Connecticut State Department of Education

Teacher of the Year Ceremony
Due to inclement weather, the Teacher of the Year Ceremony has been postponed to December 16, 2025 from 5-7pm. Doors will open at 4pm. The Ceremony will take place at the Bushnell Theater in Hartford, and the order of events will remain the same.

Connecticut Core Standards

Text Complexity and Vocabulary Analyses - TeachFest Connecticut: Summer Academy

Lesson Plans for Grades K-5

Grade Title Created by
K-2 Mount Rushmore Amanda Demars
K-2 Awesome Amphibians Tracy Edgerly
K-2 Dear Mr. Blueberry Tori Basso
K-2 Monarch Butterfly Gail Gibbons
K-2 The Kissing Hand Stephanie Truksa
K-2 This Quiet Lady Sarah Dugas
K-2 Koalas by Laura Marsh Stacy Maule
K-2 Auntie Yang’s Great Soybean Picnic Story by Ginnie Lo Susan Caldwell
K-2 A Monarch Butterfly's Life Rachel Valentine
K-2 The Story of Ruby Bridges Patricia Scully
K-2 Halley Came to Jackson Penelope Igo-Clark
K-2 Owl Moon Patricia Onofrio
K-2 Chameleon’s Colors Tricia DeLapp
K-2 Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons Natalie Rudyk
K-2 A Caring Father Natasha Mills
K-2 Henry’s Freedom Box Nicolette Monarca
K-2 “A Tree Can Be…” MaryLou Czarnecki
K-2 Stone Fox Nicole Dabros
K-2 A Monster or a Fake? Lillian Sunderland
K-2 Rosa Lori Ann Hickey
K-2 “The Hat” by Jan Brett Lisa Burton
K-2 Frogs by Gail Gibbons by: Lisa DiCioccio
K-2 The Tree Lady: How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever Lori Andrada
K-2 A Community of People Kate Tibbitts
K-2 A Pink Sheep by Kyria Abrahams Linda Pillo
K-2 Night of the Veggie Monster by George McClements Kelly Mocarsky
K-2 Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson Kerry Leff
K-2 The Happy Hedgehog by Marcus Pfister Kimberly Kreft
K-2 A History of TV Kimberly Gentile
K-2 A Star-Spangled Banner Kimberly Garger
K-2 The Gray Wolf by Ned Jensen Kris DiMaio
K-2 Sunflower House by Eve Bunting Jackie Vece
K-2 Air and Weather Joyce Pope
K-2 Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson Jennifer Riccio
K-2 The Seasons by Ian Smith Julie DeVito
K-2 Thanks to a Spire, New York’s New Skyscraper Is Now Nation’s Tallest JoAnn Frank
K-2 Honey Then and Now Julie Breault
K-2 A Lion’s Tale Heidi Borski
K-2 Christopher Columbus Hilary Kearcher
K-2 “Polar Bears“ by Gail Gibbons Ellen L. Repay
K-2 Poppleton in Winter by Cynthia Rylant Donna Schroyer
K-2 The Rock Cycle Dorothy N. Burns
K-2 Bugs Are Insects by Anne Rockwell Donna Bober
K-2 A New Family Colleen Tules
K-2 Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems Courtney Smith
K-2 Stellaluna by Janell Cannon Colleen Gallagher
K-2 Where the Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawls Alicia Stofko
K-2 Sharks! By Anne Schreiber Allison Pascucci
K-2 From Seed to Pumpkin By: Wendy Pfeffer Amy Stiles
K-2 Important People- Michael Stahl Amanda Fecteau
K-2 Earth Dragon Awakes by Laurence Yep Adam Fassanella
K-2 Sheila Rae the Brave by Kevin Henkes Caroline Stackhouse
K-2 A Family of Artists Christine Butler
K-2 What Do You Do With An Idea? Brianna Flaherty
K-2 From Seed to Pumpkin Amanda Lynch
K-2 National Geographic Kids: Seed to Plant Amy Neureither
3-5 Earth Dragon Awakes by Laurence Yep Earth Dragon Awakes by Laurence Yep
3-5 When Charlie McButton Lost Power Kristina Kiley
3-5 Ruffled Feathers Kim Gott
3-5 George vs. George J. Brett VanderMale
3-5 Sailing for Freedom John Niemann
3-5 I Break Stuff for a Living Jim Eschert
3-5 “Can You Hear Me Now? – National Geographic Pathfinder Johnna Cunningham
3-5 Color and Light Jennifer Childree
3-5 The Lion and the Beetle The Lion and the Beetle
3-5 The Bleeding Scream Heather Bacchus
3-5 Energy Island Elaine Shapiro
3-5 Cool to Be Kind Erin Jones
3-5 Benjamin Franklin: The Ultimate Solution Creator Erica Augustyn
3-5 Kumak’s Fish Diane Olsen
3-5 A Quiet Hero Dianne Nelson
3-5 Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again Donna Mingrone
3-5 Worldscapes: Keeping the Balance Diane Kinkade
3-5 A Great Speech Donna Drasch
3-5 A Summer’s Trade Dawn DeLia
3-5 Slavery, the Civil War & Reconstruction: The Emancipation Proclamation Denica Burnell
3-5 The School Days of an Indian Girl Debra Benedict
3-5 Abe’s Honest Words Christine Mercier
3-5 Saving the Great White Monster Cindy Marchell
3-5 Lost Treasure Cheryl Martinelli
3-5 Great Wall, Great Jump Cynthia Lindsley
3-5 Gettysburg: A costly win for the North Christine Lang
3-5 My Uncle Terwilliger on the Art of Eating Popovers Clare Kilfoyle
3-5 Got Poison? Crystal King
3-5 Faces of the Moon Clorinda Cuomo
3-5 Spaghetti Carolyn Didden
3-5 Kicking Unhealthy Food Out of School Cafeterias Caron Carpenter
3-5 Ice City Christina Altieri
3-5 The Noisiest Cat Bonnie Ruby
3-5 My Rows and Piles of Coins Brittany Wilczek
3-5 “Eleven” from Woman Hollering Creek Angela Jones
3-5 The Moon Over Star Whitney Olson
3-5 Star-Spangled Relic Terri Faucher
3-5 What About Me? Wendy Davis
3-5 Flight and Rocketry Thomas Ebersold
3-5 Whooping Cranes in Danger Tricia Lance
3-5 Star Times – 1984 Brings a Facelift for Lady Liberty Sandie Satkowski
3-5 A Very Messy Tea Party Tamara Brierley
3-5 Amazing Bats Sandra O’Gara
3-5 The Giving Tree Seth Lyall
3-5 Eleven Susan Klosowski
3-5 Paradise Lost Sheila Lewis
3-5 After the Tornado Stacy Dutil
3-5 Famous African Americans Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad Susan Hyatt
3-5 Colonization and the Revolutionary War Background to the Colonies Sarah Dorsey
3-5 Twilight Comes Twice Stephanie Davis
3-5 The Ducks and the Fox Rosie York
3-5 Enemies and Friends Rebecca Pilver
3-5 Rain, Rain Go Away Come Again Another Day Rosemary Humes
3-5 The Crocodile Ramsey Binnington
3-5 River to the Sea Patrick Walsh
3-5 The Hundred Dresses Robyn Albertson
3-5 A Sense of Plants Pamela Desmarais
3-5 The Stamp Act Nicole Solimine
3-5 Song and Dance Man Martha Wyatt
3-5 Extreme Survival: Polar Regions Nancy Hamilton
3-5 Chameleons Melissa O’Neil
3-5 Malala’s Dream Mary Lee Quinn
3-5 How Rocks Are Like Dessert Marcia Meakim
3-5 The Dragon Hunter Megan Field
3-5 Look Out! Mary Connolly
3-5 Help! Rainforest At Risk! Laura Moore
3-5 Snow by Cynthia Rylant Lynn Marinelli
3-5 Monticello: Thomas Jefferson’s Masterpiece Lynn S. MacLennan
3-5 Schooled - Gordon Korman Lauren Giroux
3-5 The Story of Ruby Bridges Leanora Donofrio
3-5 Number the Stars Keri Snowden
3-5 Stone Fox Kelly White
3-5 Frogs at Risk Kathryn Olesnevich
3-5 A Sudden Slice of Summer Kylie Rousseau
3-5 A Hurricane is a Big Storm Kerrie Niemann
3-5 The Junkyard Wonders Karen Libby
3-5 Iqbal A Novel Karyn Kruzick

Lesson Plans for Grades 6-8

Grade Title Created by
6-8 Important People Sheri Wilson
6-8 The Railway Train Sharon Bunyan
6-8 An Introduction to Poetry By Billy Collins Rachael Maginess
6-8 Combing the Universe for a New Galaxy Leads to Unexpected Space Discovery Monica Grezlik
6-8 Sticky Fingers, Helping Hands Lauren McKenna
6-8 Last of the original Navajo code talkers dies at 93 Lisa Henríquez
6-8 Shrewd Todie & Lyzer the Miser Katie St. John
6-8 The Boy In The Striped Pajamas Kathleen Simoneau
6-8 The Winnowing Kim Reilly
6-8 Those Winter Sundays Kristina Nero Rodriguez
6-8 Children Toil in India’s Mines, Despite Legal Ban Karyn Bacinskas
6-8 George vs. George: The American Revolution as seen from Both Sides Jessica Murray
6-8 Abraham Lincoln by Berton Bellis Hilary Evans
6-8 Grand Canyon's views could be altered by development Erica E. Watson
6-8 Tracking Tornadoes Elisha Rose
6-8 The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Emilia Cassata
6-8 A Jewish Hockey Player at History’s Indelible Crossroad Erin Georgini
6-8 Eleven by Sandra Cisneros Cathy Emerick
6-8 Shrewd Todie & Lyzer the Miser Danielle Muir & Katie St. John
6-8 The Witch by Jack Prelutsky Alyse Castonguay
6-8 The Outsiders – S.E. Hinton Ashley Millerd

Lesson Plans for Grades 9-12

Grade Title Created by
9-12 Ethicists Criticize Treatment of Teen, Texas Patient Theresa Thomas
9-12 Give me Liberty or Give me Death Rachel Liscinsky
9-12 Joyas Voladores Matthew West
9-12 TLA – Jane McFann Michael Webb
9-12 The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin Melinda Jackson
9-12 Excerpt from Narrative Of The Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave Michelle Henry
9-12 Huck Finn stirs up trouble again Lisa Martinchek
9-12 Letters from an American Farmer Laureen Anthony
9-12 Hamlet K. Tuthill-Jones
9-12 Resignation Speech August 8, 1974 - Richard Nixon Kristen Keska
9-12 The Pedestrian - Ray Bradbury Jennifer Kinsall
9-12 Nobel Acceptance Speech - Elie Wiesel Jessica Gillespie
9-12 No More Teachers? No More Books? Video Game Will Teach College Course Cynthia Wright
9-12 The Scarlet Ibis - James Hurst Caitlin Eichler
9-12 Why being a thinker means pocketing your smartphone Christina Carew
9-12 Can You Sue A Robot For Defamation? - Ryan Calo Alecia Walkuski