The Student Teacher Guide — Elementary Education, will direct you to print and electronic resources that will help you throughout your student teacher experience in the K–5 classroom. If you need in-depth assistance or if you have questions about any of the resources or services mentioned in the guide please contact the Education Liaison Librarian.
The Curriculum Library is ideally situated within Geisel Library; Geisel Library's print journal, government document, and audio-visual collections are all located on the lower level of the library, just steps away from the Curriculum Library. Additionally, public access workstations are located next to the Curriculum Library allowing for easy access to electronic materials that support the teacher certification curriculum.
Books are arranged by Library of Congress call number according to subject; consult the list below to locate books according to content area:
- Social Studies: B–KF sections
- General Instruction Materials: L–LT sections
- Foreign Languages: P–PC sections
- French and Spanish instruction materials are located in the PC section
- Latin instruction materials are located in the PA section
- English Language Arts: PN–PZ sections
- English for Speakers of Other Languages: PE section
- Science/Mathematics: Q–QR sections
- Children's/Young Adult Literature: Marked CurrJuv (shelved at the end of the collection)
- Education Kits/Manipulatives: Marked CurrKit (shelved at the end of the collection)
Books covering program and curriculum analysis, assessment, and/or long-term study as well as books covering the history, theory, or philosophy of education can be found in the library's General Collection in the L–LT section.
Geisel Library currently subscribes to a number of full text article databases and print journals that make accessing journal articles in the field of education possible.
The core education online journal databases that we subscribe to are ERIC, Teacher Reference Center, ProQuest Education Journals, and Academic Search Premier. We also have a number of other online journal databases that approach the study of education from sociological, historical, psychological, and philosophical perspectives; please consult our Education Subject Guide for a complete list of online journal databases that will help you perform research in the field of education.
If you would like to browse Geisel Library's collection of education related print and electronic full text journals go to Journal Finder's Social Sciences Journals listing and scroll down until you see the heading for Education. You can then browse our journal collection by topic.
Below are examples of professional journals that will be of use to elementary educators:
- American Teacher
- Children's Literature
- Children's Literature in Education
- Exceptional Children
- Horn Book
- Reading Teacher
- Teacher Librarian
- Teacher Magazine
- Teaching Exceptional Children
- Teaching PreK–8
- Teaching Tolerance
- Technology & Children
- Science and Children
Geisel Library also has a number of videotapes, DVDs, and audio CDs to assist the student teacher. Videos directly related to classroom instructional strategies, methods, best practices, and management are shelved in the Curriculum Library. Some videos which would be appropriate for use in instructional support for the K–5 classroom (such as documentaries created for K–5 viewers) are also shelved in the Curriculum Library. Make sure to search our general video collection to find other educational videos to use in the classroom. All audio/visual materials can be located in our online catalog.
The Krantz music collection contains many resources that could be used in the classroom setting. From classical music to folk songs to world music to poetry readings, our CD collection is full of resources to capture the attention of your students. Browse the collection or limit a Geisel Library Catalog keyword search to the Krantz Music Collection location.
The United States Government publishes a variety of education related materials. Print government documents are shelved in the lower level of the library and online government publications can be found as links within the item's catalog record. For more information on Geisel Library's government documents collection please consult our government documents webpage; for a list of items published by the U.S. Department of Education please see our online catalog.
Annenberg Media funds and distributes educational video programs to advance professional development for K–12 educators. Select videos and video series are available for free on their website. All content areas and grade levels are included as subject matter for their films. The videos not only allow you to see practicing educators in action but to also hear them talk about their experiences, including challenges they faced and how they overcame them. This website is a must use resource for beginning student teachers as well as veteran educators.
Doing What Works
A website of the U.S. Department of Education, Doing What Works provides educators and administrators access to research-based education practices at the early childhood to secondary education levels. Use this online library of resources to see real-world examples of what it takes to effectively implement, administer, and assess, school-wide, district-wide, or state-wide programs such as Response to Intervention (RTI), dropout prevention, or math and science promotion to girls.
While primarily used to locate scholarly research in the field of education, scholarly research is essential for the creation and understanding of research-based educational practices. Use ERIC's thesaurus of subject headings to search for articles on specific grade levels, subject areas, or topics. For any assistance in using ERIC's thesaurus please contact the Education Liaison Librarian.
Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
Use to access animation, primary documents, photos, and videos posted on U.S. government websites from one interface. Browse by subject area or resource type. Some resources have kit components that can be loaned out to practicing educators for free for 9 month periods.
National Atlas of the United States
Use the National Atlas of the United States website to locate printable maps of the United States including, congressional district, federal land, precipitation, presidential election, and historical reference maps. To search through their collection of maps click on the "printable maps" link, all maps are available as PDF documents.
From Pics4Learning website: "Pics4Learning is a copyright-friendly image library for teachers and students. The Pics4Learning collection consists of thousands of images that have been donated by students, teachers, and amateur photographers. Unlike many Internet sites, permission has been granted for teachers and students to use all of the images donated to the Pics4Learning collection."
Recognizing that there is a wealth of information on the Internet that will help student teachers develop lesson plans, we have gathered together a collection of online resources that will direct students to lesson plans for English language arts, foreign language, social studies, math, science, special education, English for Speakers of Other Languages, diversity, and technology integration. When navigating the websites look for sections titled lesson plans, resources, and/or teacher resources. Feel free to explore other areas of these websites; in addition to containing lesson plans many of them have a number of professional development and current awareness resources that would benefit student teachers.
General Lesson Plans
The websites listed below contain lesson plans on English language arts, foreign language, social studies, math, science, special education, and technology integration.
Curriculum Resource Center — Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Discovery — Lesson Plan Library
EDSITEment: National Endowment for the Humanities
Educator's Reference Desk
GEM: Gateway to 21 st Century Skills
IDEAS — Interactive Dialogue with Educators across the State
K6: Elementary Education Teacher Resources
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators
New York Times Learning Network
TeachNet Lesson Plans
English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL) Lesson Plans
The websites listed below contain lesson plans on English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL). In addition to searching these websites make sure that you search through the websites listed in the General Lesson Plans section, many of them have robust collections on ESOL.
Activities for ESL Students
ESL Lesson Plans & Resources
ESL Resource Center
The Internet TESL Journal
English Language Arts Lesson Plans
The websites listed below contain lesson plans on English language arts. In addition to searching these websites make sure that you search through the websites listed in the General Lesson Plans section, many of them have robust collections on the English language arts.
Web English Teacher
Foreign Language Lesson Plans
The websites listed below contain lesson plans for foreign language instruction, specifically French, Spanish, and Latin. In addition to searching these websites make sure that you search through the websites listed in the General Lesson Plans section.
California Language Teachers' Association
E.L. Easton — Languages
Internet Activities for Foreign Language Classes
TeachSpanish.com Lesson Plans
Math Lesson Plans
The websites listed below contain lesson plans for mathematics instruction, including algebra, geometry, and calculus. In addition to searching these websites make sure that you search through the websites listed in the General Lesson Plans section.
Math Forum @ Drexel
Science Gems — Mathematics
Science Lesson Plan
The websites listed below contain lesson plans for science instruction, including general science, biology, chemistry, and applied physics. In addition to searching these websites make sure that you search through the websites listed in the General Lesson Plans section.
Biology Lesson Plans for Prospective and Practicing Teachers
Environmental Education: EE-Link
Exploratorium — Tools for Teaching
The Franklin Institute — Resources for Science Learning
Multimedia Physics Studio
NASA Space Science Education Resource Directory
National Institutes of Health — Office of Science Education
Social Studies Lesson Plans
The websites listed below contain lesson plans for social studies instruction, including history, civics, geography, and current events. In addition to searching these websites make sure that you search through the websites listed in the General Lesson Plans section.
American Memory Project: The Learning Page
A Biography of America
The Historical Society: Boston University
Lesson Plans and Resources for Social Studies Teachers
National Archives Digital Classroom
Teaching With Historic Places
Xpeditions: Geographic Standards in Your Classroom
Special Education Lesson Plans
The websites listed below contain lesson plans for special education instruction. The websites contain lesson plans in a number of subject areas including social studies, English language arts, foreign language, math, and science. In addition to searching these websites make sure that you search through the websites listed in the General Lesson Plans section.
Council for Exceptional Children
Technology Integration Lesson Plans
The websites listed below contain lesson plans on how to incorporate technology in the classroom. The websites contain lesson plans in a number of subject areas including social studies, English language arts, foreign language, math, and science. In addition to searching these websites make sure that you search through the websites listed in the General Lesson Plans section.
CyberSmart! 21st Century Skills for Education
The websites listed below contain lesson plans that help you to promote and achieve cultural diversity in the classroom. The websites contain lesson plans in a number of subject areas including social studies, English language arts, and foreign language. In addition to searching these websites make sure that you search through the websites listed in the General Lesson Plans section.
Smithsonian Global Sound
Smithsonian Heritage Teaching Resources
Teaching Tolerance: Southern Poverty Law Center
United Nations: Cyber-School Bus
The following links serve one of two purposes, children can either use them to locate reading materials or you as the educator can use these resources to find appropriate reading materials either for use in the classroom or as recommended reading for your students.
Cooperative Children's Book Center
National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature
American Library Association Children's Literature Awards
- Caldecott Medal
- Coretta Scott King Book Awards (see also CSK Curricular Resources)
- John Newberry Medal
- Printz Award
- Pura Belpré Medal
- Schneider Family Book Award
- Theodor Seuss Geisel Award
- Robert F. Sibert Medal
- YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award
- Mildred L. Batchelder Award
New Hampshire Children's Literature Awards
- Great Stone Face Children's Book Award Winners
- Cocheco Readers' Award Winners
- Ladybug Picture Book Award Winners
Magazines for Children
The following magazines are written for children. They are available through Geisel Library's online database subscriptions. Feel free to browse through these titles to get familiar with the various magazines available for children.
- Highlights for Children
- National Geographic Kids
- Scholastic News (various editions)
- Sports Illustrated for Kids
- Ranger Rick
- Weekly Reader (various editions)
Databases for Children
The following databases are appropriate for K–5 researchers. Many schools and public libraries subscribe to these databases. Their interfaces are highly visual and their content is child-friendly, making them easy to use and appropriate for the elementary classroom. Children searching though these databases will find a variety of resources to use in their assignments and projects including, newspaper and magazine articles, images, and encyclopedia and dictionary entries.
Search Engines for Children
The following links are to various search engines appropriate for children. Some allow for keyword searching while others are in a directory style.
The following references will direct you to curriculum frameworks and standards for the state and national level.
Curriculum Standards for Social Studies
From the National Council for the Social Studies
National Geography Standards
From the National Council for Geographic Education
National Science Education Standards
From the National Committee on Science Education Standards and Assessment
New Hampshire Curriculum Frameworks
Principles and Standards for School Mathematics
From the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century
U.S. Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Humanities
Call Number: P53 .S83 1996
Location: Curriculum Library
Standards for the English Language Arts
From the National Council of Teachers of English
In addition to developing lesson plans and curriculum it is crucial that student teachers stay abreast of new developments and emerging issues affecting educators and education in general. The publications listed below will help get you started on practicing professional current awareness. Keep in mind that this is only a select group of publications. If you would like more assistance in locating education related trade and professional journals please contact the Education Liaison Librarian.
Education Week (Access through Academic Search Premier)
Use the above link to access the full text of Education Week through Academic Search Premier; if you are off campus you will need to enter in the S number off the back of your student ID in order to gain access.
Chronicle of Higher Education (Access through Academic Search Premier; Please note: electronic version has a 1 month delay for full text access, the current print version is available in Geisel Library's Periodical Reading Room)
Use the above link to access the full text of the Chronicle of Education through Academic Search Premier; if you are off campus you will need to enter in the S number off the back of your student ID in order to gain access.
American Educational Research Association
Use the AERA website to stay on top of scholarly research in the field of education. Research ranges from analysis of public policy to teaching methods to cognitive development. Be sure to browse through their collection of publications, especially Research Points, their free online journal publication. If you come across a book or journal that you would like to view please check Geisel Library's online catalog to see if we currently own the title or check WorldCat to request the book through interlibrary loan.
Education Full Coverage on Yahoo! News
The Yahoo! News education webpage contains education related news covered in the popular press. As such, you will get access to articles, news wires, and online audio and video on the latest policy, report, study, or news story affecting education and educators.
Education World Mailing Lists
Electronic mailing lists and listservs are an excellent way to keep in touch with other educators and to be made aware of new developments in the field of education. Examine Education World's collection of mailing lists to see if there is one that interests you; many other listservs exist, contact the Education Liaison Librarian if you need assistance in locating a listserv in your subject area.
National Education Association
Use the NEA website as a way to learn about new government/policy developments affecting the field of education and child development. Under the Members & Educators section click on NEA publications to view the full text of new NEA professional journals.
The Scout Report
Compiled and published by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, The Scout Report is a weekly web publication highlighting "new and newly discovered Internet resources of interest to researchers and educators." All are welcome to subscribe to their mailing list. Educators can use The Scout Report to locate web-based teaching and lesson plan resources.
Sign up for the following free e-newsletters to stay up-to-date on the latest issues facing educators. Many of them will also provide information on the latest teaching techniques and highlight lesson plan resources available on the Internet.
CEC Smart Brief Council for Exceptional Children
LD Online Newsletters (including: LD Online Newsletter, LD Newsline, ED Extras, Reading Rockets News, and Colorín Colorado News)
Works4Me Newsletter National Education Association
The following list of associations is only a sampling of the international, national, and regional professional associations that exist to support educators. Only those associations that have a wealth of information on their websites have been included in this list. Many other education professional associations exist; contact the Education Liaison Librarian if you are having trouble locating a professional association in your subject or geographic area.
Association for Childhood Education International
Association of International Educators
International Reading Association
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
American Federation of Teachers
National Association of Special Education Teachers
National Council for the Social Studies
National Council of Teachers of English
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
National Education Association
National Science Teachers Association
New England/New Hampshire Associations
New England Association of Teachers of English
New England History Teachers Association
New England Reading Association