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.
India 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.
Use this Test Your Knowledge Challenge Activity for students to learn about U.S. Landmarks. There are 20 statements and several extension activities in this resource. Could be used as independent work or small group work. Great for a Friday resource, before a vacation or for a substitute day.
If you would like a student version OR a resource in Word, please let me know and I would be happy to provide these for you.
Other Test Your Knowledge Challenge Activities: (more coming)
Candy and Sweets:
Women Trailblazers:
Presidents:
Maps and Geography:
Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day:
World Capitals:
Learn about Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day with this “Challenge Activity”. There are 25 informative text questions where students test their knowledge on the answers about the country of Ireland and the holiday, St. Patrick’s Day. There are a few extension activities, too. Great for around St. Patrick’s Day or when you have a substitute or for a Friday activity to introduce students to a country of the world.
Kids love mummies!Practice oral reading fluency in Language Arts with this biographical reader’s theater on King Tut.Learn lots of cool facts about mummies and the discovery of King Tut’s tomb with this play. Comprehension/discussion questions/ extension activities,Great for informative text/listening standards!
Grades 5 and up…
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!
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”
This resource is part of my new series, “Let’s Meet…” famous people in ancient history.
With this biographical reading passage, students will learn about Hannibal, the famous general of ancient times. Studying the Phoenicians? Studying Ancient Rome and the Punic Wars? This resource would be a great addition! There is a Did You Know? section, comprehension questions, map activity and a teacher page with extensions and links and the key.
My Let’s Meet… series is growing. Currently, I also have the following in the series:
Hatshepsut, Ramses, Socrates, Hammurabi and Aesop .
This resource is part of my new series, “Let’s Meet…” famous people in ancient history. More titles are being added. Currently, the series includes Hatshepsut, Ramses and Socrates.
With this biographical reading passage, students will learn about the Aesop, the famous fable writer of Ancient Greece. There is a Did You Know? section, comprehension questions and a teacher page with extensions and links.
This resource is part of my new series, “Let’s Meet…” famous people in ancient history.
With this biographical reading passage, students will learn about Hanno, the famous Phoenician sea explorer. There is a Did You Know? section, comprehension questions, map activity and a teacher page with extensions and links and the key.
My Let’s Meet… series is growing. Currently, I also have the following in the series:
Hatshepsut, Ramses, Socrates, Hammurabi , Alexander the Great and Aesop, Hypatia(Female Mathematician of Alexandria), Agnodice(Female doctor of Ancient Greece???), Aglaonike(Female Ancient Greek Astronomer) and Aesop.
Purple Turtle EBOOK: The stories involve Purple Turtle and his friends including Zing,the stuttering rabbit, Biggy Bear, Melody the bird, Squirty the squirrel and others. In each story,a topic is addressed such as friendship, honesty, conservation, getting over fears, etc.
Use this story to discuss children’s common fears.
An exciting Purple Turtle story! In this story, " Purple and the Cupcakes",Purple brings cupcakes to the park to share with his friends. Leaving them on a log, the cupcakes are gone when the friends return from playing.Who took the cupcakes? Purple and his friends are surprised at just who did! Grades 1-3. Aadarsh Publishing.
Great for kids to read or as a book to read to children. The books have beautiful and colorful illustrations. I am sure your kids will enjoy Purple Turtle Ebooks!
Great for an intro on conservation/water pollution.Purple Turtle EBOOK: The stories involve Purple Turtle and his friends including Zing,the stuttering rabbit, Biggy Bear, Melody the bird, Squirty the squirrel and others. In each story,a topic is addressed such as friendship, honesty, conservation, getting over fears, etc.
In this story, "Purple Meets Freddy at the Lilly Pad ",(EBOOK)Freddy the Frog is very sad. His pond is littered with trash including soggy newspapers, a plastic milk jug and even an old sneaker. Purple and his friends meet Freddy and set out to lend Freddy a hand.
Great for kids to read or as a book to read to children. The books have beautiful and colorful illustrations. I am sure your kids will enjoy Purple Turtle Ebooks!
What is Friendship? Purple Turtle EBOOK: The stories involve Purple Turtle and his friends including Zing,the stuttering rabbit, Biggy Bear, Melody the bird, Squirty the squirrel and others. In each story,a topic is addressed such as friendship, honesty, conservation, getting over fears, etc. In "Purple’s Birthday Party,Purple’s friends are all excited because it’s Purple’s birthday. When Biggy breaks his ankle, he can’t attend and is very disappointed. Purple has a great idea and shows that friendship is one of the very best gifts one can have. Grades 1-3, 19 PagesAadarsh Publishing
Great for kids to read or as a book to read to children. The books have beautiful and colorful illustrations. I am sure your kids will enjoy Purple Turtle Ebooks!
Purple Turtle EBOOK: The stories involve Purple Turtle and his friends including Zing,the stuttering rabbit, Biggy Bear, Melody the bird, Squirty the squirrel and others. In each story,a topic is addressed such as friendship, honesty, conservation, getting over fears, etc. In " Roxy Learns to Swim", Purple suggests going swimming in the river to his friend, Roxy. Roxy says no and tells Purple why. Along comes a friendly fish named Fella who helps Purple solve Roxy’s problem. Grades 1-3, Aadarsh Publishing
Great for kids to read or as a book to read to children. The books have beautiful and colorful illustrations. I am sure your kids will enjoy Purple Turtle Ebooks!
Another story in the Purple Turtle Series. In this story, Purple Turtle and friends visit a Marine Park to celebrate Squirty’s birthday. They meet Whammy the whale. Should killer whales live in a marine park or be free to live in the ocean? After reading the story, kids can share their thoughts.
Purple Turtle EBOOK: The stories involve Purple Turtle and his friends including Zing,the stuttering rabbit, Biggy Bear, Melody the bird, Squirty the squirrel and others. In each story,a topic is addressed such as friendship, honesty, conservation, getting over fears, etc. In this story, “Purple Learns to Use Less”, the friends learn that each of us can help the planet in saving water.Grades 1-3, Aadarsh Publishing
Great story to introduce conservation with your students.
Great for kids to read or as a book to read to children. The books have beautiful and colorful illustrations. I am sure your kids will enjoy Purple Turtle Ebooks!
From Utah to Colorado, to New York to New Jersey and around the my home and inside my garage, once I started I saw letters of the alphabet all around me!
Use my THINGY letters to have kids write spelling words, vocabulary words or as an art activity!
Have students try and guess what some of the THINGY LETTERS are.( I've included a key) :-)
Great for all levels of students!
Please do NOT resell my images "as is." These images may be used for sale in any of your TpT products as long as they are secured in a pdf file and are used as part of an original product design. I would very much appreciate if you give credit to my store, if you use the letters for any commercial products. Thanks.
Terms of use:
* Single classroom use only, multiple licenses available
* The copyright of my Thingy Letters remains with me, Gail Hennessey. By purchasing my Thingy Letters you are being granted permission to use the designs but the copyright is not transferred to you nor is the permission to use the graphics transferrable from you to another party.
Show kids that even shoes have a history with this fun/informative web quest. There are 9 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!
Part of my Everything Has a History Series: Check out the other resources in this series:
1. The first in my series, Everything Has a History. Why not show your students that even candy has a history with this fun/informative web quest! Learn facts including marshmallows date back to 2000 BC and King Tut’s Tomb contained licorice. I also have included several additional resources and extension activities. Great for a Friday, a day before a vacation activity or just when you’d like to share with kids that…everything has a history!
History of Candy Webquest
2. Everything has a history…even the peanut. Use this informative web quest to show your kids the history of the peanut!
March is National Peanut Month. My web quest," Learn about the Peanut!" is a fun/informative activity that helps develop skills such as reading for information and using research and computer skills. Comprehension questions, fun facts about the peanut and lots of extension activities (and the key) are included. A great activity for a Friday or when you need a substitute activity.Everything Has a History…even Peanuts!
3. Check out my Everything Has a History…Even Chewing Gum!
Everything Has a History…even Chewing Gum!
4. TULIPS: With spring, comes the sprouting of tulips. Tulips have a very interesting history. Sharing information about the history of the tulip is a great way to show kids that EVERYTHING has a history.
Reading passage, Did You Know? fun facts, comprehension questions, Map-skill activity, Teacher page with extension activities and key.Tulips: Reading Passage/Activities
April 26th is National Pretzel Day!Use this reading passage to show students that everything has a history, even pretzels! The resource includes a reading passage, a Did You Know? section of fun facts about pretzels. For example: Baldies are what saltless pretzels are called! There is also a short map skill activity to show students the location of where pretzels originated. There are comprehension questions and a teacher page with extension activities and links.The History of Pretzels!
Learn about the contributions made by Caroline Herschel, astronomer. Caroline was the first female to discover a comet and found eight. She also discovered 14 nebulae and went on to compile a catalog of nebulae which is still used today. In addition to the reading passage, there is a DiD You Know? section, comprehension questions , a map activity and a Teacher page with additional activities.
Great for a unit on astronomy or during Women’s History month.
Other readings in my “Let’s Meet…” series include: Alexander the Great, Hammurabi, Hannibal, Hatshepsut, Ramses, Aglaonike , Enheduanna, Sophie Brahe, Hypatia, Agnodice and Aesop.
Check out my internet activity on Space: There are 12 web questions, comprehension questions and extension activities: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/space-the-final-frontier-an-internet-activity-11941871
Looking for a reading passage and activities on Sojourner Truth? If, so, check out this resource which is part of my Let’s Meet Series. Done in the first person, students will learn about the life of Sojourner Truth. Also included are Did You Know? Fun Facts, Comprehension Questions, a Map Activity and a Teacher Page with extension Activities. Could be helpful during Black History Month, Women’s History Month or if you are covering this period of history. The reading passage activity could also be a lesson for a substitute of for a Friday activity.
Check out my Let’s Meet Series:
I have a number of similar reading passages on famous people in this series, “Let’s Meet…” including: Phillis Wheatley(poet), Joan of Arc(Military leader/Heroine of France), Mary Anning (paleonotologist) ,Caroline Herschel(Astronomer), Hildegard of Bingen(writer/composer), Artemisia(Female Naval Commander during the Battle of Salamis), Sophie Brahe(Astronomer), Enheduanna(first known Poet),Hanno(Sea Explorer of the Phoenicians), Agnodice(First Female Doctor of Ancient Greece), Hypatia(First female mathematician), Aglaonike(astronomer), Alexander the Great(famous general), Aesop(Fable Writer of Ancient Greece), Hannibal(famous general), Ramses(Great Pharaoh), Hatshepsut(Female Pharaoh) and Socrates(Philosopher of Ancient Greece).
Looking for a reading passage and activities on Joan of Arc? If, so, check out this resource which is part of my Let’s Meet Series. Done in the first person, students will learn about the life of Joan of Arc. Also included are Did You Know? Fun Facts, Comprehension Questions, a Map Activity and a Teacher Page with extension activities.
Could be helpful during Women’s History Month or if you are coving this period of history. The reading passage activity could also be a lesson for a substitute or for a Friday activity.
Check out my Let’s Meet Series:
I have a number of similar reading passages on famous people in this series, “Let’s Meet…” including: Phillis Wheatley(poet), Sojourner Truth(abolitionist, Women’s Rights Activist, Author), Mary Anning (paleonotologist) ,Caroline Herschel(Astronomer), Hildegard of Bingen(writer/composer), Artemisia(Female Naval Commander during the Battle of Salamis), Sophie Brahe(Astronomer), Enheduanna(first known Poet),Hanno(Sea Explorer of the Phoenicians), Agnodice(First Female Doctor of Ancient Greece), Hypatia(First female mathematician), Aglaonike(astronomer), Alexander the Great(famous general), Aesop(Fable Writer of Ancient Greece), Hannibal(famous general), Ramses(Great Pharaoh), Hatshepsut(Female Pharaoh) and Socrates(Philosopher of Ancient Greece).