Lesson Plan Competition

Teachers of all grade levels (K-12) and content areas: You could win cash, prizes, and prestige by entering our lesson plan competition! The deadline to submit lesson plans for consideration in this year’s competition (by email or regular mail) is Monday, April 15, 2024 (but you are welcome to submit your lessons any time before that).

  • Teachers are invited to submit one or more Middle East-related lesson plans they have created.
  • Winning lesson plans will be shared widely with educators through our outreach program.
  • The CMES Outstanding Lesson Plan Award will consist of a $200 cash prize for the winning teacher and a collection of resources for use in the teacher’s school.  Second place winner(s) will receive a cash prize of $100, and a selection of resources for use in the teacher’s school. Honorable Mention winners will receive a selection of resources for use in the teacher’s school.
  • School officials of the authors of all lessons chosen for “publication” on our website or other outreach formats will be notified of the teacher's accomplishment.  (Any lessons put on our website remain the property of the teacher who authored the lesson and can be included on other websites/materials as well.)  
  • Lesson plans may be in any content area or at any grade level.  They should be in a format ready to be used by other teachers who might not have a strong background in the subject presented and should include a concise outline of the academic K-12 standards addressed.  Resources necessary for the lesson plans should be noted, linked, or provided, and if any readings or materials are needed to implement the lesson plan, they must be submitted along with the lesson plan.
  • You should include your name on the lesson plan. (You may also include your school and your email address if you want, but it’s not required.)
  • Please send as a Word document or a PDF, NOT a Google document.

How to Enter

Email your lesson plans to: alimmer@arizona.edu OR mail the materials to:

Abby Limmer, Assistant Director for Educational Outreach,
Center for Middle Eastern Studies
845 N. Park Ave., Rm. 470, Tucson, AZ 85721

Please send detailed contact info. (address, phone number, address of school, school district) in the body of the email or on a separate page.  This information will NOT be included when the lesson is published on our website or lesson plan CDs (Your name and possibly your school WILL be included.). Please include your name and school (email address optional) on the lesson plan. And please email me your mailing address, school name and address, etc. (These will NOT be published with the lesson plan.)

Note: If your lesson plan is "published" on our website, it is still your property and can be put on other websites or even published in print sources if their rules allow.