Kindergarten language arts: Students and their teacher overhear another teacher remark that their classroom does not have many books. With their teacher, students analyze the problem and offer solutions for book collection, organization and care. (Students explore classifying, graphing, alphabetizing, and using library and group skills.)
Kindergarten science: The teacher coaches students to notice that invasive insects are eating the leaves off plants in the school’s garden, investigate and determine appropriate actions to rejuvenate the garden so that all plants are healthy and beneficial insects thrive. (Students learn simple food chains, plant structures and life cycles.)
1st grade mathematics: After a guest speaker from a local bank visits the class, a teacher coaches students to determine the need for a bank in their classroom. With the help of parent volunteers, students learn how to identify and describe the relative values and relationships among coins and solve addition and subtraction problems using currency.
1st and 7th grade science: The Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks (DFW) asks students to choose one of its orphaned and injured animals and make recommendations about its proper placement. The 1st graders make recommendations that the 7th graders, as members of the Animal Rehabilitation Review Group for DFW, evaluate and either accept or reject. (1st graders study the animal’s special needs, habitats and diet.)
Multi-age primary science: Students are intrigued by a playground rumor of an alligator in the sewer. Could it be true, and what actions can they take if they find out it is?
2nd grade science: Students ask their principal to buy them a classroom pet. To convince the principal, the students must determine the appropriate pet for the environment, the costs involved with the care and maintenance of a pet, and the safety issues for all classroom members (including the pet).
2nd grade science: Students take on the role of advisors to NASA. A planet like Earth has experienced destruction of plant elements in its biosphere. What is causing the destruction? Can NASA successfully introduce plants from Earth to save the other planet's environment?
3rd grade social studies: The school custodian asks students to resolve the problem of a loose dog on the school grounds in a way that is safe for both the students and dog and meets all local regulations. (Students study animal control regulations, pet adoption guidelines, and heath requirements for animals.)
3rd grade social studies: Students advise a local museum curator who wants to make the museum more attractive for students to come to learn about local history. What financial and educational issues must they consider, and what will draw students to the museum?
4th grade language arts: The students’ community wants to build a new convention complex along the river. City planners have received several letters of concern from environmentalists, community residents and developers. How can students meet the needs of all these groups?
4th grade science: A judge in Northern California issued a halt to all land sales and logging activity because of the endangered spotted owl population. The judge asks the class to develop a workable plan that will satisfy the various parties: the owls, trees, land developers, environmentalists and loggers.
4th grade science: The students are scientists in a rural Illinois county where the coyote population is increasing. What does that surge mean for the area? What threat do coyotes pose to residential areas? What are the implications for action at the local or state level?
4th grade social studies: The class receives a letter from a travel agent in another town. The letter asks the students to advise the tourist board on places of interest to 4th graders and their families traveling to the area. (Students explore the local highlights, costs and travel schedules.)
4th grade social studies: The students, as business development officers, determine whether a bank should open a branch in their school. (Students study how producers decide what goods and services to provide, factors that affect consumers’ choices and competition.)
4th-5th grade science: Students are stockholders of a major Louisiana oil refinery in the southern part of the state. Publicity about the potential destruction of the wetlands increases public pressure to turn the property over to the federal government. What actions should the stakeholders take?
5th grade health: The principal is concerned that students are not receiving proper nutrition because of the large amount of lunchroom waste. How can students advise the principal on lunch menus that will be nutritious and appealing to them?
5th grade mathematics: The district budget for after school sports does not include 5th grade. The students develop a presentation for the school board stating their concerns. (Student will research, collect and analyze data and conduct interviews.)
5th grade science: Students are members of a citizens’ group in the Fox Valley area who receive several letters from community members who are concerned with the appearance of the Fox River. How do they determine if there is a problem and, if so, what actions to take?
5th grade social studies: The students are English villagers whose king is preparing to send a ship to the New World to establish a colony. How does the village decide what skills are needed and what materials they need to take in order for this new colony to be a successful venture?
Language arts: The principal asks the students to communicate information about their school to the community. (Students transfer mathematical statistics about demographics, resources and ratios to a written and visual mode and include interviews with staff, students and alumni in their final product.)
Science: Students are members of an evaluation committee for the Research and Development Team
of a genetic engineering company. Product developers propose controlling the Canada Geese population
through genetic engineering. What are the ethical, environmental and economic dimensions of
this proposal?
Science: The students submit a proposal to NASA requesting that adolescent payload specialists join
the space shuttle team to prepare for future human presence in space. What are the implications of
this proposal?
Science: Minnesota students challenge Illinois students to investigate the possibility of frog
deformities and declining populations of frogs in Illinois. What is happening? What are the human
and environmental risks? How can students determine these risks?
Science: The students, as scientists with the State Department of Nuclear Safety, are confronted by
residents of a small suburban community who feel that their health is at risk because a local company
stores thorium waste above ground. What action, if any, should students take?
Science: The students are middle school children from a journalism school in New York. The
borough president asks them to investigate solutions to the mysterious spread of the West Nile virus.
What are the issues involving environmental safety, health risks, costs and infringements upon
human activity?
Science: A state senator will soon vote on a bill “to limit genetic engineering to non-food items,” and
asks students to research all perspectives of this issue and advise him/her how to vote.
Science: What factors should a dairy farmer consider while thinking about a GMO (genetically
modified organism) partnership with a pharmaceutical company? (Students study genetics, ethics,
farm economics, environmental impact/safety and community response.)
Science and social studies: The mayor asks students to investigate flooding in their community, taking
into account zoning laws, aesthetics, economics, public opinion, safety, ecosystems, storm water
management and the history of the area. How can they inform the mayor about ways to prevent future
flooding problems?
6th grade language arts: An executive producer of a news department asks students to develop a pilot for a TV newsmagazine that reports all perspectives of a story in a truthful, responsible manner and at the same time attract viewers. (Students read Nothing But the Truth (Avi, 1991), interview local counterparts to the book’s characters, research responsible journalism and communicate with another class investigating the same problem in another school.)
6th grade mathematics: The principal asks the students, who are sharing lockers, to calculate how
much storage space a typical student needs, because the school is going to purchase new lockers.
How many and what kind ob lockers should the school purchase, given its budget. (Students study
geometric concepts of volume and surface area, costs, aesthetics and alternative storage approaches.)
6th grade mathematics: The president of a dairy company asks students to design a new milk carton
that is both appealing to the consumer and practical for shipping and displays. (The students explore
volume, surface area, perimeter and circumference.)
6th grade social studies: The students are advisors to a state representative on a bill to regulate
livestock waste management just as a company proposes a “mega” hog farm for the county. What
environmental, economic, political and societal consequences should they consider?
1st and 7th grade science: The Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks asks students to make
recommendations about the proper placement of orphaned and injured animals. 1st graders make
recommendations that the 7th graders, as members of the Animal Rehabilitation Review Group,
evaluate. (7th graders research rehab/release methods, graph success rates, and locate and contact
primary sources.)
7th/8th grade mathematics: The business office investigates ways to conserve energy use in schools.
The principal appeals to mathematics classes to analyze current and future energy usage and make
recommendations. (Students study alternative energy sources, complete cost/benefit analyses, and
create and interpret graphs to substantiate their findings.)
7th grade physics: Students are members of a Park Advisory Committee. The police department is
tired of warning and disciplining skateboarders violating the city ordinance, and asks students for advice
about creating a safe, non-invasive place for skateboarders and roller bladers within the
community. What are the issues involved?
7th grade life science: Students studying ecology receive a letter from the Illinois Farm Bureau that
discusses the overpopulation of deer and the increase in related traffic accidents and fatalities. The
students consider the situation and offer possible solutions. (Students explore habitat, hunting
regulations, diseases caused by overcrowding, and methods of population reduction.)
8th grade science: Concerned parents lobby the school board to replace fluorescent lights with incandescent lights because they believe that fluorescent lighting harms students’ eyesight. The principal asks students to investigate the science behind the claim. (Students study different types of light, the electromagnetic spectrum, Calculator Based Laboratory system and light meters, and spectroscopy.)
Algebra: A local man wins a large amount of money in the lottery and asks for advice on how to
invest his winnings wisely. (Students explore the concept of investing and learn investment terms.
They contact local tax advisors, investment advisors and financial institutions to understand how the
financial industry works.)
Alternative high school: A school site that has been unoccupied for the past seven years is now reopening.
How can the school improve the run-down appearance of the grounds but stay within
budget?
American literature: The students are members of the Alabama Historical Society which a family has
contracted to research their background during the time period of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
What happened? How reliable is the information? Who needs to know—or not?
American literature: A member of a local citizens’ group challenges the inclusion of Mark Twain’s
novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the curriculum. What are the issues? Should students
study this novel? Why or why not ?
American studies: Students are southwest field agents for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),
which has to prepare a press release concerning plague patterns, conditions and precautions based on
data from the past ten years. What are the facts, who is the public, and how does the CDC communicate
effectively with them?
AP biology: The Community Health Department asks students to develop a strategic plan to contain
an infectious disease within their high school and also to educate the school population on correct
protocols to avoid mass hysteria. (Students study the dynamics of an infectious disease and collect,
evaluate and use data, graphing and charting.)
Basic level biology: The school has procured land to develop athletic fields. Students are resource
managers for an impact study to determine the current ecosystem and possible impact on it.
Biology: Due to the low population density of the area, a nearby community has been selected to
receive a federal government P4 containment lab. Citizens seek advice from the students regarding
what would happen if the germs somehow escaped from the lab. Authorities would not say exactly
what the lab would hold but hinted at any one of the following pathogens: anthrax, Clostridium
botulinum, or other pathogens (selected by the teacher to meet curriculum needs).
Biology: An entertainment company wants to purchase extensive acreage in a forest preserve in the
southwest suburbs of Chicago in order to build a new football stadium, practice facility and theme
park. What environmental, economic and traffic issues does the community need to consider?
Biology: Students are experts on a particular endangered animal and create a zoo habitat to meet the animal’s needs.
Earth science: The state, in cooperation with the Army Corps of Engineers, asks Earth science
students to investigate flooding and its impact on the current system of levees along the Mississippi
River. The students advise these governmental agencies on what improvements, if any, are needed to
the current levee system. (Students explore the impact of flooding in the river basin and possible
solutions to reduce its impact.)
Ecology: Students, as members of the committee on the Environment and Natural Resources, are
reviewing Minnesota House Bill #1891, which lays out a gray wolf management plan for the state.
Should the bill pass? What are the consequences of its passage or defeat?
Geometry: The current high school building is under construction for additional space and
renovation. Students will prepare a proposal for the administration with recommendations and
substantiation of their choices as they consider the variables of various desk/chair designs, including
size, cost, effective use of workspace, comfort in design, and color.
Math/Physics: A pre-school institution that wants to investigate the effects of music on child behavior
approaches student researchers on music therapy. The institution is interested in how music therapy
can improve children’s motor and communication skills. As researchers, students consult:
World history: Student spies for the Hun/Barbarian leaders gather information about the Roman
Empire as a basis for an attack plan.
9th grade science: Students are investigators from the Environmental Protection Agency, which is
investigating the conditions that may be responsible for the high cancer rates in Livingston County,
Illinois. (Students will explore sources of carcinogens, geological and environmental aspects of the
county, and the nature of cancer.)
12th grade fine arts: The Art League has asked fine arts students to design a logo and a brand for the upcoming community art show. (Students incorporate the principles of good design with the basics of marketing strategies as they consider the medium and costs of the promotion.)
Administrators: The principal challenges the staff to develop a unified school-wide assessment plan
that meets a goal in the School Improvement Plan. The assessment tool should seamlessly link to the
curriculum, reflect the district’s philosophy of education, be user friendly, communicate students’
strengths and weaknesses, and be transferable to other educational institutions.
Administrators and teachers would like to enrich the Shakespeare Festival for younger students in an
age-appropriate manner. They want to present Shakespeare so that the students will be able to
identify important characters’ qualities and motivations; literary elements (themes, plots, settings,
etc.); and historical content and reflect on their experiences.
The director of development has sensed tension between the CLS (Classroom Solution Center) and
the program area. He asks a special task force to investigate how the CLS can partner with the
program area to develop training that provides participants with skills relevant to stated objectives;
maintains design integrity; adheres to budget/time constraints; provokes creativity, thought, leadership
and motivation; and is a collaborative output of CLS and the program area.
The director of elementary learning asks a representative group of teachers to select a new social
science textbook series. The new series should address several issues, including meeting divergent
student needs, reflecting state standards and fitting within the district’s budgetary guidelines.
Education majors in college are members of an interdisciplinary teaching team responsible for
explaining the school’s change from the junior high concept to a middle school concept. How do they
alleviate parents’ concerns about this change?
The legislative board for an academy is considering a mandatory genetic profile of all students. They
ask school administrators to make recommendations, considering ethical, political, moral and
personal issues.
Members of a citizens’ advisory group are considering mosquito abatement practices in the county.
Political, economic and health concerns conflict. What actions should or should not occur? What
consequences attend each decision?
Members of a Kentucky congressional candidate’s advisory committee are to develop a platform
statement on tobacco. Kentucky shares a proud tobacco-growing heritage, but recent disclosures
highlight complex issues affecting not only constituents, but the nation as well. What policy statement
will best address the issues fairly, accurately and ethically?
The staff of a middle school has received a federal grant to integrate technology into the curriculum via real-world, community issues. What are the opportunities and the obstacles?