• Lesson 1: Getting Along
• Lesson 2: Body Language

• Lesson 1: Free Information for All
• Lesson 2: Don’t Believe Everything You Read

• Lesson 1: Creating Intelligence: Nature or Nurture?
• Lesson 2: Terror at 10,000 Meters

• Lesson 1: Modern Art
• Lesson 2: Hanging Money on the Wall

• Lesson 1: The First Secret Codes
• Lesson 2: Secret Codes for Spies?

• Lesson 1: Women Pirates
• Lesson 2: Modern Day Pirates

• Lesson 1: War Paint
• Lesson 2: Movie Makeup: From DIY to Digital Effects

• Lesson 1: White Lies and Tall Tales
• Lesson 2: You Won’t Believe it, But …

• Lesson 1: What to Do When You Win Big
• Lesson 2: A Billion to One

• Lesson 1: The End of the World
• Lesson 2: A City Rediscovered

• Lesson 1: Mrs. Druce and the Mad Duke of Portland
• Lesson 2: Nonconformists Changing the World

• Lesson 1: Why Go to the Library?
• Lesson 2: The Ancient Library of Alexandria

Lesson 1: Getting Along

The reading in this lesson introduces several qualities that are important keys to personality types. Ask students to research and report on other qualities that they feel are important in friends and people with whom they study or work.

Lesson 2: Body Language

The reading in this lesson introduces body language. Ask students to research and report on the differences between their own body language and that of other people from other cultures. Ask students to explain which types of body language are likely to cause confusion and misunderstandings.

Lesson 1: Free Information for All

The reading in this lesson reviews the history of the WWW. Among the most important developments in the WWW in recent years is the development of online communities, such as through Facebook. Ask students to each research and report on one online community and explain its benefits and drawbacks.

Lesson 2: Don’t Believe Everything You Read

The reading in this lesson looks at the darker side of the WWW, explaining some of the scams that people encounter. Ask students to research and report other scams, viruses and privacy concerns and explain what people can do to protect themselves.

Lesson 1: Creating Intelligence: Nature or Nurture?

The reading in this lesson explores the nature of child prodigies, children who show abilities well beyond their years. A key question is whether little geniuses are born or made through the help of their parents. Ask students to research and report on innovative ways young children can be helped to learn.

Lesson 2: Terror at 10,000 Meters

The reading in this lesson is in the form of a play, featuring four characters, three of whom are former child prodigies and the fourth, a man who has more practical skills. The play is funny because we realize that many amazing skills are not practical in emergencies. Ask students to research and report on what skills, such as first aid, would be most important in different emergencies.

Lesson 1: Modern Art

The reading in this lesson focuses on Constantin Brancusi and a piece of art that helped to legally define modern art. Most of us like one kind of art or another and dislike other types or examples of art. Ask students to research and report on a piece of art they like and explain why they like it.

Lesson 2: Hanging Money on the Wall

The reading in this lesson introduces the idea of different movements in the history of art. Ask different students to find one example from each period of art and share it with the rest of the class, explaining, if possible, why it is a good example of a particular period.

Lesson 1: The First Secret Codes

The reading in this lesson reviews the history of several secret codes and ciphers, some of which have changed the course of history. Ask students to think about one great world event and imagine what would have happened if things had turned out differently, for example, if an invention had not been made or the loser in a war had instead won.

Lesson 2: Secret Codes for Spies?

The reading in this lesson introduces secret codes used by spies and armies. Ask students to research and report on a famous international spy and, if possible, explain whether he or she used secret codes to share information.

Lesson 1: Women Pirates

The reading in this lesson retells the stories of three women pirates, who are less well known than their male counterparts. Ask students to research and report on important women in another field who should be better known, or at least as well known, as famous men in the same field.

Lesson 2: Modern Day Pirates

The reading in this lesson discusses modern forms of piracy, particularly in the form of intellectual copyright violations. Ask students to research and report on different kinds of piracy and rank them in terms of importance and the damage they cause.

Lesson 1: War Paint

The reading in this lesson is about decoration, such as camouflage and face painting, for reasons of ceremony and concealment. Ask students to research and report on modern forms of makeup in different fields and why each is used.

Lesson 2: Movie Makeup: From DIY to Digital Effects

The reading in this lesson discusses the evolution of makeup from do-it-yourself techniques to digital special effects that transform people’s appearance. Almost every modern movie now relies on special effects to modify actors’ appearances. Ask students to research and report on a recent movie and its special effects, explaining how and why they were used.

Lesson 1: White Lies and Tall Tales

The reading in this lesson reviews many of the different kinds of lies people tell and explains the reasons they tell them. Ask students to research a famous figure who has been caught lying and report on why he or she lied.

Lesson 2: You Won’t Believe it, But …

The reading in this lesson is a tall tale in the form of a short story. Ask students to write their own tall tales by taking parts of their own lives but exaggerating other parts in the extreme. Share the stories with the class.

Lesson 1: What to Do When You Win Big

The reading in this lesson offers advice to winners of the lottery, along with stories about people who have suffered because of their lottery wins. Ask students to research and report on recent local lottery winners and what they have done with their winnings.

Lesson 2: A Billion to One

The reading in this lesson is in the form of a play about a lottery winner, who wins big, only to die before he can collect his winnings. Ask students to make a list of good things that could happen to them and rank them in them in the order of likelihood.

Lesson 1: The End of the World

The reading in this lesson is in the form of a letter written by a man who has witnessed, and then been trapped by, the eruptions of the volcano Vesuvius in 79 AD. Ask students to research and report on another disaster and write a letter from the point of view of someone who was there at the time.

Lesson 2: A City Rediscovered

The reading in this lesson reviews the history of the rediscovery of Pompeii after it was buried in volcanic ash in 79 AD. Other cities and settlements have been similarly lost and rediscovered. Ask students to research and report on one of these stories.

Lesson 1: Mrs. Druce and the Mad Duke of Portland

The reading in this lesson is in the form of a comic strip or graphic novel and introduces the story of Mrs. Druce and the Mad Duke of Portland. Ask students to research and report on the qualities of some eccentrics and decide which ones are socially acceptable and socially unacceptable.

Lesson 2: Nonconformists Changing the World

The reading in this lesson examines many famous people who might be considered eccentric. Ask students to research and report on a famous person and decide if he or she has any eccentric characteristics.

Lesson 1: Why Go to the Library?

The reading in this lesson introduces Andrew Carnegie, who built more than 2,000 libraries for different communities. Carnegie was a fascinating self-taught businessman. Ask students to research and report on his life in greater detail.

Lesson 2: The Ancient Library of Alexandria

The reading in this lesson gives the history of the great Library of Alexandria and the distinguished mathematicians and scientists who served as its librarians. Ask students to research and report on another famous library, identifying any special collections, or prized possessions, it might have.