LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

learning contract

Learn more about learning contract

Reading questions: Learning in colonial Carolina
This set of questions was designed to accompany an article about education in colonial North Carolina.
Format: /lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)
By Pauline S. Johnson.
Expand and contract
In Design technology: Children's engineering, page 2.4
In this lesson, students will learn that heat causes most substances to expand and become less dense. They will measure the circumference of a balloon, then heat it, and measure the circumference again.
Format: lesson plan (grade 6 Science)
By Erin Denniston.
Understanding work in colonial Carolina
This lesson plan explores two forms of labor in colonial Carolina — indentured servitude and apprenticeships. Students learn about these forms of labor by reading and analyzing primary and secondary sources.
Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
By Pauline S. Johnson.
Marshmallow catapults
In Design technology: Children's engineering, page 1.4
Students will work in design teams competing for a contract to produce a marshmallow catapult for Target. Catapults will be assessed based on cost, performance, and appearance.
Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Mathematics and Science)
By Erin Denniston.
Exploring properties of matter with submersibles
This inquiry-based learning activity allows students to explore the relationships between mass, volume, density, and buoyancy as they manipulate various materials to construct a submersible “vehicle” for deep-sea research.
Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 Science)
By Miriam Sutton.

Find all 18 resources in our collection.

An agreement between a teacher and a student regarding how that student will achieve specified learning goals or objectives.

Additional information

Learning contracts can cover a variety of items, including:

  • Identifying the learning goal or objective.
  • How the student will meet the objective.
  • Schedule for completing the objective.
  • How student will assess his or her own learning.
  • How teacher will assess the student’s learning.

The learning contract is not meant to be “etched in stone,” but open for revision to meet the needs of the student.

Examples and resources

Regina Public Schools and Saskatchewan Learning host a feature on learning contracts that outlines teacher and student responsibilites, details the process, and provides assessment guidance. It also presents examples of learning contracts by grade level.