Make an Eclipse Viewer

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, The Natural World

Make an Eclipse Viewer

NASA

3 - 12

45 Minutes

Students create a simple pinhole projector. Also, students have the opportunity to test their projectors and view the sun safely!

Discover Activity

Electric Cars

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, We The People

Electric Cars

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students read about the benefits and drawbacks of electric vehicles, and they consider ideas for developing these vehicles in the future. They discuss the facts and opinions about electric vehicles, and make recommendations for the future.

Discover Activity

Stories from Photos (Grades 6-8)

Stories and Perspectives, Arts in Action

Stories from Photos (Grades 6-8)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students use photos as prompts to create characters and write a story (or the beginning of a story). This engaging activity promotes creativity and teaches writing skills.

Discover Activity

Free Speech and Social Media

Digital Voices, We The People

Free Speech and Social Media

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Students explore how freedom of speech applies to the internet and online interaction on social media platforms. They work in teams to analyze the content policies of different social media platforms, and then discuss the types of online content (if any) that should be restricted or regulated.

Discover Activity

Modeling How the Heart Works

The Natural World, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Modeling How the Heart Works

Mizzen Education, Inc.

3 - 5

45 Minutes

In this activity, students use paper cups and coffee stirrers to model a human heart. They use the models to examine how the heart pumps blood. This activity builds an understanding of the structure and function of the heart muscle.

Discover Activity

A News Show Structure: Run-of-Shows

Digital Voices, Stories and Perspectives

A News Show Structure: Run-of-Shows

PBS

3 - 5

30 Minutes

Calling all future news show producers! Dive into our dynamic lesson, where students become the architects of a 60-minute news show. They'll learn the art of story organization and create their run-of-show.

This activity can be completed as a standalone lesson. It is, however, best completed as part of SRL’s The News Show Structure. This series is also the second section of SRL’s First Module From Concept to Screen: Building Your News Hour. The module is broken into three sections. The first two contain lessons that can be completed as standalone activities or as part of a series. All three sections converge to provide a powerful and fun introduction to producing and hosting news shows. The module is followed by a second that deepens student knowledge and skills.

Discover Activity

Habitat Planning

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, The Natural World

Habitat Planning

NASA

3 - 8

45 Minutes

Students think about and discuss the basic needs and activities that astronauts might partake in while living on the moon, and draw a habitat that can accommodate those activities.

Discover Activity

The Marshmallow Challenge

Arts in Action, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

The Marshmallow Challenge

VentureLab

6 - 12

45 Minutes

Students work in teams to complete a challenge to build the tallest free-standing structure out of dry spaghetti noodles that also supports the weight of a regular-sized marshmallow. Along the way, teams will be asked to reflect on what they've been doing and how they're feeling as they experience what it means to have an entrepreneurial mindset. It will also help students start building some key entrepreneurial skills including creativity, team work, and prototyping.

Discover Activity

Guess the Photo (Grades 9-12)

Digital Voices, Arts in Action

Guess the Photo (Grades 9-12)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Students take close-up photographs of familiar objects and then guess what each photo shows. This activity helps students develop new perspectives on the world around them.

Discover Activity

Protest Songs: Sounds of Resistance

We The People, Stories and Perspectives

Protest Songs: Sounds of Resistance

Pulitzer Center

K - 8

2 Hours

In this two-part activity, students learn about the history of American protest songs and explore how Black Americans have utilized music to resist injustices and empower and uplift themselves.

Discover Activity

The Lindy Hop

Arts in Action, Leadership and Teamwork

The Lindy Hop

Jazz at Lincoln Center

3 - 8

1 Hour

Students learn four basic, Lindy Hop steps through an instructional video. Then as a group, students add their own twists on this classic dance.

Discover Activity

Raccoons

The Natural World, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Raccoons

National Wildlife Federation

K - 8

50 Minutes

Raccoons live throughout the continental United States in woods, wetlands, suburbs, parks, cities, and anywhere there is cover, food, and water. Predators of raccoons include the coyote, fisher, bobcat, red fox, and great horned owl.

Raccoons are omnivores, meaning they will eat both meat and vegetables. They like grasshoppers, nuts, berries, mice, squirrels, and bird eggs. They are nocturnal and search for food at night. Raccoons are opportunistic feeders and are well known by people for their skillful attempts at stealing food from garbage cans in parks and neighborhoods.

Raccoons can get food that other animals cannot because they have nimble, almost hand-like paws that can grasp tree branches, nuts, fruits, and even the lids of garbage cans.

Raccoons are solitary, except during the breeding season, which occurs from January to June. Females usually have one litter a year, with three to seven offspring per litter.

Discover Activity

Pantomime (Grades K-2)

Arts in Action, Belonging and Community

Pantomime (Grades K-2)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

K - 2

45 Minutes

Children will plan and pantomime a scene to act out, involving preparing favorite foods.

Discover Activity

The Monarch Butterfly

The Natural World, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

The Monarch Butterfly

National Wildlife Federation

3 - 8

50 Minutes

The large and brilliantly-colored monarch butterfly is among the most easily recognizable butterfly species that call North America home. Monarch butterflies are found across North America wherever their habitat’s needs are being met. They are broken into two populations separated by the Rocky Mountains, called the eastern and western populations.

Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed. As caterpillars, monarchs feed exclusively on the leaves of milkweed, wildflowers in the genus Asclepias. North America has several dozen native milkweed species with which monarchs coevolved and upon which they rely to complete their life cycle.

The monarch migration is one of the greatest phenomena in the natural world. Monarchs know the correct direction to migrate even though the individuals that migrate have never made the journey before. They follow an internal “compass” that points them in the right direction each spring and fall. A single monarch can travel hundreds or even thousands of miles.

Discover Activity

Making Costumes for Characters from Books

Arts in Action, Stories and Perspectives

Making Costumes for Characters from Books

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Fiction and fashion unite in this fun activity. Students design and draw a costume for a favorite character from a book or story and for use in a scene from the book or an imagined event.

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Chemical Element Family Feud

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, The Natural World

Chemical Element Family Feud

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

It’s the alkaline earth metals vs. the halogens in Chemical Element Family Feud. In this engaging and educational activity, students act as contestants, announcers, and even the scoreboard of the famous television game show, but with the twist that the subject is the periodic table. Make sure that someone records the activity because it will be a hit with school science teachers.

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NBA Math Hoops Lesson 10: NBA Math Hoops Championship Week

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, Leadership and Teamwork

NBA Math Hoops Lesson 10: NBA Math Hoops Championship Week

Learn Fresh

3 - 8

50 Minutes

In this activity, students collaborate to build a tournament bracket for the in-class NBA Math Hoops Championship. Along the way, they develop an understanding of how math contributes to the development of sports tournaments.

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The Angle

Stories and Perspectives, Digital Voices

The Angle

PBS

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Let's continue our news adventure! In today's mission, students dive deep into story angles, identifying the right approach to reporting on the first cellphone call.

This is lesson 5 in “Building a News Hour,” the second module from PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs’ module series.

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Which Website Is a Good Source of Information? (Grades 6-8)

Digital Voices, Stories and Perspectives

Which Website Is a Good Source of Information? (Grades 6-8)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

45 Minutes

When students conduct research online, they easily can feel overwhelmed by the huge number of websites dedicated to a certain subject or that provide tangential but still useful information. But there is 1 rule of thumb: not all information is good information. In this activity, students learn how to identify and evaluate websites in order to determine if they are reliable tools for research.

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Wacky Inventions

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, Leadership and Teamwork

Wacky Inventions

VentureLab

6 - 12

45 Minutes

Students use a playful frame of mind to explore objects and ideas to help them become inventors.

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Spelling Bee (Grades K-2)

Stories and Perspectives, Arts in Action

Spelling Bee (Grades K-2)

Mizzen Education, Inc.

K - 2

45 Minutes

This activity provides a fun alternative to the traditional spelling bee. Children take turns spelling a word letter by letter, involving an element of chance. Play the game to build interest in spelling practice!

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Straw Bridge Design Challenge

STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore, The Natural World

Straw Bridge Design Challenge

OregonASK

6 - 8

1 Hour

Students work in teams as engineers to create their own straw bridges! By using only plastic straws and tape, students work together to see how many marbles their bridge can hold.

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Chill or Grill

Future Ready: Learning and Earning, Leadership and Teamwork

Chill or Grill

Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship

6 - 12

1 Hour 40 Minutes

As an engaging way to introduce students to NFTE’s entrepreneurial mindset domains, students will either complete an interactive digital module or engage in an investigation to make rapid-fire decisions pertaining to a new restaurant opening.

This lesson plan is written around the completion of a hands-on activity, but you can replace or supplement this activity with a couple of digital interactives. See the Modifications section at the end of this lesson plan for more details.

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Grow Where You’re Planted: Understanding Plant Hardiness Zones

The Natural World, STEM Lab: Build, Tinker, Explore

Grow Where You’re Planted: Understanding Plant Hardiness Zones

Farm to Table Kids

3 - 8

1 Hour 5 Minutes

Every region has its own unique climate, and not all plants can grow everywhere! In this activity, students will use the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map to identify their zone and determine which plants thrive where they live. By exploring plant cards, categorizing crops, and creating personalized garden plans, students will understand why it’s essential to “grow where you’re planted.”

This activity is 1 of 4 in the "Things to Know Before You Grow" module from Farm to Table Kids. Visit the module to view the full set of learning resource and learn more about Part 2 of the module series, "How to Grow Dahlias."

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Copyright © 2026, Mizzen Education, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to empower, uplift and support out-of-school time educators.

Copyright © 2026, Mizzen Education, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to empower, uplift and support out-of-school time educators.