Learning Activities

Students will consider positive and negative experiences they have with cell phones when it comes to their own learning and relationships in school. A quick share with classmates will scaffold background knowledge and promote a variety of perspectives. Students then view a graphic from AVL that contains information about cell phone policies in schools and reflect on their own school's policy. 

This learning activity was created as a result of the ALEX - Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) Resource Development Summit.

In this learning activity, students will work in groups to research weight loss pills to determine the following facts: (1) Do weight loss pills reduce appetite, reduce absorption, or increase fat burning? (2) How do they work? (3) How effective are they? (4) What side effects could happen? (5) Are there any other benefits or concerns listed? (6) What is the evidence from the research? 

The website, Healthline, has 12 popular weight loss pills. The students can use this reference as a guide to research weight loss pills, one from each category: appetite, absorption, and fat-burning.

This activity results from the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

Students will be introduced to a five-step action plan to reduce their use of digital devices and decrease the negative consequences of a "poor digital diet." Students will analyze the relationship between all aspects of social and emotional health and describe how the use of digital devices can affect their health. Students will write and present a personal pledge to improve their "digital diet," demonstrating their command of the formal English language and presentation skills.

In this learning activity, students make an uninformed decision about the validity of diet pills. Then students watch an informational YouTube video describing the science behind diet pills. After watching the video and with a more informed frame of mind, students are asked would they like to change their previous decision.

This activity results from the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

Students will be introduced to five negative consequences of a poor "digital device diet." The teacher will lead students in utilizing the jigsaw literacy strategy, in which students will become members of a home group and an expert group as they research and discuss their assigned topic. The activity will culminate with students creating a presentation in the form of a research paper, poster, or slideshow to demonstrate their knowledge of the five consequences of a poor digital diet and their effect on all aspects of health. 

In this activity, the students will do a presentation about an over-the-counter weight loss pill. They will explain how the drug will work and if the drug is safe and effective. Each group will have a given amount of time to do their presentation. A rubric, Rubric Weight Loss Pills, will be used to score their work.

This activity results from the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

Following their research into the positive and negative effects of cell phone usage in schools, students will read a brief article that shares recommendations for healthy habits for young people with phones. Students will create a Public Service Announcement promoting healthy habits for peers. This Public Service Announcement will be shared with peers. 

This learning activity was created as a result of the ALEX - Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) Resource Development Summit.

Students will identify their current daily usage of digital devices through a personal log or estimation. Then, students will read an article and watch the corresponding video which describes a recent report that found the average American spends more than 12 hours a day on a digital device, not including time spent on school work. Students will discuss their opinions with a classmate. The teacher will lead students in a discussion regarding the impact of this digital consumption. Finally, students will brainstorm and discuss other activities they could do in a day if they spent less time on their devices.

Students will read an article about cell phone usage in schools and add to their graphic organizer by listing the positive and negative effects of cell phones in school. They will discuss their findings and evaluate which reasons are the most compelling. Students will also identify school policies that support the positive use of phones or discourage the negative use of phones in their own schools.

This learning activity was created as a result of the ALEX - Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) Resource Development Summit.

In this activity, the students will do a presentation about an over-the-counter weight loss pill. They will explain how the drug will work and if the drug is safe and effective. Each group will have a given amount of time to do their presentation. A rubric, Rubric Weight Loss Pills, will be used to score their work.

This activity results from the ALEX Resource Development Summit.