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.
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
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.
PLEASE CONSIDER FOLLOWING MY TES STORE. Thank you!
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!
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.
Explore World Landmarks are great to introduce kids to some popular world landmarks around the world. Great for a Friday activity, for social studies/LA classes or when you are going to have a substitute. About one page of reading, discussion questions and extension activities all help students learn some informative facts about famous world landmarks in the world.Ayers/Uluru Rock. Grades 4 and up.
Also have a reading on the Eiffel Tower, Great Wall and the Taj Mahal.
Want a fun activity to review vocabulary terms for a unit on Japan? Looking for an enrichment activity in history? Try my Japanese Puzzler: Secret Message Activity. The activity involves students working individually or in groups to review vocabulary terms on Japan. 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 Japan is revealed! The teacher page includes additional information to share about the “secret message”. It’s a fun way to reinforce important vocabulary for a unit of study on the Japan! If you prefer to offer a vocabulary box, I have included this as well.
Other resources that go along with my unit on Japan:
1. If you’d like to have a reading in the content area for social studies, Travel to Japan, may be just the thing for a classroom lesson! The reading takes students(grades 4-8) on a trip to Japan to learn about its geography, customs and places to see. There are also extension activities,a map skill activity and comprehension questions to use with your students as well as a list of resources. Japan, Travel to Japan Reading Activity
2. Covering Japan? I taught a unit of study on the country of Japan for 32 years and would love to share some my notes, activities and resources I used with my students.
This resource is for teachers to use to introduce the country/culture of Japan to their students. I have an activity page with a short web quest/ activity. Let’s Learn about Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun
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 any LAND mammal?(The sperm whale has the largest brain of all…) 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.
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. Only about 5,000 rhinos are left in the wild.Use this informative web quest to learn about this endangered species. 9 web questions,lots of extension activities,comprehension questions/links. Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills. Rhinos, A Webquest
3. 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 8 webquestions and 8 extension activities(and links to more information). Leopards, A Webquest
Explore World Landmarks introduce kids to some popular world landmarks. About one page of reading, discussion questions and extension activities all help students learn some informative facts about famous world landmarks in the world. In this activity, students learn about the Eiffel Tower, probably the most famous landmark in France!
Also have the Taj Mahal, Ayers Rock(Uluru) and coming soon, The Great Wall of China in this World Landmark series.
Taj Mahal:Explore World Landmarks are great to introduce kids to some popular world landmarks around the world. .With writing in the content area, the short activities can also be used in Language Arts classes, too! About one page of reading, discussion questions and extension activities. Grades 4 and up.
Also have the Eiffel Tower, Ayers Rock(Uluru), Great Wall of China in my Exploring World Landmarks series.
Have your students learn about famous landmarks around the world. Use this web quest to learn about the Statue of Liberty, one of the most famous landmarks in the United States. There are 9 informative web questions, extension activities and comprehension questions.
I also have a reading passage resource on the Eiffel Tower, Uluru Rock(Ayers Rock), the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China.
Covering the Ancient Greeks? This unit on Ancient Greece includes notes, lots of activities and resources I used with my students. Did you know that the ancient Greeks played with a yo-yo about 3000 years ago or that in the city of Athens, ancient Greeks sold snow cones that were mixed with honey and fruit?Check out my Let’s Explore the Ancient Greeks:
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!
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.
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.
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
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.