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.
A Ms.Bie Ograffee Reader’s Theater Script, an interview with Love Brewster, a Pilgrim of Plymouth Colony.Love was an actual member of the 102 Pilgrims that came to America. He was about nine years old. The play includes info on Mayflower, first winter and Thanksgiving feast. Fun facts,Comprehension questions, extension activities, links.
This mini-unit on Prehistoric cultures will assist the classroom teacher in presenting this topic of history to students.In addition to an overview and notes, lots of additional resources and activities are included. 12 question web quest,too! Did you know that historians say the needle was a tremendous advance for early man?Enabled clothes to be more form fitting to protect from winter cold!
Show kids that even chewing gum has a history with this fun/informative web quest. There are 11 web questions, a Did You Know? section, comprehension questions, a teacher page with directions, extension activities and the key.Great for a Friday, day before a vacation or just when you’d like to show kids that history is all around us!
Learn about Rosa Parks with this Reader’s Theater Script. Rosa Parks is a guest on a talk show and the studio audience asks questions about her life and contributions and how her bus ride helped to change history! There are 8 questioners, a Did You Know? fun fact section, comprehension questions, a teacher page with extension activities, the key and additional links. Kids get a chance to "ham"it up and act out roles in this fun/informative play.
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!
Wish to to practice oral reading fluency in Language Arts and want a biographical play?Need a quick fun Friday or day before a vacation activity? Try this fun/informative biographical play based on the Mark Goodson Production To Tell the Truth Game Show. Grades 4 and up.Comprehension questions, discussion questions and extension activities are included, too.
I also have a play on Abraham Lincoln and an internet activity on Abraham Lincoln.
The region of the Middle East is in the news. Introduce your students to this region of the world with this informative webquest! Additionally, I have included several extension activities.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.
There are 15 webquestions.
Did you know that people actually thought that the airplane would have no real purpose? Less than 10 people showed up that morning to see the attempt! Using this webquest students will learn about the Wright Brothers and their first flight. Extension activities,additional links and key.
In 2021, Perseverance, the space craft that landed on Mars, carried a piece of fabric from the Wright Brothers’ airplane. In 2021, Ingenuity, a helicopter, took the first powered flight on another planet(by people of Earth), flying 9 ft. above the surface of Mars. In memory of their historic flight, the Mars flight was called the “ Wright Brothers’ moment”
Learn about the Tuskegee Airmen with this play. The format is a Ms. Bie Ografee’s Talk Show Series where the studio audience asks questions of Charles A. Anderson, one of the Tuskegee Airman. Audience members ask questions of the guest.
Included are Did You Know? facts, comprehension questions, a teacher page with extension activities, links and the key.
I have lots of biographical plays on famous people in history and a number of plays in the Ms. Bie Ografee’s Talk Show Series including Rosa Parks, Bessie Coleman, Harriet Tubman, Sacagawea, Michelangelo, DaVinci , Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Blackwell, a visit with Simon, a victim of the Black Death, a visit with a Leprechaun and Sequoyah. More to be added…
Use this Reader’s Theater Script to learn about our 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson. Using the format of my Ms. Bie Ografee Talk Show Series, Jefferson is a guest on the show and audience members ask questions of her guest, Thomas Jefferson. In addition to lots of interesting information, there is a Did You Know? section, comprehension questions and a teacher page with extension activities, additional links and the key. The resource can be a one day activity or over several days if you decide to do some of the activities.
1. You may be interested in this Reading Activity on Thomas Jefferson and the Mammoth Cheese:Thomas Jefferson and the Mammoth Cheese
2. You may be interested in this web quest on the Library of Congress: Library of Congress, A Webquet on our Nation’s Library
3. You may be interested in this web quest on the Lewis and Clark Expedition:Lewis and Clark, A Webquest on the Famous Expedition
Other plays in the Ms. Bie Ografee’s Talk Show Series:
Thomas Edison, George Washington Carver,Marie Curie, A Female Spy during the Revolutionary War(Culper Spy Ring), Jacques Cousteau,Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Sacagawea, Sequoia, Michelangelo, DaVinci, Tuskegee Airmen, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Blackwell, Interview with Simon-victim of the Black Death,William Shakespeare, Love Brewster(one of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower), interview with McSean, a leprechaun, interview with Sarsaparilla,a groundhog.More to be added…
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 webquest activity in science? Maybe, you are looking for a language arts activity for students to skim to find answers and use informational text to develop a creative writing task. Maybe, you are looking for a cooperative lesson activity.Try my Leaping Leopard’s Webquest! Grades 4 and up.
The webquest has 7 webquestions and 8 extension activities(and links to more information)
You might be interested in web quests on additional animals:
1. The polar bear is in trouble! Warming temperatures has cause a decrease in the sea ice-something the polar bear needs to survive. The polar bear needs our help! Learn about this amazing mammal with this fun and informative webquest Additional extension activities and resources are also provided. Polar Bears, A Webquest
2.Use this informative web quest to learn about the endangered species, the Rhino. 9 web questions,lots of extension activities,comprehension questions/links. Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills. Rhinos: A Webquest
3. Did you know that elephants can be right or left tusked, kind of like humans are with their hands? Did you know that the elephant has the largest brain of the animal world? And if you think elephants like peanuts…they really do not! I think your students would have fun learning about the elephant with this web quest! I have included extension activities, additional trivia and the key.
Elephants, A Webquest
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
Want a fun activity to review vocabulary terms for a unit on ancient ancient Mesopotamia? Looking for an enrichment activity in history? Try my Ancient Mesopotamia Puzzler activity. The activity involves students working individually or in groups to review vocabulary terms on Mesopotamia. Then,a following direction activity is next where students place letters from the different terms into boxes found at the end of the activity page. Once all the boxes are filled, a "secret message" about Mesopotamia is revealed! The teacher page includes additional information to share about the "secret message". If you prefer to offer a vocabulary box, I have included this as well.
Check out these resource:
Mesopotamia, means “Land between Two Rivers”.This area is called the cradle of civilization and is where archaeologists have found the remains of the oldest historic people(dating back around 3000BC)People called the Sumerians, Babylonians, Chaldeans, Akkadians and Assyrians, all called the region of Mesopotamia home. These people left behind many ideas which we still have in our world today. This unit of study includes notes, map work, a webquest, activities and resources to help you teach your students about the people of Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia, First Historic People
Check out this fun/informative Reader's Theater Script on Hammurabi, one of the greatest lawmakers in history. Great for reading for purpose and developing reading fluency. The play includes comprehension questions, Did You Know Fun Facts, a teachers's page with extension activities and links. Interviews with Ancient History(Book of 20 biographical plays on famous people in ancient history)
Check out my resource on the Phoenicians! You may find this resource helpful:
Let's Learn about the Phoenicians!
Have students learn about Hammurabi, the important lawmaker of ancient times 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 Mesopotamia.
Let’s Meet Series also has readings on Ramses, Hatshepsut, A Charioteer, Gladiator, Aesop, Archimedes and others.
Gail
Check out these additional resources:
Mesopotamia, means “Land between Two Rivers”.This area is called the cradle of civilization and is where archaeologists have found the remains of the oldest historic people(dating back around 3000BC)People called the Sumerians, Babylonians, Chaldeans, Akkadians and Assyrians, all called the region of Mesopotamia home. These people left behind many ideas which we still have in our world today. This unit of study includes notes, map work, a webquest, activities and resources to help you teach your students about the people of
Mesopotamia: Mesopotamia, First Historic People Unit
Want a fun activity to review vocabulary terms for a unit on ancient ancient Mesopotamia? Looking for an enrichment activity in history? Try my Ancient Mesopotamia Puzzler activity. The activity involves students working individually or in groups to review vocabulary terms on Mesopotamia. Then,a following direction activity is next where students place letters from the different terms into boxes found at the end of the activity page. Once all the boxes are filled, a “secret message” about Mesopotamia is revealed! The teacher page includes additional information to share about the “secret message”. If you prefer to offer a vocabulary box, I have included this as well: Mesopotamian Puzzler!
One of the oldest lasting examples of graphic communication is the Bayeux Tapestry.It dates back to 1083. The short reading comes with comprehension questions, too.
Part of my Ms. Bie Ografee Talk Show Series. This biographical Reader’s Theater Script is on John Chapman, better remembered as Johnny Appleseed. Chapman said of himself,“by occupation,(I was) a gatherer and planter of apple seeds”. This pioneer nurseryman helped to introduce apple trees to Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Unlike many people, John Chapman was an American hero, DURING his lifetime. He is know for his kindness toward other people and all living creatures, his efforts in conservation and the many apple trees he started during his life.
There area 8 Audience Questioners in the complete resource. There are 12 Did You Know? fun facts about apples, 9 comprehension questions, a teacher page with 9 extension activities, the key and additional links of interest.
Great for a Friday biography day, during a study on pioneers or a unit on apples!
Johnny Appleseed Day is celebrated : March 11th and/or September 26th.
Other plays in the Ms. Bie Ografee’s Talk Show Series: Dr. Seuss, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Bessie Coleman Sacagawea, George Washington Carver, Thomas Edison, Martin Luther King, Sequoia, Michelangelo, DaVinci, Tuskegee Airmen, Susan B. Anthony, Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, an interview with a groundhog, an interview with a leprechaun, an interview with Simon, victim of the Black Death, An Interview with Agent 355, a female agent in the Culper Spy Ring(Revolutionary War), Interview with a 49er from the California Gold Rush , Albert Einstein, Rachel Carson, Katherine Johnson and more.
Gail Hennessey
/ Check out my website for teachers/kids for lots of geography activities, short reads, factoids on different topics, news, career surveys, bell ringers and more.
Martin Luther King Jr. A Biographical Play: Learn about this important civil rights leader who worked for equality in non-violent ways. Martin Luther King envisioned a world where the color of your skin did not determine a person’s value and civil rights! He was also a excellent orator whose " I Have a Dream Speech" is probably his most famous. Using this Reader’s Theater Script, part of my Ms. Bie Ografee Talk Show series of plays, your students will have fun acting out the parts and learning about the life of Martin Luther King, as they pretend to be in the audience of Ms. Bie Ografee’s Talk Show. There are 10 audience informational questioners, a Did You Know? section of additional facts, comprehension questions, a teacher page with extension questions, vocabulary(which are highlighted in the play), additional links and the key.
I also have similar plays on Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver, the Tuskegee Airmen, Rosa Parks and Bessie Coleman.
I have many other plays,too, including Sacagawea, Sequoia, Thomas Edison,Michelangelo, DaVinci, Susan B. Anthony, Simon: Victim of the Black Death, McSean: a Leprechaun, Interview with a Groundhog,Elizabeth Blackwell, Revolutionary War Female Spy, California Gold Rush Prospector and more.
Please consider becoming a follower of mine. Thanks!
Gail Hennessey
A Biologist and marine zoologist, Carson’s books shared her love of nature, especially the ocean and its inhabitants. Her book, Silent Spring, sparked concern in how chemical pesticides were harming our environment. Carson helped to start the environmental movement in our country, which led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This Reader’s Theater Script could be used as a STEM biography any time of year or especially during the time of Earth Day.