LibGuides: Teacher Curriculum Center Digital Resources: Internet Resources for Curriculum, Lessons, and Professional Development

Librarian

Lisa Cheby

she/her/hers

Email Me

Contact:

818-677-3840

Subjects: Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Special Education

Finding the Right Resource: Legend for Codes

To help find the right resource, I've created a few codes you can find after each title:

EL: Elementary Resources
MS: Middle School Resources
HS: High School Resources
ES: Ethnic Studies Resources
*: Materials I Personally Used in my Teaching

General K-12 Interdisciplinary Lesson Resources

Interdisciplinary Curriculum and Lesson Resources

These links provide a broad support for developing lessons/curriculum that can be applied to various grades and subjects. If you are looking specifically for DEI resources and literacy support to enhance your subject area content or are designing interdisciplinary units, you should find support and inspiration there. When appropriate, links go to sections on website for teachers/resources if part of a larger organization website.

9/11 Memorial Museum: September 11th Personal Stories of Transformation -- MS, HS, ES September 11th Personal Stories of Transformation is a classroom resource toolkit, featuring eight story units with videos and related materials, classroom projects, research materials, and much more. Each story is accompanied by discussion questions that guide students to connect outcomes of the historic events of September 11th to the choices they make in their own lives. The 9/11 Tribute Museum classroom resources provide historic context, research links, and community service projects for each story.
AI in Education (ITSE) -- EL, MS, HS Included professional development, webinars, and lesson plans for using/teaching AI in K-12
AI Pedagogy Project MS, HS This is an evolving collection of curated assignments that integrate AI tools from educators around the world. If you’re just getting started with AI, check out our AI Guide first. Thank you to the educators who are credited in this collection. Please cite the source when using or adapting one of these assignments.
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Education -- MS, HS, CO, ES We provide anti-bias education through professional learning, educational programs, resources and strategies to build and sustain equitable and inclusive environments.
California Association for Bilingual Education OUR VISION Biliteracy, Multicultural Competency, & Educational Equity for All. OUR MISSION To support the vision of biliteracy, multicultural competency, and educational equity for all students, we will embody our shared values by implementing priorities, initiatives, and services designed to increase California’s capacity to create caring and highly effective learning environments that promote multiliteracy and support English learners and all diverse populations to graduate college, career, and globally prepared to live their lives to their fullest potential.
Edsitement, National Endowment for the Humanities - EL,MS, HS, ES Includes Lesson Plans and Teacher's Guides designed by the NEH
Edutopia -- EL, MS, HS Education Themed Publication from the George Lucas Educational Foundation. Our Foundation is dedicated to transforming pre-K-12 education so that all students can acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to thrive in their studies, careers, and adult lives. Founded by innovative and award-winning filmmaker George Lucas in 1991, we take a strategic approach to improving education.
Harvard University Graduate School Of Education Educator Resources Research and articles about issues relevant to practicing teachers seeking to improve their practice.
Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance) -- EL, MS, HS, ES
Liberated Ethnic Studies Curriculum --ES This is a sharing of the first draft of an ethnic studies curriculum written by 20 college professors and teachers. This draft was not selected by the CDE as it was, but the authors rebranded their work as the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum and created an institute where they are offering seminars and serving as consultants to districts. Salinas Unified and Hayward Unified are among those districts that have adopted it.
Library of Congress
Multicultural Classroom Blog
Multicultural Pavilion : Resources and Dialogues for Equity in Education
New Vision for Public Schools Social Studies Team (NY)
PBS Early Childhood -- EL The PBS SoCal Education team has designed educational materials and activities for children with the desire to make learning fun, engaging, and easy to incorporate into their daily routines. Choose from the icons below to find the type of resource your family is looking for.
PBS Kids PK-2 -- EL Games and Apps to play with kids to support reading and math literacy. There are also games in other areas such as science, music, feelings, and nature.
PBS Storymaker -- HS StoryMaker is a powerful learning platform developed by PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs to build the next generation of media creators. You can create transformative educational experiences through video journalism that inspire youth to find their voice and engage in their communities. StoryMaker is built to be relevant and flexible. Our built-in community will give you the supports you need to succeed.
Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education ES, MS, HS, ES

ELD, Reading, and Literacy Support

95 Percent Group EL
CATESOL: California Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages CATESOL, founded in 1969, is a nonprofit organization open to anyone concerned with the teaching of English as a second or foreign language, standard English as a second dialect, or bilingual education.
Center for Applied Linguistics - K-12 The mission of the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) is to promote language learning and cultural understanding by serving as a trusted source for research, resources, and policy analysis. Through its work, CAL seeks solutions to issues involving language and culture as they relate to access and equity in education and society around the globe.
Center for Media Literacy* MS, HS, ES A pioneer in its field, the Center for Media Literacy (CML) is an educational organization that provides leadership, public education, professional development and evidence-based educational resources nationally and internationally. Dedicated to promoting and supporting media literacy education as a framework for accessing, analyzing, evaluating, creating and participating with media content, CML works to help citizens, especially the young, develop critical thinking and media production skills needed to live fully in the 21st century media culture. The ultimate goal is to make wise choices possible.
DIBELS: Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills EL, MS
Equity Literacy Institute
Heggerty Phonemic Awareness & Phonics Instruction EL
National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Announcements on this page are generally from the Department of Education's Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), or other relevant government agencies and offices, about concerns facing multilingual learner education.
Reading Diversity EL, MS, HS Traditionally, tools that aid text selection have focused on quantitative and qualitative measures like complexity, word and sentence length, cohesion, language features and knowledge demands. But these tools do not include diversity and representation, critical literacy, or reader and task as part of the selection criteria. Reading Diversity is different. This model promotes a multi-dimensional approach to text selection that prioritizes critical literacy, cultural responsiveness and complexity. We have designed two versions of the Reading Diversity model as two editable PDF tools educators can download, complete, save and share.
Reading League EL, MS The Reading League is a nonprofit organization with the mission to advance the awareness, understanding, and use of evidence-aligned reading instruction.
U.S. Office of English Language Acquisition (Administers programs for LEPs and Title III)
Univ of FL Literacy Institute (UFLI) Foundations Toolbox EL The UFLI Foundations Toolbox contains all the lesson resources to accompany the lesson plans provided in the UFLI Foundations manual. (Coming soon to the TCC print collection) Every lesson has companion resources that will help you implement the lessons efficiently, effectively, and consistently.

Special Education Internet Sources

California Department of Education Special Education Division
California Educators Together EL, MS, HS, ES High-Quality and Relevant Professional Learning, Lesson Plans, and Events for California’s Modern Educator. California Educators Together is a community of practice designed to provide educators, administrators, specialists, and state program leads a common space to communicate, share strategies, and access resources.
Common Core Resources for Special Education
International Dyslexia Association
National Center on Learning Disabilities
Supporting Inclusive Practices (SIP)
The UC/CSU California Collaborative for Neurodiversity and Learning

Instructional Strategies

ConnectED The California Center for College and Career, Curriculum
The Jigsaw Classroom The Jigsaw Classroom is a cooperative learning technique that reduces racial conflict among school children, promotes better learning, improves student motivation, and increases enjoyment of the learning experience.
Question Formulation Technique* MS, HS, ES Developed by the Right Question Institute, the Question Formulation Technique, or QFT, is a structured method for generating and improving questions. It distills sophisticated forms of divergent, convergent, and metacognitive thinking into a deceptively simple, accessible, and reproducible technique. The QFT builds the skill of asking questions, an essential — yet often overlooked — lifelong learning skill that allows people to think critically, feel greater power and self-efficacy, and become more confident and ready to participate in civic life.
Thinking Maps* Thinking Maps is a set of 8 visual patterns that correlate to specific cognitive processes. They are used across all grades and content areas to build the critical thinking, problem-solving, comprehension, and communication skills necessary for academic success in every domain.
Universal Design for Learning The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

Media Literacy & Information Literacy

Center for Media Literacy* -- MS, HS, ES A pioneer in its field, the Center for Media Literacy (CML) is an educational organization that provides leadership, public education, professional development and evidence-based educational resources nationally and internationally. Dedicated to promoting and supporting media literacy education as a framework for accessing, analyzing, evaluating, creating and participating with media content, CML works to help citizens, especially the young, develop critical thinking and media production skills needed to live fully in the 21st century media culture. The ultimate goal is to make wise choices possible.
Civic Online Reading -- HS, ES Students are confused about how to evaluate online information. We all are. The COR curriculum provides free lessons and assessments that help you teach students to evaluate online information that affects them, their communities, and the world.
Copyright & Creativity * -- EL, MS, HS These materials aim to provide accessible and practical information about copyright – its protections, its limitations, and its role in encouraging creativity. Rather than just emphasizing what copyright prohibits, the goal here is to offer useful and positive information about what copyright allows and how students can successfully navigate and rely on copyright in their own roles as creators. It is important to note that these materials focus on copyright in the United States. Other countries have similar frameworks, but their rules may differ on certain concepts such as fair use.
KQED Teach Medial Literacy -- EL, MS, HS Bring Media Literacy and Media Making to Your Teaching Enroll now in FREE self-paced online courses with step-by-step videos and hands-on activities. Brought to you by public media station KQED, an NPR and PBS member station.
Media Literacy Resources from CDE This is a site curated by the CA Dept of Education for resources to teach media literacy per State Law. Use the grey tabs in the middle to find resources by type.
New Literacy Project EL, MS, HS The News Literacy Project is a nonpartisan education nonprofit building a national movement to create a more news-literate America. NLP is the nation’s leading provider of news literacy education.
News and Media Literacy for All Series EL, MS, HS The California Department of Education is partnering with the News Literacy Project to host a series of eight webinars focusing on news and media literacy. Go to link for free account registration (required). In the group, you will find recordings, resources, and more.
Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers by Mike Caufield -- HS, ES Open access book on media literacy and lateral reading

Responding to Current Events

This section will contain general and specific resources for addressing and supporting all students through challenging local or global events.

English Language Arts Internet Sources

California Educators Together EL, MS, HS, ES High-Quality and Relevant Professional Learning, Lesson Plans, and Events for California’s Modern Educator. California Educators Together is a community of practice designed to provide educators, administrators, specialists, and state program leads a common space to communicate, share strategies, and access resources.
Facing History and Ourselves (Teacher Resources) * -- MS, HS, ES We believe the bigotry and hate that we witness today are the legacy of brutal injustices of the past. We help teachers and students face our collective histories and understand how they inform attitudes and behaviors in today's world.
National Council of Teachers of English EL, MS, HS, ES Council books, journals, meetings, and Web resources help provide professional support throughout the many stages of your teaching career.
Poetry Center | The University of Arizona EL, MS, HS, ES
Read, Write, Think Powered by NCTE EL, MS, HS Collections feature curated sets of lesson plans, teaching materials, and professional learning resources on topics frequently taught in classrooms.

Health

California Educators Together EL, MS, HS, ES High-Quality and Relevant Professional Learning, Lesson Plans, and Events for California’s Modern Educator. California Educators Together is a community of practice designed to provide educators, administrators, specialists, and state program leads a common space to communicate, share strategies, and access resources.
Glencoe Health Online Preview Request Grade 9-12
Glencoe Teen Health Online Preview Request Grades 6-8

Music

California Educators Together EL, MS, HS, ES High-Quality and Relevant Professional Learning, Lesson Plans, and Events for California’s Modern Educator. California Educators Together is a community of practice designed to provide educators, administrators, specialists, and state program leads a common space to communicate, share strategies, and access resources.
National Association for Music Education NAfME is a collaborative community that supports music educators and advocates for equitable access to music education. Read about our 2022 Strategic Plan and our vision to be an association where all people are heard, seen, and feel they belong throughout their lifelong experiences in music.

Physical Education, Kinesiology, & Dance Internet Sources

California Educators Together EL, MS, HS, ES High-Quality and Relevant Professional Learning, Lesson Plans, and Events for California’s Modern Educator. California Educators Together is a community of practice designed to provide educators, administrators, specialists, and state program leads a common space to communicate, share strategies, and access resources.

Social Studies Internet Sources

Links go to sections on website for teachers/resources if part of a larger organization website. See also the tab for primary sources on the left and above interdisciplinary sources above.

For more resources, see California Department of Education History-Social Science Teaching Resources Page, which also has a list of internet resources

American Historical Association, Teaching & Learning -- ES The AHA's broad-based teaching mission includes making resources available to educators at all levels and at public history venues, introducing and integrating historians into the discipline, providing ongoing education for historians at every stage of their careers—through topical and professional sessions at the annual meeting, and by way of both innovative web resources and distinguished print publications.
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) -- EL, MS, HS Use our resources to help your schools, communities and society be more respectful, inclusive and equitable.
Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government --EL, MS, HS Excellent lessons & graphics separated into elementary, middle, and high school lessons.
Bringing History Home -- EL, MS, HS While this curriculum is no longer available for free, they do have some general resources available.
California 3Rs project Includes Internet and Literature Resources for Educators on the following topics: Finding Common Ground First Amendment Center (Religious Freedom Education Project) Religious Holidays in Public Schools FAIR Education Act of 2011 (SB 48) Anti-Bullying Online Opportunities Teacher Leader Presentations Other
California Council for Economic Education -- EL, MS, HS The California Council on Economic Education (CCEE) works with California teachers to create financially literate students who thrive in the global economy. CCEE was founded as part of the California State University Foundation to provide training and standards-based curriculum in economics to California teachers and became a statewide 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 1999.
California Council for the Social Studies Instructional Support-- ES The History-Social Science Spotlight provides resources, tools, and ideas around a different theme each month.
California Educators Together EL, MS, HS, ES High-Quality and Relevant Professional Learning, Lesson Plans, and Events for California’s Modern Educator. California Educators Together is a community of practice designed to provide educators, administrators, specialists, and state program leads a common space to communicate, share strategies, and access resources.
California History-Social Science Project, UC Davis -- EL, MS, HS, ES
CalMatters for Learning (Resources for Educators) -- HS Welcome to the free learning hub for library staff, educators and community organizers. Here you’ll find teaching resources and unique tools to guide conversations in your communities about quality of life issues._____
Center for Civic Education --EL, MS, HS 8The Center for Civic Education’s Lesson Plan Library includes a wide range of lessons for K-12 classrooms that have been used by hundreds of teacher
Council for Economic Education -- EL, MS, HS We help K-12 teachers make a lasting impact on their students by providing free classroom resources and professional development for teaching economics and personal finance. We help teachers make a difference.
CSUN Bradley Center Curriculum: Conflict and Culture in Central and Latin America Curriculum -- ES
Edsitement, National Endowment for the Humanities -- EL, MS, HS, ES Searchable lessons by topic and grade level to enhance humanities education.
Facing History and Ourselves (Teacher Resources) * -- MS, HS, ES We believe the bigotry and hate that we witness today are the legacy of brutal injustices of the past. We help teachers and students face our collective histories and understand how they inform attitudes and behaviors in today's world.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History -- EL, MS, HS, ES The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History was founded in 1994 by Richard Gilder and Lewis E. Lehrman, visionaries and lifelong supporters of American history education. The Institute is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to K–12 history education while also serving the general public. Its mission is to promote the knowledge and understanding of American history through educational programs and resources.
History Matters HS Designed for high school and college teachers and students, History Matters serves as a gateway to web resources and offers other useful materials for teaching U.S. history. (more on this site)
iCivics --EL, MS, HS iCivics champions equitable, non-partisan civic education so that the practice of democracy is learned by each new generation. We work to inspire life-long civic engagement by providing high quality and engaging civics resources to teachers and students across our nation.
Los Angeles County Office of Education History Social Science Curriculum Support EL, MS, HS, ES
National Archives Education Resources EL, MS, HS
National Council for the Social Studies – Resources – Lessons K-12
New Vision for Public Schools Social Studies Team (NY) EL, MS, HS Since 2014, three social studies Instructional Specialists from New Visions for Public Schools, in consultation with a small group of teacher advisory board members from across our network of schools, have developed a strong scope and sequence for Global History and Geography I, Global History and Geography II, and US History and Government. Curricular materials are aligned with the New York State K-12 Social Studies Framework, the New York State Regents exams, as well as the Common Core Learning Standards. Through the investigation and analysis of primary and secondary sources, students have the opportunity to think critically, and to read, write, and speak like historians, while simultaneously honing the literacy and critical thinking skills necessary for both the New York State Regents exams and post-secondary coursework. We believe the curricula we share here are never complete; we always welcome feedback, experiences, and findings from teachers using these materials!
Reading Like a Historian/Stanford History Education Group MS, HS, ES The Reading Like a Historian curriculum engages students in historical inquiry. Each lesson revolves around a central historical question and features a set of primary documents designed for groups of students with a range of reading skills. This curriculum teaches students how to investigate historical questions by employing reading strategies such as sourcing, contextualizing, corroborating, and close reading. Instead of memorizing historical facts, students evaluate the trustworthiness of multiple perspectives on historical issues and learn to make historical claims backed by documentary evidence. To learn more about how to use Reading Like a Historian lessons, watch these videos about how teachers use these materials in their classrooms.
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media HS At the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media we use digital media and computer technology to democratize history: to incorporate multiple voices, reach diverse audiences, and encourage popular participation in presenting and preserving the past. Since 1994—under the founding direction of Roy Rosenzweig—the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media has worked to create digital history and software that is free and fully available to all.
Teach Democracy (formerly Constitutional Rights Foundation) -- MS, HS Teach Democracy (formerly Constitutional Rights Foundation) inspires lifelong civic engagement through interactive programs and resources for teachers and youth because our democracy depends on informed participation by all. We seek to instill in our nation's youth a lifelong commitment to the principles expressed in our Constitution. We do this by leveraging the commitment of teachers and amplifying the voice of young people. Our civic education resources are interactive and non-partisan with an emphasis on civil discourse. They are research-based and aligned to standards. We aim to engage young people to become active and empowered participants in our democracy.
Teachinghistory.org (National History Education Clearinghouse) EL, MS, HS Teachinghistory.org is designed to help K–12 history teachers access resources and materials to improve U.S. history education in the classroom. With funding from the U.S. Department of Education, the Center for History and New Media (CHNM) has created Teachinghistory.org with the goal of making history content, teaching strategies, resources, and research accessible.
Teach US History / American Antiquarian Society This website contains historic primary source images and text as well as background information that provides historical, cultural, and literary context to significant events in American history. Additionally the site contains video and audio presentations utilizing professional actors impersonating historical figures and reenacting historical events. The site also contains lesson plans and curriculum units to help educators incorporate these materials in their classroom instruction. The site was developed over time by a collaboration of museums, libraries, individual educators and scholars, and school systems. It is now operated by the American Antiquarian Society (AAS).
UCI (UC Irvine) History Project Curriculum & Resources EL, MS, HS The California History/Social Science Project at UC, Irvine offers curriculum resources for K-12 history/social science teachers in the areas of content-based literacy, U.S. history, and world history. Our curriculum support for K-12 teachers, consists of supplemental curriculum handbooks, teacher training institutes in the fields of content-based literacy, American history, and world history, and suggested internet resources for advanced curriculum development.
UCLA History-Geography Project Resources & Lessons EL, MS, HS The materials here can be downloaded and used in K-12 classrooms for both in-person and remote learning. Many of these lessons focus on local history and the diverse communities of Los Angeles. Materials on this page are protected by copyright. #locallyoriented
Zinn Education Project: Teaching People’s History EL, MS, HS, ES The Zinn Education Project promotes and supports the teaching of people’s history in classrooms across the country. The Zinn Education Project is coordinated by two non-profit organizations, Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change, that have spent decades developing and providing social justice resources for teachers.

STEM Resources

Brilliant | Learn Interactively | Math Games MS, HS Guided interactive problem solving that's effective and fun. Master concepts in 15 minutes a day.
California Educators Together EL, MS, HS, ES High-Quality and Relevant Professional Learning, Lesson Plans, and Events for California’s Modern Educator. California Educators Together is a community of practice designed to provide educators, administrators, specialists, and state program leads a common space to communicate, share strategies, and access resources.
Gizmos EL, MS, HS The world's largest library of math and science simulations.
Illuminations EL, MS, HS Illuminations is a project designed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Illuminations works to serve you by increasing access to quality standards-based resources for teaching and learning mathematics, including interactive tools for students and instructional support for teachers. Our Resources: Lessons and interactives searchable by NCTM’s Principles and Standards and by the Common Core State Standards. Over 700 lesson plans Over 50 activities; these are virtual manipulatives, applets, and games
MathStar
National Center of Teachers of Mathematics
National Science Teachers Association- Teacher resources
PORTS (Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students)® Program EL, MS, HS

Visual & Performing Arts Internet Sources

Art of Los Angeles CSUN Lib Guide Here you will find information and resources to help you conduct research on art, art history and architecture in LA and surrounding areas. Don't forget to check out the general subject guide for Art for more information about conducting art and art history research, finding images and citing your sources.
Artscan EL, MS, HS a searchable clearinghouse of the latest state policies supporting education in and through the arts from all 50 states and the District of Columbia
California Educators Together EL, MS, HS, ES High-Quality and Relevant Professional Learning, Lesson Plans, and Events for California’s Modern Educator. California Educators Together is a community of practice designed to provide educators, administrators, specialists, and state program leads a common space to communicate, share strategies, and access resources.
LACMA Resources for Teachers EL, MS, HS Join LACMA for in-person and virtual professional development programs and explore a wide variety of classroom resources that support student creativity, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary learning. Programs and resources continue to be added throughout the year, so check back often to see what is new!
National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, founded as a gift to the nation, serves as a center of visual art, education, and culture. Our collection of more than 150,000 paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, photographs, prints, and drawings spans the history of Western art and showcases some of the triumphs of human creativity.
A Noise Within HS Our education programs are designed to increase access to live classical theatre and to enhance the classroom learning experience for both teachers and students. The ANW Education program experience includes: tickets at a reduced cost, post-show discussions with the artists, California standards-compliant study guides, and optional in-class workshops. ANW has variety of ways to help you engage your students in the arts!

Video Resources

Find Videos

Streaming Video LibGuide: This online streaming video guide provides resources for finding and using streaming video material, from both the University Library and around the web.

Films on Demand This link opens in a new window
Multidisciplinary streaming video service providing access to digital educational films. Current access includes over 700 videos in many subject areas.