Lesson Plans for Every Classroom

In August 2026, Meta, the company that owns social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, settled a lawsuit brought by 29 U.S. states. The states accused Meta of designing their apps to be addictive to young people, knowing about the risks to them, but hiding that information from the public. Meta settled out of court, paying up to $17 billion in penalties to the states and agreeing to make changes to their social media platforms. The changes are designed to help protect teens from the mental health harms associated with social media use. In this lesson, students will learn about the Meta lawsuit, explore the connection between social media and mental health, and reflect on the new social media guidelines.

Across the country, bullying takes place in schools every day. Among elementary-age children, about 1 in 4 students in the U.S. reports being bullied. It is important to understand what bullying is and is not. Bullying is not only mean behavior, but repeated mean behavior done on purpose, and where a power imbalance usually exists. Talking about bullying with students can happen at the beginning of the school year, in October during National Bullying Prevention Month, or anytime throughout the school year. In this lesson plan, students will define bullying, learn about the different types of bullying and reflect on bullying scenarios and what can be done in those situations. 

Every four years, the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup excites and entertains young people and adults worldwide. The biggest global event in sports, the World Cup provides not only entertainment but also a great opening to learn about people around the world, the countries they represent, their stories and their culture. In this lesson, students will learn about the World Cup and its history, explore stories about players to reflect on countries and culture, and create their own World Cup album that includes player profiles, team badges, World Cup history and more.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is a month-long celebration in the U.S. that honors the history, contributions and achievements of Hispanic American people. It takes place every year from September 15-October 15. Schools, communities and people celebrate National Hispanic Heritage (NHHM) in a variety of ways.This lesson provides an opportunity for students to learn more about National Hispanic Heritage Month, explore why we honor commemorative months about specific identity groups and communities, analyzes the language used to describe the Hispanic/Latino community and considers different ideas about how to commemorate the month and beyond.