This page includes links to web sites from government agencies that contain lesson plans for use by teachers, home schoolers, and independent learners. It is not an exhaustive list and will be updated periodically. Each entry includes the grade levels and possible subject areas in Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) covered by the lesson plans. It is your responsibility to confirm compliance with TEKS and/or other federal and state codes regarding education.
Themed Resources include Agriculture and the Environment; Plants and Animals for Food, Fiber and Energy; Food, Health & Lifestyles; STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics; and Culture, Society, Economy & Geography.
While emphasizing the regional geology of Carlsbad Caverns National Park and cavern formation, this guide also provides a general overview of geologic history and processes. Lessons include field trip trips to the Permian strata and caverns in conjunction with hands-on, introductory college-style laboratories to provide background geologic concepts. A glossary, maps, photos, and additional resources are also provided.
Changing the Face of Medicine. Lesson Plans (National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of Health) Grade Levels: K-2, 3-4, 5-8. 9-12 TEKS: Health Education; Health Science Technology Education
Lesson plans bring the world of medicine into the classroom. The plans targeted for specific age groups within K-12 have been designed to enhance understanding of the physiology of the body and the field of medicine. The link above connects to Grades 9-12. Other grade levels include: K-2, 3-4, and 5-8.
ChooseMyPlate.Gov (U.S. Department of Agriculture) Grade Levels: PreK-12 TEKS: Health Education
Preschoolers (2-5 years old) learn to develop healthy eating habits combined with activity.
Kids (6-11 years old) learn from science-based information from the MyPlate Kids’ Place resources to build healthy meals and to maintain or achieve a healthy weight.
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.
A collection of health educational materials from the National Agricultural Library.
Curriculum Supplement Series (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 NIH curriculum supplements are teacher’s guides to two weeks of lessons on the science behind selected health topics. They combine cutting-edge biomedical discoveries with state-of-the-art instructional practices.
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 and National Trust 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
This site includes lesson plans and study activities that can be used to support related lesson plans or as standalone activities in the classroom.
Education. High School (Federal Reserve Bank of New York) Grade Levels: 9-12 TEKS: Economics with Emphasis on the Free Enterprise System and Its Benefits
Look under “Instructional Materials” for three lesson plans: Financial Literacy in Action; Teaching About the Global Economy Using the internet; and Federal Open Market Committee Simulation Activity.
This section provides direct access to lesson plans developed by scientists and educators in conjunction with expeditions supported by NOAA Ocean Exploration. These lessons are geared toward students in Grades 5-12. Presented here as web-based education materials, each lesson plan corresponds with a specific ocean exploration and can be supplemented with daily logs prepared by scientists and educators during each mission at sea. Images and video captured in the daily logs provide an invaluable resource for teachers and students as they explore these lessons.
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; History; 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 Comic Book Series contains free downloads of the book and lesson plans for middle school and high school.
Use the search box to locate more than 475 lesson plans
Statistics in Schools (U.S. Bureau of the Census) Grade Levels: K-4, 5-8, 9-12 TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Mathematics; Social Studies
Brings school subjects to life using real-world Census Bureau statistics to create materials for use year after year for K-12 students. Explore this site for engaging resources and activities in social studies, math, English, geography, sociology and more.
Energy Kids (U.S. Energy Information Administration. U.S. Dept. of Energy) Grade Levels: K-12 TEKS: Science
Use the teacher’s guide to provide energy lessons that use this student-friendly website to explore energy sources and ways to save energy, through online puzzles, quizzes, and experiments.
Federal Reserve Education Grade Levels: K-12 TEKS: Economics with Emphasis on the Free Enterprise System and Its Benefits; History; 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.
Financial Literacy (H.I.P. Pocket Change. The U.S. Mint) Grade Levels: K-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.
Fossil Energy (Office of Fossil Energy/U.S. Department of Energy) Grade Levels: 1-12 TEKS: Science
Fossil Energy created printable study guides and activities emphasizing the importance of coal, natural gas, and petroleum to our everyday lives. The office hopes to familiarize students with the science and technologies that make using fossil fuels cleaner. Lessons and activities are available for elementary, middle school, and high school levels.
H.I.P. Pocket Change™ Lesson Plans (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.
Imagine the Universe Lesson Plans (Teachers’ Corner. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) Grade Levels: 6-8, 6-9, 6-10, 7-12, 9-12, 11-12 TEKS: Mathematics; Science
Math and science lesson plans developed by teachers and the Imagine the Universe! Team.
Includes Lesson plans in Soil Science and Backyard Conservation.
Access to PLANTS Database
Free resources available from the NRCS Distribution Center
Lesson Plans (The Library of Congress) Grade Levels: 3-12 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.
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 from 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 non-formal 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)
MyMoney.Gov (Federal Financial Literacy and Education Commission) Grade Levels: K-12 TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Mathematics; Science; Social Studies; Technology Applications
This special section of MyMoney.gov provides information about and links to a collection of federal guides and curricula for teaching financial capability concepts. The collection is designed specifically for teachers and educators.
The Spotlight Resources below provide a taste of the types of available resources.
To find more resources in the MyMoney collection, use the search box on the navigation bar. Simply type in the word or phrase that describes your topic, and the site will do the searching for you.
NASA Educational Materials Grade Levels: K-4, 5-8, 9-12 TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Mathematics; Science; Technology Applications
An extensive list of educational materials can be browsed by type (bookmarks, classroom activities, educator guides, etc.), by grade level, or by subject. Broad subject areas include: Careers, Earth Science, History, Life Science, Mathematics, Physical Science, Space Science, Spanish, and Technology.
National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior) Grade Levels: PreK-12 TEKS: [Literacy and Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies]
The Teachers’ National Park Service website provides resources from all 401 national parks. The site includes distance learning resources and is searchable by location, keyword, and more than 125 subjects, from archeology, to biology, to Constitutional law. Teachers will, for the first time, be able to rate NPS-provided content. In addition to park-created content, the site also features educational materials created by NPS national programs like the National Register of Historic Places and its award-winning Teaching with Historic Places series of 147 lesson plans.
NGA Lessons & Activities (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).
This site provides direct access to 165 lesson plans developed by scientists and educators during the 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 Ocean Explorer field seasons. The lessons are geared toward students in Grades 5-12. Presented here as web-based education materials, each lesson plan corresponds with a specific ocean exploration and can be supplemented with daily logs prepared by scientists and educators during each mission at sea. Includes images and video captured in the daily logs. Each activity is correlated to the National Science Education Standards and has Adaptations for Teachers of Deaf Students. Can search for plans by grade level, region, subject, or exploration.
This site includes lesson plans and other helpful activities for your class. Educational subjects include Art, Careers, Government, History, Math, and Money.
From the Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education, this resource covers a variety of topics including animal production, crop production, energy, farm business management, natural resources/environment, pest management, soil management, sustainable communities.
Some resources are: The Farmer Field Day Toolkit; The Ogallala Aquifer of the Texas High Plains: A Race Against Time; Sustainable Agriculture Resources and Programs for K-12; Sustainable Agriculture Learning Modules for High School Agriculture.
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.
Soil Education (U.S. Department of Agriculture) Grade Levels: K-12, College TEKS: Science
A collection of educational materials about soil from definitions, soil surveys, soil formation and classification, a soil science glossary, and more.
STEM Rising (U.S. Department of Energy) Grade Levels: K-12, Higher education TEKS: Science
STEM resources for students, teachers, and the energy workforce. Includes links to resources for grade-appropriate lesson plans, curriculum, and educational materials for teaching students and children about energy, particularly energy literacy, efficiency, and renewable energy. Includes links to sites that are non-governmental agencies and institutions.
Sustainable Agriculture (U.S. Department of Agriculture) Grade Levels: K-12, College TEKS: Science
Review instructional books, teaching aids, course outlines, support organizations and other teaching resources for all levels - kindergarten, high school and beyond.
Lesson plans on ecological concepts, terrestrial ecology, aquatic activities, archeology, and journaling and creative writing.
Teaching with Historic Places (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.
