Benjamin Franklin’s birthday is January 17, 1706. A “founding father” of our country, Franklin was also a writer, inventor, statesman, post master and librarian! He once said, “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” Learn about Franklin with this fun/informative ten question web quest. There ares Fun Facts and lots of extension activities. There is also a Test Your Knowledge Quiz on Ben Franklin.

My Country in Focus series, highlights a country with a web quest, some fun facts and some extension activities.Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills. Check out ICELAND! Also have Switzerland, India, Greece, China and Russia in this series… Yes…that’s me and a “friend” I met while visiting Iceland!

Learn about the White House with 10 informative web questions, comprehension and discussion questions and several extension activities.

If you ask students to list a couple of famous women in history, I would think Harriet Tubman, Amelia Earhart and Rosa Parks may be mentioned. As a teacher of world history, too often there is a giant VOID when it comes to famous WOMEN in ancient History. My new series, Let’s Meet… people from the Ancient World includes several women who have made contributions in history. This particular reading is on Sophie Brahe, an astronomy and horticulturist. The short reading shares(in the first person) a recounting of the person’s life(in this case Sophie). There are several Did You Know? fun facts, comprehension questions, a map skill activity for the area of the world the person lived, a teacher’s section with extension activities, the key and additional links. Others in the series currently include: Alexander the Great, Hammurabi, Hannibal, Hatshepsut, Ramses, Aglaonike , Enheduanna, Agnodice and Aesop. More are being added.

Use this reading(close exercise where students slot the term in the blanks) for students to learn about the National Road(also called the Cumberland Road or the National Pike Road). There are several comprehension questions and fun facts. Additionally, there are lots of extension activities especially writing in the content area. I have also included several links for teachers. And, I have developed a board game for students to play about what it was like being a pioneer traveling the National Road. The Close reading and review would be one period. If you do some of the extension activities including the Traveling Along the National Road game, the resource could take a couple of days.

Country in Focus: Switzerland! Did you know that the first chocolate bar was made in Switzerland? Learn more about this mountainous country with this informative webquest on Switzerland! Lots of extension activities, too. Other resources in my Countries in Focus: Studying China. This web quest would be a positive addition to a unit of study! Want to introduce your students to the country of China during Chinese New Year? This web quest gives students an overview to the country including map skill questions, learning about the panda bears, the Great Wall of China, The Terra Cotta Solders and lots more. Extension activities and links as well as the key are also included. The 12 page resource has 10 informational web questions.China, Country in Focus, A Webquest Russia: This webquest of 10 questions will enable young people to learn lots of information on the country of Russia! Extension activities, resources, fun facts,key. Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills. Russia, Country in Focus, A Webquest Australia: Want to introduce your students to different countries of the world? My Country in Focus series, highlights a country with a web quest, some fun facts and some extension activities. There is also a mapskill activity. Try Australia. I also have a Country in Focus on Switzerland,India and Iceland. It would be a great one day activity for before a vacation, for an enrichment activity or for a substitute. Iceland. Want to introduce your students to different countries of the world? My Country in Focus series, highlights a country with a web quest, some fun facts and some extension activities. The first in the series is Iceland. It would be a great one day activity for before a vacation or for an enrichment activity. Iceland, Country in Focus, A Webquest India:Country in Focus,is a web quest, with additional fun facts and extension activities. Did you know that it was ancient India which gave the world the idea of the zero? The game Chutes and Ladders comes from an Indian board game. More people speak English in India than in the United States? Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills. India, Country in Focus-A Webquest Greece: Use this informative web quest as an introduction to the country of Greece. Greece, A Country in Focus-A Webquest Brazil: Learn about the country of Brazil with this informational web quest. There is also a map skill activity and fun facts. Additionally, there is a teacher page with extension activities and additional links. Although the map skill/webquest can be completed in one session, if you opt to do the extension activity, additional days could be used.

Did someone say pumpkin pie? Learn about the pumpkin with this 8 web question web quest. There are several comprehension questions and lots of extension activities. Great for a fall activity. Updated for 2023.

Are you a bibliophile(someone that loves books)?The Library of Congress, called our Nation’s Library has over 33 million books. There are also over 12.5 million photographs and 6 million pieces of sheet music! Learn more about the Nation’s Library with this fun and informative webquest.

Learn about the history of tulips with the informative reading passage. Comprehension questions, a Did You Know? section, a map skill activity and a teacher page with extension activities are also included. Possible Interactive Notebook Activity or if you are looking for a reading passage that shares the history…of the tulip!

Have students learn about Ramses the Great, pharaoh of ancient Egypt with this reading passage. Additional, there are several Did You Know? facts and comprehension questions. The teacher page gives additional links and the key. This could be used as a homework assignment, enrichment or as a bell ringer activity during a study on the area of Ancient Egypt. This is part of my new series(LET’S MEET…) of short biographies in ancient History. I am currently adding more titles including Hammurabi and Hatshepsut. Check out these resources: 1. Covering ancient Egypt? I taught ancient Egypt for 32 years and would love to share some my notes, activities and resources I used with my students. There is also a 9 question webquest: Egypt: Unit of Study 2. Play on King Tut(Lots of information on mummies and the most famous mummy of all!) King Tut: A Reader’s Theater Script 3. Review activity: Mystery Message solved using key vocabulary words about Egypt: Egyptian Secret Message 4. Mummies aren’t just found in ancient Egyptian culture. Mummies have been found all over the world! In fact, the oldest man-made mummies are found in the country of Chile! Mummies can be naturally created or man-made. This web quest includes the different types of mummies and has 12 web questions including information on Bog Mummies such as Tollund Man, the Inca Mummies,the Taklamakan Desert Mummies of China, Otzi, the frozen mummy, the Chinchorro Mummies of Chile, the Egyptian mummies… and more. There are comprehension questions, a Did You Know? section, a teacher section with extension activities, additional links and the key. Great for a Friday activity, at Halloween time, or if you are studying ancient Egypt. MUMMIES: A Webquest 5. Let’ Meet…Hatshepsut, A Reading Passage.With this biographical reading passage, students will learn about the first female Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. There is a Did You Know? section, comprehension questions and a teacher page with extensions and links.Hatshepsut: A Reading Passage

Students have always asked me…“Why do we have to learn this stuff about ancient Greeks or Middle Ages?” My answer-much of what we have today was because of things developed by people that lived long ago including, musical notation, counting based on 60, 7 day week,pencils, soap, toilet paper and more) This reading activity shares with kids how the pencil they are using, the writing system they are using, the eyeglasses they are wearing are just some of the many things we have today thanks to previous cultures of the past. I’ve included several comprehension questions and two extension activities. Great for a beginning of the year reading activity.

Need a reading activity where students also learn about different countries of the world? Students learn about the country of Iceland reading a diary from a young person visiting Iceland. There are five diary entries sharing the culture, famous places and some language of the country. The resource includes a Did You Know section, a map skill activity, comprehension questions, a teacher section with extension activities and the key.

Introduce students to the country of Japan with this reading passage. It also includes several comprehension questions, a map activity and a Teacher page with extension activities and additional links.

Greece, a Country in Focus. Learn about the country of Greece with this web quest. There are nine questions, comprehension questions and extension activities. Also in the Country in Focus series: Russia, Iceland, Switzerland ,China, South Korea, North Korea, Brazil,Iceland, Australia and more.

Try this informative web quest on Martin Luther King! One of Martin Luther King’s quotes, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Comprehension questions and additional links/extension activities,too. Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills.

Need a geography activity? Try my geographic secret messages. Students find the answers to geographic questions and then use the first letter of the answer to arrive at a secret message. When the questions are answered, the "secret" term(a geography term) will be revealed! There are 5 geographic messages to solve. If you find this of value, there is also a second set of geographic messages available for purchase. Grades 5 and up. You may find these resources of interest: 1. Want to introduce your students to the region of the world called the Middle East? This webquest will work great. Additionally, I have included several extension activities that I think will be of value.It would be a great one day activity for before a vacation or for an enrichment activity or for a unit of study on this part of the world. Exploring the Middle East, A Webquest 2. SECOND geographic secret message activity: Students find the answers to geographic questions and then use the first letter of the answer to arrive at a secret message. When the questions are answered, the "secret" term(a geography term) will be revealed! There are 5 geographic messages to solve. Geography Secret Message 2 3. Geographical web quest which introduces kids to the continent of Antarctica. There are 10 web quests(with lots of information in the questions), 14 Did You Know? facts, comprehension questions(including several "thought question"), a teacher page with a number of extension activities, additional links and key. Antarctica, A Webquest 4. In 1923, English mountaineer George Mallory was asked,”Why do you want to climb Mt. Everest?” HIs response, “Because it’s there.” Thousands has been trying to summit the world’s highest mountain peak since this time. Learn about Mt. Everest, Nepal and the Yeti with this webquest! May 29th,2013(60th anniversary of the first successful climb)Lots of extension activities,interesting facts and comprehension questions are included. Addresses several common core standards in social studies and language arts. Grades 5 and up. Mt. Everest, A Webquest

Need a geography activity? Try more of my geographic secret messages. Students find the answers to geographic questions and then use the first letter of the answer to arrive at a secret message. When the questions are answered, the "secret" term(a geography term) will be revealed! There are 5 geographic messages to solve. If you find this of value, there is also a second set of geographic messages available for purchase. Grades 5 and up. You may find these resources of interest: 1. Want to introduce your students to the region of the world called the Middle East? This webquest will work great. Additionally, I have included several extension activities that I think will be of value.It would be a great one day activity for before a vacation or for an enrichment activity or for a unit of study on this part of the world. Exploring the Middle East, A Webquest 2. SECOND geographic secret message activity: Students find the answers to geographic questions and then use the first letter of the answer to arrive at a secret message. When the questions are answered, the "secret" term(a geography term) will be revealed! There are 5 geographic messages to solve. Geography Secret Message 2 3. Geographical web quest which introduces kids to the continent of Antarctica. There are 10 web quests(with lots of information in the questions), 14 Did You Know? facts, comprehension questions(including several "thought question"), a teacher page with a number of extension activities, additional links and key. Antarctica, A Webquest 4. In 1923, English mountaineer George Mallory was asked,”Why do you want to climb Mt. Everest?” HIs response, “Because it’s there.” Thousands has been trying to summit the world’s highest mountain peak since this time. Learn about Mt. Everest, Nepal and the Yeti with this webquest! May 29th,2013(60th anniversary of the first successful climb)Lots of extension activities,interesting facts and comprehension questions are included. Addresses several common core standards in social studies and language arts. Grades 5 and up. Mt. Everest, A Webquest

Go on the Expedition to explore the Louisiana Purchase with Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and the rest of the group. The informative webquestions will give students lots of information about the famous expedition.Several extension activites/resources are also included. Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills.

Studying ancient Mesopotamia? Looking to share with students contributions women have made in history. Enheduanna is the FIRST known poet, some say of men and women! Enheduanna’s name is also thought to be the oldest name! Edneduanna’s poetry was done in the FIRST person, something not done prior to her poetry. She also did something different, she SIGNED her work! Some nickname her “The Shakespeare of Sumerian literature” ! The reading passage also includes a Did You Know? fun fact section, a map activity, comprehension questions and a teacher page with extension activities, vocabulary words, links and keys.

Learn about U.S. Landmarks with this fun/informative web quest. There are 12 web questions, several extension activities. There is also a key. Additional resources that may be of interest: 1. Learn about the White House with 10 informative web questions, comprehension and discussion questions and several extension activities. Learn about the White House, A Webquest 2. Use this informative webquest with your students to learn about the Statue of Liberty, one of the most famous landmarks in the United States.Grades 4 and up. There are 9 web questions, extension activities,comprehension questions. The answer key is also included. Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills. Statue of Liberty, A Webquest Try my WORLD Landmark Webquest, too: Learn about some of the famous landmarks around the world. This web quest includes: Uluru Rock, Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, Mt. Everest, Dead Sea, Rock of Gibraltar, Great Pyramid, Suez Canal. Stonehenge, Sahara Desert,Abu Simbel, Easter Island and Angkor Wat. There are comprehension questions and several extension activities.World Landmarks, A Webquest.