Pathfinders

General Information and Where to Start

This pathfinder is intended for teachers and other educators in order to help locate resources on the Web. This information was gathered with the intent of meeting the professional needs of K-12 teachers.

Lesson Plans | Associations | Connecting with Other Teachers | Educational Standards | Classroom Management | Classroom Resources | Professional Reading and Journals | Using the Internet in the Classroom | General Online Resources | General Print Resources

Lesson Plans

There are many websites on the Internet offering lesson plans. This list includes some of the well-organized and navigable lesson plan sources. LessonTutor Lesson Plans https://www.lessontutor.com/ LessonTutor is an Internet-based service providing education information to teachers and others interested in education. This collection contains lesson plans and worksheets which have been written and submitted to LessonTutor by teachers from the United States. TeachNet Lesson Ideas http://www.teachnet.com/lesson/index.html TeachNet has a large collection of lesson plans organized by subject, and has plans for all ages and levels of students. PBS TeacherSource Lesson Plan Database http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/search.htm The Public Broadcasting Station has developed a rich educational site with many lesson plans that are correlated to educational standards. The plans are searchable by keyword, grade level, subject or topic. Microsoft Lesson Collection http://www.microsoft.com/education/?ID=LessonPlans This is the home of the Microsoft Lesson Collection and other educational resources. Lesson plans here can be searched by subject, grade level, or keyword. ProTeacher Lesson Plans http://www.proteacher.com/ Proteacher has a large browseable collection of lesson plans that are organized by subject area. Return to Top of Page

Associations

Joining a local, national, or international teacher association can be a great way to gain support as a teacher. Associations can provide you access to resources, inform you of current events, and introduce you to other professionals with your interests. National Education Association http://www.nea.org/ NEA is an American organization committed to advancing the cause of public education. the NEA has members in every level of education, from pre-school to university graduate programs. NEA has affiliates in every state as well as in over 13,000 local communities across the United States. This site contains a wide variety of educational policy and issue information for teachers, students, and parents.

The NEA can be contacted at: National Education Association 1201 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 Phone: 202-833-4000

American Federation of Teachers http://www.aft.org/ The AFT is a trade union representing workers in education, health care, and public service. The AFT lobbies to influence policies on standards and professional practices. This site contains information about recent policy and standards issues in the United States.

The AFT can be contacted at: American Federation of Teachers 555 New Jersey Ave, NW Washington, DC 20001

National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) http://www.pta.org/index.asp National PTA is a child advocacy organization in the United States. The PTA is a not-for-profit association of parents, educators, students, and other citizens active in their schools and communities. This site contains links to local PTAs, legislative activity, information about membership and program area information.

The National PTA can be contacted at: National PTA 330 N. Wabash Avenue Suite 2100 Chicago, IL 60611 Phone: 312-670-6782 Toll-free: 800-307-4PTA (4782) Fax: 312-670-6783 E-mail: info@pta.org

  National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) http://www.nsta.org/ The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) promotes “excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.” This site contains subject area online information, legislative activity, and events information.

The NSTA can be contacted at: National Science Teachers Association 1840 Wilson Boulevard Arlington VA 22201-3000 USA Phone: 703-243-7100

Canadian Teachers’ Federation http://www.ctf-fce.ca/ The CTF is the national bilingual umbrella organization for teachers for Canada. CTF advocates for the teaching profession and provides support to its Member organizations and teachers. This site contains information on educational issues, programs, and publications.

The CTF can be contacted at: Canadian Teachers’ Federation 2490 Don Reid Drive Ottawa, Ontario K1H 1E1 Telephone: (613) 232-1505 Toll Free Line: 1-866-283-1505 Fax: (613) 232-1886 E-mail: info@ctf-fce.ca

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Connecting with Other Teachers

You may want to check out the following teacher listservs and web boards to share experiences and view perspectives on education. Teacher Mailring Center http://teachers.net/mailrings/ The Teacher Mailring Center contains dozens of available mail groups, dependent on the specific subject areas. You can pick out the mail groups that fit you best. ProTeacher Community BusyBoard http://www.proteacher.net/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?az=list&forum=busy_board The BusyBoards on online web boards for k-6 educators. Teacher-2-Teacher and T2TBoards https://www.teacher2teacher.education/ A community where teachers share resources with one another to learn and solve problems together Return to Top of Page

Educational Standards

Educational standards are rising in importance in the educational community. Check out some of the sites below to see the kinds of standards being developed. Sources for National Educational Standards https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/standards/standards-guideline.html This site has links to National and State Curriculum Standards, gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau. National Science Education Standards http://www.nap.edu/html/nses/html/ The National Science Education Standards outline what students need to know, understand, and be able to do to be scientifically literate at different grade levels. They describe an educational system in which all students demonstrate high levels of performance. Return to Top of Page

Classroom Management

Classroom management is one of the biggest concerns for teachers, especially ones just entering the field. These sites provide some resources for assessing and implementing successful classroom management. The Honor Level System http://www.honorlevel.com/ This site outlines the “The Honor Level System: Discipline by Design.” The Honor Level System blends assertive and empathetic styles of discipline. Classroom Management Resources for New Teachers https://www.edutopia.org/article/new-teachers-classroom-management-resources This article provides information to new teachers about developing a discipline and management style. Return to Top of Page

Classroom Resources

The sites listed in this section have many useful online resources for your classroom. Discovery Education https://www.discoveryeducation.com/ Provides teachers with curated digital resources across topics, grades, and subjects Graphic Organizers http://teachervision.com/tv/curriculum/printables/graphics.html This site contains downloadable graphic organizers for students, including story maps, KWL chart, cause and effect, and many others. Return to Top of Page

Professional Reading and Magazines

Here are some of the education profession newsletters magazines available on the Internet. e School News online http://www.eschoolnews.com/ A monthly newsletter published during the school year discussing K-12 educational technology, available in both print and electronic formats. Education Week http://www.edweek.org/ A national print and online magazine that focuses on current educational issues. Teacher Magazine http://www.edweek.org/tm/ A national print and online magazine dedicated to the issues and needs of teachers. Education Magazine https://www.educationworld.com/ Education World is a periodical published in both print and electronic formats. The magazine addresses current educational issues. The online site includes many educational Internet resources. Return to Top of Page

Using the Internet in the Classroom

The Internet is a growing resource for the classroom. The websites listed below offer some assistance for using the Internet, and some useful resources for building lessons around the Internet Wading Through the Web: Teaching Internet Research Strategies http://www.readwritethink.org/resources/resource-print.html?id=983 This lesson plan helps teachers provide students with all the information they need to conduct research for their academic assignments. The Webquest Page https://webquest.org/ A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. WebQuests are designed to use learners’ time well, to focus on using information rather than looking for it, and to support learners’ thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. The model was developed in early 1995 at San Diego State University by Bernie Dodge with Tom March. Internet 101 https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/internetbasics/what-is-the-internet/1/ GCFLearnFree.org is dedicated to teaching students of all ages about technology, reading, and math. This page provides information on the basics of the internet for beginners. Learning HTML /div/kidsweb/ This tutorial is oriented towards children for learning basic HTML, though it is a valuable resource for all ages. Return to Top of Page

General Resources

These comprehensive sites cover broad areas of teaching and provide links to many other valuable resources. The Global Schoolhouse http://www.gsn.org/ Offers programs that help teachers integrate use of the Internet into their teaching. Intended for all levels of Internet use, and includes activities for students at all age levels. ASKEric http://www.eduref.org/ AskERIC is a Internet-based service providing education information to teachers and others interested in education. ERIC is the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), a federally-funded national information system that provides a variety of services and products on education-related issues. PBS TeacherSource http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/ Public Broadcasting Station offers the “TeacherSource” to teachers as a center of educational resources, including lesson plans, connections to PBS shows, and educational technologies. DiscoverySchool.com http://discoveryschool.com/ Created by The Discovery Channel, this site has many valuable resources for teachers, students, and parents. The U.S. Department of Education http://www.ed.gov/ Stay up to date on the U.S. Department of Education’s initiatives and plans for K-12 education. Return to Top of Page

General Print Resources

The following resources include the Library of Congress Subject Headings and the Dewey Decimal System numbers relevant to teaching and education. Also included are some book resources that may be of interest. Finding Education Resources at your Library

Educational Books Wong, Harry K. The First Days of School : How to Be an Effective Teacher. 1998. A good reference for new teachers about structuring your classroom, classroom management, and teaching skills. Nelsen, Jane, Roslyn Duffy, Linda Escobar, Kate. Positive Discipline : A Teacher’s A-Z Guide. 1996. A reference for classroom management methods and theories. Watson, George. Classroom Discipline Problem Solver : Ready-To-Use Techniques & Materials for Managing All Kinds of Behavior Problems. 1998. Another reference for classroom management skills and methods. Price, Kay M., Karna L. Nelson. Daily Planning for Today’s Classroom: A Guide for Writing Lesson and Activity Plans. 1998. An instructional guide on how to write lesson plans. Braun, Linda W. Introducing the Internet to Young Learners : Ready to Go Activities and Lesson Plans. 2001. Oriented towards elementary school children, this book provides lessons for incorporating the Internet into the classroom. Williams, Bard , Brad Williams. The Internet For Teachers. 1999. A basic reference for understanding the using the Internet in education. Leu, Donald J. , Deborah Diadiun Leu. Teaching With the Internet : Lessons from the Classroom. 2000. This book contains many lessons that incorporate the Internet into the classroom. Return to Top of Page

This pathfinder created by Kristen Nimelli Truong