I taught for 33 years and I have my MST in the teaching of Social Studies. In 1988, I was awarded the Elementary Social Studies Classroom Teacher of the Year Award from both the New York State Council for the Social Studies and the National Council for the Social Studies. My shop contains mostly social studies materials including web quests, and reader's theater scripts on famous people in history, science and literature.
I taught for 33 years and I have my MST in the teaching of Social Studies. In 1988, I was awarded the Elementary Social Studies Classroom Teacher of the Year Award from both the New York State Council for the Social Studies and the National Council for the Social Studies. My shop contains mostly social studies materials including web quests, and reader's theater scripts on famous people in history, science and literature.
Studying Egypt? Want to share with kids some fun mummy facts? Check out this Amazing Mummy Facts FREEBIE.
I also have an internet activity on mummies of the world, a reading on Hatshepsut, a reading on Ramses, a unit of study(with notes, links, activities AND an internet Activity) and a review activity on vocabulary on Ancient Egypt.
FAKE NEWS! We hear this phrase almost every day. Teaching Digital Critical Literacy is more and more important. Use this freebie , an interactive notebook activity to open a discussion on techniques to determine whether a story students read or hear is real or fake.
This is part of my resource on FAKE NEWS, Developing Digital Critical Literacy with Kids(INA): Click here to learn more: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/fake-news-developing-digital-critical-literacy-with-kids-possible-interactive-notebook-activity-11806581
Additionally, my resource on the history of April Fool’s Day has LOTS of materials which could also be used to develop digital literacy with your students: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/april-fools-day-reading-passage-and-more-11809047
Use this activity with students during Chinese New Year 20234 which starts on February 10th and is the year of the DRAGON.
Please consider following my store if you like this resource. Thank you!
Gail Hennessey
Great for an Interactive Notebook Activity. Have students do some of the extension activities.
Covering Black History Month? Check out these resources:
• Check out my twelve fact-packed Black History Month Webquest/Extension Activities:
Check out my Reader’s Theater Script on Bessie Coleman:
Check out my fact-packed Webquest on Martin Luther King/Extension Activities:
Check out my Reader’s Theater Script on Harriet Tubman:
Check out my Reader’s Theater Script on Rose Parks:
Check out my web quest on First Lady Michelle Obama:
Use this freebie to introduce students to fun facts about Pi. Four pages with activities for students to do after reviewing the information .
Please consider following my TES Store especially if you are looking for history, science and language arts materials. :-)
Looking for a reading about math? Check out this reading passage on Hypatia, the first known female mathematician: Hypatia
Other Math/Science related resources:
Reader’s Theater Script on Katherine Johnson, the Computer that Wore Skirts:
Reader’s Theater Script on Albert Einstein:
Reader’s Theater Script on Galileo:
Reader’s Theater Script on Sir Isaac Newton:
Reader’s Theater Script on Marie Curie:
Hypathia
Ada Lovelace
With the recent volcanic eruption in the country of Iceland, I thought young people might like learning some information about this island country. FREEBIE
Use this free resource during your discussions of the famous games which began in ancient Greece or during a unit of study on the Ancient Greeks. The 2024 Summer Games will be held in Paris, France.
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Check out my other resources:
Learn about the History of the Famous Games of Ancient Greece with this fun/informative webquest: History of the Ancient Games of Ancient Greece
Learn about the country of France, host country of the 2024 games with this webquest.
Learn about the country of Greece, where the famous games originated with this webquest. There are also comprehension questions and extension activities:Learn about the country of Greece!
World Water Day is March 22nd. Use this freebie to give to students which includes several fill in the blanks and You Turn ideas.
Check out these related resources:
Studying the ocean? Looking for a resource for Earth Day or World Ocean Day? Introduce your students to Jacques Cousteau with this informative Reader’s Theater Script. Oceanographer, photographer, scientist, inventor, writer and filmmaker, Cousteau spent his life studying the oceans and the marine life that lived in the oceans. Part of my Ms. Bie Ografee Talk Show Series where Jacques Cousteau is a guest on her talk show and answers questions of her studio audience. There are 10 audience questioners, a Did You Know? section, comprehension questions, a teacher section with extension activities, links and the key: Jacques Cousteau, A Reader’s Theater Script
Exploring the Ocean Blue: A Web quest, will introduce students to our oceans. There are nine informative web questions. Fun Facts, comprehension questions,extension activities and links are also provided as is the key. Exploring the Oceans, A Webquest
Learn about Earth Day and our planet Earth, with this informative web quest! In 2018, the theme for Earth Day is “Environmental and Climate Literacy”. Although this resource could be used for Earth Day, it really could be used throughout the year. There are 15 web questions as well as comprehension questions and a Did You Know? fun fact section. The teacher page includes extension activities, the key, and additional links. Earth Day, A Webquest
PLEASE CONSIDER FOLLOWING ME. CHECK OUT MY TES STORE FOR LOTS OF BIOGRPAHICAL PLAYS ON FAMOUS PEOPLE IN HISTORY, SCIENCE AND LITERATURE AS WELL AS MANY INTERNET ACTIVITIES AND SHORT READS IN THE AREA OF SOCIAL STUDIES.
Using the news in the classroom to introduce topics in history. A Phoenician trading ship was discovered off the coast of Spain and it is hoped that since the ship is only about 6 ft. down, marine archaeologists plan to bring the ship to the surface this year. Freebie includes fun facts about the Phoenicians and several activities as well as the news story.
Check out this Valentine Freebie, part of my larger resource. There are 4 web questions, 5 fun facts, 7 Red Game Statements and a Teacher page with extension activities.
Check out the complete resource: Valentine’s Day is February 14th. The symbol of the holiday is a heart. What do you know about the human heart and the Valentine’s Day holiday? Grab a red pencil and use this web quest to find out some very interesting facts about the human heart and the holiday of Valentine’s Day!
There are 9 web questions, a 20 All things Red Activity, lots of fun facts and 9 extension activities.
Kids will have fun learning some very cool facts about pumpkins. Another record breaking pumpkin was grown for 2023! Possible Interactive Notebook Activity. Great for a fall activity.
Use this fun factoid activity on chocolate with your students on a Friday, for Valentine’s Day, a sub or when you are looking for a one-day activity. In additional to facts, there are question for the students to answer. A possible Interactive Notebook Activity to use with your students.
A fun/informative Interactive Notebook Activity for kids to do during the winter months. Learn lots of interesting facts about snow.
•One inch of water is about six inches of wet snow or 12 inches of fluffy snow.
• The world's largest snowflake was 15 inches wide and 8 inches thick. It fell in Fort Keogh, Montana, on January 28,1887.
• Snow can be colors other than white, including blue, orange, green, yellow, and purple. Actually, snowflakes are clear.
Lots more factoids...
Several extension activities included, too.
Share with students these fun facts about the history of Valentine's Day and facts about the human heart. Includes several extension activities.
1. Check out my webquest on Valentine’s Day and the human heart: The RED Game
3. Show kids that everything has a history with my web question on the History of Candy: History of Candy: A Webquest
Introduce students to famous people in history, STEM and Literature with my BOOKMARK BIOS.** This is the first in my series of Bookmark Bios, 20 Women in Modern Times(1700s-present) ** I will be adding 20 Women in Ancient Times, 20 Men in Modern Times and 20 Men in Ancient Times.
Check out these two FREE Bookmark Bios! The complete resource includes 20 Bookmark Bios that can be reproduced for your class, Bookmark Bio Cards for kids to do some critical thinking on the highlighted BookMark Bio and a blank template for students to research and develop their own Bookmark Bios.
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*Depending on the grade level, I have highlighted terms that might need to be reviewed such as humanitarian , activist, environmentalist, etc.
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Use this Interactive Notebook Activity to share information about the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree’s history! There are several extension activities for kids to do with the information.
NOTE: My interview with Ed Pauze, head gardener and the person who selects the tree each year can be found in the December issue of Highlights for Children.(2022)
NOTE: The 2023 selected tree is from my area. It was found in a yard of a family living near Binghamton University in Vestal, NY. :-)
PLEASE consider FOLLOWING my Store. Thank you. Gail Hennessey
Check out these resources to use for this time of year:
During the holidays is a great time to share with kids the many traditions which have been shared with different cultures. Learn the history behind some popular holiday traditions from around the world with this webquest: Holiday Traditions from Around the World: A Webquest
2. A Christmas Carol is probably the most popular holiday story. Have your students learn about Charles Dickens,one of the most famous writers of all times! 8 informative web questions. Additional activities/links,too. It is said Dickens used an amazing 4.6 million different words in his writing! Charles Dickens, A Webquest
3. Which president didn’t allow a Christmas tree because he was an environmentalist? Which president organized a snowball fight in the White House for kids(using cotton balls). Which president hired a camel to entertain kids at Christmas time? Learn 12 informative facts about the Holidays at the White House: Holiday Traditions at the White House
4. Need a fun/informative activity to celebrate the New Year after vacation? There are nine questions, lots of interesting customs of how people celebrate New Year’s around the world, comprehension questions, extension activities and the key. Great activity for reading for information and research/computer skills. ( Diwali, Chinese New Year, Songkran and Rosh Hashanah included): New Year’s Eve Traditions: A Webquest
Have students use this worksheet to learn about elephants. The Teacher Page has some suggested activities and additional links.
Great for a substitute or a Friday activity or use for Save the Elephant Day(April 16th) and World Elephant Day(August 12th).
I also have an internet activity on all things Elephant! https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/elephants-a-webquest-11325070
Please consider following me and check out my other resources at my TES Store.
Thanks,
Gail
Use this freebie to have students learn about famous fairytale writer, Hans Christian Andersen.
Check out my Reader’s Theater Script on Hans Christian Andersen: The play is based on the Mark Goodson Production To Tell the Truth Game Show. To Tell the Truth was a popular television show which has returned with host Anthony Anderson(of Blackish). Three guests all claim to be the real guest being interviewed by a panel. The real guest must tell the truth where the other imposters do not have to do so. Kids must be “truth detectives” to determine just who is the REAL Hans Christian Andersen. Students in grades 4 and up will have fun acting out their parts and learning some interesting facts about fairy tale writer, Hans Christian Andersen. Comprehension questions, discussion questions, extension activities and resources are included. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/hans-christian-andersen-a-reader-s-theater-script-11147855
Possible Interactive Notebook Activity to use with students as a springtime activity.
Show Kids that EVERYTHING has a HISTORY, even the tulip!
See the entire resource:
Sharing information about the history of the tulip is a great way to show kids that EVERYTHING has a history. The resource includes a reading passage, Did You Know? fun facts, comprehension questions, Map-skill activity, Teacher page with extension activities and key. Click here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/everything-has-a-history-even-tulips-11268026