Instructional planning

There are scores of websites that offer teachers lesson plans and other materials for teaching. Quality does vary, and teachers, like students, should always consider the source of what is offered when deciding whether or not materials are useful. Museum, library and government-sponsored sites often offer teachers quality materials including innovative approaches, primary documents and complete lesson plans. So do some newspapers. Be aware that these materials may not be fully aligned with the Next Generation Learning Standards.

Here are a few places to start:

Across the curriculum

• Share My Lesson
  Share My Lesson is a free forum in which educators can collaborate, share their lesson plans, find information on standards, and access free webinars for NYSED CTLE credit. This website, hosted by the American Federation of Teachers, an online community of more than two million teachers, paraprofessionals, specialized support providers, parents and caregivers. The site contains hundreds of thousands of resources, with more being added each day. The site's user-generated content is supplemented by tens of thousands of resources from hundreds of content partners, including Common Sense Education, Science Friday, Storyline Online and PBS NewsHour Classroom.
• UFT Online Teaching Resources
  The UFT has compiled an array of online resources for teachers in need of high-quality resources for students. Activities are listed by subject area and grade level and also include resources designed for English language learners, special needs students, and CTE programs. The page also includes Google Classroom tutorials, full remote curricula, sites to design dynamic class activities and enrichment materials. 
• PBS.org
  The PBS website offers lesson plans, educational games and videos for pre-k through the 12th grade, covering the arts, health and fitness, math, reading and language arts, science and social studies. The site also offers online professional development courses and educational news, as well as a community message board that educators can use to share ideas and trade stories.
• Learning Network
  The New York Times Learning Network provides lessons “across the curriculum based on New York Times content." The Times invites students to offer their opinion on current events and invites them to participate in a variety of student challenges, including one on summer reading. 
• The Library of Congress
  The Library of Congress is the place to go for primary sources including pictures, documents and even music. The Library is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world. The Library provides the materials in ready-to use formats grouped around themes. 

Equity and fairness

• UFT's resources for teaching about race and social justice
• Social Justice Issues Collection from the AFT
• Understanding Bias from the National Museum of African-American History & Culture

• Creating Change Through Action from the National Civil Rights Museum

Social studies

• Brooklyn Historical Society
  The Brooklyn Historical Society offers educators unique resources for grades 4 – 12 on a range of topics that will enliven your teaching about the borough from its earliest colonial days to the present.
• DocsTeach
  Turn your students into historians with primary-source based activities that develop historical thinking skills. These resources from the National Archives include activities that are ready to be used in the classroom or can be modified to suit your needs, as well as thousands of primary sources that can be used in the classroom.
• I-civics
  I-civics offers lessons, educational games and web casts designed to teach students about the branches of government, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Students will have opportunities to argue some of the hardest cases ever decided in the Supreme Court and lessons include handouts, group activities and step-by-step guides for teachers.

English Language Arts

• ReadWriteThink
  ReadWriteThink, a partnership of the International Reading Association, the National Council of Teachers of English and the Verizon Foundation, offers a Web Resources Gallery. To select links to outstanding reading and language arts resources on the Web, they use a rigorous set of selection criteria they have developed and adopted, along with a review process. 

English Language Learners

• Supporting effective instruction for ELLs

Math

• Illuminations
  Illuminations is a Web site of The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, designed to provide standards-based resources that improve teaching and learning of mathematics for all students. The site also offers free and downloadable materials that illuminate the vision for school mathematics.

Science

• U.S. Geological Survey
  The U.S. Geological Survey provides scientific information intended to help educate the public about natural resources, natural hazards, geospatial data and issues that affect our quality of life. 

Students with disabilities

• Special education resources

New York Teacher Columns

• Teacher to Teacher - New York City public school teachers share their ideas about what works in their classrooms with fellow educators.
• Linking to Learning - This column helps teachers integrate technology into their classrooms and take advantage of online educational resources.