March officially marks the beginning of spring! Temperatures are warming and hopefully we’re starting to see more sun. Understandably, this changing of seasons is a time when students start to get a bit restless: spring break is right around the corner and summer is on the horizon.
This month is also filled with celebrations and observances: St. Patrick’s Day, World Teen Mental Wellness Day, National Reading Month, International Women’s Day, and more.
To make the most of the liminal period, we’ve put together a list of innovative and educational lesson plans created by BetterLesson Master Teachers that will engage students of all ages throughout this month’s observances. We’ve also compiled strategies to increase focus and engagement during this often high-energy time of the school year.
World Teen Mental Wellness Day (March 2nd)
Lesson Plan: Mindfulness Techniques
Grade Level: All Grades
Big Idea: This strategy supports teachers to embed mindfulness activities into the classroom culture to support students’ social-emotional wellbeing.
Lesson Plan: Body Scan Meditation
Grade Level: All Grades
Big Idea: The body scan meditation strategy empowers us to be aware of our emotions.
Lesson Plan: Emotion Check Ins
Grade Level: All Grades
Big Idea: As a result of this strategy, students can clear mental space, build meaningful connections to one another, and identify their feelings, thereby allowing for increased self-management.
Lesson Plan: Emotional Thermometer for Self-Regulation
Grade Level: All Grades
Big Idea: This strategy helps students identify, name, and reflect on their emotions.
International Women’s Day Resources (March 8th)
Lesson Plan: How One Child Can Change the World
Grade Level: Elementary
Big Idea: In this lesson, students examine Malala Yousafzai’s dream of girls everywhere getting an education.
Lesson Plan: Women Firefighters Lead the Way to Organizing a Summary
Grade Level: Middle
Big Idea: In this lesson, students learn to identify the main idea and support details by reading about America’s female firefighters who have worked long and hard to be accepted into this traditionally male profession.
Lesson Plan: Analyze Women’s Contributions Around the World with Adobe Creative Cloud Express
Grade Level: Middle
Big Idea: In this 2-hour strategy, students conduct research on three notable women from selected fields and create a web page on the women’s contributions and their impact.
Lesson Plan: Afghanistan Women Writers Project: Researching Stories
Grade Level: High School
Big Idea: In this lesson, students read memoirs written by Afghan women and respond with focused empathy and insight.
Lesson Plan: Community Identity: What are Women’s Roles and Responsibilities
Grade Level: High School
Big Idea: In this lesson, students discuss the role of women in our communities by analyzing women’s behaviors and attitudes in a Bing commercial and “Why I Want a Wife” by Judy Brady.
St. Patrick’s Day Resources (March 17th)
Lesson Plan: Lucky Charms St. Patrick’s Fun
Grade Level: Elementary
Big Idea: In this lesson, students will use Lucky Charms cereal to create and interpret a graph and review addition.
Lesson Plan: Lucky Letter and Word Building
Grade Level: Elementary
Big Idea: In this lesson, students use “gold” letter coins to build words on a mat and sound them out.
Lesson Plan: Reading Irish Legends
Grade Level: Middle
Big Idea: In this lesson, students will read two Irish legends, compare and contrast them, then sketch a picture about their favorite.
Lesson Plan: The Leprechaun Companion
Grade Level: Middle
Big Idea: In this lesson, students read The Leprechaun Companion and explain the meaning of the text by summarizing and drawing conclusions.
Lesson Plan: Analyzing Theme in the Story “Sniper”
Grade Level: High School
Big Idea: In this lesson, students will read Liam O’Flaherty’s short story “The Sniper” about the Irish Civil War and then discuss themes from the story.
National Reading Month (all month)
Lesson Plan: Letters That Let Readers Take Charge
Grade Level: All Grades
Big Idea: This letter-writing activity provides a reader-response framework that encourages student voice, choice, and reflection.
Lesson Plan: Building Stamina – Training for a Marathon… of Reading
Grade Level: Elementary
Big Idea: In these lessons, students build their stamina so they can read for a long period of time without interruption.
Lesson Plan: Reading Buddies
Grade Level: Elementary and Middle
Big Idea: In this lesson, upper-elementary or middle-school students partner with elementary school students as reading buddies.
Lesson Plan: Give Kids a NOVEL Choice
Grade Level: Middle
Big Idea: In this set of lesson plans, students choose their own novel and follow lessons to guide their reading and analysis.
Lesson Plan: Daily Reading Time and Conferencing
Grade Level: Middle
Big Idea: In these lessons, students grow as readers with teacher guidance and support.
Lesson Plan: Illustrated Reading Journal with Adobe Creative Cloud Express
Grade Level: High School
Big Idea: In this 60-minute strategy, students reflect on readings and organize their thinking using Adobe Creative Cloud Express.
Lesson Plan: Pitching Books: Selling Kids and Their Peers on Reading
Grade Level: High School
Big Idea: In this lesson, students pitch books using strategies from Daniel Pink’s “To Sell is Human.”
Focus & Engagement Strategies
Instructional Strategy: Focus Wall
Grade Level: Elementary
Big Idea: This instructional strategy, a “focus wall” is used to keep students and teachers organized and on-pace.
Instructional Strategy: Self-Regulation Strategies
Grade Level: All Grades
Big Idea: Students use self-regulation strategies like mental breaks, body and movement breaks, fidgets, and self-talk to maximize their learning.
Instructional Strategy: Choice Boards
Grade Level: All Grades
Big Idea: Choice boards give students autonomy and choice in their learning while allowing teachers to differentiate, observe, and assess in real time.
Lesson Plan: Brain Breaks
Grade Level: All Grades
Big Idea: Use Brain Breaks as a quick, effective way to refocus and re-energize students’ physical and mental states during a lesson.
Lesson Plan: Developing Student-Centered Strategies
Grade Level: All Grades
Big Idea: This strategy reveals the process of how to identify or revise teaching actions to ensure these actions are student-facing.
