About Learning Center
Lessons and activities for teachers, students and curious minds.
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A Learning Commons for Cultural Discovery
All lessons are based on AramcoWorld articles and aligned with US Common Core State Standards, encouraging deeper understanding of world cultures, geography, history, art and global themes.
We believe in nurturing curiosity and meaningful connection through learning. Whether you’re teaching a class, learning independently or guiding your children, Learning Center offers tools that build critical thinking, media literacy and cultural understanding.
"They are making connections between their textbook and the world through the magazine. "
Who It's For
- Educators: Secondary and undergraduate instructors for engaging, standards-aligned content for classrooms.
- Students: Middle school to college-level learners building skills in reading, analysis and cross-cultural thinking.
- Parents: Families exploring the world together through storytelling, discussion and discovery.
- Lifelong Learners: Readers who want to explore global cultures and themes through multimedia lessons and activities.
Overview
What's inside
Each Learning Center lesson includes:
- Reading passages drawn from AramcoWorld articles.
- Interactive features:
- Drop-down reading comprehension Q&A's.
- Hover-over definitions for vocabulary building.
- Four activity formats:
- Warm-Up: Preview and predict from titles, images and captions.
- 15-Minute Activity: Close reading or visual analysis with reflection.
- 30-Minute Activity: Deeper synthesis, text mining and paired reading.
- Visual Activity: Image-based inquiry or discussion.
- PDF or Online Access: Choose what fits your style and setting.
For the Teacher's Desk
For the Teacher's Desk is a regularly published column within Learning Center that offers teaching insights, curated lesson pairings and activity ideas built around AramcoWorld articles. While designed primarily with classroom educators in mind, each piece also supports homeschool instructors, learning facilitators and independent learners seeking to bring cultural storytelling into their educational practice.
Each article:
- Connects Learning Center lessons to a central theme or topic relevant to classroom teaching and real-world learning.
- Offers modular ideas for lesson integration, discussion prompts or student projects.
- Highlights AramcoWorld contributors and story subjects to bring in journalistic, photographic and cross-cultural perspectives.
- Encourages project-based learning and creative student exploration, whether in class or beyond.
The column brings educational, cultural and global experience into each entry. Many articles include teaching strategies, global learning perspectives and practical extensions like writing assignments, visual analysis or media literacy activities.
While its primary audience is educators, the column invites all learners to engage with AramcoWorld stories more deeply, from classrooms to kitchen tables.
Our Educational Philosophy
We recognize that students learn in different ways—visually, analytically, collaboratively. Learning Center blends:
- Guided inquiry and close reading.
- Cultural storytelling and global context.
- Project-based learning (PBL) techniques.
- Real-world journalism and visual storytelling.
These activities aim to build literacy, critical thinking and cross-disciplinary dialog—inside and outside the classroom.
Common Core State Standards
Learning Center lessons focus on guidelines within seven CCSS anchor standards.
Reading for Literature (RL)
Reading for Informational Text (RI)
Writing (W)
Speaking and Listening (SL)
Language (L)
Reading for Literacy in History/Social Studies (RH)
Writing for Literacy in History/Social Studies (WHST)
A detailed list of all CCSS guidelines incorporated in Learning Center lessons is available here.
About the authors
Greg Timmons has taught social studies for more than 30 years at both middle and high school levels. He has written educational materials for Biography.com, Colonial Williamsburg, History.com, PBS, Scholastic, Social Studies School Service, and he has served as a consultant for several leading education groups. He believes that students exhibit different learning styles that need to be recognized and given opportunities to develop and mature, and he feels strongly about the power of thinking and writing skills for the success of students in all subject areas.
Casey Hurtt began developing curriculum activities for AramcoWorld in January of 2025. She has created projects-based curriculum as director for Livingston Montessori School and Evolving Education since 2005. She currently works as a youth and family case manager at Gulf Coast Center. She believes education should spark future generations to become life-long learners and create opportunities for students to expand their minds and world perspectives.