All Collections

This module supports students in developing a healthy relationship to the news rooted in curiosity, critical thinking, empathy, and empowerment.

Students will learn what the news is and reflect on how they can use it in their lives. They will examine the idea of bias and learn how to challenge it, using some of the same skills journalists use. They will consider why some stories get more attention than others, and explore the importance of seeking out underreported stories in order to see a fuller picture of people, places, and issues. Finally, students will move from analyzing news stories to sharing their learning. In their final projects, students will use creative expression and journalistic information to draw attention to the issues that matter to them.

Throughout this module, facilitators have access to the option of requesting a free virtual visit with a Pulitzer Center journalist who can support students in digging deeper into any of these topics, getting their questions answered, and exploring careers in the journalism field.

Are you looking for media literacy activities for upper middle and high school learners? Check out The News and You: Journalism and Media Literacy for Grades 7-12, also on Mizzen.

“How to Grow Dahlias: A Full-Season Garden Guide”

Once your learners know “Things to Know Before You Grow,” it’s time to dig into the garden and get their hands dirty with one of the most beloved and magical plants of all—dahlias! In this joyful, in-depth module, youth follow the full life cycle of a dahlia, from inspecting tubers in spring to harvesting show-stopping blooms, and finally saving those tubers for next season’s magic. Along the way, they’ll learn how to identify healthy tubers, prep and plant with confidence, care for their plants organically, and participate in the fall tradition of cutting back, dividing, and overwintering their garden’s gold.

The “How to Grow Dahlias” collection includes five hands-on lessons and a library of interactive worksheets, journal pages, and planting-day checklists—plus several engaging “how-to” videos from Farmer Steph herself. Whether you’re growing dahlias in a schoolyard bed or in containers on a sunny windowsill, this module turns your classroom into a bloom-filled lab where kids learn to nurture life, track seasonal change, and celebrate every stage of the growing cycle.

By the end of this series, students won’t just grow flowers—they’ll grow confidence, observation skills, and a lifelong appreciation for the natural beauty they helped bring to life.

The American History: Elevating Black Voices Collection is a weekly, inquiry-driven playlist that invites learners to examine how storytelling, innovation, creativity, and leadership shape American history and civic life. Through complex texts, Innovator Trading Cards, and theme-based activities across literacy, STEM, the arts, and collaborative problem-solving, students engage with lesser-known Black Americans—whose contributions have influenced systems, culture, and community change. Each week introduces a thematic lens that builds historical analysis, critical reading, argumentation, and interdisciplinary thinking, culminating in a challenge-based game that requires evidence, reasoning, and collaboration. Designed to support meaningful discussion and application, this Collection highlights innovation as a collective process and underscores the power of amplifying voices that shape our shared history.

This collection is designed to have learners apply ideas from the weekly themes introduced through the Innovator Playing Cards with additional related activities; it is recommended to follow this sequence to maintain consistency:

Week 1: Storytelling and Voice

Designing Innovator Trading Cards

What Makes a Good Story?

One Minute Speeches

Erasure Poetry as Resistance

Week 2: Inventing and Problem Solving

Designing Innovator Trading Cards

Cell City

Catapult (Team Building) Game

Build an Extension Arm

Week 3: Creativity and Expression

Designing Innovator Trading Cards

Create a Cardboard Self-Portrait

Improv: Say the Line

How to Look at Dance

Week 4: Leadership and Change

Designing Innovator Trading Cards

Playing Innovator Trading Cards

Analyzing and Constructing Timelines of Racial (In)justice

Dream Team

In this collection, learners explore the stories of lesser-known Black American innovators by creating their own Innovator Trading Cards. Using short texts and close reading strategies, students identify key details about how each innovator helped their community and represent that learning through words, symbols, and color. As the weeks progress, learners build a growing card collection connected by shared themes. In the final game, students use their cards to respond to community challenge scenarios, practicing teamwork, reasoning, and explaining how different kinds of innovation work together to solve problems.

Belonging. New friends. Fresh foods. Joy. Embracing a whole-child perspective, this playlist celebrates the many everyday ways we can nourish youth health and wellness. Dive into this collection and you’ll find blood-pumping relay races, team-building balloon tosses, and creativity-boosting game design. Plus this playlist is brimming with learning resources you can use to introduce youth to yoga, mindfulness meditation, and the health benefits of seasonal fruits and vegetables!

“Physical activity, creative expression, and social interaction are all essential for well-rounded development that goes beyond the classroom. Whether it’s through sports, outdoor adventures, or introductions to wellness, youth learn the value of taking care of their body and mind. And that’s a cornerstone of their success and happiness.” — Richmond Brown, Jr.

Richmond Brown, Jr. is a native of Charleston, SC who recently relocated to Los Angeles, CA continuing 15 years of dedication and service in leadership in the out-of-school time field. As the Associate Director of Programs with Woodcraft Rangers, he oversees expanded learning partnerships and 21st CCLC programs throughout the Los Angeles area.