Lesson Planet

Why do we need Lesson Planet when there are many free websites that provide lesson plans and worksheets? Lesson Planet’s material is all reviewed, summarized, and rated by credentialed K-12 teachers specially trained in reviewing. The ratings are determined by a rubric. Lesson Planet is also member-supported and does not contain advertising.

Lesson plans can be found by subject, calendar, theme, or through lesson planning articles written by the Subject Guide Teachers. The calendar option, where you can find lessons that relate to a particular date, is neat. There are also worksheets available which can be searched for by subject or theme. A keyword search is available for lesson plans and worksheets where you can filter by grade level and/or by rating.  The advanced keyword search allows you to narrow your criteria further by the following:

• Subject
• Class design: Individual, Small Group, Whole Class
• Technology Used
• Lessons Include: Assignment, Bibliography, Form, Quiz, Resource Links, Rubric, Vocabulary, WebQuest, Worksheet
• Lesson Duration
• Lesson Creation Year

I thought the advanced search exclusion choices were neat.

• Exclude lessons that require web access
• Exclude all Subscription Sites
• Exclude sites with advertising
• Exclude lessons that are not printer friendly

As you look through the website, you have the option of saving results. These results are then accessible from your account. You are also able to see your search history.

A subscription to Lesson Planet is $39.95/year which is not bad considering you have access to over 150,000 teacher reviewed lesson plans and 75,000 worksheets. They also offer a 10-day free trial.

THE FINAL WORD

My teaching style is not one of putting together lesson plans from different sources to make a smooth flowing course. So even though Lesson Planet has their material arranged very nicely, it does not fit my needs. Now if you like to use a large variety of sources for your teaching or if you like to do supplemental lessons for special days, then Lesson Planet could be a gold mine. It is very nice that the material has been reviewed and rated so you can have some idea of its value without having to look over it completely yourself.

You can read what other Crew families discovered about Lesson Planet here.

Disclosure:This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. No further compensation was received. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are my own.