Latest 8-Step Project-Based Lesson Plan

From financial markets to local investments, derivatives play a powerful role in shaping economic growth, stability, and opportunity. But when misused, they can also create volatility and widen inequality instead of strengthening communities.

Our Building Positive Economic Derivatives 8-Step Project-Based Lesson Plan invites students to explore how derivatives—both financial and community-based—can be designed to support reinvestment, balance risk, and create sustainable ripple effects. Using a STEAMS Initiative Approach, students will investigate how economic models function, study case examples of successful community-driven derivatives, and design real-world solutions that operate in the "middle of the bell curve"—avoiding both harmful speculation and minimal impact. Through hands-on projects, students learn how thoughtful financial innovation can spark lasting, positive change.

From crosswalks to bike lanes, the design of our streets shapes how we access schools, parks, and local resources. But for many communities, especially those who walk, bike, or use mobility aids, outdated infrastructure can create barriers instead of pathways.

Our Rethinking Our Roads 8-Step Project-Based Lesson Plan invites students to explore how Active Transportation Plans (ATP) aim to make streets safer and more accessible for everyone—especially those using non-motorized ways to get around. Using a STEAMS Initiative Approach, students will investigate traffic data, public feedback, environmental context, and street design to reimagine what walkable, bikeable, and inclusive communities could look like. On Earth Day and beyond, this project empowers students to propose people-first solutions that protect lives and connect communities.

Reaching for the stars has always been a symbol of human curiosity, courage, and progress. From the launch of the first astronaut into orbit to today’s international space missions, human space flight continues to spark innovations that impact life far beyond the edge of our atmosphere. Our Exploring Space Frontiers 8-Step Project-Based Lesson Plan invites students to discover how space exploration drives scientific, social, and cultural advancement here on Earth. Using a STEAMS Initiative Approach, students will examine real-world applications of space innovation—designing solutions, telling stories, and analyzing systems that prove when we explore beyond our planet, we expand what’s possible for humanity as a whole.