SUSI (Study of the U.S. Institutes) is a U.S. Department of State initiative that promotes a better understanding of the people, institutions, and culture of the United States among foreign students, teachers, and scholars. Please go to Exchange Program for more information on this program.
Welcome to the University Library!
We have provided a few resources below that may assist you in developing curriculum materials for your projects.
Please note the links to resources that are only available while you are on campus computers are indicated with ***. All other links go to items that are freely available through the World Wide Web.
A lesson plan is a teacher’s detailed description of the course of instruction for a class. According to the Facts on File Dictionary of Education, a lesson plan “includes the instructional objectives and methods for a particular functional unit or period of instruction” (p.271). A well-developed lesson plan: reflects the interests and needs of students; incorporates best practices for the educational field; and correlates with the teacher’s philosophy of education, which is what the teacher feels is the purpose of educating the students. The University Library and the Center for Global Studies Library are here to assist you as you locate lesson plans on a particular topic in the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library.
This guide from the Social Science, Health and Education Library will help you find curriculum materials in the University Library while you are here. The Guide can be accessed from anywhere, but some of the resources are only available in the University Library.
Education, Research and Learning Resources
Education Resources Information Center (ERIC***) (Non UIUC Users)
Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) is an online digital library of education research and information. ERIC is sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education. ERIC provides ready access to education literature to support the use of educational research and information to improve practice in learning, teaching, educational decision-making, and research. ERIC provides unlimited access to more than 1.4 million educational bibliographic records and full-text journal articles, books, research syntheses, conference papers, technical reports, policy papers, and other education-related materials featuring materials from the U.S. Department of Education and other ERIC sources on a variety of topics. The ERIC database provides a comprehensive, easy-to-use, searchable, Internet-based bibliographic and full-text database of education research and information that also meets the requirements of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002
Professional Development Collection (EBSCO***)
Professional Development Collection (EBSCO) is designed for professional educators, and provides a highly specialized collection of nearly 520 high quality education journals, including more than 350 peer-reviewed titles. This database also contains more than 200 educational reports. This is the most comprehensive and most valuable collection of full text education journals in the world. In addition to full text, indexing and abstracts are provided for more than 700 journals. Examples of titles offered in Professional Development Collection include: Booklist, Curriculum Administrator, Education, Education Digest, Educational Leadership, High School Journal, Journal of Education, Journal of Educational Research, Phi Delta Kappan, Reading Teacher, School Library Journal, and many others. The majority of full text titles included in the database are available in native (searchable) PDF, or scanned-in-color. Full text information in the Professional Development Collection dates as far back as 1965.
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data that are related to education in the United States and other nations.
Digest of Education Statistics
The primary purpose of the Digest of Education Statistics is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school. The Digest includes a selection of data from many sources, both government and private, and draws especially on the results of surveys and activities carried out by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
Pew Research Center / Pew Foundation
The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan “fact tank” that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does so by conducting public opinion polling and social science research; by reporting news and analyzing news coverage; and by holding forums and briefings. It does not take positions on policy issues. Areas of particular relevance include:
- Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
- Pew Global Attitudes Project
- Pew Hispanic Center
- Pew Internet & American Life Project
- Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
- Stateline.org
Fact Finder
The go-to source for demographic information about the United States. It’s possible to browse or search for statistics by topic, geography, race and ethnic groups, or industry codes.
Quick Links to Lesson Planning – All available through open access
Compiled by the Public Broadcasting System (PBS), this page provides lesson plans for teachers who wish to teach about issues such as war, patriotism, peace, and tolerance.
This site provides lesson plans for most subject areas and includes links to other informational sources that can be drawn upon to create original lesson plans. The extensive listings about multicultural holidays and current events are especially useful.
Developed by the National Endowment for Humanities and other sources, this site contains links to 49 of the “top humanities sites” and lesson plans in the areas of history, English and language arts, foreign languages and art history. It also includes learning guides that provide tips for using sites for designing class curricula and activities. Sites are searchable.
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Education Resources
This resource contains in-depth lesson plans about various aspects of economics, including employment growth, income taxes, and supply and demand. Additionally, the website offers a podcast series called The Economic Lowdown which gives students easily understandable explanations and real-world examples of economic and finance principles. Resources and activities for both students and teachers can be found in the left sidebar of the website.
Historic Maps in K-12 Classrooms
Designed “specifically to support basic map and information acquisition skills at the K-12 levels,” this website provides lesson plans based on 18 different maps. Divided into six themes, each map contains several lessons for grades K-12.
Lesson Plan Library
The Lesson Plans Library site contains lessons for grades K-12 in common and not so common subjects. Plans range in subject from literature and math to forensic science and meteorology. Written by teachers and educators for teachers, these lesson plans are both comprehensive and easy to follow. Most plans define what national academic standards the lesson plans meet. In addition to providing a plethora of lesson plans, this site is also linked to several other “teaching tools” from The Discovery Channel.
This page allows for easy searching for specific lesson plans by subject (math, science, language arts, and art), grade level, and area within the subject searched. While this site contains lesson plans for K-12 grades, it has a concentration of plans for K-6 grades. LessonPlansPage.com has an extensive selection of lesson plans for math, science, language arts, and art, especially for the lower grades.
Library of Congress Lesson Plans
The Library of Congress has teacher-created, classroom-tested lesson plans on United States social studies, geography, science, sports and recreation, journalism, and literature, among other subjects. All of the lesson plans use primary sources that can be found at the Library of Congress and are provided with each lesson plan. Lesson plans can be searched by topic or by era (The American Revolution, 1763-1783, Rise of Industrial America, 1876-1900, Great Depression and WWII, 1929-1945, etc.). Grades 3-12 are targeted, with lesson plans having recommended grade levels of 3-8, 6-8, 6-12, or 9-12. State standards can be found by searching within each lesson plan for state, grade, and subject.
National Council for the Social Studies
The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) supports elementary, secondary, and college teachers of history, geography, economics, political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and law. Their website includes K-12 lesson plans, as well as links to a host of additional resources. Lesson plans focus on current events or “teachable moments,” as well as historical events
Peace Corps WorldWise Schools Lesson Plans
Based on lessons used by teachers in the Peace Corps, provides over 100 standards-based lesson plans. Different concepts and subjects are illustrated using examples from regions and cultures. Searchable by grade level, region/country, and subject area.
ReadWriteThink is a website focused on literacy for K-12 students. It provides detailed, research-based lesson plans that can be searched by grade level as well as area of literacy practice. The site also includes a wide variety of web resources, including instructional, reference, professional development, and interactive student resources.
Smithsonian Education Lesson Plans
The Smithsonian Institution has many resources for educators, including hundreds of lesson plans in all subject areas and grades from preK-12. Lesson plans are searchable by subject and by grade level and each lesson plan includes all of the materials needed (photographs, handouts, suggested strategies, reproductions, activities, standards information, and additional online resources). Lesson plans are created around an inquiry-based learning model and make extensive use of primary sources and museum artifacts.
Smithsonian’s History Explorer
Based on items at the National Museum of American History, this website brings the museum’s “collections and research into your classroom.” In addition to the tour guides, there are plenty of lesson plans and classroom curriculum suggestions.
This lesson bank is interactive and allows for both retrieval and submission of lesson plans by teachers. One can search for lesson plans by subject area or education level, or browse the lesson bank by keyword. Some lessons are available directly online, but others must be requested from the teacher who submitted the lesson plan. All lessons include a direct link to the author/submitter of the plan.
Teaching Earth Science: Classroom Activities and Lesson Plans
This website provides a range of lesson plans based on geography, geology, astronomy, and other earth sciences using maps, satellite images, and other projections. Also provides links to current topics in the earth sciences.
Contains over 100 free middle school lesson plans in the areas of history, social studies, and geography. Lessons are based on sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places and include maps, readings, photographs, questions, and activities. Each plan is linked to national standards in the relevant subject area.
United States Mint Lesson Plans
This site uses U.S. coins to teach basic math and counting. By exploring the “Additional Materials” section, teachers are able to find several ideas for teaching social studies, language arts, and science using coin-related topics. Each lesson plan has been contributed by teachers and includes grade level and national standards information.
United States Department of Agriculture Teacher Center
This website, produced by the nation’s experts in the field of agriculture, includes nearly 200 lesson plans for grades K-12 on all aspects of agriculture and agricultural history. Most lessons focus on facets of the American agricultural system, however there are several lessons on agriculture around the world. Lesson plans include science experiments, Web Quests, introductions to careers in agriculture, and agriculture as an aspect of the global economy. The lesson plans are listed in alphabetical order by title with the intended grade level for each lesson listed on the right.
FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE, PLEASE CONTACT:
Nancy P. O’Brien or the Service Desk in the Social Science, Health and Education Library at (217) 244-1864 or email sshel@library.illinois.edu
SSHEL North through Room 100 of the Main Library contains the Curriculum Collection and the School Collection of Children’s Literature.
SSHEL South through Room 101 of the Main Library contains the Reference Collection and the circulating collection for related materials.