Goodable in the Classroom Issue 2

A Rare Mosaic Discovered, a Goodbye to Plastic Bags, NASA's Latest Invention, and How Art Is Making Cities Safer

Issue 2 header

Goodable in the Classroom is a weekly collection of uplifting stories, each with a printable worksheet that can be used to guide students through the story and foster discussion. There are also pre-written discussion questions for each story. We recommend using one worksheet per day of the week.

Here's what's happening this week:

Mosiac

Archaeologists Uncover Rare, Intact Roman Mosaic in Syria

A 1,600-year-old virtually intact Roman-era mosaic was just discovered in central Syria. The mosaic was found under a building and shows mythical scenes including the Trojan and Amazon wars. Archeologists say the ancient floor is the most important archaeological discovery of its kind in over a decade.

Street art

These Art-Filled Roadways Are Making Cities Across America Safer

Street art is not just a creative art movement around the world. It can also help reduce accidents and make pedestrians feel safer. A study of 22 asphalt art sites found that crashes involving pedestrians were halved at these locations. The Asphalt Art Initiative, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, is helping to transform dangerous intersections and pedestrian spaces into works of art. This not only makes cities more beautiful but also makes them safer for everyone.

Dog standing next to buttons

Woman Teaches Her Dog How To “Talk” Using Buttons

Christina Hunger, a speech-language pathologist, has taught her two-month-old puppy to use a soundboard to communicate with humans. By pressing different buttons, Stella can say words like "outside," "eat," "water," "play," "walk," "no," "come," "help," "bye," and "love you." Stella has even learned to combine different words to make phrases and sentences. This work has the potential to transform the bond between humans and dogs.

Non-plastic bag

Bye-Bye Plastic Bag: Canada’s Second Largest City Moves to Reusable Bags

The city of Montreal has enacted a ban on disposable plastic bags. This ban includes retail stores, supermarkets, takeout and delivery businesses. The city is hopeful that this strong gesture will encourage other municipalities to follow suit in the fight against climate change. More than 80% of plastic bags in the city end up in the environment, and the move is part of the city's larger plan to be zero waste by 2030.

NASA plane

A New Era of Sustainable Aviation Is On The Horizon, Thanks To NASA's Latest Invention

NASA just invented a new type of high-performance battery that researchers say could be used to power fully-electric airplanes. The US space agency made the breakthrough following investigations into solid-state batteries. This type of battery holds more energy and is lighter than industry-standard lithium-ion batteries. Solid-state batteries also perform better in stressful environments. They are less prone to overheating, fire and loss of charge over time, however, they typically cannot discharge energy at the same rate as li-ion batteries.

Trivia Question: How well do you know your airplane lingo? What does the word 'Combi' mean?

A: A plane that can carry both passengers and cargo

B: Series of connecting flights

C: Cleaning crew

Answer: A

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