The Top Back-to-School Lesson Plans for All Teachers

Summer is winding down and teachers and students are heading back into the classroom, so NewsHour Extra, the NewsHour’s teacher resource website, has compiled a list of need-to-have lesson plans and classroom tools to help make the transition back to school exciting and engaging.

The lesson plans cover everything from this summer’s most engrossing and controversial stories, including the role of race, justice and policy in the trial of George Zimmerman, the military crackdown in Egypt and the battle over legalizing gay marriage.

The lessons vary in time commitment and depth, and are all aligned to the Common Core standards. See which plans best fit the needs of your classes and start the year off on the right foot with lessons that will engage your students via multimedia and articles specifically written for middle and high school students.
Extra has also prepared for the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington with a package of lesson plans and resources. This comprehensive resource takes students from the history of the civil rights movement through the battles for equality that led up to the March on Washington, lets them experience the March itself through video and audio, and poses the question, “how far have we come in 50 years, and how far do we still have to go?” These lessons can be used in sequence as a unit or as stand-alone pieces as basic materials like a glossary or timeline are provided to give students a larger context for any lesson in the package.

We know that teachers are always looking for extra (non-textbook) reading materials, interactive media, and quality video clips to differentiate for every style of learner. The package includes resources that will reach every student while challenging them to critically think about the March and the history of the civil rights movement.

A good lesson plan not only informs, but engages and empowers students as they begin to understand the news and take responsibility for forming educated opinions about the world around them. NewsHour Extra is proud to bring you the highest quality resources for your class this fall.

Welcome back educators and good luck on a great school year.