PBL: Consumer Health

CVS Pharmacy made a bold move this month by deciding to put an end to their cigarette sales. This could cost them over $2 billion dollars in profit annually, but when you look at their mission, which is “Helping people on their path to better health”, it’s surprising they didn’t do it sooner.

This would be a great story to share with any health class, regardless of grade level, and not just for the tobacco unit either…

NPR: By Dropping Cigarettes, CVS Gives its Reputation a Boost

We’re working on our Character and Values unit in 8th grade, so it tied in perfectly. What a great example of using values to guide the decision making process. The kids looked up the core values for CVS, which include caring, integrity and accountability, and were able to make some great connections. One of them was curious about the mission and values for tobacco companies, so they looked up Phillip Morris. Not surprisingly, there was quite a bit in there about making money.

And while CVS might be sacrificing a bit of that temporarily, they’ll more than make up for it in the long run. Here’s a report to show the kids from CNN explaining how…

For a lesson extension, check out this Room for Debate from the New York Times:

What Unhealthy Products Should CVS Stop Selling?

Have the students read some of the opinions and form their own. They can group up according to product and create a presentation for the board explaining how it goes against the company’s mission. If they get far enough with it, they could contact CVS directly with an email, petition, well-timed tweet…

Who knows? Maybe they could even get those Flaming Hot Cheetos pulled off the shelf.

For more ideas, check out this one from the opinion pages of The Boston Globe:

CVS tobacco ban just the start. Next: Soda

More hints and tips in the classroom...

Gaming

Gaming is a big concern for a lot of parents and teachers, but it doesn’t have to be. Gaming can foster critical thinking skills, collaboration,

SEL for Teens 2019

Hi friends! Below you’ll find a link to the pages for all of our workshops this weekend. Google Doc folder containing all of the slide shows throughout

Tech Tips for Parents

When it comes to balancing your family’s digital diet, there are a ton of great resources out there for parents. I always recommend starting with

Healthy Tech Curriculum

If you’re looking to add digital literacy to your classes (which you should be!), there are some groups out there creating curriculum, aligning it to

The Energy Bar Project: Part 2

Last week I wrote about part one of a new project my 8th graders have been working on where they analyze the health claims of