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Blogs on Lesson Plans

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Letters to the President: Make It a Student Tradition

Suzie BossNovember 29, 2012

Tags Current Events, Lesson Plans, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

Although most students will be watching Inauguration Day festivities from afar on January 21, they can get into the spirit of the day by putting pen to paper, or voice to video, and offering some second-term advice for their newly reelected president.

Eight Classroom Resources to Help Teach About Hurricane Sandy

Matt DavisOctober 30, 2012

Tags Current Events, Lesson Plans, Science

The power of nature was felt throughout the Northeast last night, as devastating Hurricane Sandy hammered the East Coast. For students and teachers looking to help out, the Huffington Post published this list of ways you can lend a hand.

Now, as students ask about the cause and effect of the storm -- here are a couple of resources to help guide the classroom discussion. We'll start with a special hurricane episode of Sesame Street for younger students.

Five-Minute Film Festival: Happy Halloween!

Amy Erin Borovoy (aka VideoAmy)October 26, 2012

Tags Lesson Plans, Student Engagement, All Grades

It's late October, and kids' minds are turning to costuming and candy, marauding and merriment -- yes, this is Halloween time! While parents get mired in guilt over fair-trade candy and childhood obesity issues and some schools ban Halloween celebrations altogether, many teachers take advantage of the excitement in the crisp autumn air and brew up some activities related to All Hallow's Eve.

Seven Baseball-Themed Classroom Activities for the World Series

Matt DavisOctober 25, 2012

Tags Curriculum, Lesson Plans, Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

The World Series kicked off last night in San Francisco, and during the next week, it might be on the your mind or the mind of some of your students. We know here at Edutopia, the series between the San Francisco Giants and the Detroit Tigers has certainly made its way into some of our watercooler conversations.

Twelve Interactive Activities for Learning About Elections

Paul GigliottiOctober 17, 2012

Tags Best Practices, Lesson Plans, Primary (K-2), Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8)

The election year is a great time for social studies education; presidential and congressional campaigns are such a large part of the news and daily conversations that they have sparked the curiosity of even the youngest students. A student response system combined with an interactive whiteboard can bring lessons to life by giving students a hands-on "voter" experience.

Eight Ways to Use Video With English-Language Learners

Larry FerlazzoOctober 10, 2012

Tags English-Language Learners, Lesson Plans, Online Learning, Technology Integration, English Language Arts

This blog was co-authored by Katie Hull Sypnieski. This post is excerpted from their new book, The ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide: Ready-to-Use Strategies, Tools, and Activities for Teaching English Language Learners of All Levels.

Using Photos With English-Language Learners

Larry FerlazzoOctober 4, 2012

Tags Common Core Standards, English-Language Learners, Lesson Plans, Online Learning, Student Engagement

"A picture is worth a thousand words."
-- Unknown

Though the origin of this popular adage is unclear, one thing is clear: using photos with English-Language Learners (ELLs) can be enormously effective in helping them learn far more than a thousand words -- and how to use them.

Designing Science Inquiry: Claim + Evidence + Reasoning = Explanation

Eric BrunsellSeptember 25, 2012

Tags Curriculum, Lesson Plans, Project-Based Learning, Science

In an interview with students, MIT's Kerry Emmanuel stated, "At the end of the day, it's just raw curiosity. I think almost everybody that gets seriously into science is driven by curiosity." Curiosity -- the desire to explain how the world works -- drives the questions we ask and the investigations we conduct.

The Assassin Strikes and Other Hoaxes for Teaching Social Studies

Mark PhillipsSeptember 19, 2012

Tags Lesson Plans, Student Engagement, Drama, High (9-12), History

Act One, Scene One

It's the first day of the sophomore World History class. The teacher is standing in the front of the class and has just gotten their attention. A short squat man with a nylon stocking over his face, a dark fedora on his head and wearing a dark trench coat, rushes through the door, screams "Sic semper tyrannis," and "stabs" the teacher twice. The teacher crumples to the ground while some students shriek, and the "assassin" rushes back out the door.

Getting to Know Your Students Through Poetry

Elena AguilarSeptember 12, 2012

Tags Lesson Plans, Literacy, Teacher Development, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

I knew I wanted to get to know my students. I wanted to hear about their lives, look through their eyes, experience the sounds of their world, and survey their emotional landscapes. I also knew I needed to do this in order to be a more effective teacher: I could tailor instruction to draw on what they already knew and bridge curriculum.