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Lesson Plan Sites

FDLP and Texas Depository logos Social Studies

Comprehensive Sites

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)
Grade Levels: PreK-12
TEKS: [Comprehensive site]

  • More than 30 Federal agencies formed a working group in 1997 to make hundreds of federally supported teaching and learning resources easier to find. The result of that work is the FREE web site. Subjects include: arts, educational technology, foreign languages, health, language arts, mathematics, physical education, science, social studies, and vocational education. [FREE brochure]

GEM. The Gateway to Educational Materials (Sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Education)
Grade Levels: PreK-12
TEKS: [Comprehensive site]

  • The Gateway to Educational MaterialsSM is a Consortium effort to provide educators with quick and easy access to thousands of educational resources found on various federal, state, university, non-profit, and commercial Internet sites. Offers more than 40,000 lessons and instructional resources from more than 400 organizations. To find lesson plans, "Search the GEM Catalog" for "lesson plans" (as a keyword).

Lesson Plan Collections. Teacher Toolbag--Educational Resources (Texas Education Agency)
Grade Levels: PreK-12
TEKS: [Comprehensive site]

  • A list of links to comprehensive collections of lesson plans, most of which are non-governmental sites.

Alternative Energy Lessons. Energy Education (Alternative Fuels Research & Education Division. Railroad Commission of Texas)
Grade Levels: 9-12
TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Fine Arts; Mathematics; Science; Social Studies; Technology Applications

  • Alternative Energy, a science curriculum supplement correlated to TEKS and TAAS, consists of 24 lessons on energy and alternative fuels, primarily in the contexts of physics, chemistry, biology and earth science. Lessons are also included for English, mathematics, art and social studies classes. "Selected electronic resources are listed at the end of each section to help meet community expectations set out in the Texas Education Agency's Long-Range Plan for Technology. Teachers may use these resources to meet advanced students' learning needs, clarify and extend concepts ... and help integrate TEKS into computer-based classroom activities." (Introduction)

Big Bend National Park. Curriculum Materials
Grade Levels: K-12
TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Mathematics; Science; Social Studies

  • Includes lesson plans from biodiversity, cultural diversity, and geology & paleontology workshops.

Coverdell World Wise Schools Lesson Plans (Peace Corps)
Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-9, 10-12
TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Science; Social Studies

  • Coverdell World Wise Schools (CWWS) is an innovative education program that seeks to engage learners in an inquiry about the world, themselves, and others in order to: broaden perspectives; promote cultural awareness; appreciate global connections; and encourage service. Educators use these materials to teach subjects as varied as language arts, environmental education, and international economics. Teacher-tested lesson plans are organized by grade range (3-5, 6-9, 10-12), geographic region, topic, and publication title. Topics include Cross-cultural Understanding, Environmental Studies, Reading and Writing, Service Learning, and Social Studies.

Curriculum Supplement Series. Curriculum Supplements. High School, Grades 9-12 (Office of Science Education. National Institutes of Health)
Grade Levels: 9-12
TEKS: Career Orientation; English Language Arts & Reading; Health Education; Health Science Technology Education; Mathematics; Science; Social Studies; Technology Applications

  • The Teachers Guide under each topic includes a section of lesson plans. Topics: cell biology & cancer, emerging & re-emerging infectious diseases; human genetic variation; the brain: understanding neurobiology through the study of addiction; sleep, sleep disorders, and biological rhythms, and using technology to study cellular and molecular biology. Under the "Web version" the curriculum supplement text can be viewed or printed and the optional multimedia activities accessed. Proceed to the teacher's guide section for complete details on all of the activities. Print copies with accompanying CDs for some titles are also available in the Library (Cell biology and cancer. US Documents: HE 20.3065:C 33; Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. US Documents: HE 20.3065:IN 3; Human genetic variation. US Documents: HE 20.3065:G 28).

Econ Ed and the Fed Online (Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco)
Grade Levels: 9-12
TEKS: Economics with Emphasis on the Free Enterprise System and Its Benefits; Social Studies

  • This newsletter from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, part of the Bank's "Educational Resources" web site (below), often includes lesson plans on topics such as, globalization, the rising cost of health care, and the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). The complete lesson plans, in PDF format, are available from links in each online issue.

EDSITEment ("The Best of the Humanities on the Web") (National Endowment for the Humanities)
Grade Levels: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Fine Arts; Languages Other Than English; Social Studies; Spanish Language Arts & Reading

  • From the NEH in partnership with the National Trust for the Humanities, and the MarcoPolo Education Foundation, this educational partnership brings online humanities resources from some of the world's great museums, libraries, cultural institutions, and universities directly to the classroom. One important goal of EDSITEment is to help educators integrate the Internet as a standard classroom resource. Use Reference Shelf for helpful tips on using the Internet in the classroom. Subject areas include: Art & Culture, Literature & Language Arts, Foreign Language, and History & Social Studies. Under "Search" you have the option to limit by grade level, or you can sort all lesson plans by grade level or one of the four subject areas.

Educational Outreach (U.S. Courts. The Federal Judiciary)
Grade Levels: 9-12
TEKS: Social Studies

  • The materials posted here deal with current issues and are ready for immediate classroom use. They also can be used for a field trip to the local federal courthouse.

Educational Resources: Curriculum Materials (Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco)
Grade Levels: 1-12
TEKS: Economics with Emphasis on the Free Enterprise System and Its Benefits; Social Studies

  • Here is an overview of Federal Reserve resources available online for downloading or ordering. The materials are sorted into three main categories: Economics, Personal Finance, and Social Studies/History. For easy reference, each resource is listed with its appropriate audience and media type. The Federal Reserve recommends that you use this list and their revised FederalReserveEducation.org as your starting points.

Educational Resources at the Census Bureau (U.S. Bureau of the Census)
Grade Levels: K-4, 5-8, 9-12
TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Mathematics; Social Studies

  • This page includes "Lesson Plans Using Census Data." The purpose of the plans is to help students understand the importance and benefits of the census; to promote awareness and encourage greater participation in the national census at the local level; and to improve the accuracy of the census. The page also includes "Teacher Resources on the Web" which includes links to government educational websites that feature lesson plans in math, science and social studies. These lesson plans usually include classroom activities and projects that use the Internet.

Explore Your National Parks: Historic Places. Lesson Plans in the Curriculum Kit (National Park Service. National Register of Historic Places)
Grade Levels: 5-12
TEKS: Social Studies

  • The six lessons in Explore Your National Parks: Historic Places illustrate how parks document many of the most important developments in American history. These lesson plans (designed primarily for middle school but adaptable for upper elementary through high school) can be used to enrich and enliven courses in history, social studies, civics, and geography. They have been adapted from ones published as part of the National Register's Teaching with Historic Places program (see below). Includes "San Antonio Missions: Spanish Influence in Texas."

FederalReserveEducation.org
Grade Levels: 1-12
TEKS: Economics with Emphasis on the Free Enterprise System and Its Benefits; Social Studies

  • Here you can find links to instructional materials and tools that can increase your understanding of the Federal Reserve, economics and financial education. All of the Fed web sites, curriculum, newsletters, booklets and other resources are free. Includes links to other (non-governmental) economic education sites. The "Teachers Resources" portion houses several interactive tools and resources for educators, students and parents. The curriculum search tool facilitates integrating Fed education materials into the classroom by aligning materials with National Standards.

For Educators. Capitol Visitors Center (Texas State Preservation Board)
Grade Levels: K-8
TEKS: Social Studies

  • The Lesson Plans on this site relate directly to the tours, exhibits and films the students experience at the Texas State Capitol and the Visitors Center. They also cover material from the social studies TEKS. Separate esson plans are available on the State Capitol for 4th and 7th grade classes.

Future State. U.S. Dept. of State for Youth. Parents and Educators. Lesson Plans (U.S. Dept. of State)
Grade Levels: 6-12
TEKS: Social Studies

  • Three lesson plans are available that are targeted toward easy integration into existing teaching curricula: Terrorism, The Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam: Escalation of Conflict.

The Learning Page. Lesson Plans (The Library of Congress)
Grade Levels: 4-12
TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Social Studies

  • This site includes dozens of teacher created, classroom tested lesson plans, on topics from U.S. history to civics to literature. Use American Memory collections for primary source documents. Lesson plans are indexed by Themes, Topics, Disciplines or Eras and Title. "Lessons by Title" include a chart with a "Grades" column, but there is no way to search or limit by grade level.

Lesson Plans (H.I.P. Pocket Change. The U.S. Mint)
Grade Levels: K-1, 2-3, 4-6, 7-8, 9-12
TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Mathematics; Science; Social Studies; Technology Applications

  • Classroom teachers helped design these lesson plans for social studies, language arts, advanced math, and science using the 50 State Quarters® Program and the Westward Journey Nickel Series. Plans are based on the National Education standards.

Lesson Plans & Activities (USGS)
Grade Levels: K-3, 4-6, 4-8, 5-8, 7-12
TEKS: Science; Social Studies

  • All USGS teaching packets are based on national education standards. Most teacher packets are only available online. Subject areas include Life Science, Geography: Maps, and Earth Science. The site also includes a list of links to other lesson plans.

Lesson Plans from TES (Teaching Environmental Sciences) (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality)
Grade Levels: K-12
TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Mathematics; Science; Social Studies

  • Teachers who participated in the TCEQ's Teaching Environmental Sciences (TES) program developed the lesson plans and ideas for field trips and other activities contained in this publication. (TES is a graduate-level course for teachers and nonformal educators interested in integrating environmental topics into their lessons and activities.) Correlations to TEKS is shown on each lesson plan. Chapters cover air, water, and waste. Appendix A is a list of lesson plans by grade level. This is an online version of a TCEQ publication also available in print in the Library. (Texas Documents: N330.5 L566P 2001)

NGA Classroom for Teachers and Students (National Gallery of Art)
Grade Levels: K-12
TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Fine Arts; Mathematics; Science; Social Studies

  • A place where teachers and students can connect art and curriculum. Resources can be accessed by curriculum, topics, or artists. "Featured Lessons" include topics such as self-portraits in art (explores identity using self-portraits and creative writing), new angles on art (explores the intersection of art and math concepts such as geometry), and counting on art (using works of art to introduce and practice math concepts).

Renewable Energy Lesson Plans (Texas State Energy Conservation Office. www.InfinitePower.org)
Grade Levels: 4, 6, 9 (Elementary school, Middle school, High school)
TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Mathematics; Science; Social Studies; Technology Applications

  • Each lesson plan was created by a team of professional educators and renewable energy experts and uses information from one of the agency's fact sheets as a starting point for building knowledge. In addition, all lesson plans are fully integrated with the latest TEKS requirements. Lesson plans are grouped into three age levels designed for elementary school (grade 4), middle school (grade 6), and high school (grade 9). However, the lesson plans can be used in other grades as well, or by parents and home schoolers to teach their children about renewable energy.

Smithsonian Lesson Plans (Educators. Smithsonian Education)
Grade Levels: PreK-3, 4-8, 9-12
TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Fine Arts; Science; Social Studies; Technology Applications

  • Lesson plans in art & design, science & technology, history & culture, and language arts are available. Browse lesson plans by subject area or search by grade levels and keywords.

Teaching with Documents: Lesson Plans (Digital Classroom. National Archives and Records Administration)
Grade Levels: 9-12
TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Science; Social Studies

Teaching with Historic Places. Lesson Plans (National Park Service. National Register of Historic Places)
Grade Levels: 5-12
TEKS: Social Studies

  • One of this site's primary offerings is a series of classroom-ready lesson plans created by National Park Service interpreters, preservation professionals, and educators which use historic sites to explore American history. Although designed for middle school students learning history, social studies, geography, and other subjects, TwHP lessons are easily adaptable from upper elementary through high school, and even for college courses. Each lesson includes maps, readings, and photographs, all of which are accompanied by questions. Each TwHP lesson plan links both to relevant United States History Standards for Grades 5-12 and also to relevant Performance Expectations for Middle Grades from the national Curriculum Standards for Social Studies.

Understanding Taxes. Lesson Plans (Teacher Home. Internal Revenue Service. U.S. Dept. of the Treasury)
Grade Levels: 9-12
TEKS: Mathematics; Social Studies

  • Detailed lesson plans guide instruction from the introduction of a given tax concept, through its development, to the lesson conclusion. This also gives the teacher the freedom to choose lesson content and activities to use in the classroom. Materials include printable PDFs for use in a traditional classroom setting, along with interactive online activities. The "Teacher Home" site also includes a section on "Educational Standards" with links to the National Standards curriculum areas and to the appropriate standards for all states.

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Revised: November 2007, by Janetta Paschal, Government Documents/Reference Librarian