Weekly Accessible Learning Activities: Food Carts, Bravery and Vocabulary Stories

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 explore the world of New York City’s food carts, share about a time when they were brave, participate in a vocabulary-based storytelling challenge, write an image-inspired story and watch a film about grieving pre-Covid days.

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1. Learn about the flavors and tastes that fill New York City streets.

Students will learn about New York’s food carts in this Lesson of the Day. Then, they will reflect on the smells, tastes and flavors that make up their community.

2. Reflect on a moment of bravery.

In this Student Opinion, students will learn about a sixth grader who saved two people’s lives in one day. Then, they will share about a time when they were in a situation that required courage and bravery.

3. Write a story using our Words of the Day.

This month’s vocabulary challenge is a special opportunity open only to middle and high school students who are emerging writers, readers and speakers of English. Students will use some of the Words of the Day published in December and write a 50-word story that incorporates those words.

4. Use an image to reflect on the New Year.

This Picture Prompt asks students to allow an image to prompt their reflections on the questions: What does it mean for a year to be new? How do we measure our lives? Students can share their responses in a class discussion or post publicly in the comments section.

5. Watch a film about mourning our “old normal.”

Students will watch this Film Club about redefining normal after two years of the pandemic. Then, they will think about what it might take to mourn, accept and move on from everything we’ve experienced during the pandemic.