Collaborate with the World Project: Habits of Centurians

What behaviors lead to life longevity and fulfillment? According to Dan Buettner (internationally recognized researcher, explorer, and New York Times bestselling author and National Geographic Fellow) life expectancy of an American born today averages 78.2 years. But annually over 70,000 Americans have reached their 100th birthday. What are they doing that the average American isn’t (or won’t)? To answer the question, Students will learn about the world’s longest-lived people and study them. Research supports that most of the answers involve lifestyle and environment.

With the rise of technology, the world is shrinking. My students in Suburbia, USA can feasibly access all corners of the globe. I want to harness that capacity to increase student agency and instill a sense of global contentedness in my students. Here is my first crack at it:

1. Students predict factors that are associated with living a long life.

2. Students will watch Dan Buettner Ted Ed: How to live to be 100+

1. Students will use post it reflection activity.

2. Students return to original prediction and answer whether their answer changed or reinforced based on their dialogue with classmates.

3. Students read Power 9: Reverse Engineering Longevity

4. Students fill out Google Form and send out Google Form via their social media with the hashtag #isd624centurian

1. Students analyze map of Results of Global Perspective of Blue Zones Healthy Behaviors (Check out this blog post on how to connect a Google Form to My Maps)

So there it is. My goal is to engage and motivate learners by creating global connections and harnessing the engaging aspects of social media.