Educator Resources
FREE Activities, Lesson Ideas
Native American Heritage Month: November
Resources from the Vermont Historical Society: Learn more about the history of the Abenaki in Vermont.
PBS Learning Media: Videos, lesson plans, interactive media for all grade levels. Take a look at Indigenous art, history, and culture as told through the historians, artists, students, and scientists in this featured resource collection.
Native American Heritage Month Teachers’ Guide: This Teacher’s Guide from the National Endowment for the Humanities will introduce you to the cultures and explore the histories of some groups within the over 5 million people who identify as American Indian in the United States, with resources designed for integration across humanities curricula and classrooms throughout the school year.
PBS Documentaries: Celebrate the history, culture, and traditions of American Indians and Alaska Natives in a special collection of films, short stories, and resources from Public Television.
Abenaki Trails Project: The goal of this project is to visibly honor and share a more inclusive history of the Abenaki people, to highlight historical Abenaki sites and to accentuate the positive influences we have had with Colonial America and the towns we continue to live in today.
Black History Month: February
National Geographic has compiled videos, articles, photographs and more pertaining to Black History and grouped them for different age groups.
VT PBS is streaming Black History Programming.
National Museum of African History and Culture: visit the museum online. Access their Curator Chats series to learn more about individual exhibits.
National Museum of American History: NMAH will be hosting talks and sharing materials from their collection online for Black History Month.
Green Mountain Library Consortium: GMLC lets you use your library card to access eBooks and audiobooks. To listen to audiobooks, you will need to use the Libby app.
Vermont Online Library – Covering everything from newspaper articles to DIY car repair, the Vermont Online Library (VOL) can help with any topic. Available for free to all Vermonters, VOL has options for all ages from elementary school through adult. You can even use it to read current articles from the NY Times, Washington Post, the Economist, and more. Use your library card number and password to log in.
Project Gutenberg – The site offers thousands of public domain ebooks for free use on any device. Because they are public domain, they are typically limited to works published before 1924, but that still includes a wide range of classics.
LibriVox – This site offers public domain audiobooks recorded by volunteers for free use on any relevant device. Like Project Gutenberg, they tend to be works published before 1924.
PBS Learning Media: VTPBS and PBS have curated FREE, standards-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans, and more.
Vermont PBS: At Home Learning : Vermont Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and the Agency of Education (AOE) are partnering to support continuity of learning for our students and school communities this Fall.
Vermont Humanities Council: Vermont Humanities seeks to engage all Vermonters in the world of ideas, foster a culture of thoughtfulness, and inspire a lifelong love of reading and learning. Their online offerings include lectures, podcasts, book discussions and their Fall Conference: Democracy 20/20.
Fairbanks Museum: Education services at the Fairbanks Museum are designed to inspire, engage and encourage students to become curious about our natural world. These programs are developed by Museum educators to meet Next Generation Science Standards. Virtual Classroom
Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS): (Quechee, VT) VINS’ mission is to motivate individuals and communities to care for the environment through education, research, and avian wildlife rehabilitation. VINS has been a leader in environmental education and wildlife conservation and care since 1972. VINS is known nationally for innovative natural science curricula and education programs for learners of all ages. Online resources
Montshire Museum of Science: Developed, hosted, and curated by the Montshire’s Education team, this online learning series consists of videos and resources that allow young learners to delve into a different topic using a variety of learning methods. Online resources
Discovery Education: Discovery Education Experience provides engaging high-quality content, ready-to-use digital lessons, creative collaboration tools, and practical professional learning resources to give educators everything they need to facilitate instruction and create a lasting educational impact in any learning environment.
Library of Congress: Find Library of Congress lesson plans and more that meet Common Core standards, state content standards, and the standards of national organizations.
National Archives: At-home civics and history learning activities for students of all ages.
At-Home Learning Activities for Elementary Age
At-Home Learning Activities for Middle School
At-Home Learning Activities for High School
Google Lit Trips: For grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Downloadable adventures in which you travel the world with characters from favorite books.
Teacher’s Net: Free lesson plans and craft ideas.
Dynamic Languages Toolkit: Free craft ideas and coloring pages for elementary age learners.
NYTimes Learning Network: Activities and lessons for High School age learners.
Mr. Donn’s Site for Kids and Teachers: Info, games, quizzes, and interactive activities categorized under Ancient History, World History, American History, Geography, and Government.
History for Kids: A free online history network packed with information, quizzes, and helpful worksheets. Topics include Egypt, Greece, Rome, Asia, the Middle Ages, and America.
Science Games for Kids: Living Things, Physical Processes, Chemistry, and Detective Science.
PBS Kids Science Games: Choose from dozens, including the Hermit Shell Game, the Great Space Chase, Jungle Jeopardy, and more.
San Francisco Exploratorium: Interactive activities, with background information and instructions.
NASA SpacePlace: Games, explorations, and puzzles for kids who love space.
Lie Back, Look Up: Family adventures with the night sky. Printable constellation cards and sky maps, with lots of suggestions for family activities.
BrainPOP: Interactive programs and activities for kids in the fields of science, social studies, English, math, arts and music, health, engineering, and technology.
ChessKid: Learn to play chess – then try out your skills online with other kids or challenge the computer. Learn strategy and problem-solving skills.
History Resources: Learn about everything from the history of zombies and fireworks to state abbreviations, African-American inventors, and Amelia Earhart.
Math Playground: Math-based games for grades 1-6.
National Geographic Kids: Games, videos, quizzes, activities and experiments, and a lot of cool and fascinating information on everything from Space to Amazing Animals, Countries of the World, Gemstones, and Native Americans.
Scrabble Online: Build vocabulary and spelling skills.
Web Sudoku: Sudoku puzzles, categorized by Easy, Medium, Hard, and Evil.
Wonderopolis: A vast collection of wonders based on questions: How do you find a sunken ship? Why do whales breach? Will artificial intelligence replace human jobs?
Learning Express Library: Use your library card to access online resources and practice tests for learners of all ages, K-adult. Practice tests for high-schoolers include GED, SAT, ACT, AP, and more. You will also find valuable career prep resources for those entering the workforce or looking to make a career change.
Universal Class: Brought to you by the VT State Library. Use your library card to access over 500 online courses.
Becky Rupp’s Blog: Let’s Learn All About It! Great books and cool educational resources for all ages. Becky is a long-time homeschooler and author.
Click here for a resource list compiled by the VT School Library Association.
For VT homeschooling resources, click here.
For online museum tours and exhibitions, click here.
For area museums, parks, and historic sites, click here.
Many thanks to the Vermont Department of Libraries, Vermont Agency of Education, libraries around the country, educators, and homeschooling families that have shared resources and contributed to this growing list.