Back to School: Popular Resources from Share My Lesson

Back to School is In Session! How Are You Planning?

By now your first days are underway, and while you may already have a stack of papers to grade, you’re probably also excited about the new group of students you get to teach. 

But, before we totally say goodbye to summer, I wanted to look back and see what resources our Share My Lesson members (you) used the most during the school break. I’m a self-proclaimed data geek and love to analyze the SML resources you access. Typically, we find SML members needing professional development or resources that will help with the upcoming school year. That was still the case this summer with our Back to School: Free Resources and Back to School Prep: The First 30 Days coming in at the top of the list. 

However, what caught my data geek attention were the other resources you were using. This summer was not short on gut-wrenching news stories—many of which leave educators scratching our heads on how best to break down these current events for our students. At the top of the list, our immigration collection was the most viewed collection this summer with social and emotional learning coming in a close second. Check out the list. See a pattern? 

Top Collections This Past Summer for Back to School

• Back to School: Free Resources
• Back to School Prep: The First 30 Days
• Immigration Resources: Inclusive School Communities
• Social and Emotional Learning
• LGBTQ Lesson Plans and Resources
• Gun Violence in the United States
• Climate Change Lessons and Resources
• Mental Health Awareness

Our featured Today’s News, Tomorrow’s Lessons also followed a similar trend. These news stories cover current events topics, and offer guided discussion questions and resources to dive deeper into each topic. The top three news stories covered racism, gun violence and the border crisis:

• Racist Language, Coded Speech and the “Politics of Distraction” in U.S. History
• What Do El Paso, Dayton Mass Shootings Say About America?
• Border Crisis Lesson Plan: The Power of Photographs from Vietnam to Today

Although I wish the data showed some different results with maybe a bigger focus on our fun collection about summer learning with movies, I know we have to be realistic about the challenges we face as educators in today’s climate. These topics are tough for adults to comprehend and even tougher for educators who are trying to help their students make sense of the world. We will continue to update and add resources to make your job a little easier.

And to end on an upbeat note, the two top lessons you accessed this summer were on grammar basics and physical education games. What was your favorite?

Kelly Booz

Director of Share My Lesson

Check out more of our free Back to School Resources in Share My Lesson's extensive collection.