Unit Plan
Teaching Matters

Welcome to Writing Poetry

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Your pupils are poets, and now they'll be able to show it with the exercises in this packet. The lessons, designed for beginner, intermediate, and experienced poets, not only feature a variety of poetic forms, but take...
Unit Plan
1
1
Overcoming Obstacles

Anti-Bullying Handbook: Creating a Positive Environment in the Classroom and Beyond

For Teachers 6th - 12th
A hot-button topic in schools today is bullying, and although there is heightened awareness of this problem, information about specific steps schools can take to combat the problem and create a positive environment is difficult to find....
Lesson Plan
Missouri Department of Elementary

The Hope to Cope: Coping Skills

For Teachers 6th
Making decisions can be stressful, even for sixth graders. And even students this young have developed coping skills, some positive and some negative, to help them deal with stress. Class members are asked to identify several of their...
Lesson Plan
Missouri Department of Elementary

To Give In or Not to Give In—That Is the Question!

For Teachers 7th
No! A very simple word that can be very hard to say. Seventh graders have an opportunity to practice this difficult skill as they engage in a series of role-playing scenarios. As an exit ticket, 7th graders write a reflection on the...
Activity
Teaching Tolerance

Collage of Concerns

For Teachers K - 2nd
A picture can speak louder than words. An interesting lesson introduces the themes of social justice and diversity to young learners by having them create artwork. Scholars create collages from a variety of sources to showcase what...
Unit Plan
3
3
Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment

Managing Influences and Making Decisions

For Teachers 8th
Teenagers could use a little help with their decision-making process. Guide them through the steps of mature choices, outside influences, and expected consequences with a lesson about making decisions.
Unit Plan
PACER Center

The Peer Advocacy Guide

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Teasing, mocking, and disrespect can be the hallmarks in the life of those with disabilities. Disrupt the cycle of abuse with a toolkit designed to turn peers into advocates for all those who are bullied. Everything needed to create a...
Activity
Novelinks

The Lightning Thief: Problematic Situation Strategy

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
In the novel, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, Percy is faced with a major decision. After reading, chapter 19, discuss the decision-making process Percy took, what he decided to...
Lesson Plan
Florida Department of Education

Goal Setting and Decision-Making

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Making goals is easy, but how do you achieve them? Guide young decision makers into reaching setting and reaching their goals with a step-by-step guide. After answering questions about what they'd wish for or accomplish, learners write...
Lesson Plan
California Department of Education

Due Dates, Deadlines, and Decisions

For Teachers 11th Standards
Get high schoolers thinking about their post-secondary plans with a lesson plan that teaches them how to navigate the application and financial aid process. They create a junior/senior calendar identifying time-sensitive tasks,...
Activity
Ball State University

Dear Pen Pal

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Keep your class in conversation with others across the country or across the sea by writing letters to pen pals. The activity calls for students to be pan pals with pupils in Africa; however, the listed steps could be used for any...
Activity
Teaching Tolerance

Community Bulletin Board

For Teachers K - 2nd
A project-based lesson has pupils create a bulletin board to share artwork, nonfiction articles, and messages based on social justice themes. The finished board is displayed in the community to create a place for discussion. 
Activity
Teaching Tolerance

Buddy Share

For Teachers K - 2nd
Here's a project that gives academics the chance to share their opinions on social justice with storytelling, creative writing, or art. Scholars choose what they want to create and are assigned buddies to support their efforts. To...
Lesson Plan
Utah State Courts

Judges in the Classroom

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Class members explore the process of a disposition hearing for juveniles, particularly looking at how the judge decides what sentence the juvenile offender should receive. Task your pupils with evaluating different sample cases provided...
Activity
Leadership Challenge

Know/Want To Know

For Teachers 7th - 12th
What I know. What I want to know. What you need to know. These are the questions that form the basis for a displayed thinking activity that encourages future leaders to "set out with intention and purpose."
Activity
Leadership Challenge

Inside Out

For Teachers 7th - 12th
What are the internal and external qualities of a great leader? After individuals reflect on these questions, the group generates a master list. Individuals then consider what they have to offer and where they need help from others to...
Lesson Plan
1
1
California Department of Education

Transitioning to High School

For Teachers 8th Standards
How do scholars prepare to take their next big step? The second in a series of six career and college readiness activities focuses on making a smooth transition from middle to high school. Groups research the resources available at their...
Activity
Teaching Tolerance

Fairness Fair

For Teachers K - 2nd Standards
How can we create a more fair world? Chances are, class members have some ideas! After reading a text about fairness, individuals create skits around the ideas of fairness. Extend the learning and make their presentations a...
Lesson Plan
Missouri Department of Elementary

Using Negotiation to Settle Difficulties

For Teachers 11th Standards
Negotiating can be a win/win experience if the involved parties apply the skills and techniques offered in a lesson about negotiating to settle differences.
Activity
Ed Change

Circles of My Multicultural Self

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners identify what they consider to be the most important dimensions of their own identity, and examine stereotypes.
Activity
Ed Change

Understanding the Depth and Breadth of "Multicultural"

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students examine the concept of multicultural. They identify the characteristics of culture. They answer questions to complete the lesson.
Activity
Teaching Tolerance

Community Spotlight Cards

For Teachers K - 2nd Standards
Not all heroes wear capes—or cleats. Class members identify unsung heroes in their schools or towns for interviews, then create trading cards. A celebration including presentations or trading of cards completes their investigation of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Decisions, Decisions!

For Teachers K - 2nd
Introduce young learners to the conscious process of making decisions. Guide them through a scenario where a boy is going to a sleepover and is trying to decide whether to take his teddy bear or not. Use the included worksheet to write...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stop! Explore Go!

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students examine a three-step process for making decisions and how their peers can influence them in different ways. They role-play different roles when making decisions and other students reflect on how they feel about the activity.