LEARN NC

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

CEU courses open for enrollment

The Civil Rights Movement in Context
Investigate the precursors to the Civil Rights Movement, its leadership, its opposition, and its legacy, including lesser-studied events of the movement and primary sources.
Take this course: Begins February 2.

From the education reference

discovery learning
Learning that takes place, not through instruction, but through examination, analysis, or experimentation.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.

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Communicating with parents
To communicate successfully with parents, be caring, professional, open, and organized.
By Kathleen Casson.
Reflection designs
Students will be able to illustrate the geometric transformation of a reflection through creating their own unique designs.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Mathematics)
By Karen Boles.
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.
Formative assessment
This reference article discusses the history, concept, and application of formative assessment.
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.
What do you see? (pre-visit)
This lesson introduces students to the importance of making accurate, detailed scientific observations, and the value of learning about others' views and perspectives regarding a specific topic or event. It also serves as an activity to prepare students for a visit to the Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill, NC (or any museum, real or virtual). This lesson is the first of three lessons that build upon each other, using the Ackland Art Museum as the focus.
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)
By Reagan West.
Estimating quantities
Students will estimate items individually. As a whole group, they will check to determine the closest guess.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1 Mathematics)
By Aimee Stewart.
What do you see? (visit)
This lesson outlines activities for students to complete while visiting the Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill, NC. Students will observe and reflect upon a variety of artwork. In doing so, they will develop observation and communication skills, and learn to understand and appreciate others' interpretations and opinions of works of art. This lesson applies skills learned in the previous lesson, "What Do You See" (Pre-Visit).

This lesson may be adapted for use in a school/classroom by using museums and artwork found online (see Web sites listed below). A Powerpoint presentation which displays some artwork from the Ackland Art Museum is attached to this plan, as well.
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)
By Reagan West.
Research and strategies for problem-centered math
In Problem centered math, page 7
A bibliography of research-driven strategies for teaching problem-centered math at all grade levels.
By Libby Montagne.
Highlighting revisions, glossing changes
By highlighting their revisions and explaining (i.e.,glossing) the changes they have made to a draft of their work, students will not only become more proficient writers but will also become more conscious of the process of revision and thus more reflective writers. Further, teachers will find it easier to monitor and evaluate student revisions.
Format: lesson plan (grade 10 English Language Arts)
By Peter Bobbe.
Tableaux tour of texts
Students express their empathy for characters and events from books read in small groups by creating tableaux (freeze-frames) of key scenes to present to the class.
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–10 English Language Arts)
By Kim Bowen.
Hurricane response: What do we do first?
In CareerStart lessons: Grade seven, page 3.8
In this lesson for grade seven, students take on the roles of officials preparing for and responding to a hurricane.
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Science)
By Emma Couch.Adapted by Mitzi Talbert.
Trees in your own backyard
This activity lets students discover the benefits of urban forests by looking at trees on the schoolyard. Students will read a synopsis of the 400-year history of communal forests, survey their schoolyard trees, and draft a schoolyard tree ordinance.
Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)
By Lucy Laffitte.
Experiences of the Civil Rights Movement: A roundtable project
This activity allows students to participate in a roundtable discussion by taking on the persona of someone who lived and experienced the Civil Rights Movement. By participating in a role playing simulation, students are more able to achieve higher-level thinking skills and, as a result, hopefully be able to think more critically about the Civil Rights Era.
Format: lesson plan (grade 11–12 Social Studies)
By Kathleen Caldwell.
Science as a verb
Inquiry science requires active relationships between students, teachers, and science. Building these relationships is a three-step process that involves thinking about inquiry as a process of science, as a pedagogical strategy, and as a set of skills and behaviors to encourage in students.
Format: article/best practice
By Amy Anderson and David Walbert.
Radial symmetry design
Students will study the carving of 18th century America and create a rosette design using radial symmetry.
Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Visual Arts Education)
By Lisa Mitchell.
What do you see? (post-visit)
In this lesson, students will use observations and reflections made while visiting the Ackland Art Museum to draw conclusions about interpreting artwork (and other works/events), make quality scientific observations, and see how these concepts are related. Students will be reproducing artwork they viewed at the museum, sharing their personal interpretations of various works, and analyzing how the presentation of information (in any situation) can influence our interpretations of a work or event. This lesson is the final lesson in the series of lessons, "What Do YOU See?", which uses the Ackland Art Museum as a resource.
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)
By Reagan West.
Industrialization and Progressive Reform in the Craft Revival
In this lesson plan, originally published on the Craft Revival website, students will analyze the process of making a hobby into a job. They will explore Craft Revival work environments, representations of industrial work environments, and data regarding Craft Revival work. To close the activity, students write a journal entry comparing Craft Revival and industrial work experiences.
Format: lesson plan (grade 8 and 11–12 Social Studies)
By Patrick Velde.
Stories from the Holocaust
This lesson is designed to supplement a study of World War II. Students will read first hand accounts of individuals who escaped Nazi persecution and eventually settled in Asheville, North Carolina. This lesson may be used as an 8th grade Social Studies or English project(It could also be used as an integrated project), 10th grade English, or 11th grade US History. This lesson uses the NCEcho portal to access the material.
Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
By Billie Clemens.
How do I look to you?
In this lesson, students will evaluate public service posters and a grooming pamphlet to determine if and how propaganda was used to improve the health of children, and define acceptable appearances for young women in the 1930s.
Format: lesson plan (grade 5–8 English Language Arts)
By Loretta Wilson.