Find teaching resources around the globe with Lesson Planet....

As a member of the TOS Crew, I have had the opportunity to try out Lesson Planet, an internet search engine for teachers. According to the website, it gives teachers access to over 225,000 lesson plans, worksheets, and teaching ideas. These resources come from all over the web, and the teacher reviewers rate them with a star system. Teachers can access printables and plans in a variety of subjects--

• art and music


• health and nutrition


• geography


• research


• social studies


• education


• language arts


• math


• science and technology

When searching for resources, you can filter your search by not only subject, but also by type of resource (and even more detailed filters pertaining to types of questions), grade level, and teacher reviewer rating. Each resource listed in a search has a short description to give you a heads up about what it really is. I found the grade level filter particularly helpful as I searched for printables to go into our maps unit. I've also used this site to seek out resources that fit the dinosaurs and rocks and minerals research projects our two oldest are working on this month. Some of the sites Lesson Planet pulled up for me, I'd never have found or thought of on my own and didn't recall seeing them in my own searches. I did find a few duplicate resources, but that wasted all of about ten seconds. You can also search for information on your state's educational standards. However, when I did this, the list of standards for my state was incomplete.

In addition to providing an internet search engine for teachers, Lesson Planet also provides tools for subscribers to help them create their own web sites, lessons, and email newsletters. You can also access a calendar that gives ideas for learning experiences based on events that are significant for each day and find articles to help in lesson planning.

The cost is $39.95 annually, which comes to about 11 cents a day. You can sign up for a free 10-day trial on the website. Why not check it out and see if it's right for you? The site has a very informative FAQ section as well, which provides answers to questions about the resources you can access as well as membership guidelines and fees. You can also click here to find out what other Crew members had to say.