Lesson

Cornelia Vertenstein, a Holocaust survivor, is still teaching piano lessons over FaceTime from her Denver home. In this lesson, you will consider the ways students sometimes learn more about life from their teachers than just the subject they are studying. Warm UpHave you ever played a musical instrument? If so, did you take lessons? What…

Find all our Lessons of the Day here.Lesson OverviewFeatured Article: “Praying Mantises: More Deadly Than We Knew” by Cara GiaimoPraying mantises have long been viewed as “sit-and-wait predators”; they observe their prey and do not strike until the moment is right. As a result, this kind of predator is often thought of as being robotic…

After video footage of Mr. Arbery’s killing was leaked this month, two men were arrested and charged with murder. Widespread protests and 2.23 mile solidarity runs ensued, posted on social media with the hashtag #IRunWithMaud.In this lesson, you’ll investigate the facts of this case. You’ll make connections between this case and a larger narrative about…

In this lesson, you will consider what Mr. Nuñez’s actions, and the community’s response to those actions, say about him and about our larger society.Warm UpImagine you are walking down the street and you see a wallet. You open it and it has an ID but no money. Would you return it? What if it…

Sightings of the Asian giant hornet have prompted fears that the vicious insect could establish itself in the United States and devastate bee populations.In this lesson, you will learn why this insect is such a threat, what is being done to stop it, and why experts believe there is a short amount of time to…

Find all our Lessons of the Day here.Lesson OverviewFeatured Article: “Their Met Gala, Their Way. You’re Invited.” by Vanessa FriedmanThis year, the Met Gala, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual fashion show, has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. However, a virtual fashion event, planned by teenagers, remains on the calendar. High Fashion Twitter,…

In this lesson, you will explore some of the world’s greatest museums and artistic treasures and consider the role of art in chaotic times. In a Going Further activity, you will respond to one artwork in depth.Afterward, respond to the following prompts:Questions for Writing and DiscussionRead the article, then answer the following questions:1. Jason Farago…

Warm UpElizabeth Carlen, a biologist at Fordham University, wanted to know if the pigeons that live in the Boston-Washington corridor, which includes cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Providence, are all one interconnected population. In other words, do the birds in all these cities interbreed? To answer this question, Ms. Carlen caught pigeons with…

In this lesson, you will learn what’s gotten better and what’s gotten worse in the five decades since millions of people marched to demand a cleaner, healthier environment. In a Going Further activity, you will consider what the focus of the environmental agenda should be in future decades.Warm UpWhat do you know about Earth Day?…

Find all our Lessons of the Day here.Lesson OverviewFeatured Article: “The Lost Diaries of War” by Nina Siegal and Josephine SedgwickVolunteers have begun an effort to transcribe the pages of more than 2,000 diaries written by ordinary people during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Their voices, filled with anxiety, isolation and uncertainty, resonate powerfully…