Each Wednesday we shine a spotlight on five student activities that support a broad range of learners. In this week’s roundup of accessible activities, we invite students to investigate where spices come from, share a story about a moment of generosity, choose a word to set the tone of their life in 2022, look at the winners of our Coming of Age contest, and watch a short film about a colorful character in New York City.
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1. Learn about the origin of spices.
In this Lesson of the Day, students journey to Zanzibar to explore where some common spices come from. Then, they will conduct research on one of their favorite spices and make an infographic.
2. Reflect on generosity.
This Student Opinion asks students to reflect on a moment when someone they know did something kind for them or for someone else. After reading a story about an act of generosity, they can share their own story in the comments section.
3. What is your word of the year?
In this Picture Prompt, students will share a word to set the tone of their life in 2022. Then, they can read what different New York Times readers picked as their words of the year.
4. React to a winner of our 2021 Coming of Age Contest.
In this activity, students will browse the winning videos, comics, poems, songs, GIFs and more from our Coming of Age Contest. Then, we invite them to post a comment and reflect on what they saw, read and listened to. Let these teenagers know you heard what they had to say.
5. Watch a film and think about the interesting people who make up your community.
In this Film Club, students watch a 15-minute film about “Birding Bob,” who has led bird walks in New York City’s parks for over 25 years. Then, they will think about the unique and interesting people who make up their community. They can even consider writing a profile about that person for our first-ever Profile Contest.
