LibGuides: Education: Lesson Planning

What to Include in a Lesson Plan

Lesson plans at Manchester University should include the following:

Lesson Title
Length of Time
Age or Grade Level Intended
Academic Standards
Performance Objectives
Assessment
Advance Preparation by Teacher
Procedure (Introduction/Motivation, Step-By-Step Plan, Closure)
Adaptations/Enrichment
Self-Reflection
References
Applicable Activity Worksheets

For additional information on formatting your lesson plan, refer to Appendix C (pg. 24) of the TEP Student Handbook linked off of Manchester University's Education Resources webpage.

Finding Lesson Plan Materials

Utilize Google's powerful search to locate sample lesson plans and activity material. Be sure to include the grade level, lesson material, and the words lesson plan in your search.

site:.edu
Including search terms with this limiter will retrieve results ONLY from education websites with a .edu ending in the URL. Example: 3rd grade addition and subtraction lesson plan site:.edu
filetype:pdf
Including search terms with this limiter will retrieve results that are ONLY in PDF format. Example: 3rd grade addition and subtraction lesson plan filetype:pdf

Lesson Plan Resources

Bright Hub Education
Creative lesson plans and teaching tools on a variety of topics for Pre-K through High School.
Discovery Education
Free lesson plan materials written by teachers for teachers.
Education Place Activity Search
Explore themed activities for a variety of grade levels.
Education World
Provides K-12 education resources, lessons, and news.
Essential Learning Products Lesson Plans and Activities
Free lesson plans for Pre-K - 8 in a variety of categories including writing, arts & crafts, poetry, math, and more.
Fun Brain
The #1 site for online educational games include math, grammar, science, spelling, and history.
Lesson Planet
A search engine for teachers that provides teacher-reviewed online resources and lesson plans.
Library of Congress Classroom Materials
Find LOC lesson plans that meet Common Core standards, state content standards, and the standards of national organizations allowing teachers to effectively use primary sources in their teaching.
New York Times Learning Network
An online current and special events news site for grades 3-12 including lesson plans in a variety of areas.
PBS Learning Media
Browse Free resources for a variety of grades and subject areas.
Smithsonian Education
Education resources, lesson plans, field trips, and interactive activities based on Smithsonian museum collections and research.
Teacher Planet
Browse lesson plans, rubrics, worksheets, themed units, and more. Includes a certificate builder for recognizing your students.
Teachers Pay Teachers
($$) Teachers Pay Teachers (or TpT, as we call it) is a community of millions of educators who come together to share their work, their insights, and their inspiration with one another. TPT is the first and largest open marketplace where teachers share, sell, and buy original educational resources. That means immediate access to a world of expertise and more time to focus on students and teaching.
Teacher Vision
One of the most popular teacher sites featuring lesson plans, graphic organizers, printables, email newsletters, quizzes, and more.
TeAchnology
Provides support to educators in effectively incorporating technology in teaching and learning.

Carnegie Hall Music Educators Digital Library
Link to K-12 Educator resources, games and listening guides, creative learning projects, master classes, and more.
Carnegie Hall Music Educators Toolbox
Includes lesson plans and activities, summative and formative assessments, video examples and more for music educators.
EDSITEment Art & Culture
Lesson plans in the area of art and culture with the ability to narrow by art & culture subtopic.
Education World
The Arts Subject Center is your one-stop shop for free art teaching materials.
Incredible Art Department (IAD)
"IAD began as a showcase for elementary art students in Indiana and now includes a diverse range of subjects and topics of interest to art educators the world over."
Lesson Planet Music Teacher Resources
The resources "showcase why music, like language, distinguishes us as humans." Browse resources by subject. Includes a 10-day free trial.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Lesson Plans & Resources
Browse lesson plans and use the Find an Educator Resource to find content by time period, theme, grade level, and more.
MFA Boston for Educators Art Lessons
Engage your students with the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, to illustrate themes and concepts in any discipline. Refine your search by grade level and subject.
Smithsonian Education: Art & Design Resources
Use the left-side navigation area to narrow your search results by grade level.
Music Theory Lessons
Theory lessons are pocket-sized and animated for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Price is $2.99 in the app store. You can view lessons for free on the computer by using the top navigation of the website (lessons, exercises, and tools).

American Heart Association Elementary Lesson Plans
Includes elementary and middle school lesson plans and activities for health subject matter.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Lesson Plans
Provides a listing of lesson plan material by subject created and developed by educators and CDC scientists.
EDiPHY: Education in the Physical
Find activity ideas and teacher resources that encourage physical, intellectual, moral, or spiritual improvement through physical education.
Kids Health in the Classroom
Use the categories navigation to locate teacher guides on many health subject matters from preschool through 12th grade.
Kids.gov Health and Safety Lesson Plans
Locate health and safety topic lesson plans from the kids.gov website.
PE Central
Use the menus to find lesson ideas, assessment ideas, best practices, and more for physical education teachers.
Teaching Adapted Physical Education & Activity: Lesson Plans
Includes a handful of free lesson plan ideas for those teaching physical education.

Discovery Education: Lesson Plans
Lesson Plans for Geography and Social Studies subject matter. Grade levels included are K-12.
EDSITEment History & Social Studies
Lesson plans in the area of history and social studies with the ability to narrow by subtopic.
Federal Reserve Education
Locate lesson plans, publications, and more on the topics of banking, economics, government, federal reserves, and more.
Historic Maps in K-12 Classrooms
A resource for teaching the geographic dimensions of American history.
History News Network
The classroom lesson plans section of the HNN is designed to help teachers use the internet in designing courses in history.
Library of Congress Teacher Resources
The LOC offers classroom materials and professional development to help teachers effectively use primary sources from the Library's vast digital collections in their teaching.
National Archives Teacher Resources
The national archives is the gateway for resources on primary sources, activities and training for educators and students. Lesson plans can be found for K-12 teachers.
National Geographic: Geography Curriculum
National Geographic provides educational materials including activities, lessons, maps, and interactives to enhance teacher's curriculum.
UCLA Department of History: National Center for History in the Schools
Use the resources link to find U.S. and World History primary sources and lesson plans.

EDSITEment Literature & Language Arts
Lesson plans in the area of literature and language arts with the ability to narrow by subtopic.
Education World: Language & Literature
One-stop-shop for free reading, language arts, and literature teaching materials.
Lesson Planet: Language Arts Teacher Resources
This search engine goes straight to Language Arts resources for teachers. It provides teacher-reviewed online resources (like printables) and lesson plans.
Read Write Think: Language Arts
Lesson plans written and reviewed by educators using current research and the best instructional practices. Every lesson has been aligned to the IRA/NCTE Standards for Language Arts, as well as state standards and Common Core when applicable.
Smithsonian Education: Language Arts
The language arts section of this resource links to lesson plans, field trips, and interactive activities based on Smithsonian museum collections and research.
TeAchnology: Language Arts Lesson Plans
Links to the language arts section of TeAchnology providing support to educators in effectively incorporating technology in teaching and learning.
TeAchnology: Literature Lesson Plans
Links to the literature section of TeAchnology providing support to educators in effectively incorporating technology in teaching and learning.

Education World: Math
One-stop-shop for math teaching materials.
Explore Learning: Gizmos Online Simulations
Experience math and science with gizmos; Over 450 highly interactive online simulations for grades 3-12.
K-2 Math Teaching Resources
Includes free resources, math games, and hands-on math activities aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Math.
Lesson Planet: Math
This search engine goes straight to math resources for teachers. It provides teacher-reviewed online resources (like printables) and lesson plans.
Math Goodies
Free math help with interactive lessons, worksheets, games, and puzzles.
MSTE: University of Illinois
Online resources for math and science
NCTM Illuminations
Resources for teaching math. Lessons are tied to NCTM standards and Common Core.
TeAchnology: Math Lesson Plans
Links to the math section of TeAchnology providing support to educators in effectively incorporating technology in teaching and learning.

BioEd Online
Science teacher resources from Baylor College of Medicine. Browse the Lessons from the Lessons and More tab.
Center for Science Education
View learning resources (tab) for a variety of science topics.
Education World: Science
One-stop-shop for science teaching materials.
Exploratorium
Hand-on activities for the sciences.
Lesson Planet: Science
This search engine goes straight to science resources for teachers. It provides teacher-reviewed online resources (like printables) and lesson plans.
Lesson Plans: Insects | Iowa State Entomology
A directory and search engine of insect-related resources by Iowa State University. Links directly to lesson plan material.
Middle School Science
Free lesson plans and resources for grades 5-8 from Liz LaRosa, a 6th grade science teacher and Science Department Chair for a small K-8 independent school in New Jersey.
NASA Teaching Resources
Explore resources by grade level, type, and subject.
National Science Digital Library: Teaching Resources
Search for science resources by level (Pre-K - Adult), type (activities & labs, games, homework & assignments, and more), or subject (includes the sciences, education, and history).
National Science Foundation: Classroom Resources
Provides lesson and web resources arranged by science subject.
NOVA Education
A collection of NOVA resources that helps bring science, technology, and engineering to life in educational settings.
Physical Sciences K-8 Topics & Units
K-8 topics and units from the Physics Front.
Physics Education Technology
Find instructional materials designed and used by other teachers, including labs, homework assignments, lectures, activities, concept questions, and more.
Quest: NASA K-12 Project
NASA Quest Challenges are FREE Web-based, interactive explorations designed to engage students in authentic scientific and engineering processes. The solutions relate to issues encountered daily by NASA personnel.
Science Friday (SciFri)
Science Friday is your trusted source for award-winning digital videos and original web content covering everything from octopus camouflage to cooking on Mars. SciFri is brain fun, for curious people.
Science NetLinks
A K-12 science education resource produced by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. You'll find teaching tools, interactives, podcasts, and hands-on activities - all of it is free!
Smithsonian Education: Science & Technology
The science & technology section of this resource links to lesson plans, field trips, and interactive activities based on Smithsonian museum collections and research.
TeAchnology: Science Lesson Plans
Links to the science section of TeAchnology providing support to educators in effectively incorporating technology in teaching and learning.
USGS: Science Resources
Find K-12 education resources for a variety of science topics.

NEW! Database

NEW! Database: Explora
Each Explora link below can be used to put lesson plan unit material together with primary and secondary delineation. Explora "supports both student research and classroom instruction with rich, reliable content and easy-to-use functionality." It includes lesson plans, student tools, curriculum standards and valuable sites for teachers.

Academic Standards

Common Core Standards
Common Core Standards provide clear and consistent learning goals that demonstrate what students are expected to learn at each grade level for Language Arts and Mathematics.
Core Standards
This site offers an overview of the Common Core State Standards, but provides a framework for how the standards were determined and what can reasonably be expected of students at given grade levels.
Indiana Academic Standards (DOE)
Provides links to all Indiana academic standards by content area.
Indiana Academic Standards Assessments
Provides end-of-course tests of what students know and are able to do after taking specific Core 40 courses.