Back to School Lessons

Right before Labor Day each year, if you turn on the television, you'll see ads that promote clothes, school supplies, books, and other products needed for going back to school. The "Back to School" campaign is evident in stores as summer comes to a close, and we all love those "Back to School" sales. Teachers want to be prepared for that first day back, just as much as their students do.

Getting the class off to a good start, checking that students have their supplies, sending home introduction letters, familiarizing students with classroom rules, preparing our classroom and setting up our grade book are all things we want to take care of so that we're not flying by the seat of our pants once the kids enter the classroom.

Sometimes at the start of a school year, the books may not be in yet, supplies may be on their way, and our class rosters are still being adjusted. The following lessons may help tide teachers over until everything falls into place. These lessons address education in many different areas from money to the Middle East. With activities that will get your students into the groove early on, these lessons provide students with information that can help them in a multitude of academic areas.

Lesson Plans- From Politics to Prices:

The Cost of Going Back to School

This lesson requires students to research, itemize, and tabulate the costs associated with going back to school. Students are given an activity worksheet which includes items such as uniforms, sports equipment, pencils, notebooks, computers, etc. and together with their parents and/or guardians come up with the costs associated with the "going back to school process". This is an excellent lesson for combining practical, real-world activities with math. I might also include, for future math lessons, an activity that requires students to research the cost of feeding a family for a week. These are real-life applications that will help students not only in school, but in their everyday lives as well.

School in Afghanistan

Students explore education for females in the Middle East. As they read an article about the bombing of a girl's school in Afghanistan, they discuss and answer questions pertaining to the topic of girl's education in the Muslim world. Students break off into groups and represent US proponents of a new girl's school in Afghanistan, school attendees, ethnic conservatives from the Afghan region, Islamic fundamentalists, and girls school representatives. The groups each prepare a speech that represents their vantage point. I like that this lesson gives students the opportunity to "walk in the shoes" of groups who may have differing opinions. I would make sure that background knowledge is assessed before implementing this lesson because there is so much rich history, culture, and controversy surrounding religion, laws, and international relations in this particular lesson.

Violence Prevention at School

As students read an article that describes a real-life school incident, they write their thoughts and feelings down. In a round table discussion, they talk about the ways in which violence can be prevented in schools.  This is a good way to begin teaching students about issues such as freedom of speech, privacy, and the right to bear arms. I would also steer the lesson in the direction of an anti-bullying campaign, and have students design slogans or visuals that present a clear anti-bullying message.

Brown Versus the Board of Education-Supreme Court Ruling

In this lesson students research Louis Armstrong, and learn about the political landscape of the United States during the initial implementation of Civil Rights. Students write and produce a radio program, as if it were produced in Arkansas in 1957, addressing how Orville Faubus handled the Supreme Court ruling that made school segregation illegal. This lesson combines history with hands-on practice. To challenge students, have them research a current event that speaks to a controversial issue that has happened recently in schools, and have students write and produce a radio program that exposes that particular issue.