Sample Lesson Plans
Digital Lessons from CFL are chock-full of information, activities, and insights. Each curriculum unit contains as many as 40 individual lessons providing the proven, trusted classroom content you've come to expect from us.
In addition, each lesson is aligned to Common Core standards and incorporates these key components that enable you to plan your classroom activities quickly and easily:
- Objectives
- Teacher Notes
- Procedures
- Enrichment Activities
- Handouts
- Digital Resources
- Common Core Standards
As you browse through the lessons, be sure to follow the links to the Digital Resources to get an idea of the creative, high-quality online supplements that you can use to engage students, utilize your existing classroom technology, and enrich your instruction.
The Kite Runner
Set in modern Afghanistan and America, the plot centers on Amir’s problem of self-definition, a universal problem. His struggle throughout the novel for self-understanding and acceptance is the timeless journey of a hero and parallels the epic quest for home. Students undertake an examination of Afghan history and culture through research, map analysis, and role-play activities.
View Lesson 1 »
Number the Stars
Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen are forced to come to terms with the treatment of Jews in Denmark during World War II. The Number the Stars unit examines the Holocaust, the history of the Jewish people, World War II, and anti-Semitism, as well as Jewish and Danish culture. Students focus on cultural and historical setting, mood, and point of view; respond to poetry; and focus on decision making.
View Lesson 1 »
Shakespeare: Othello
A tragedy set in Venice and Cyprus, Othello is derived from an Italian novella. The play explores the human heart’s struggle with jealousy, pride, and deceit. It reveals the intensity of conflict between good and evil. Students consider the play with scene-by-scene analysis. They conduct a trial to determine an appropriate punishment for Iago. Because of the settings of the play, map activities are included.
View Lesson 1 »
Advanced Placement European History Book 1
Lessons cover European history from 1300 to 1870, and describe the emergence of the modern world in the medieval era, depict the aristocratic world of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, examine the French Revolution, and illustrate changing political, economic, and social movements of the nineteenth century. Students use a variety of resources, including maps, graphs, charts, and readings.
View Lesson 31 »
Advanced Placement European History, Book 2
These lessons cover European history from 1870 to the present, including the development of the nation-state, imperialism, democracy, industrialization, and other forces that led to World War I, the subsequent economic depression, the rise of totalitarianism, and the changing political, economic, and social movements of the post- World War II era. Some lessons focus on the skills of analysis and interpretation of primary and secondary documents. Many lessons include exercises that stress writing and critical thinking.
View Lesson 23 »
Advanced Placement U.S. History Book 2
This unit deepens students’ understanding of the pre-Civil War culture, the basis of rising conflict between the Northern and Southern states, and the eventual transformation of the South from an agricultural to a mixed economy. Lessons include studies of the development of political parties, the social, political, and economic effects of the war, and the foundations of American industrialization and urbanization.
View Lesson 10 »
American Social Issues
Topics covered include contemporary issues and changes in family life, the influence of religious beliefs and values on our society, the relationship between humanity and technology, the impact of sports and violence on American life, and the minority experience in America.
View Lesson 32 »
Basic Skills: Geography
Organized by skills, this unit is designed to be a supplement to the adopted geography textbook; students conduct research in the library media center and on the Internet, work with maps and globes, use national geographic standards and themes, use newspapers and magazines to gain geographic information, analyze information on urban geography and population growth, distinguish fact from opinion, and develop group guidelines.
View Lesson 19 »
U.S. Government Book 1
Lessons describe the establishment of American government; use the development of the Bill of Rights to illustrate the idea of protecting human rights; deal with Congress and legislation; explore the role of the executive department; describe the scope of authority for the federal court system; and define both foreign and domestic national interest.
View Lesson 38 »
U.S. History Book 2
Lessons explore the atmosphere in America after the Civil War, westward movement, the growth of big business, American interest in Latin America and the Pacific, social changes and reforms related to various groups, and the role of the U.S. as a world leader.
View Lesson 11 »
Basic Composition
Divided into three sections—warm-up activities, the paragraph, and the essay—these lessons draw on recent developments in writing theory and provide up-to-date writing models and motivational writing activities. This unit is written with the assumption that students learn to write best by examining and communicating what they know, rather than by stating and practicing the rules of punctuation and grammar in isolation.
View Lesson 18 »
Journalism: Writing for Publication
Lessons focus on key journalism concerns such as responsible news gathering and organizational skills, with emphasis on the process of arriving at the finished product for student publications such as yearbooks and newspapers. Students evaluate and analyze peer work within the flexible lessons in this unit. Academic activities include questioning, note-taking, organizing, determining the newsworthiness of possible stories, and interviewing strategies.
View Lesson 8 »
