When designing lesson plans for math for first- and second-graders, include both lectures and hands-on activities in your lessons. Begin the lesson with a lecture that shows children how to perform a given math skill. Perhaps teach them how to do the skill on the board or overhead projector. Practice a few math problems together and provide clarification, if needed. After the lecture, provide children with activities that allow them to use the skill they have been taught in a meaningful way. For example, if the lesson focuses on addition, engage children in a whole-class addition race. If the lesson focuses on telling time, have children design paper-plate clocks.
English-Language Arts is another content area in which you can incorporate both lectures and engaging activities for first- and second-grade students. Provide children with a lecture that focuses on an English-Language Arts topic. For example, teach children the sound a particular rhyme or word family makes and discuss words that contain the rhyme. After teaching the rhyme, have groups of children create lists of words that contain the given rhyme --- name the group that created the most words the winner of the activity.
For science lessons, provide your students with a brief introduction of the topic you plan to focus on, then allow students to experiment with the focus topic. For example, provide a definition of the word "absorption," then allow students to experiment with different items to learn which absorb and which don't. Encourage children to think about the qualities of the items that absorb and the items that don't. After the experiment, discuss what happened. Draw conclusions based on what happened during the experiment and provide a more detailed definition of the concept.
Instead of simply telling your first- and second-grade students about the locations, characteristics and cultures associated with different countries, engage them in activities that actually allow them to experience the regions first-hand. For instance, you can tell students about the country of China with a lecture, but follow the lecture with a Chinese New Year celebration, complete with food from the country, traditions associated with the country and stories that bring the culture to life. Children will gain a greater understanding of the different parts of the world when they are presented with information that pertains to them in a meaningful way.