LEARN NC

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

CEU courses open for enrollment

Adolescent Literacy: Social Studies Comprehension Strategies
The ability to read and comprehend information is crucial to understanding society around us, as well as making decisions and defending one’s views and opinions. Help your students develop the reading skills that will help them achieve higher in social studies--and in life
Take this course: Begins April 6.

From the education reference

service learning
Intentional combination of community service objectives and learning opportunities that benefits both the recipient and provider of the service. Student service learning projects should be structured to link learning tasks to self-reflection so that they enrich learning, strengthen communities, and teach civic responsibility.
discovery learning
Learning that takes place, not through instruction, but through examination, analysis, or experimentation.
cooperative learning
Instructional method in which students work together in small, heterogeneous groups to complete a problem, project, or other instructional goal, while teachers act as guides or facilitators. This method works to reinforce a student’s own learning as well as the learning of his or her fellow group members.
collaborative learning
An umbrella term for the variety of approaches and models in education that involve the shared intellectual efforts by students working in small groups to accomplish a goal or complete a task.
learning contract
An agreement between a teacher and a student regarding how that student will achieve specified learning goals or objectives.
learning disability
A discrepancy between expected achievement and observed achievement, also known as "unexpected underachievement."
Dimensions of Learning model
Model of learning developed by Marzano et al (1988) that links content area knowledge, metacognition, and critical and creative thinking with a taxonomy of thinking skills and thinking processes.
project-based learning
Teaching approach that engages students in sustained, collaborative real-world investigations. Projects are organized around a driving question, and students participate in a variety of tasks that seek to meaningfully address this question.
problem-based learning
Model of instruction in which the teacher poses an authentic problem for student resolution. PBL may be one among many strategies in a classroom or an entire curricular and instructional approach. In the course of problem-solving, students work cooperatively in groups to learn content and skills related to real world problems. The teacher acts as a facilitator to learning.
digital game-based learning
Instructional method that incorporates educational content or learning principles into video games with the goal of engaging learners. Applications of digital game-based learning draw upon the constructivist theory of education.

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Introduction to community helpers
This is a introductory lesson to a unit on community helpers. It will begin to help students to identify different types of community helpers and the jobs they perform.
Format: lesson plan (grade K Social Studies)
By Jerrye Ficklin.
Our community helpers
Each student will choose a different community helper. Once they have chosen their helper the student will then draw their community helper using Kid Pix. With the help of an adult they will be required to type one sentence about their helper. These pictures will be used to form a classroom book entitled Our Community Helpers.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1 Computer/Technology Skills and Social Studies)
By Meredith Horne.
Howell Woods Learning Center
A visit to the learning center teaches students about the importance of protecting the environment for the plants, animals, and us.
Format: article/field trip opportunity
The Learning Page: Community Center
In American Memory: North Carolina educator's guide, page 8
This installment of the American Memory Guide explores the Learning Page's Community Center, highlighting features of particular interest to teachers.
Format: article
By Melissa Thibault.
LEARN NC goals and guiding principles
This document describes LEARN NC’s guiding principles and lists our short-term goals for 2009-2010.
Format: article/help
Rules and reasons
Through active participation in a game without rules, students will discover the reason for rules and laws in our neighborhood and community. They will design a poster and write a story about rules.
Format: lesson plan (grade 2 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
By Jeannette Renas.
Kindergarten walk
This is an introductory lesson in a series of lessons on our community and community helpers. Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins will be used as the pattern to plan our own walk around our school playground. Students will then create a simple map of our school playground.
Format: lesson plan (grade K Mathematics and Social Studies)
By Michelle Hensley.
Let's be firefighters!!!
In this lesson, we will look at firefighters and the role they play in our community. This lesson will familiarize the students with the types of equipment used by firefighters, the special clothing worn by firefighters, and the responsibilities each of them have in our community.
Format: lesson plan (grade K Social Studies)
By Lavonne Holland.
Belmont Historical Society Cultural and Heritage Learning Center
Step back in time and learn about the history of Belmont, North Carolina through photographs, artifacts and other exhibits.
Format: article/field trip opportunity
Postcards of the past
Students will participate in Heritage Day activities that will enhance students' awareness of their heritage. They will take digital pictures of activities to include on a web page, and research and report on information gathered. Students will create a web page to present their information.
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 English Language Arts, Information Skills, and Social Studies)
By Karol Leaptrott, Rebecca Watt, and Regina Welsted.
Exploring the church in the southern black community
Students explore the Documenting the American South Collection titled, the “Church in the Southern Black Community.” Beginning with a historian's interpretation of the primary sources that make up the collection, students search the collection for evidence to describe the experiences of African Americans living in the south during the Antebellum through the Reconstruction Period centering on their community churches. The activity culminates in student presentations of a digital scrap book.
Format: lesson plan (grade 8 and 11–12 Social Studies)
By Meghan Mcglinn.
Beginning Teacher Success: Online course syllabus
Syllabus for the online course Beginning Teacher Success designed to support beginning teachers with assignments and reading materials to guide and scaffold learning the best teaching practices.
Format: syllabus
Walter the Baker
In this lesson, students will read and discuss Walter the Baker by Eric Carle. They will then create a personal response in words and pictures explaining what they want to be when they grow up.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
By Teresa Bennett.
Rethinking Reports
Creative research-based assignments provide alternatives to the President Report, Animal Report, and Famous Person Report that ask students to think about old topics in new ways, work collaboratively, and develop products that support a variety of learning styles.
Format: series (multiple pages)
LEARN NC Virtual Mentoring Program
LEARN NC mentors are experts in their subject matter and have effectively mentored teachers in their own school systems. Whatever the challenge, LEARN NC will be there from the first day of class through the final bell of the year.
Project-based learning
Project-based learning is a teaching approach that engages students in sustained, collaborative real-world investigations. Projects are organized around a driving question, and students participate in a variety of tasks that seek to meaningfully address this...
Format: article
By Heather Coffey.
Teaching Online Courses: Online course syllabus
Syllabus for the online class Teaching online courses which examines online pedagogy and practical strategies for the online teaching and learning environment.
Story map: The gingerbread manhunt
The purpose of this lesson is to present a fun, memorable way for children to learn where the secretary, principal, nurse, janitor, cafeteria, playground, and other grade levels are located while matching a face and job with each of these locations and its importance to the functioning of the school.
Format: lesson plan (grade K Social Studies)
By Tina Baker.
Carolina Online Teacher Program (COLT)
Now you can earn a LEARN NC Certificate in online instruction through the Carolina Online Teacher program (COLT). In five core courses and two electives, totaling a minimum of 17 CEUs, you’ll master the component skills of online teaching: effective collaboration and facilitation, creating learning communities, navigating the virtual classroom, and developing student-centered instruction.
Format: article/help
Teaching English Language Learners in Your Online Course: Online course syllabus
Syllabus for the course Teaching English Language Learners in Your Online Course which examines the needs of English Language Learners and students with low academic literacy skills within the context of online courses.