Curriculum Laboratory Finding Lesson Plans Before You Teach:  A Quick Review

For further assistance in using any of the resources in the Lab, please ask at the Curriculum Lab Information Services Desk.

Do not forget the "Top 10 Things You Need to Know" about using the Curriculum Laboratory.

Check the Curriculum Laboratory displays as well as our handouts.

Do not forget the comprehensive search strategy that provides you with the "direction to information" you need in the Curriculum Lab.  These 9 steps can be found on many of the specific handouts on our web page.

Remember that lesson plans can often be found in the Alberta Education curriculum publications: Curriculum Guides, Teacher Resource Manuals, and Guides to Implementation, and others listed on the Curriculum Publications Chart.   Look under the specific school subject in 375, or online at LearnAlberta.ca, which links Program of Studies objectives with resources and lesson plans for senior high English Language Arts, Social Studies, and some Mathematics.

Remember that basic and support resources recommended by Alberta Education often contain lesson plans.  The Curriculum Laboratory orders most resources which have been approved for use in the classroom by Alberta Education. We order these items from the Learning Resources Centre (LRC). To find out what resources are recommended by Alberta Education:

• Go to the Curriculum Laboratory main webpage.
• Click on the link "Alberta Education Authorized Resources Database."
• You can select your "Curriculum Area," and "Grade Level."  The resulting long list of resources will include items such as student textbooks, teacher's manuals, student workbooks, blackline masters, test banks, other books, CD-ROMs, DVDs, distance education resources, etc.

• If you only want to find out which resources are considered the basic textbooks for that grade and subject, do the same search as above, except choose "Student Basic " from the "Authorization Status" menu.
  • Once you have located the recommended textbooks pay special attention to the Teacher's Manuals of a textbook series, often volume 2.

Search the Library Catalogue.  For subject searches, start with "Subject Heading" (Library of Congress) Search, and browse the subject headings and "related subjects" which come up on the screen.  When browsing through the catalogue, you can limit your search for materials in the Curriculum Lab only (practical teaching materials only):  Click on the Limit this search button and then change the location from ANY to UofL Curriculum Lab.

• Search for your specific subject first.  e.g. simple machines
• You can also broaden it by searching for your general subject heading, and these subheadings:
  • general subject heading plus "curriculum planning": Finds curriculum documents.
  • general subject heading plus "lesson planning": Finds lesson plans.

    e.g.  science lesson planning

  • general subject heading plus "study and teaching": Finds general teaching ideas and strategies.

Browse the shelves.  You often find "treasures" once you start looking at materials near your initial search.

• When browsing through the shelves, do not forget to check the satellite collections under the same call numbers as items on the main shelves: Oversize, Vertical File, HangUps, Picture File, Art Prints, etc.

  e.g. solar system materials are found in the 520s section of the main Curriculum Laboratory collection,  as well as in Oversize, HangUp, Picture File, and Vertical File satellite collections.

Search the Internet for lesson plans:

• Search the Lesson Plans links under "Great Sites for Educators" on the Curriculum Laboratory Web Page.
• Do a "comprehensive" internet search strategy: +subject +"lesson plan*".  e.g. +"simple machines" +"lesson plan*".

Check out these titles of special note:

• Search Edmonton Public Schools as an author. This search will provide you a list of many practical titles related to lesson plans, including:  Combined Grades Manuals (especially useful for unit planning and lesson plan templates), specific novel studies as well as "A Novel Approach For Junior High Language Arts," "Math to the Max," "Science Assessment Manuals," and elementary science topics.
• Do a keyword search for Human Kinetics, limited to the location, UofL Curriculum Lab.  This will provide you with a list of practical physical education lesson plan books.
• Do an author search for Elk Island Public Schools, or Strathcona County Schools.  This will provide you with a list of practical Social Studies (junior & senior high) and Mathematics (senior high) lesson plan books.
• Browse the novel study lesson plans at 813.5 to 813.54.

Prepared by: Bill Glaister and Margaret Rodermond,  August 2002.  Updated August 2009.