Browse lesson plans

An American hero: Harriet Tubman

In this lesson, the school librarian and classroom teacher should work together to teach students about the life of Harriet Tubman in recognition of African-American History and Cultural Heritage Month.

Format: lesson plan (grade 1 Information Skills and Social Studies)

By Floanna Long.

Formulating questions to meet information needs of ELL students

This is a multi-activity lesson plan to teach the concept of asking engaging, researchable questions prior to reading. This leads to effective inquiries during project or research work in any content area. Using engaging questions creates a sense of connectedness by linking academic contents with students' personal concerns. The lesson is primarily designed for English language learners although it can be adapted for mainstream students. This lesson can also be modified for use with grades 4-8.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Development, Information Skills, and Social Studies)

By Deborah Wilkes, Kristi Triplett, and Karen Waller.

Graphically organize a biography

This lesson is a good ending to a unit on biographies. The students will work together in small groups to create a poster that displays the information from a biography in a graphic organizer.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Information Skills and Social Studies)

By Ellen Benton.

Integrating the internet into the curriculum: Jan Brett author study

Jan Brett's books will be used to integrate technology into different areas of the curriculum. The seven activities will each take about 30 minutes depending on the class. The highlight of the author study will be the design of a class multimedia presentation.

Format: lesson plan (grade 1 Computer/Technology Skills, English Language Arts, Information Skills, and Social Studies)

By Barb Thorson.

North Carolina regions

Working in cooperative groups, the students will learn about their assigned regions of North Carolina. A list of questions will be generated. When the research is completed, the students will design a way to orally present the information to the class. This also will integrate Visual Arts and Informational Skills.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 Information Skills and Social Studies)

By Patricia Britt.

Underground Railroad quilts: Fact or folklore?

In this lesson, students explore the controversy surrounding a book entitled Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad, which was published as a non-fiction account of fugitive slaves sending coded messages through quilt patterns. Students evaluate numerous sources and assess the validity of each in an attempt to determine if the quilt codes are fact or folklore.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 English Language Arts, Information Skills, and Social Studies)

By Abby Stotsenberg.

Resources on the web

FactCheckED.org

This site helps high school students learn how to “see through the spin” and find out the true facts from the misinformation that they hear in messages every day. (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: Annenberg Public Policy Center

The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research

At this site, the Roper Center provides a sample of its huge archive of polling data, along with datasets and related articles. There is also a section for educators with two tutorials and four sample assignments that utilize the resources of the website. (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: University of Connecticut