LearnPress Publication Guide »
Tagging and controlled vocabulary
3.2 Tagging lesson plans
LearnPress version: 1.5
Last modified: 30 January 2009
General notes
- Use tags only if they reflect specific instruction and/or assessment that is integral to the lesson plan. Do not, for example, tag "writing" if the lesson plan merely has a written report as its assessment, or "Asia" when using photographs for a science lesson if the photographs are not used because they are from Asia.
Curriculum areas
Tags for major curriculum areas
Note that these areas are not precisely those defined by the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.
- arts
- language arts
- health
- mathematics
- science
- second languages
- social studies
Arts
disciplines and major topics
- architecture
- art history
- crafts
- dance
- film
- fine art
- folk art
- music
- photography
- theater
- woodworking
other tags
- specific activities, skills, and topics as needed
Language arts
major skills and topics
- alphabet
- debate
- grammar
- journalism
- listening comprehension
- literature
- reading
- speech
- story telling
- writing
types of literature
- fairy tales
- folklore
- folk tales
- mythology
- novels
- plays
- poetry
- stories
- other types of literature as needed
teaching approaches
- phonics
- self-selected reading
- sustained silent reading
- whole language
other tags
- locations (see below)
- groups of people (see below)
- names of major authors
- specific topics and skills as needed
Guidance
topics
- careers
- character education
- college planning
- other topics as needed
Health
- disease prevention
- exercise
- mental health
- nutrition
- physical health
- relationships
- safety
- sports
- substance abuse
- other topics as needed, e.g. diseases, names or types of diseases, names or types of sports
Mathematics
disciplines and major topics
- algebra
- arithmetic
- calculus
- counting
- data analysis
- discrete mathematics
- geometry
- measurement
- number sense
- number theory
- patterns
- probability
- statistics
- trigonometry
other tags
- specific topics as needed: e.g. addition, decimals, graphing, limits, logarithms, permutations, etc.
Science
disciplines and major topics
- agriculture
- astronomy
- biology
- chemistry
- data collection
- ecology
- engineering
- environmental science
- geology
- life science
- marine biology
- meteorology
- natural history
- oceanography
- physical science
- physics
- space exploration
- technology
other tags
- specific topics as needed: e.g. human reproduction, simple machines, water cycle, weather, etc.
Second languages
language studied
major skills
- cultural awareness
- listening
- literature
- grammar
- reading
- speaking
- writing
other tags
- specific topics as needed
Social studies
disciplines and major topics
- archaeology
- biography
- civics
- culture
- current events
- economics
- geography
- global education
- government
- history
- philosophy
- politics
- psychology
- religion
- sociology
- United States history
- world history
other tags
- locations (see below)
- groups of people (see below)
- resources used or created in depth, e.g. oral history (not primary sources)
- specific topics as needed, e.g. child labor, children, Civil War, diplomacy, families, housing, labor, war, etc.
General topics and skills
Locations studied
Primarily used for social studies, but also for literature and occasionally science.
continents
Tag continent if relevant. Do not tag "North America" when also tagging "United States."
- Africa
- Antarctica
- Asia
- Europe
- North America
- Oceania
- South America
world regions
Region tags should not be substituted for continent tags.
- Central America
- Middle East
- Scandinavia
- Avoid others unless highly relevant.
countries
Tag country name (e.g. "United States") even if a more specific tag already contains the country name (e.g. "United States history"). Also tag name of continent (except when tagging "United States").
- country name(s) as needed
states
Tag name of relevant state when that state, its history or natural resources are directly studied, but not when a person or piece of literature is studied that only happens to be from that state. The exception is "North Carolina," which should be used for all resources relating to North Carolina history, literature, environment, etc.
Groups of people studied
Used for social studies and occasionally literature.
- African Americans
- American Indians
- Latinos
- women
- Avoid others unless highly relevant.
Thinking skills
- critical literacy
- higher order thinking
- information literacy
- media literacy
- research skills
- visual literacy
Teaching strategies and tools
Special audiences
Tag only if specific instruction and/or assessment is provided for these audiences.
- at-risk students
- behavioral and emotional disabilities
- English language learners
- academically gifted
- learning disabilities
- physical disabilities
learning styles
Tag only if instruction is geared deliberately to these learning styles.
- auditory learners
- kinesthetic learners
- visual learners
Technology used
technology used by the teacher
Tag cutting-edge technologies used by the teacher as an integral part of the instruction (not Powerpoint, projector, etc.).
- interactive whiteboards
- other tools of special interest as needed
technology used by students
Tag only if students are actively using these tools to create products and if specific instruction and assessment are provided in the use of the tools.
- blogging
- databases
- podcasting
- Powerpoint
- spreadsheets
- video production
- wikis
- word processing
- other tools as needed
Teaching methods
- classroom exchange
- cooperative learning
- demonstrations
- discovery learning
- discussions
- experiential learning
- game-based learning
- hands-on
- interdisciplinary
- inquiry
- jigsaw
- journaling
- labs
- lecture
- modeling
- Montessori method
- museum education
- online learning
- Paideia
- peer tutoring
- project-based learning
- reflective learning
- role playing
- self-paced learning
- Socratic method
- team teaching
Assessments
Consider specific types of assessments and student products for later use.