Making lessons jump off the page

Since you're here, we're guessing that you're one of the most important citizens on the planet: a teacher who has taken the time to find more valuable teaching resources for your class. If we're right, we also know that you're probably overworked, underpaid and not usually recognized for the important role you play in the lives of the next generation.

We know because we've been there. At CNNfyi, the writers of our lesson plans and teacher resources have a minimum of three years' teaching experience. We know the importance of having useful material at your fingertips -- time-saving, easy-to-follow lesson plans associated with national standards and curriculum requirements. We also believe in showing students the relevance of daily national and world news in geography, history, social studies, politics, government, science and the arts. By bringing current events together with traditional curriculum, students can see the connection between what they are learning and what is happening in their world.

CNNfyi lesson plans are great interactive tools for teachers. They offer resources to complement your curriculum. The lesson plans include Internet links providing in-depth information for background, student research and exercises. Because we're a CNN site, we have access to video and stories that affect students' lives. Video can make a story come alive for students in ways that the printed page often cannot.

Finding creative resources to illuminate key concepts in science, geography and history can take up your already scarce time and finances. A key goal of CNNfyi is to provide you with rich resources, such as multimedia maps, linked directly to our lesson plans. You will have access to the vast CNN.com archives and to Internet resources selected specifically for your classroom, such as scientific simulations that allow students to observe functions, perform experiments and develop an intuitive understanding of a process or system. CNNfyi's community pages also invite you to compare notes and ideas with educators around the country.

At CNNfyi, we respect your job, and we want to create a resource to help you enrich your teaching experience. We also know that you are the true experts in the field, because you are in the classrooms today, living the challenges of teaching children in the new millennium, many of whom have never been without a computer in their immediate environment.

We ask you the experts to help us serve you better. Read the CNNfyi news stories, use our lesson plans and explore our resources. Then send us your comments and suggestions so that we can improve our offering to you.