Programs

This is another session in our ELA/ECON book club, where we will investigate the historic context and economic connections to fiction. We will focus on books currently in use, as well as texts included in the new Florida BEST standards. During this webinar, we will focus on two Shakespeare classics: Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. For example, in Romeo and Juliet, we will focus on the apothecary scene, and will provide historic connections, as well as connections to current issues with ethics in pharmaceutical companies. In addition, consider some of the decision-making in Macbeth, based on historical events. We will provide activities, videos, and primary sources aligned to Florida Standards.

During this session, we will use two children’s books to illustrate financial and economic decision-making in children’s literature. Beginning with Peter Rabbit, we will use the book (which is freely available on Project Guttenberg) and clips from both the first and the new movie. Then, we will use the trickster tale Tops and Bottoms, to provide more insight into financial and economic concepts involved in producing, selling, and buying vegetables. The first twenty people who register for and attend the full webinar will be eligible to receive a copy of Tops and Bottoms.  

This session is part of our new sustainability series sponsored by Coca Cola Beverages Florida. During this K-12 session, we will discuss the concept of a circular economy, where student can use design thinking to create ideas to reuse resources and keep them in the loop. From issues with current recycling, to new ideas in repurposing items for resale, we will investigate how entrepreneurial thinkers have been turning trash into treasure. In addition, we will provide ideas that educators have recently used in their classrooms, where students used items like water bottles and other trash, to turn into usable goods, art and digital media with environmental messages. 

The first 20 educators who register and attend the session will be eligible for a $50.00 stipend.

Just in time for the extended holiday season, during this session we use freely-available texts from Storyline Online (Turkey Trouble and Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies) to explore ways to engage students with consumer decision-making about food. During the session, we will model decision-making activities and provide a variety of activities you can use with students that include financial and STEM concepts. For example, if a turkey was pardoned, what could you serve for dinner? How can a little zombie convince his parents that veggies are good to eat? Which veggies should he choose for his new soup?  From planning a holiday menu to making decisions about what food to buy, this will be a yummy, thought-provoking session. 

During this session, we will provide some activities linked to recent Disney films that educators can use in their classrooms. For example, we will investigate financial decision-making as Luca travels through the Italian Riviera in the 50’s and 60’s. We will also travel to the fantasy world of Kumandra, where we will investigate different economic systems, including: traditional, communist, and capitalist economies. We will also travel to the Amazon, where we will investigate financial decision-making, entrepreneurial thinking and inventions of new remedies and drugs along the Amazon. In addition, we will provide links to other clips you can use in your classroom.