Beacon Learning Center
Catching a Balanced Diet
First graders explore the importance of balanced meals. They play a fishing game to help them select foods to make up a balanced meal.
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Youth and Old Age
In this youth and old age dictation worksheet, students take dictation on a passage containing various terms associated with youth and old age.
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A Tall Ship and a Star to Steer Her By
Learners create a water transportation device powered by wind. In this wind power lesson, students research transportation concepts after reading the poem "Sea Fever" by John Masefield. Learners design the fastest sailboat they can...
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Directed Reading Thinking Activity: "A Raisin in the Sun"
Students predict outcomes of a text. In this comprehension strategy lesson, students read a poem and compare it to the play A Raisin in the Sun. Students discuss their similarities and the power of dreams.
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Children's March Teacher's Guide, Activity 6
Learners explore the role of gender in the Civil Rights Movement. In this Children's March instructional activity, students watch "Mighty Time: The Children's March" and respond to the provided discussion questions that accompany it....
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Forests/Natural Resource Management II
Students write about the importance of trees. In this natural resources lesson, students look at deforestation occurring across the globe and present what they learned to the class. As closure, all students write a poem about the...
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Science Fiction
Students complete compare and contrast activities for two stories about racism and tolerance in the science fiction genre. In this literary analysis lesson, students read a Ray Bradbury short story and Walter Mosley poem, watch a related...
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Magic, Sass, and Rage
Students are introduced to the characteristics of autobiographies. In groups, they read Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and develop their own rules for survival in the classroom. They bring in family photos in an...
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Identity in A Raisin in the Sun
Ninth graders read the play, "A Raisin in the Sun," and participate in a class discussion about "identity." They discuss racial identity and examine and interpret how community influences a personal identity. They demonstrate how...
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The Buzz on Bees-How Bees Make Our World a Little Sweeter
These lessons can help students learn about the important role bees play in the ecosystem.
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School Day
Students participate in a lesson that involves writing a persuasive essay. They use the prompt of "extending the school day". The paper should contain correct elements of sentence structure with clear purpose that is supported with...
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Close Reading of a Sonnet
Students practice reading sonnets line by line to find the message of the sonnet. In this sonnet lesson plan, students read a sonnet one line at a time as the teacher projects it for the entire class. As each line is shown, students...
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Emily Dickinson: Luminous Letters
Students analyze the dimensions of Emily Dickinson's poetry and persona. In this Emily Dickinson lesson, students read the example letters and analyze a chart of the poems. Students present their findings from the poems in a presentation.
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Children's March Teacher's Guide, Activity 6
Pupils see the role that different genders played in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham. They explain how popular culture influences them.
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Requiem The Song of the Murdered Jewish People
Learners read poem The Song of the Murdered Jewish People, listen to Requiem based on poem, work on reading poem as music plays, discuss reasons for composer's musical choices, and investigate possibilities of performing a reading for an...
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Lincoln, Douglass, and Black Emergence (Literature and Politics, 1840-1865)
Pupils examine the ideas of Lincoln and Douglass. In groups, they compare and contrast writings from each man and how they formed the nation with their ideas. After watching "Glory", they discuss how people like Lincoln and Douglass...
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Nonfiction Genre Mini-Unit: Persuasive Writing
Should primary graders have their own computers? Should animals be kept in captivity? Young writers learn how to develop and support a claim in this short unit on persuasive writing.
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Letter Writing: An English Language Arts Lesson For Writing/Proofreading
Ninth graders write a letter to someone who is deserving of thanks. Peer and self-editing takes place. After the writing process is completed and a copy is made for the portfolio, envelopes are distributed, addressed, sealed, and mailed.
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The Alphabet is Historic: The Roman Alphabet is our Alphabet
Learners show that the Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans lived in the Mediterranean area. They give reasons why the alphabet was important for the Romans. and say that the Romans developed the alphabet they are learning in school.
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The Civil War
Students, examine The Civil War, from a variety of perspectives and assignments. After taking notes, they can choose from creating a front page newspaper article describing the fall of Fort Sumter, discuss the pros and cons of fighting,...
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Digital Storytelling Lesson Plans Bring Stories to Life
Students can use technology to enhance and improve their stories using digital storytelling lesson plans.
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Context Clues
Learners review and discuss what context clues are and then read six sentences and paragraphs and circle the correct context clue for each one.
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The History of Writing
The history of written communication can be an interesting addition to history lessons.
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Lizards
Fourth graders recall lizards from the text and report their important traits. The teacher adds the information to the map. They watch the map expand while it organizes all of the lizards and their characteristics.