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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Child Labor
Students examine how how groups and institutions work to meet individual needs and promote the common good, and identify examples of where they fail to do so. They describe how workers with specialized jobs and the ways in which they...
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Harriman and Plant Identification
Students observe and record botanical details from the plant specimens. They identify plants using sorting key and field guide and classify specimens for preservation and display purposes.
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Can We Be Both Conservationists and Consumers?
High schoolers explore their role as consumers and conservationists and what roles they play in today's economic climate. They explore resource allocation issues. Students analyze data and draw comparisons between historical and...
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Learning About Location: Charting the Path of the George W. Elder
Young scholars acquire a working knowledge of the geographical concepts: absolute location, relative location, longitude and latitude. They analyze primary sources that shows the physical and human characteristics of the places along...
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A Neighborhood Expedition
Students plan and conduct an expedition through their neighborhood based on the techniques used by the Harriman Expedition to Alaska in 1899. They research the Harriman expedition on the internet and then create a route and collection...
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Assessing and Making Maps
Students evaluate maps using the TODALSIGs basic map analysis system, explained on the worksheet. They create a map of Alaska using TODALSIGs. Students brainstorm the elements of maps.
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Technology Newsletter
Students discuss impact and value of modern technological inventions on society, contemplate world without technology, skim magazines and newspapers for advertisements highlighting modern technologies, and work with partner to create...
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How can we write a silly story?
Second graders use the writing process and create a silly story. In this silly story instructional activity, 2nd graders will review person, event and setting and complete a chart for each. Students will put a person,...
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Write Me a Story
Second graders use the writing process and submit a story to www.kids.com. In this story writing lesson, 2nd graders choose a topic for a story contest. Students develop their stories. Students complete a her...
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Folk Genres
Students classify folk life traditions into folk genres. They create folk genre museums by laying down their images or postcards wherever they see a relationship. They give each an image to examine in depth and decide which folk genre...
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A Map Mystery
Second graders solve a map mystery. In this technology lesson plan, 2nd graders develop an awareness of maps and the symbols associated with maps as they the "Neighborhood Map Machine."
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Story Mapping A Favorite Book
First graders create a diagram of a story by using the computer program Kidspiration. In this diagramming lesson plan, 1st graders will pick a book to write about. They then will plug in story elements of the book into the computer...
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Mr. and Miss Big Feet
Third graders experiment with gravitational force. In this physical science lesson, 3rd graders send matchbox cars off a ramp while changing the amount of weight attached to the car. Students record their data and discuss the results.
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Kindergarten Memories
Learners create a monthly memory and compile it into a Kindergarten Memory Book. In this memory book lesson, students create a monthly memory page. Learners create a graphic organizer in Kidspiration which is developed into a...
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Governance
Third graders participate in decision-making situations. In this social studies lesson students make connections between rules and laws and the purposes for those rules and laws. Students use critical and creative thinking skills to...
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Lights, Camera, Action!
Students develop a communication project about city wildlife. In this wildlife service project lesson, students research city wildlife, create a presentation of their groups choice, and present their findings. Students evaluate how their...
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Spying on Spiders
Students investigate spiders. In this spiders lesson, students create a habitat for a spider with a jar, twigs, and dirt. Students observe the behavior of the spider and record how they spend their days.
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Lesson Ideas for Halloween Writing
Halloween writing activities provide a way to make descriptive language a part of a student's literary repertoire.
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No More Accordion-Style Teaching - Addressing Different Learning Styles
There are ways to address different learning styles in the classroom that can be motivating for all students.
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Back to School, Mathematically Speaking
Reduce "math anxiety" by listening to students' math stories.
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Skating on Thin Ice
Students read an article describing a controversial new theory for treating anorexia nervosa, research other eating disorders, simulate case studies and suggest possible treatment for these cases.
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Name Fame
First graders learn the uniqueness of their names by reading the book, Chrysanthemum, and completing other integrated math counting and graphing activities.
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Exercise: The Right Stuff
First graders explore how regular exercise keeps the body strong and healthy.