Free Lesson Planning Resources for Teachers
Make active learning a reality with resources to help you plan engaging activities and projects. Customize our templates and project builders, or see content and skills brought to life in our active learning activities and skill builders.
All Resources
Templates and Examples
Give One, Get One
Use this template to structure discussion and help your students collaborate and share ideas.
Templates and Examples
Give One, Get One
This Give One, Get One discussion strategy can be incorporated in a variety of ways into your classroom. For example, you could use this structured collaboration to activate prior knowledge before you begin a unit as well as assess understanding at the end. No matter the context, students will be active learners and active listeners during this activity, while you listen, observe, and identify patterns in student thinking.
Related Resources
A Diagram of Differentiation
Templates and Examples
A Diagram of Differentiation
Differentiation doesn't have to be daunting! This diagram provides a quick, digestible overview of the four main ways to differentiate - through content, product, process, or learning environment - along with some tips for each type to help you get started.
Related Resources
Dare to Differentiate
Templates and Examples
Dare to Differentiate
One size doesn't fit all when it comes to the classroom, but a crucial part of increasing engagement with any group of students is thinking about differentiation. After you lead this session, you and your colleagues won't just be able to talk about differentiation, they will be ready to implement differentiation techniques in the classroom.
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Get On Your Feet
Templates and Examples
Get On Your Feet
After you lead this session, participants will be able to understand what active learning actually is and how it benefits students and make a plan to create active and engaging learning experiences for students. The session facilitation guide includes links to Google slides and a customizable activity that you can make your own. Get your colleagues on their feet so they can walk away with active learning strategies on hand and real plans to implement them.
Related Resources
Student Choice Tic-Tac-Toe
Templates and Examples
Student Choice Tic-Tac-Toe
Give your students choice and differentiate their learning processes with a simple classroom activity that works for any grade and subject. This resource includes a Tic-Tac-Toe template that can be easily modified, as well as an example from a high school science class that shows both the teacher-facing and student-facing materials.
Related Resources
Student Choice Menu
Templates and Examples
Student Choice Menu
Serve up learning a la carte with a menu that provides students with choices and gives you opportunities for differentiation. Modify the template as you wish to create a menu of options for learning activities, formative assessments, or even project options. Grab some inspiration from the example menu's activities to learn about the cardiovascular system.
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Student Choice Board
Templates and Examples
Student Choice Board
This choice board template includes an example choice board that models how you can use it for stoichiometry practice problems.
Related Resources
Active Learning Menu
Templates and Examples
Active Learning Menu
Active Learning means learning by doing, working with others, solving problems, and making choices. This resource models one of those strategies, providing a choice board of methods for you to expand your practice, one “meal” at a time. Try out this menu and translate the concept of active learning into concrete strategies and actionable plans.
Dare to Differentiate
Get On Your Feet
Student Choice Board
Active Learning Menu
Dare to Differentiate
Get On Your Feet
Student Choice Menu
Student Choice Board
Active Reading Bookmark
Templates and Examples
Active Reading Bookmark
This Active Reading Bookmark prompts students to explore the text on their own, without a teacher telling them important concepts beforehand. It is a skill-building tool that supports students with comprehension and analysis as they read a text, giving them ownership over their understanding. Use the example bookmarks as inspiration, then customize the template to make it work for your students and materials!
Related Resources
Four Corners
Templates and Examples
Four Corners
Giving students opportunities to get out of their seats and physically participate in the classroom does not need to be hard or time consuming. Active learning strategies like Four Corners allows students to move beyond their desks - engaging with the material, each other, and you. During a session of Four Corners, students are asked to respond to a statement or question by moving to different corners of the classroom. Customize the templates for your students’ needs and check out the example to see how this works in a high school Biology class.
Roll the Dice: Collaboration
Templates and Examples
Roll the Dice: Collaboration
Asking students to work in groups is one thing. Teaching them how and giving them the tools to collaborate effectively is quite another. Don't roll the dice when it comes to group work success! Use this template and example to create a structure for collaboration in the classroom.
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Make Groups Work
Templates and Examples
Make Groups Work
Getting students to work in groups can be hard. You’ve probably experienced it: your group of students is diverse, and everyone has different skills and knowledge and ways of communicating...great, right? Yes! But, sometimes when people come together with such different backgrounds, it can be hard to get everyone in agreement on how to approach the work that needs to be done. This resource includes three strategies for planning and facilitating structured group activities with your students: group work roles, rules, and sentence starters. Each strategy begins with an explanation and tips for implementation, followed by an editable template and options or examples.
Related Resources
Active Learning Menu
Get On Your Feet
Make Groups Work
Roll the Dice: Collaboration
Student Choice Board
Student Choice Menu
Student Choice Tic-Tac-Toe
Student Choice Menu
Student Choice Board
Make Groups Work
Get On Your Feet
Four Corners
Flip Your Classroom
Templates and Examples
Flip Your Classroom
Want to avoid lectures? Make self-pacing possible? Model skills, scaffold resources, and guides discussions? It's time to flip your classroom! Work through this session with your colleagues and learn how to make an instructional video that you can use to maximize active learning.
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Design Your Space
Templates and Examples
Design Your Space
Physical spaces can have a big impact on student engagement and learning. You can design spaces that are more or less likely to encourage active learning, feedback and discussion, and the practice of skills. Work through this customizable professional learning session and explore how to create a space to support student learning and engagement, and then create it!
Active Reading Bookmark
Active Learning Menu
Active Learning Menu
Make Groups Work
Templates and Examples
Roll the Dice: Collaboration
Structure classroom collaboration and teach students how to achieve a group goal.
Templates and Examples
Roll the Dice: Collaboration
Asking students to work in groups is one thing. Teaching them how and giving them the tools to collaborate effectively is quite another. Don't roll the dice when it comes to group work success! Use this template and example to create a structure for collaboration in the classroom.
Related Resources
Templates and Examples
Make Groups Work
Learn and implement three collaboration strategies for student groups.
Templates and Examples
Make Groups Work
Getting students to work in groups can be hard. You’ve probably experienced it: your group of students is diverse, and everyone has different skills and knowledge and ways of communicating...great, right? Yes! But, sometimes when people come together with such different backgrounds, it can be hard to get everyone in agreement on how to approach the work that needs to be done. This resource includes three strategies for planning and facilitating structured group activities with your students: group work roles, rules, and sentence starters. Each strategy begins with an explanation and tips for implementation, followed by an editable template and options or examples.
Related Resources
Templates and Examples
Student Choice Board
Give students choices with an easy to use choice board that works for any content area.
Templates and Examples
Student Choice Board
This choice board template includes an example choice board that models how you can use it for stoichiometry practice problems.
Related Resources
Templates and Examples
Four Corners
Get your students on their feet and engaged with this Four Corners activity template.
Templates and Examples
Four Corners
Giving students opportunities to get out of their seats and physically participate in the classroom does not need to be hard or time consuming. Active learning strategies like Four Corners allows students to move beyond their desks - engaging with the material, each other, and you. During a session of Four Corners, students are asked to respond to a statement or question by moving to different corners of the classroom. Customize the templates for your students’ needs and check out the example to see how this works in a high school Biology class.
Templates and Examples
Active Reading Bookmark
Help students practice active reading and annotation with this customizable bookmark.
Templates and Examples
Active Reading Bookmark
This Active Reading Bookmark prompts students to explore the text on their own, without a teacher telling them important concepts beforehand. It is a skill-building tool that supports students with comprehension and analysis as they read a text, giving them ownership over their understanding. Use the example bookmarks as inspiration, then customize the template to make it work for your students and materials!
Related Resources
Templates and Examples
Student Choice Menu
This template and example make it easy to create a menu of choices for your students.
Templates and Examples
Student Choice Menu
Serve up learning a la carte with a menu that provides students with choices and gives you opportunities for differentiation. Modify the template as you wish to create a menu of options for learning activities, formative assessments, or even project options. Grab some inspiration from the example menu's activities to learn about the cardiovascular system.
Related Resources
Templates and Examples
Student Choice Tic-Tac-Toe
Support student choice with Tic-Tac-Toe!
Templates and Examples
Student Choice Tic-Tac-Toe
Give your students choice and differentiate their learning processes with a simple classroom activity that works for any grade and subject. This resource includes a Tic-Tac-Toe template that can be easily modified, as well as an example from a high school science class that shows both the teacher-facing and student-facing materials.
Related Resources
Project and Unit Builders
Scaffolding Socrates
Set the stage for student-driven inquiry and collaboration, with this step by step guide to facilitating a Socratic seminar.
Project and Unit Builders
Scaffolding Socrates
During a Socratic seminar, students ask questions and challenge one another, respectfully debate perspectives, and drive the discussion themselves (instead of the teacher). Use this resource, including a project development guide, templates, and example, to plan and support successful student engagement in a Socratic seminar.
Related Resources
Make Groups Work
Learning Skills in Conversation
Project and Unit Builders
Learning Skills in Conversation
Helping students practice skills in your classroom isn’t just a matter of the planning and thinking that you do. Students need to know that they are practicing and mastering skills through the work they do. That means that skills need to be a part of your classroom conversations every day. Learn when, why, and how you can make skills the focus and part of every day's discussions with this one page overview.
A Diagram of Differentiation
Project and Unit Builders
Dear Carbon, I Love You
Bring creative writing and a passion for any concept into your classroom with this love letter project.
Project and Unit Builders
Dear Carbon, I Love You
This project prioritizes your students' creative energy as they demonstrate deep understanding of a key concept in your subject area - whether it's an organelle, an element, the quadratic formula, or topographic maps. Use the project template, example, and step-by-step instructions to create a summative love letter project and watch your students practice effective and persuasive composition, all in the name of love.
Related Resources
Reinterpretation of Text
Project and Unit Builders
Reinterpretation of Text
Use our project development guide, including templates and an example, to build a summative group project tailored to the learning and skill goals of your unit. With this project, students come together to re-interpret and re-imagine a text or historical event in a way that answers an essential question. Whether they re-tell the Magna Carta as a series of skits, or transform a chapter from a novel into a sonnet, students will take a position, defend that argument with a creative interpretation, and share the product of their collaboration with their classmates.
Related Resources
Active Learning Menu
A Diagram of Differentiation
Project and Unit Builders
Reinterpretation of Text
Develop a group project tailored to the learning and skill goals of your unit.
Project and Unit Builders
Reinterpretation of Text
Use our project development guide, including templates and an example, to build a summative group project tailored to the learning and skill goals of your unit. With this project, students come together to re-interpret and re-imagine a text or historical event in a way that answers an essential question. Whether they re-tell the Magna Carta as a series of skits, or transform a chapter from a novel into a sonnet, students will take a position, defend that argument with a creative interpretation, and share the product of their collaboration with their classmates.
Related Resources
Skill Builders
Keep Calm and Focus On
Help students learn strategies to focus better.
Skill Builders
Keep Calm and Focus On
This customizable facilitation guide, slide deck, and student activity will help you facilitate a lesson on what it means to focus. Equip students with strategies to concentrate on relevant information and tasks without getting easily distracted, shift tasks effectively, and take mental and physical breaks when needed and appropriate.
Related Resources
Prepare to Plan
Skill Builders
Prepare to Plan
Planning is an essential skill that helps students succeed well beyond their time in school, in many facets of life. Use this lesson to motivate and equip students to gain more independence in their life with planning tools and strategies, as well as an awareness of time management.
Related Resources
Learning Skills in Conversation
Talk About It: Learning Skills Conversations
Skill Builders
Talk About It: Learning Skills Conversations
The best way to make skills the focus of learning is to incorporate them into the conversations you have with students - discuss what they mean, their importance, how to practice them, and student growth. This customizable facilitation guide, slide deck, and thought catcher will help you and your colleagues make Learning Skills part of the daily conversation in your classes. These resources are designed using our Learning Skills, but can be easily adapted to work with any set of skills.
Ready, Set, Document!
Skill Builders
Ready, Set, Document!
Documenting is an essential skill that helps students succeed well beyond their time in school, in many facets of life. Use this customizable facilitation guide, slide deck, and template to facilitate a lesson on effective note-taking to keep track of ideas and tools that can help them organize and remember ideas.
Make an Effort
Skill Builders
Make an Effort
Whether you call it grit, determination, or just trying hard, making an effort is a crucial skill for all students to develop. This skill means taking initiative, making your work your own, and working hard to achieve goals, so that you can create something you are proud of. This customizable facilitation guide, slide deck, and student template will lead your students through a lesson on what it really means to make your best effort.
Related Resources
Ready, Set, Document!
Prepare to Plan
Inside. Outside. Changes. Engagement Inventory and Interventions
Skill Builders
Inside. Outside. Changes. Engagement Inventory and Interventions
Engagement is more than participation. It is not about compliance or good behavior. Engaged learners prepare, focus, contribute, and invest in their learning. This resources provides a structure for taking stock of student engagement and a system for making changes.
Related Resources