Ten Subjects. Eight Frameworks. One Teacher.
Elementary teachers don’t teach a subject. They teach a class — the same twenty-five children, all day, across ten subjects: math, English language arts, science, social studies, health, physical education, music, visual arts, technology, and social-emotional learning.
The standards for those ten subjects come from eight different national frameworks: CCSS for math and ELA, NGSS for science, C3 for social studies, National Core Arts for music and visual arts, SHAPE America for PE, NHES for health, ISTE for technology, and CASEL for social-emotional learning. Eight documents. Eight coding systems. One teacher expected to have covered all of them by June.
And two of those eight stop short of the grade level. CASEL publishes a framework rather than graded standards, and explicitly tells states to build their own developmental progressions — so state SEL standards, where they exist at all, arrive in bands: PreK-2, 3-5, 6-8. NGSS does the same with engineering design, shipping K-2 and 3-5 bundles instead of grade-specific standards. A second-grade teacher looking for a second-grade standard gets handed three years at once.
What “Covered” Should Actually Mean
Cross-curricular teaching isn’t a new idea in elementary school. Teachers have always found the connections — the butterfly life cycle that’s science and writing at the same time, the garden bed that’s measurement and visual arts.
The older name for it was thematic instruction: pick a theme, find standards from each subject that fit. It sounds excellent in a staff meeting, and it has one structural flaw — it cherry-picks. You cover the standards that match your theme and leave the rest on the floor. By June the ocean unit has covered thirty standards beautifully and missed two hundred others. And because the accounting was never done, nobody knows which two hundred.
That’s what this pillar is about. Not whether subjects connect — of course they connect. Whether the coverage is accounted for. Every standard, in every subject, in every lesson, tracked rather than assumed — so that “covered” means taught and measured, not mentioned in passing.
K-5 Lesson Plan Guides
The Hero’s Journey Fusion Curriculum
The complete K-5 curriculum: 384 cross-curricular fusion lessons across 42 blocks, covering 1,706 national standards in ten subjects — 100% coverage, every grade. Each grade carries a developmental theme, from kindergarten asking “Who Am I?” to fifth grade answering “I Am Ready to Lead,” so the curriculum grows with the child instead of restarting every September. Start here to see what a fully accounted curriculum actually looks like.
Cross-Curricular Lesson Plans for Elementary Teachers
Why thematic instruction stalled, and what replaced it. This guide walks through fusion — lessons where two or three subjects are genuinely integrated, each with its own standards taught and assessed, sequenced developmentally so skills build across subjects at the same time. It also covers the practical version: take a unit your district already requires, fuse it with a subject your students love, and keep every required standard intact while the context changes completely.
SEL Lesson Plans for Elementary Teachers
What it takes to teach social-emotional learning when your school hasn’t adopted a program and Monday is coming anyway. This guide covers the five CASEL competencies coded to individual grades K through 5 — because Self-Awareness for a kindergartner and Self-Awareness for a third grader are not the same skill — and shows what grade-coding makes possible that bands can’t, including a 2nd/3rd combination-class lesson that fuses math, science, and SEL across both grades at once.
NGSS Lesson Plans for Elementary Teachers
Science, planned for the day teachers actually have. This guide covers what an NGSS performance expectation really asks for — a disciplinary core idea, a science and engineering practice, and a crosscutting concept braided into a single standard — and how engineering design gets assigned to individual grades here rather than left in the K-2 and 3-5 bands NGSS publishes. It also takes on the problem that hits science hardest: a lesson you can’t source the supplies for is a lesson that quietly doesn’t get taught.
Lesson Plans by Grade and Subject
The guides above explain the method. These pages are the shortcut — each one gathers the lessons for a single grade and subject, ready to open and teach.
Math (6)
Kindergarten Math Lesson Plans
The year counting starts to mean something — one number for each object, comparing groups, adding and subtracting within 10, and teen numbers as ten and some more. This page walks through all five kindergarten Common Core domains and lists fourteen kindergarten math lessons, grouped by curriculum block. Every one is a three-subject fusion lesson, so the math gets learned through movement, art, and technology before it ever reaches a worksheet.
1st Grade Math Lesson Plans
The year ten ones become one ten — counting to 120, tens and ones, adding and subtracting within 20, and the equal sign finally meaning “the same as.” This page walks through all four first grade Common Core domains and lists eleven first grade math lessons, grouped by curriculum block. Most also teach reading, so students count sounds, clap syllables, and build numbers the same way they’re learning to build words.
2nd Grade Math Lesson Plans
The year numbers get big — place value to 1,000, adding and subtracting within 100, rulers, clocks, coins, and the first equal groups that lead to multiplication. This page walks through all four second grade Common Core domains and lists sixteen second grade math lessons, grouped by curriculum block. Every one also teaches reading, so students explain the math out loud while they move and draw it.
3rd Grade Math Lesson Plans
The year multiplication, division, and fractions all arrive at once — and the first year of standardized testing in most states. This page walks through what Common Core asks of third grade across all five domains, and lists sixteen third grade math lessons you can open and read in full. Every one is a fusion lesson, so the math gets taught inside a reason to use it.
4th Grade Math Lesson Plans
The year the ideas from third grade have to hold up under weight — multi-digit multiplication, long division, fraction operations, and angles measured in real degrees. This page walks through all five fourth grade Common Core domains and lists thirteen fourth grade math lessons, grouped by curriculum block. Every one is fused with science or technology, so the math measures, predicts, and builds something.
5th Grade Math Lesson Plans
The last year before middle school — fractions with unlike denominators, decimals to thousandths, volume, and the first look at the coordinate plane. This page walks through all five fifth grade Common Core domains and lists thirteen fifth grade math lessons, grouped by curriculum block. Their partner subjects change across the year, from health and SEL to science and technology to reading and music.
Science (6)
Kindergarten Science Lesson Plans
The year science starts with noticing — pushes and pulls, sunlight and shade, what plants and animals need, weather patterns, and a first simple design. This page walks through all four kindergarten NGSS areas and lists thirteen kindergarten science lessons, grouped by curriculum block. Every one is fused with reading, writing, and technology, or with health and social-emotional learning, so five-year-olds observe, share, and build in the same lesson.
1st Grade Science Lesson Plans
The year science turns to light, sound, and sky — vibrations that make sound, materials that block or pass light, animal parents and their young, and patterns in the sun, moon, and daylight. This page walks through all four first grade NGSS areas and lists six first grade science lessons, grouped by curriculum block. Every one also teaches reading and writing, technology, or social-emotional learning, so students investigate and explain in the same lesson.
2nd Grade Science Lesson Plans
The year science turns to matter, habitats, and a changing Earth — materials sorted by their properties, changes from heating and cooling, what plants need and how animals spread seeds, and land and water that change quickly or slowly. This page walks through all four second grade NGSS areas and lists seven second grade science lessons, all from one curriculum block. Every one also teaches reading and writing and technology, so students investigate, record, and explain in the same lesson.
3rd Grade Science Lesson Plans
The year students stop noticing and start explaining — forces and magnets, life cycles and inherited traits, fossils, weather and climate, and fair tests of their own designs. This page walks through all four third grade NGSS areas and lists fifteen third grade science lessons, grouped by curriculum block. Every one also teaches reading and writing, and most teach math, so students investigate, measure, and explain in the same lesson.
4th Grade Science Lesson Plans
The year science turns to things students can’t see directly — energy in collisions, heat, sound and light waves, and rock layers that record a changing landscape. This page walks through all four fourth grade NGSS areas and lists twelve fourth grade science lessons, grouped by curriculum block. Every one is fused with math, technology, or both, so students answer science questions with data they collected themselves.
5th Grade Science Lesson Plans
The year science becomes a system — matter made of particles too small to see, energy in food that began as sunlight, matter cycling through ecosystems, Earth’s rock, water, and air acting on each other, and the patterns of shadows and stars. This page walks through all four fifth grade NGSS areas and lists twelve fifth grade science lessons, grouped by curriculum block. Every one is fused with math, technology, reading and writing, or social studies, so students measure, model, and explain what they find.
ELA (6)
Kindergarten ELA Lesson Plans
The year reading starts with sounds — rhymes and syllables heard before they’re spelled, letters connected to their sounds, books read left to right and page by page, stories retold in order, and first opinions and ideas put down in drawings and words. This page walks through all six kindergarten Common Core ELA strands and lists twenty-six kindergarten ELA lessons, grouped by curriculum block. Every one is fused with music, social-emotional learning, social studies, health, science, or technology, so students hear, talk about, and share what they learn.
1st Grade ELA Lesson Plans
The year sounds turn into reading — words blended and decoded, digraphs and silent e, irregular words learned by sight, stories retold with their characters, settings, and events, informational text features noticed, and first opinion and informative pieces written with reasons and facts. This page walks through all six first grade Common Core ELA strands and lists thirty-nine first grade ELA lessons, grouped by curriculum block. Every one is fused with math, physical education, music, social-emotional learning, science, technology, social studies, health, or visual arts, so students tap out, act out, and write about what they learn.
2nd Grade ELA Lesson Plans
The year reading gets longer — vowel teams, prefixes, and two-syllable words read with fluency, fables and folktales retold with their central message, informational texts navigated by captions, subheadings, and glossaries, and opinions, reports, and stories written with reasons, facts, and details. This page walks through all six second grade Common Core ELA strands and lists forty-three second grade ELA lessons, grouped by curriculum block. Every one is fused with math, physical education, music, social-emotional learning, science, technology, social studies, health, or visual arts, so students measure, perform, and publish what they learn.
3rd Grade ELA Lesson Plans
The year reading becomes a tool — prefixes and suffixes taken apart, fables, folktales, and myths recounted for their central message, and opinions written with reasons. This page walks through all six third grade Common Core ELA strands and lists fifty-four third grade ELA lessons, grouped by curriculum block. Every one is fused with math, science, music, visual arts, social studies, health, physical education, technology, or social-emotional learning, so students read, talk, and write about something worth knowing.
4th Grade ELA Lesson Plans
The year reading goes deeper — unfamiliar multisyllabic words read by sound, syllable, and word part, themes drawn from stories, dramas, and poems, firsthand and secondhand accounts of the same event compared, and opinions written with reasons supported by facts. This page walks through all six fourth grade Common Core ELA strands and lists thirty-six fourth grade ELA lessons, grouped by curriculum block. Every one is fused with social studies, music, visual arts, health, physical education, or social-emotional learning, so students read, talk, and write about something worth knowing.
5th Grade ELA Lesson Plans
The year reading brings sources together — quoting accurately from a text, analyzing multiple accounts of the same event, and integrating information from several texts on the same topic. This page walks through all six fifth grade Common Core ELA strands and lists forty-one fifth grade ELA lessons, grouped by curriculum block. Every one is fused with social studies, visual arts, music, health, technology, science, social-emotional learning, or math, so students read, talk, and write about something worth knowing.
Social Studies (6)
Kindergarten Social Studies Lesson Plans
The year the world starts close to home — the roles of family members, school personnel, and community helpers, wants versus needs, rules and why they matter, and land and water on maps and globes. This page walks through all ten kindergarten social studies codes and lists five kindergarten social studies lessons, all from one curriculum block — and together they reach every one of the ten. Every one is fused with reading and health, so students read and talk about something worth knowing.
1st Grade Social Studies Lesson Plans
The year the community gets bigger — family life now and in the past, national holidays and good citizenship, maps with a title, a compass rose, and symbols, and life in urban, suburban, and rural communities. This page walks through all twelve first grade social studies codes and lists six first grade social studies lessons, all from one curriculum block — and together they reach every one of the twelve. Every one is fused with ELA, health, or both, so students have something to read or write about, or a way to practice it in their own lives.
2nd Grade Social Studies Lesson Plans
The year community meets country — life in America now and in the past, national and state symbols and historical figures, maps and globes read with cardinal and intermediate directions, and the producers, consumers, and workers a community depends on. This page walks through all fourteen second grade social studies codes and lists eight second grade social studies lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they reach every one of the fourteen. Every one is fused with ELA language skills and either health or social-emotional learning, so students have the words to say it clearly and a way to practice it in their own lives.
3rd Grade Social Studies Lesson Plans
The year students find out how a community works — places and regions described with geographic tools, how location affects how people live, work, and travel, the cultural groups that have contributed to American society, the basic structure of government and the rule of law, and supply, demand, and price. This page walks through all fifteen third grade social studies codes and lists eight third grade social studies lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they reach every one of the fifteen. Every one is fused with ELA opinion writing or language skills, and five with health, so students have the words to say it clearly and, in five lessons, a way to practice it in their own lives.
4th Grade Social Studies Lesson Plans
The year students find out how the United States came to be — its major physical features and regions, migration, exploration, and early settlement, the American Revolution and the Constitution and Bill of Rights, westward expansion and the Civil War, the three branches of government, and supply and demand in a market economy. This page walks through all eighteen fourth grade social studies codes and lists eleven fourth grade social studies lessons, from three curriculum blocks — and together they reach every one of the eighteen. Seven are fused with ELA reading, writing, or discussion, four with music, and three with health, so every lesson gives students a way in: the words to work it through, songs to hear it in, or a way to connect it to their own lives.
5th Grade Social Studies Lesson Plans
The year students trace the nation from European exploration to Reconstruction — the American Revolution, the Articles of Confederation and the compromises that shaped the Constitution, westward expansion, industrialization, and the Civil War, along with the geographic regions of the United States, how citizens can influence government, and economic choices in a market economy. This page walks through all twenty fifth grade social studies codes and lists thirteen fifth grade social studies lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they reach every one of the twenty. Every one is fused with ELA reading, writing, discussion, or language skills, three also with music, and one with science, so every lesson gives students the words to work it through, three add songs to hear it in, and one adds a fair test to try out a solution.
Visual Arts (6)
Kindergarten Visual Arts Lesson Plans
The year students explore materials through play and explain how they make art — engaging in exploration and imaginative play with materials, engaging collaboratively in creative art-making in response to an artistic problem, identifying safe and non-toxic art materials, tools, and equipment, creating art that represents natural and constructed environments, explaining the process of making art while creating, selecting art objects for personal portfolio and display, explaining what an art museum is, interpreting art by identifying subject matter and describing relevant details, and creating art that tells a story about a life experience. This page walks through all fifteen kindergarten visual arts codes and lists seven kindergarten visual arts lessons, all from one curriculum block — and together they reach every one of the fifteen, each exactly once. Every one carries both math and technology — math with shapes in six and with adding and subtracting within 5 and numbers from 11 to 19 in one, and technology in all seven — so every lesson gives students another way in beside the art.
1st Grade Visual Arts Lesson Plans
The year students explore materials and describe their choices — using observation and investigation in preparation for making a work of art, using collaborative approaches and the ideas of others, exploring uses of materials and tools, identifying and classifying uses of everyday objects, using art vocabulary to describe choices, asking and answering questions about works of art displayed in a museum, comparing images that represent the same subject, classifying artwork based on different reasons for preferences, and understanding that people from different places and times have made art for a variety of reasons. This page walks through all fifteen first grade visual arts codes and lists seven first grade visual arts lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they reach every one of the fifteen. Every one has at least one partner subject — ELA speaking and listening or language skills in four, math with shapes, equal shares, data, or length in three, and music in one — so every lesson gives students another way in beside the art.
2nd Grade Visual Arts Lesson Plans
The year students experiment with materials and reflect on their choices — brainstorming multiple approaches to an art or design problem, experimenting with various materials and tools, repurposing objects to make something new, discussing and reflecting with peers about choices made in creating artwork, categorizing artwork based on a theme or concept for an exhibit, how art exhibited inside and outside of schools contributes to communities, interpreting the mood suggested by a work of art, using learned art vocabulary to express preferences, and comparing cultural uses of artwork from different times and places. This page walks through all fifteen second grade visual arts codes and lists eight second grade visual arts lessons, all from one curriculum block — and together they reach every one of the fifteen. Every one is fused with both ELA and math — ELA reading, language, or writing skills, and math with shapes, equal shares, odd and even numbers, arrays, or adding and subtracting — so every lesson gives students a way in: the words to work it through and the math to work alongside it.
3rd Grade Visual Arts Lesson Plans
The year students elaborate on their ideas and explain their art — elaborating on an imaginative idea, creating personally satisfying artwork, mapping places that are part of everyday life, adding details that enhance emerging meaning, preparing works of art and artists’ statements for presentation, how different cultures record stories and history of life through art, determining messages communicated by an image, evaluating an artwork based on given criteria, and developing a work of art from observations of surroundings. This page walks through all fifteen third grade visual arts codes and lists nine third grade visual arts lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they reach every one of the fifteen. Eight are fused with ELA reading, speaking and listening, or language skills, five with music, and one with social-emotional learning, so every lesson gives students a way in: the words to work it through, a piece of music to carry it, or a way to make safe, thoughtful choices.
4th Grade Visual Arts Lesson Plans
The year students revise their art and hold it to criteria — brainstorming multiple approaches to a creative art or design problem, inventing art-making techniques, revising artwork after peer discussion, how technologies have impacted the presentation of artwork, the purposes of art museums, galleries, and other venues, comparing responses before and after working in similar media, applying one set of criteria to more than one work of art, and creating works of art that reflect community cultural traditions. This page walks through all fifteen fourth grade visual arts codes and lists eight fourth grade visual arts lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they reach every one of the fifteen. Seven are fused with ELA writing, reading, or language skills, three with social-emotional learning, and one with health, so every lesson gives students a way in: the words to work it through, a way to grow in identity, confidence, and resilience, or a link to the effort and resilience that help achieve health goals.
5th Grade Visual Arts Lesson Plans
The year students explain their own art and weigh it against others’ — combining ideas to generate an innovative idea for art-making, quality craftsmanship with materials, tools, and equipment, artist statements, the roles of a curator and how an exhibition presents ideas, comparing interpretations and the criteria used to evaluate works of art, and how art is used to inform or change beliefs. This page walks through all fifteen fifth grade visual arts codes and lists nine fifth grade visual arts lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they reach every one of the fifteen. Every one is fused with ELA writing, speaking and listening, or language skills, four also with technology, and one with music, so every lesson gives students the words to work it through, four add digital tools to publish and share it, and one adds a piece of music of their own.
Music (6)
Kindergarten Music Lesson Plans
The year students explore musical ideas with guidance and choose their favorites — exploring and experiencing music concepts such as beat and melodic contour, organizing personal musical ideas using iconic notation and/or recording technology, refining them with personal, peer, and teacher feedback, music contrasts such as high/low, loud/soft, same/different, using suggested strategies in rehearsal to improve the expressive qualities of music, performing appropriately for the audience, and applying personal and expressive preferences in the evaluation of music. This page walks through all seventeen kindergarten music codes and lists eight kindergarten music lessons, all from one curriculum block — and together they reach every one of the seventeen. Six carry ELA foundational reading skills and two carry speaking and listening, and all eight carry social-emotional learning, so every lesson gives students another way in beside the music.
1st Grade Music Lesson Plans
The year students create musical ideas for a purpose and talk about their choices — creating musical ideas for a specific purpose, documenting and organizing personal musical ideas in iconic or standard notation, refining them with personal, peer, and teacher feedback, music from a variety of cultures, using suggested strategies in rehearsal to address interpretive challenges of music, performing appropriately for the audience and purpose, and applying personal and expressive preferences in the evaluation of music. This page walks through all eighteen first grade music codes and lists nine first grade music lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they reach every one of the eighteen. Five carry ELA reading, speaking and listening, or foundational reading skills, four carry social-emotional learning, and one carries visual arts, so every lesson gives students another way in beside the music.
2nd Grade Music Lesson Plans
The year students make music for a purpose and explain their choices — improvising rhythmic and melodic patterns, documenting personal musical ideas in iconic or standard notation, revising with personal, peer, and teacher feedback, music from a variety of cultures, rehearsing to address interpretive, performance, and technical challenges of music, performing appropriately for the audience and purpose, and applying personal and expressive preferences in the evaluation of music. This page walks through all eighteen second grade music codes and lists ten second grade music lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they reach every one of the eighteen. Every one carries ELA reading, speaking and listening, or language skills, and nine also carry social-emotional learning, so every lesson gives students another way in beside the music.
3rd Grade Music Lesson Plans
The year students express intent through their music and describe it — improvising rhythmic and melodic ideas, documenting musical ideas in notation, reading and performing rhythmic patterns and melodic phrases using iconic and standard notation, rehearsing to refine technical accuracy, expressive qualities, and identified performance challenges, performance decorum and audience etiquette, how context can inform a performance, and evaluating musical works and performances. This page walks through all nineteen third grade music codes and lists eleven third grade music lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they reach every one of the nineteen. Every one has at least one partner subject — ELA reading, speaking and listening, or language skills in eight, visual arts in five, social-emotional learning in three, and health in two — so every lesson gives students another way in beside the music.
4th Grade Music Lesson Plans
The year students refine their music and explain their choices — improvising rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic ideas, documenting musical ideas in notation, reading and performing using iconic and/or standard notation, rehearsing to refine technical accuracy and expressive qualities, performance decorum and audience etiquette, how context informs a performance, and evaluating musical works and performances. This page walks through all nineteen fourth grade music codes and lists eleven fourth grade music lessons, from three curriculum blocks — and together they reach every one of the nineteen. Every one has at least one partner subject — ELA reading, writing, speaking and listening, or language skills in eight, social studies in four, health in two, and physical education in one — so every lesson gives students another way in beside the music.
5th Grade Music Lesson Plans
The year students make musical choices and explain why — improvising rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic ideas, documenting musical ideas in notation, reading and performing using standard notation, rehearsing to refine technical accuracy and expressive qualities, performance decorum and audience etiquette, how context informs performances, and evaluating musical works and performances. This page walks through all nineteen fifth grade music codes and lists twelve fifth grade music lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they reach every one of the nineteen, each exactly once. Every one has at least one partner subject — ELA reading, writing, speaking and listening, or language skills in eight, health in four, social studies in three, math in one, and visual arts in one — so every lesson gives students another way in beside the music.
PE (6)
Kindergarten PE Lesson Plans
The year students learn to move with balance — body shapes and stillness, hopping, galloping, running, sliding, and skipping, jumping and landing, rolling, underhand throwing, catching, kicking, and striking, personal and general space, directions, and fast and slow speeds, the protocol for class activities, instruction and general feedback, and working with others, and physical activity and good health, down to the enjoyment of playing with friends. This page walks through all fourteen kindergarten PE codes and lists seven kindergarten PE lessons, all from one curriculum block — and together they carry every one of the fourteen. Every one has two partner subjects — health and math in all seven — so every lesson gives students another way in beside the movement.
1st Grade PE Lesson Plans
The year students learn to move with skill — hopping, galloping, jogging, sliding, and skipping, jumping and landing, throwing, catching, kicking, striking a balloon, and balancing, personal and general space, levels, and relationships with objects, respect, the rules and parameters of the learning environment, and cooperation, and physical activity and good health, down to a heart that beats faster. This page walks through all eighteen first grade PE codes and lists nine first grade PE lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the eighteen. Every one has at least one partner subject — health in four, ELA in four, and math in two — so every lesson gives students another way in beside the movement.
2nd Grade PE Lesson Plans
The year movement skills start to mature — skipping, running, jumping and landing, throwing, catching, dribbling, kicking, and striking, relationships with objects and combining locomotor skills with directional and spatial concepts, personal responsibility, cooperation, and rules and etiquette, and physical activity and good health. This page walks through all nineteen second grade PE codes and lists thirteen second grade PE lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the nineteen. Every one has at least one partner subject — health in seven, math in six, and ELA in the same six — so every lesson gives students another way in beside the movement.
3rd Grade PE Lesson Plans
The year movement skills come together — leaping, dance steps, jumping and landing, throwing, catching, dribbling, kicking, and striking, locomotor skills and simple strategies in chasing activities, personal responsibility, cooperation, rules and etiquette, and corrective feedback, and physical activity as a component of good health. This page walks through all nineteen third grade PE codes and lists eleven third grade PE lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the nineteen. Every one has at least one partner subject — health in eight, technology in four, social-emotional learning in three, and ELA in three — so every lesson gives students another way in beside the movement.
4th Grade PE Lesson Plans
The year students take their skills into games and groups — locomotor, throwing, catching, dribbling, kicking, striking, and gymnastics skills, movement concepts applied to strategy in game situations, responsible group behavior, cooperation, and praising others, and the components of health-related fitness. This page walks through all nineteen fourth grade PE codes and lists ten fourth grade PE lessons, from three curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the nineteen. Every one has at least one partner subject — health in seven, social-emotional learning in four, ELA in two, and music in one — so every lesson gives students another way in beside the movement.
5th Grade PE Lesson Plans
The year students combine skills, strategy, and fitness — locomotor, throwing, catching, dribbling, kicking, striking, and gymnastics skills, movement concepts used as strategy and tactics, responsible behavior, safety principles, and respectful feedback, and the difference between skill-related and health-related fitness. This page walks through all nineteen fifth grade PE codes and lists ten fifth grade PE lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the nineteen. Every one has at least one partner subject — health in seven, social-emotional learning in four, and technology in two — so every lesson gives students another way in beside the movement.
Health (6)
Kindergarten Health Lesson Plans
The year students learn who helps them stay healthy and safe — how their body feels, how they get along with others, and how they feel inside, healthy habits to do every day, and ways to prevent getting hurt, how family members and adults at school help them stay healthy, and how TV, videos, and games can show healthy and unhealthy choices, learning health information from trusted adults, community helpers who keep them healthy, and health and safety signs at school, using words to tell others what they need and how they feel, saying “no” and walking away from unsafe situations, and showing kindness and care for classmates, choosing the healthy option when given choices, picking a simple health goal and, with help, making a simple plan to reach a health goal, how doing healthy things every day makes them habits, and encouraging family and friends to make healthy choices. This page walks through all forty-two kindergarten health codes and lists twenty-two kindergarten health lessons, from three curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the forty-two. Every one has at least one partner subject — ELA in nine, social-emotional learning in eight, PE in seven, math in seven, science in six, and social studies in five — so every lesson gives students another way into health.
1st Grade Health Lesson Plans
The year students start naming what keeps them healthy — the different parts of health, healthy habits that promote wellness, and ways to prevent common childhood injuries, how family, the school environment, and media and technology influence health, finding health information, trusted adults, and health helpers in the community, expressing needs, wants, and feelings, asking for help from a trusted adult, refusal skills, and showing kindness and care to others, making health decisions, setting, planning, and tracking a simple personal health goal, making healthy practices into habits, and encouraging others to make healthy choices. This page walks through all forty first grade health codes and lists fifteen first grade health lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the forty. Every one has at least one partner subject — social-emotional learning in five, social studies in four, PE in four, and ELA in three — so every lesson gives students another way into health.
2nd Grade Health Lesson Plans
The year students start practicing healthy choices — the relationship between physical, social, and emotional health, healthy practices, and preventing injuries, the family, culture, peers, schools, neighborhoods, media, and technology that influence health behaviors, finding valid health information, trusted adults, and health resources in the community, communicating needs, wants, and feelings, asking for help, refusing, and showing kindness, empathy, and care, making health-related decisions, setting, planning, and tracking a personal health goal, developing healthy habits, and encouraging others to make healthy choices. This page walks through all forty second grade health codes and lists sixteen second grade health lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the forty. Every one has at least one partner subject — ELA in nine, social studies in seven, PE in seven, and social-emotional learning in one — so every lesson gives students another way into health.
3rd Grade Health Lesson Plans
The year students learn to make health choices for themselves — the dimensions of health, healthy practices, and preventing injuries, the family, culture, peers, schools, neighborhoods, and media that influence health behaviors, finding, reading, and interpreting health information and identifying healthy and unhealthy messages, communicating needs, asking for help, refusing, showing kindness and respect for consent, and resolving conflict, the steps of a health decision, setting, planning, and working toward a personal health goal, turning health practices into habits, and persuading others to make healthy choices. This page walks through all forty-nine third grade health codes and lists twenty-three third grade health lessons, from three curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the forty-nine. Every one has at least one partner subject — ELA in thirteen, PE in eight, social-emotional learning in five, social studies in five, technology in four, and music in two — so every lesson gives students another way into health.
4th Grade Health Lesson Plans
The year students learn what shapes their health choices — the dimensions of health, healthy practices, and preventing injuries, the family, culture, peers, schools, neighborhoods, and media that influence health behaviors, finding, reading, and analyzing health information and messages, communicating needs, asking for help, refusing, showing kindness and respect for consent, and resolving conflict, the steps of a health decision, setting, planning, and working toward a personal health goal, turning health and safety practices into habits, and persuading others to make healthy choices. This page walks through all forty-nine fourth grade health codes and lists twenty-seven fourth grade health lessons, from four curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the forty-nine. Every one has at least one partner subject — ELA in fifteen, PE in seven, social-emotional learning in six, social studies in three, music in two, and visual arts and technology in one each — so every lesson gives students another way into health.
5th Grade Health Lesson Plans
The year students make health decisions and help others make them — the dimensions of health, healthy practices, and preventing injuries, the family, peers, schools, neighborhoods, and media that influence health behaviors, finding, reading, and evaluating health information and messages, communicating needs, asking for help, refusing, showing kindness and respect for consent, and resolving conflict, the steps of a health decision, setting, planning, and working toward a personal health goal, turning health and safety practices into habits, and persuading others to make healthy choices. This page walks through all forty-nine fifth grade health codes and lists twenty-three fifth grade health lessons, from three curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the forty-nine. Every one has at least one partner subject — social-emotional learning in eight, ELA and PE in seven each, music in four, and math and technology in two each — so every lesson gives students another way into health.
Technology (6)
Kindergarten Technology Lesson Plans
The year students first use technology to learn — identifying a simple learning goal with help, basic technology skills like turning on devices, using a mouse, and opening apps, understanding that actions online can affect ourselves and others and that some information should be kept private, finding information about a topic with help and beginning to understand that not everything online is true, breaking down simple problems into smaller steps and following step-by-step directions, and creating original digital work and sharing creations with classmates and family. This page walks through all twenty-eight kindergarten technology codes and lists fifteen kindergarten technology lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the twenty-eight. Every one has at least one partner subject — math and visual arts in seven, ELA in eight, and science in seven — so every lesson gives students another way into technology.
1st Grade Technology Lesson Plans
The year students begin to use technology on purpose — setting a learning goal with help, understanding that online actions are permanent and keeping personal information private, using age-appropriate search tools and checking if digital information seems accurate, a simple process to plan and create technology projects, breaking problems into smaller parts and following step-by-step instructions, and creating and sharing with classmates using technology. This page walks through all twenty-eight first grade technology codes and lists eleven first grade technology lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the twenty-eight. Every one has at least one partner subject — ELA in nine and science in three — so every lesson gives students another way into technology.
2nd Grade Technology Lesson Plans
The year students use technology on purpose — setting a learning goal, understanding the permanence of online actions and protecting personal information, using search tools and evaluating digital content, a design process, patterns and simple sequences of instructions, and communicating and collaborating with digital tools. This page walks through all twenty-eight second grade technology codes and lists nineteen second grade technology lessons, from two curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the twenty-eight. Every one has at least one partner subject — social-emotional learning in twelve, ELA in seven, and science in seven — so every lesson gives students another way into technology.
3rd Grade Technology Lesson Plans
The year students use technology on purpose — setting personal learning goals, understanding a permanent digital footprint and protecting personal data, researching and evaluating digital sources, a design process, simple algorithms, and communicating and collaborating with digital tools. This page walks through all twenty-eight third grade technology codes and lists fifteen third grade technology lessons, all from one curriculum block — and together they carry every one of the twenty-eight. Every one has at least one partner subject — social-emotional learning in twelve, ELA in six, health in four, and PE in four — so every lesson gives students another way into technology.
4th Grade Technology Lesson Plans
The year students use technology on purpose — setting personal learning goals, managing digital identity and protecting digital privacy, researching and evaluating digital content, a deliberate design process, algorithmic thinking, and communicating and collaborating with digital tools. This page walks through all twenty-eight fourth grade technology codes and lists fifteen fourth grade technology lessons, from three curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the twenty-eight. Every one has at least one partner subject — math in nine, science in eight, social-emotional learning in one, and health in one — so every lesson gives students another way into technology.
5th Grade Technology Lesson Plans
The year students use technology on purpose — setting personal learning goals, managing digital identity and protecting digital privacy, researching and evaluating digital content, a deliberate design process, algorithmic thinking, and communicating and collaborating with digital tools. This page walks through all twenty-eight fifth grade technology codes and lists eighteen fifth grade technology lessons, from three curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the twenty-eight. Every one has at least one partner subject — ELA in seven, math in five, science in five, visual arts in four, health in two, and PE in two — so every lesson gives students another way into technology.
SEL (6)
Kindergarten SEL Lesson Plans
The year feelings get a name — identifying and naming basic emotions, recognizing how emotions feel in the body, using simple strategies to calm down when upset, showing care when someone is sad or hurt, using kind words and actions with classmates, taking turns and sharing with others during play and work, and telling the difference between kind and unkind actions. This page walks through all twenty-five kindergarten SEL codes and lists seventeen kindergarten SEL lessons, from three curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the twenty-five. Every one has at least one partner subject — ELA in eleven, music in eight, health in eight, and science in six — so every lesson gives students another way into SEL.
1st Grade SEL Lesson Plans
The year feelings come with a why — identifying and describing a range of emotions and what causes them, recognizing physical signs of different emotions in oneself, using calming strategies independently when experiencing strong emotions, showing empathy by responding to others’ feelings appropriately, communicating feelings and needs using I-statements, using problem-solving steps to resolve conflicts with peers, and distinguishing between fair and unfair actions. This page walks through all twenty-five first grade SEL codes and lists fourteen first grade SEL lessons, from three curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the twenty-five. Every one has at least one partner subject — ELA in five, health in five, music in four, and science in one — so every lesson gives students another way into SEL.
2nd Grade SEL Lesson Plans
The year complex feelings get names — accurately identifying and labeling complex emotions, describing the connection between thoughts, feelings, and actions, applying calming strategies in various situations, showing empathy through words and actions, working cooperatively in pairs and small groups, using conflict resolution strategies independently, and reflecting on choices and learning from outcomes. This page walks through all twenty-five second grade SEL codes and lists twenty-three second grade SEL lessons, from three curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the twenty-five. Every one has at least one partner subject — technology in twelve, ELA in eleven, music in nine, health in one, and social studies in one — so every lesson gives students another way into SEL.
3rd Grade SEL Lesson Plans
The year social-emotional skills find a voice — recognizing and accurately labeling emotions and their intensity, understanding how thoughts influence feelings and behaviors, developing and maintaining a growth mindset about abilities, applying stress-management techniques proactively, taking the perspective of others in different situations, applying conflict resolution strategies independently, and reflecting on past decisions to improve future choices. This page walks through all twenty-five third grade SEL codes and lists fifteen third grade SEL lessons, all from one curriculum block — and together they carry every one of the twenty-five. Every one has at least one partner subject — technology in twelve, health in five, ELA in four, PE in three, music in three, and visual arts in one — so every lesson gives students another way into SEL.
4th Grade SEL Lesson Plans
The year social-emotional skills meet a wider world — analyzing how emotions affect thoughts, decisions, and relationships, identifying patterns in emotional responses and triggers, recognizing personal biases and how they influence perceptions, using healthy coping strategies to manage stress and anxiety, demonstrating advanced perspective-taking across diverse situations, mediating conflicts and supporting peers in resolving disputes, and analyzing short-term and long-term consequences of decisions. This page walks through all twenty-five fourth grade SEL codes and lists fifteen fourth grade SEL lessons, from three curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the twenty-five. Every one has at least one partner subject — ELA in six, health in six, PE in four, visual arts in three, and technology in one — so every lesson gives students another way into SEL.
5th Grade SEL Lesson Plans
The year social-emotional skills turn into leadership — demonstrating deep understanding of how emotions influence thinking, behavior, and outcomes, regulating emotions effectively even in high-stress situations, applying a range of healthy coping strategies for managing stress, setting challenging goals and developing detailed action plans, demonstrating sophisticated perspective-taking across complex situations, facilitating conflict resolution and promoting peaceful solutions, and evaluating decisions based on ethics, safety, and impact on others. This page walks through all twenty-five fifth grade SEL codes and lists fourteen fifth grade SEL lessons, from three curriculum blocks — and together they carry every one of the twenty-five. Every one has at least one partner subject — health in eight, ELA in four, PE in four, and math in three — so every lesson gives students another way into SEL.
What These Guides Have in Common
Standards are coded to the grade you actually teach. Where a national framework stops at a band — SEL across PreK-2, NGSS engineering across K-2 — the standards here are assigned to individual grades, developmentally and sequentially. A kindergarten standard is built for kindergartners, not stretched across three years.
Coverage is tracked, not assumed. Every lesson is mapped to the specific standards it teaches, across all ten subjects. The Standards Tracker shows what you’ve covered, what’s coming, and where the gaps are at any point in the year.
Together, those two are what let fusion work at scale. Teaching two or three subjects in one lesson only buys time back if the standards from each are genuinely taught and genuinely counted. Otherwise it’s just a theme.
Where to Start
If you want to see the whole curriculum, start with The Hero’s Journey Fusion Curriculum. If you’d rather understand the method first, start with cross-curricular lesson plans. If you came looking for a specific subject, SEL and NGSS science each go deep on what grade-level coding changes.
All of it is built from the supplies already in your classroom — and all of it is tracked, so you always know exactly where you stand.