The idea for this book came while I was observing a student teacher and a master teacher. I realized that most student teachers while in training do not have the opportunity to think creatively about their lessons. I also noticed that teachers new to the fi eld of teaching suffer the same fate; they are too busy trying to survive the day and are not sure how to plan and organize their teaching. Lesson plans are one of the most important tools for a teacher and more important for the novice teacher. I believe that during student teaching or during their undergraduate years, if students were equipped with this book their fi rst year teaching will not look so fi rst year. Imagine an undergraduate class fi lled with soon to be Social Studies teachers discussing these selected lesson plans, improving upon them and making them their own. Most fi rst year teachers over teach or under teach and both types still miss the marks on the standardized test. These lesson plans will give the new teacher a place to begin.
