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 write a love poem, learn about truck drivers, watch a film about the “Queen of Basketball,” look closely at an intriguing photo and write an original story.
Note: To learn more about this new weekly feature, read our introductory post. Please share your thoughts in the comments section or by emailing us at LNFeedback@nytimes.com.
1. Write a love poem.
In this Student Opinion, students read a short poem about love by Gabrielle Calvocoressi, and then reflect on the different kinds of love they have experienced — romantic, platonic or familial. We invite students to share a small motion, or gesture, of love that someone has done for them in our comments section — or even write their own love poem.
2. Learn about truck drivers in America.
In this Lesson of the Day, students ride alongside a trucker on a 1,000-mile journey from Missouri to Texas to find out what the job is really like. Then they interview someone in their family or community whose job they think is very difficult and who deserves more appreciation.
3. Watch a film about the “Queen of Basketball.”
In this week’s Film Club, students watch “The Queen of Basketball,” a 22-minute Oscar-nominated film that tells the story of Lusia “Lucy” Harris Stewart, one of women’s basketball’s most accomplished players. Then they reflect on what we can learn from the life of one of basketball’s unsung heroes.
4. Make observations about a photograph.
What’s Going On in This Picture invites students to look closely at a photograph published in The Times, and try to figure out what is happening in the image. Students can read what other students have noticed in the image, as well as moderator responses, in the comments section.
5. Tell a story inspired by an image.
In this Picture Prompt we encourage students to use their imagination to write the opening of a short story or poem inspired by this photo — or, tell us about a memory from their own life that this image makes them think of.
