Lesson Plans

YMI's educational outreach programs tap into popular culture to create a dynamic learning experience. Browse by subject through our library of free study guides and online resources, to find standards-based lesson plans for your grade level and programs for learners outside the classroom.

Language Arts

Grades 4-6

Encourage your students to explore new and classic books in a variety of genres—adventure, classics, school stories, fantasy, historical fiction, and realistic fiction. Activities will…

Grades 4-6, 6-8

Engage your students in a quest to explore the mysterious and mythological world of dragons with activities inspired by the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game…

Elementary – Grades K-2

Create excitement for reading independently in the classroom with activities that reinforce story elements (character, setting, and plot), forecasting predictions, and making inferences.

Elementary Grades 2-4

Explore how denim “grows” from the cotton plant with the help of a whimsical cotton boll named Baxter as your guide. Students learn about the…

Elementary – grades 4-6

Explore the impact small acts of kindness can have in the community. With activities that focus on kindness, hope, and self-reflection, students will practice research…

1-2 and 3-6

New dinosaurs. New habitats. New season. The five-night second season of the award-winning natural history event series Prehistoric Planet transports viewers millions of years into…

Grades 1-3

Welcome to Element City! It is a unique and thriving metropolis where residents made of air, land, fire, and water live together — carefully! Inspired…

Grades 4-6

Inspire your students to explore new book genres for a summer reading adventure! This program includes a book list with descriptions of popular Simon &…

3-5

Help your students celebrate spring and Earth Day (April 22) in an exciting new way! Based on the environmental messages in Dr. Seuss’s timeless book,…

Grades 4-6, 6-8

Are you looking for a fun and engaging way to empower your students to become more confident, tackle challenges head-on, and learn perseverance? Explore these…

Elementary (Grades 1-5)

Encourage students to take small steps to create big changes to help wildlife around the world with activities inspired by Jane Garcia, the 9-year-old activist-in-training…

Elementary (K-6)

The Peanuts Gang is celebrating an anniversary! It was 55 years ago when the Peanuts comic strip introduced its first African American character, Franklin Armstrong….

Grades 4-7

Stuart Gibbs, bestselling author of beloved, humorous, and suspenseful middle-grade series, including Charlie Thorne, FunJungle, and Spy School, is on a new mission to inspire…

Grades 9-12, 6-8, 3-5

Raise awareness about the connection between sleep and physical and mental well-being with standards-based activities that will present the facts on the benefits of developing…

Elementary, Middle School, and High School (grades 2-12)

Help build students’ sense of self and reinforce an appreciation for themselves and others, while supporting social-emotional learning, language arts skills, and creativity. For grades…

Grades 5-6, 7-8

Research shows that children begin to self-medicate at around age 11 — in fifth and sixth grades. This free multi-media educational program is designed to…

Secondary School

Go For Real teaches students how to make smart buying decisions early on as they become more independent. Purchasing counterfeit products could risk their health…

Grades 3-5 and 6-8

Check Out What’s Chilling! teaches students in grades 3-5 and 6-8 that eating nutritious foods is not only important for them but for the health…

Grades 6-12

Help keep students safe on the roads with Drive2Life! When it comes to driving safety, passengers have responsibilities just like drivers. This includes speaking up…

Grades 4-6

Take your students behind-the-scenes of the exciting world of agriculture with the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee. These lessons delve into the different stages of…

Grades 3-5

This narrative writing program is inspired by the highly illustrated book series Once Upon a Tim by Stuart Gibbs. Tim dreams of becoming a knight…

4-8

For centuries, festivals have inspired communities around the world to come together in celebration. And popcorn, a centuries-old grain that remains one of the most…

Elementary (K-2, 3-6)

Gazing at the night sky never fails to fill us with wonder: Are we all alone in the vastness of space? In season 2 of…

K-12

Prepare your students for safe adventures online with Into the Cloud, the new NetSmartz® web-series that takes kids on an exciting journey across the internet…

Elementary & Middle School (K-8)

One in five children today is living with a mental illness. That’s why it’s important to talk about children’s mental health. The NEW Breaking Stigmas…

Elementary (K-6)

Join the Peanuts gang and embrace the messages of positivity and caring for ourselves, for each other, and for the Earth. Inspire students with these…

Grades 4-6

Meet Ben Ripley, a brilliant — although not-so-coordinated — twelve-year-old who is recruited as a junior secret operative for the CIA! Like Ben, your students…

Middle School (Grades 6-8)

Let your middle schoolers explore climate change with IMAX presents The Last Glaciers. Traveling across several countries over four years, Filmmaker Craig Leeson highlights the…

Grades 4-6

Superheroes, archnemeses, secrets, and castles, along with funny moments, hope, and “the Frets” (anxiety) are all part of Portico Reeves’ life — a life your…

K-2, 3-8

Help support your students’ language skills and social-emotional learning with two programs from got milk? For K-2, the “Never Doubt What You Love” program uses…

Grades 6-12

Raise awareness about the dangers of opioids to help your students make informed choices if they are in a situation involving these drugs. Connecting the…

Elementary (K-2, 3-6)

Explore, learn, and dream with Snoopy as he soars into space! You and your students can join Snoopy as he prepares for his new role…

Middle School (grades 6-8)

Help your students become active citizens in their community and empower them to make changes they’re passionate about with We the People. The series of…

Grades 4-6

“You can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.” With this powerful message, R.J. Palacio’s award-winning book, Wonder, has captured the hearts of…

Grades 2-4

At school, at home, and in their communities, students are increasingly aware of the importance of caring for the environment and the effects of climate…

Ages 14-17

Inspired by the film Dear Evan Hansen, this teaching kit invites high school students to explore the film’s themes, including concepts of identity, empathy, inclusivity,…

3-5

Take your students on an adventure they’ll never forget with The Addams Family. In their latest movie, the unique family takes a road trip that…

1-3

Bring teamwork and fun into your classrooms with activities from TRANSFORMERS and POWER RANGERS. With the help of TRANSFORMERS, your students will journey to Cybertron…

High School (Grades 10-12)

Panic takes place in the small town of Carp during the summer after high school graduation. Each year there is a deadly competition among graduates…

Elementary (K-6)

Join Snoopy as he celebrates the landing of NASA’s rover Perseverance and its mission to find signs of ancient life on Mars. Students will learn…

3-6

WOLFWALKERS is an award-winning animated film that tells the story of two girls, one the daughter of a wolf hunter, the other part of a…

Elementary K-2, 3-5

Usher in Spring by helping students create new beginnings and opportunities to make healthy choices for the mind, body, and spirit! Use these fun activities…

Elementary K-2, 3-5

Promote positivity in your classroom by motivating students to focus on what’s good in their lives. Inspired by Glass Half Full News — an online…

High School (Grades 10-12)

The Wilds, a new series on Amazon Prime Video, explores the lives of eight high-school students from different backgrounds who are stranded on a deserted…

Elementary (K-6)

Join Snoopy — a seasoned space traveler — in celebrating the 20th anniversary of humans living on the International Space Station! Students will learn about…

Elementary (Grades 1-4)

Explore space and the North and South Poles with activities that complement themes from two books in The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library, an…

Grades 3-5

Ever wonder what makes you, YOU? In Pixar Animation Studio’s all-new feature film Soul, Joe, a middle school band teacher, explores the answer to this…

Middle School (6-8)

One out of five kids ages 12 to 18 has been bullied.* To help change this statistic, Pilot Pen launched the Erase Bullying for Good…

Elementary & Middle (5-8)

Take your students on a magical creative writing quest with an exciting free program inspired by Disney & Pixar’s Onward. The activities, inspired by the…

Middle School and High School

Take your students on a creative writing adventure with this free program inspired by The Call of the Wild, a new film from 20th Century…

Elementary (K–3)

Get ready to celebrate! On March 2, 2021, teachers and students are invited to participate in Hats Off to Reading, the nation’s biggest, week-long reading…

Middle School (6-8)

Take your students on an exciting science fiction writing adventure as they join the Robinson family in Lost in Space. Season 1 is streaming now…

Elementary (1-6)

Let the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters and Heelys help your students build a classroom culture that will support their goals and dreams throughout the new school…

Elementary (2-4)

Add a magical note to your ELA curriculum with familiar favorites, Jack and Annie, from the Magic Tree House series. These activities introduce students to…

Middle School & High School

The Samuel Project is a powerful story about one teen’s discovery of the heroism in his own past when he chooses his grandfather as the…

Elementary & Middle (K-8)

Help your students keep reading all summer long with 15 Pages A Day, a reading challenge designed to help readers of all ages reconnect with…

Elementary (3-5)

Inspire your students’ creativity with DreamWorks Trollhunters, the award-winning animated adventure series created by acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. Students strengthen their storytelling skills with…

Elementary & Middle (3-8)

Let the Peanuts gang help you kick off the new school year with fun language arts activities designed to help your students develop a positive…

Elementary (1-4)

Let the DC Super Hero Girls start your school year with a learning adventure that builds self-esteem, supportive friendships, and teamwork skills. Inspired by the…

Middle & High School

Get set to bring the spirit of the 60’s back to life in your classroom when Hairspray LIVE! kicks off the holiday season in an…

Elementary (K-1)

Celebrate the 60th anniversary of the I Can Read! early reader program with these standards-based language arts activities featuring some of your students’ favorite I…

Middle School

Introduce your students to Lock and Key: The Initiation, the first book in a new mystery trilogy by Ridley Pearson, and Frazzled, Booki Vivat’s quirky…

Elementary (3-5)

Introduce your students to Warriors #1: Into the Wild, the first book in bestselling author Erin Hunter’s action-adventure series Warriors, a perennial favorite of pre-teen…

Elementary (3-5)

Update your reading list with Stick Dog, a middle grade favorite, and Wing & Claw: Forest of Wonders, the first book in a new series…

Elementary (3-4)

Teach your students how to share the gift of words with these activities that guide them through the process of creating and mailing their own…

Middle School

Take action to reverse the rising use of e-cigarettes among tweens and teens with lesson plans that provide students with facts about the health dangers…

Middle School

Channel your students’ enthusiasm for The Divergent Series with these standards-based language arts activities based on the novels behind the films. Students explore character development…

Elementary (1-5)

Teach your students how they can have a positive impact on the environment by recycling the cartons they use at school every day. Standards-based activity…

Elementary & Secondary

Take your students on a once-in-a-lifetime learning adventure when The Wiz LIVE! kicks off the holiday season on Thursday, December 3rd at 8/7c on NBC….

K-12

Start the school year off right with standards-based language arts lessons based on the big-screen adventures awaiting your students when the beloved Peanuts characters appear…

Elementary (3-5)

Start the school year with these standards-based activities that provide a fun way for students to get to know each other, promote teamwork, and help…

Elementary (K-6)

Celebrate the end of the school year with the FUN-raising excitement of Red Nose Day, the all-new, laugh-packed, star-studded, three-hour live television event airing Thursday,…

Elementary (K-3)

Let the Peanuts gang help build your students’ language arts, science, and math skills with new bilingual (English and French) learning activities that celebrate the…

Elementary (K-3)

Get ready to welcome the lovable children’s film and book character, Paddington Bear, into your classroom with these unique language arts and visual literacy learning…

Elementary & Secondary

Get set to see your students’ imaginations soar as Peter Pan LIVE! flies into living rooms across the country in an all-new LIVE production of…

Middle School

Help bring life-saving vaccines to children around the world with the Shot@Life civics engagement curriculum. Students become informed citizens by exploring the need for childhood…

Elementary & Middle School

Explore four exciting new middle-grade titles from HarperCollins Children’s Books with this standards-based language arts program. Includes skills-building lessons on characterization, plot, setting, theme, and…

Elementary (K-3)

Introduce your students to Paddington, one of the most beloved children’s book characters, with this reading skills program based on the Paddington movie. Students learn…

Preschool & Grades PreK-2

Start inspiring imaginations in your classroom with these standards-based PLAY-DOH activities that combine verbal, aural, visual, tactile, and social learning to build foundational skills across…

Middle School

Empower your students to conserve energy as they conduct an in-class energy use assessment, research the impact of different energy sources, and create an energy…