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Practical units for Chicago teachers, from floor plans and scale models in middle school art to industrialization and the labor movement in history, plus linear functions, the Pythagorean theorem and a full middle school civics course.
Curriculum alignment guaranteed by TeachLessons.
The key facts about the Illinois school system that shape planning in Chicago. Check dates against ISBE and your school each year, since assessment details change.
| Curriculum framework | Illinois Learning Standards: ELA and math based on the Common Core, science based on NGSS as the Illinois Learning Standards for Science |
|---|---|
| State education agency | Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) |
| Grade names | Kindergarten, then Grades 1 to 12; middle school usually covers Grades 6 to 8 |
| Key assessments | Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in ELA and math for Grades 3 to 8, with new unified performance levels in 2025–26; Illinois Science Assessment (ISA); ACT suite in high school since spring 2025 |
| Main school system | Chicago Public Schools (CPS) |
| Policy to plan for | Since 2022–23, Public Act 102-0055 requires every Illinois public high school to teach a unit on media literacy |
| Local teaching hook | The Home Insurance Building (1885), often called the world's first skyscraper, and the Great Chicago Fire of October 1871 |
We picked these eight resources because they fit the topics Chicago teachers ask about most: architecture, industrial history, civics and core math. Each card says what students do and what you get.
Students work through basic building forms, facades and proportion, plan, elevation and scale, then build models and study public space and the livable city. Includes 9 worksheets, answer keys and slides.
Students read about industrialization and working conditions, analyze cartoons, eyewitness accounts and historical laws, then write a worker's diary or design a protest poster. Includes differentiated worksheets, timelines, a glossary, rubrics and answer keys.
Students move from overlap, size diminution and atmospheric perspective to constructing central perspective with vanishing point, horizon and eye point. Includes 5 differentiated worksheets, answer keys, a 7-slide presentation and a lesson plan.
Students explore King's life, segregation and nonviolent protest, and analyze the language of the “I Have a Dream” speech. Includes a reading section, 6 differentiated worksheets, primary source extracts, a glossary and a quiz.
Students meet slope, y-intercept and the basic function form, solve a group puzzle and argue with Talking Cards. Practice sheets come on three levels, with editable worksheets, solution keys and chalkboard templates.
Students name legs and hypotenuse, find missing sides with a^2 + b^2 = c^2, use the converse and solve word and space problems. Includes 5 differentiated worksheets, answer keys, a 7-slide presentation and a lesson plan.
Students order, compare and break down numbers to 100 and add and subtract with and without regrouping, in printable missions and digital drag-and-drop tasks. Includes differentiated levels, help cards and answer keys.
A no-prep civics curriculum for Grades 6–8 with differentiated worksheets, activities, slides and answer keys in print and digital formats. It works as a full course or for sub plans, homework and review.
Browse the full collections behind this page. Each one holds units at several levels, so you can plan a whole year rather than a single lesson.
Use these suggestions to extend your planning. Local examples and activities below are teaching ideas to add, rather than a list of files included in every product.
After the scale and elevation worksheets in the architecture unit, students draw an elevation of a tall office building as it might have looked in 1885, the year the Home Insurance Building was completed. They label floors, window rhythm and scale, then compare it with a modern tower.
Pair the industrialization and labor unit with a short timeline task on the Great Chicago Fire of October 1871. Students list what a burned city center would need rebuilt, who would do the work, and what that work was like, then write a worker's diary entry.
Using the civics curriculum, students pick a Chicago issue from local news each week, decide which level of government handles it, and draft a short public comment. A class chart tracks city, state and federal responsibilities across the school year.
TeachLessons guarantees alignment with the Illinois Learning Standards. This guarantee covers the subjects, learning objectives and levels stated in each product description.
No. TeachLessons is an independent publisher and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, Chicago Public Schools or the Illinois State Board of Education. Teachers choose our resources themselves and decide how they fit their own planning, pacing and school requirements.
They are classroom teaching materials, not official test materials. In Illinois, the IAR covers ELA and math in Grades 3 to 8, with new unified performance levels from 2025–26, and high schools have used the ACT suite since spring 2025. Use our units to build skills, and use ISBE's own information for test format and dates.
Start with the grade listed on each product, then read the description for the skills covered. A Grade 8 class starting slope can use the linear functions kit listed for Grades 8–10, while a Grade 3 class that still needs numbers to 100 can use the independent practice set as review.
Every resource is an instant digital download. Most include printable worksheets plus digital files such as slides, and many have editable versions, so you can print a class set, project the slides or share files in your learning platform. Each product description lists the exact contents.
Use the city's own history as the hook. The Home Insurance Building, completed in 1885, is often called the world's first skyscraper and suits the architecture and perspective units. The Great Chicago Fire of October 1871 gives history classes a clear local case for rebuilding and industrial work.
Pick one featured resource, read its description for the included files and level, and try it with one class first. Then use the subject collections to fill the gaps in your year plan.