Why Study History?

WHY STUDY HISTORY?

“Why do we have to learn this stuff” is a common question my students would ask me while learning about Julius Caesar and the fall of the Roman republic or other topics in social studies. Of course, I would explain that the the past is important to learn because past events are the building blocks that create our present. 

     With a new year beginning, it's a great way to start a discussion on just WHY study history and encourage responses from students.  

I like to remind students of when they were little and played the game of "Telephone". Remember, sitting in a  circle and someone would whisper something in your ear and you would  pass along the information to the person sitting next to you? History of the world is kind of like that game. People through the ages have passed down ideas which are still used today. 

EVERYTHING has a history, from the potato chip we eat, to the tissues we use to blow our noses, to the shoes we are wearing, to the pencil we use to jot down a note. Everything was once an idea that someone developed, passed along and in some ways was improved upon by those that learned of the idea. 

We are very connected to the past as it has shaped the present that we have today!

Here are some examples of "World-History Telephone"

1. You get up and look at the clock and see that it’s time to get ready for school. Did you know that the ancient people of Mesopotamia (people that lived in the present day country of Iraq) had a counting system based on 60? That’s how high they could count on their joints on their fingers and toes, and that’s the bases of our time counting today!

2. You look at the calendar and see that it’s Thursday. Thank the people of Mesopotamia again. They established a seven day week. Seems they had seven main gods that they wished to honor each day. 

3. Even the names of some of the days of the week came from people living many years ago. The Vikings had several main gods which they worshiped on a certain day. “Tiew’s day” became Tuesday, “Woden’s Day” became Wednesday and “Thor’s Day” became Thursday. 

4. Staying with the calendar, did you ever wonder why there are 365 day in a year? Yes, that’s another gift from the past. The ancient Egyptians had 360 days in their calendar and added 5 extra days at the end of the year for a BIG harvest party.

5. The earliest bathroom was excavated in a place called Orkney Islands, Scotland. The bathroom excavated dated back to 8000 BCE. 

6. You grab onto a bar of soap. Soap was invented about 600 BCE, by the ancient Phoenicians (of present day Lebanon). They made their soap from goat fat and wood ash. 

7.Pick up a fork and thank someone from the country of Italy who lived in the 11th century. Before this time, people ate with their fingers. In fact, for many years it was considered poor manners to use that metal contraption called a fork. 

I have a reading which I have developed sharing many things in our world that came from us from other past cultures. It includes comprehension questions and a couple of extension activities. It would be a great beginning of the school year activity to show kids that "history is all around us".

Click here to see a preview and to purchase: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Why-Study-History-Reading-in-Social-Studies-Our-Past-Shapes-our-Present-3164074

Note: The illustration is from Phoencia.org and wpclipart.com

Books are a Wonderful Thing!

As Thomas Jefferson once said, " I cannot live without books..."  As a new school year begins, encourage all students to own a library card.

A New Year...Remembering your A-Zs Teacher List

A-Z Teacher LIST 
With the new year about to begin, I’d like to share my A-Z Teaching List.   If you have suggestions, please share.

Gail Hennessey

A-Always exhibit an interest in what you are teaching.  If you think it’s important , your students will, too. Have an assessment for how to grade your students.

B- Be prepared with your lesson. Have “bell ringers" to keep students on task when you  are collecting papers, etc. It’s better to have MORE than not enough for each day’s lesson.

C-Try to make connections with other areas of study with cross curricular activities whenever possible.  Critique your lessons each day for what you liked and what needs improvement. 

D- Dress for success, your “teacher uniform"  should not be too casual, Decorate your room.(It’s your “home away from home for 7 hours each day). Don’t READ your notes...talk with the students.

E-Establish expectations and a class climate which students will come to expect each class. Keep an “emergency folder"with activities for a couple of days which a sub can do should you be called away and not have time to leave detailed lesson plans. Make EYE contact with your students.

F-Try and Focus on the positive each day.  Negatives will only get you down. Fire drill procedures and emergency Z Schedule procedures should be learned immediately and reviewed with the students.

G- Set up a Grading system. How many grades will you give a week, what will the different assignments be weighed for importance, etc. 

H- Have consequences for students not meeting your requirement and follow through with parent telephone calls, after school or lunch detention, etc. HANG students’ work around the room.  State and post your Homework policy.

I- Offer incentive especially for younger learners such as “praise"  for good work, less homework passes  or bonus point, etc. REWARD positive behavior. Make sporadic  “positive" telephone calls home.(Personal note: The initial voice of the parent was always suspect when I’d say I was their teacher calling. When I said I was calling to say how proud I was of their son/daughter for a particular reason  and wanted to call, their tone changed. I had a number of parents contact the principal AFTER my call to say how the call had such a positive impact. The student was always walking on air the next day,too! I remember some students sharing they got a positive treat because of my phone call!) 

J-Just try your best and realize you won’t always have a successful lesson.

K-Keep  note paper in your desk(or Thank you notes)  and distribute to students who show improvement, responsibility, citizenship, helpfulness ,etc.

L-Try and laugh each day! 

M- “Menu"  of what will be covered in the class-write it on the board so students know what is to be covered. Mark your papers.  If you give an assignment, look at what is done. (My feeling is students shouldn’t mark students’ work....that’s(in my opinion)  your job. Peer review doesn’t count as I believe this can be a useful learning tool).Motivate your students by “acting"  and performing.

N- Never be alone with a student!(especially middle school and high school students).

O- Be Organized. Keep folders of lessons developed, websites used so you have them for future reference. 

P-Use Primary sources to help to enhance the lesson and foster DBQ essay writing. Gather Personal information on each student (birthday, telephone, address, study buddy to send work if ill, etc.) Proof read any work that is distributed to students for spelling and grammar. Speak professionally.

Q- Ask lots of questions to keep your students on task.

R- Review often all  terms and concepts throughout your unit. (Have the students HEAR, SEE , READ and WRITE , more than one method to help retain materials covered in class)Have a daily routine.  How will you arrange your room?  What works best for the particular students, rows, groups, assigned seats,etc.) *** Personally, I allow the students to sit with whom they’d like thus already finding “Friends"  and allow them to  stay where they selected unless they show that they can’t work well during class where they are sitting. Create a RUBIC for student assessment.

S-Share some personal self interests with your students(favorite color, favorite author or sports team, etc.). I shared my ballerina picture from when I was 10 and my 6th grade report card. There was a photograph of my husband and my dogs on my desk. Set an example, for some, you may be their only positive role model!  Smile!(it’s a great stress reducer)  Shake hands with the students on the first day and during the school year.

T- Ask experienced teachers for ideas on classroom management and other issues. Be open to suggestions. 

U- Use text to self connections whenever possible. Try and find a way for kids to see a connection with what is being taught and their lives.

V- Have variety of teaching styles and activities in your lesson.

W-Wrap up each lesson by reviewing the key concepts, vocabulary and any assignment to be given.  WALK around the room during the presentation of your lesson . Have students WRITE in journals, their notes(interactive notebooks), etc.

X- Do “xtras"  such as chaperoning a dance, going to a sporting event, having students come for lunch.

Y- “You"  set the tone of your classroom. Someone needs to be in charge of your classroom, make sure it is you!

Z- Get enough ZZZZZZZZZZ each night so you are well rested for the next day.


Gail  Hennessey

Please share if you think this list is helpful. I also gave this list to my student teachers.

Illustration from :wpclipart.com

Check out my NEW Series: Let's Meet...Famous People in History!

Check out my new reading series: Let's Meet....Famous People in History.  Currently, the series includes Socrates, Aesop, Hannibal, Hammurabi, Alexander the Great, Hatshepsut and Ramses. I am adding to the series and if you have any suggestions of someone you'd like me to highlight in this series, please let me know.

Each of the reading activities include a reading passage in the first person, a Did You Know? section, Comprehension Questions and a Teacher Page with suggestions of how to use the resource, extension activities, links of interest and key.

1. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alexander-the-Great-A-Reading-PassageExtension-Activities-3990166

2. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Aesop-Fable-Write-from-Ancient-GreeceReading-Passage-3976379

3. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hannibal-Famous-General-of-Ancient-TimesReading-Activity-3978956

4. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hatshepsut-First-Female-PHARAOH-of-Ancient-EgyptReading-Passage-2733259

5. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hammurabi-King-of-Babylon-A-Reading-Passage-2728405

6. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ramses-the-Great-Pharaoh-of-Ancient-Egypt-A-Reading-Passage-2763573

7. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Socrates-Famous-Philosopher-of-Ancient-Greece-2864044

Aviation Day is August 19th- Possible Interactive Notebook Activity

Did you know that people actually thought that the airplane would have no real purpose? WOW...were they wrong!  On December 17, 1903, less than 10 people showed up to watch Orville and Wilbur Wright make history. In fact most papers(only 3 carried the story in the USA) refused to print the press release of the Wright Brothers' historic flight, believing it was not possible for a human to fly. The December 17, 1903 event had to have been a hoax! 

To honor this historic day in history, use this resource to learn a bit about the history of flight.

Did You Know?

1. Most people at the time of the Wright brothers’ first flight attempts on December 17, 1903, thought that the airplane had NO purpose for transportation and was just a dangerous sport. Would you have gone to see the first flight attempts by the Wright Brothers? Why or why not?____________________

2. The distance covered by the 1903 Wright Flyer was less than the wingspan of today's 747 Jumbo Jet!

3. The Wright brothers’ first attempt went 120 ft. That’s about 20 people, about 6ft. tall, lined end to end!

4. Charles Lindbergh was the first to fly non-stop from New York to Paris. The trip,
in 1927, took 33.5 hours. What do you think Lindbergh thought about during his
flight?_____________________________________

5. Amelia Earhart was the first woman aviator to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. The
year was 1928.

6. Lillian Gatlin, was the first woman to ride as a passenger in an airplane! The year was 1922.

7. In 1939, Willa Brown was the first African American woman to earn a commercial pilot’s license.

8. Did you know that pilots and co-pilots can not eat the same meal while in flight? Why do you think this is?____________________________________

9. Every 37 seconds, an airplane takes off from Chicago O’Hare’s International Airport. That’s about 100 airplanes each hour.

10. The word used for aviation help, “Mayday”, comes from the French “m’aides" meaning “help me.

11. Did you know that 1/3 of your taste buds get numb while flying? Which taste is your favorite?(sweet, spicy or salty) and why?_______________________

12. Bessie Coleman was an American aviator and the first African American female pilot. She was also the first American to receive an international pilot’s license. 

13. It is said that Gustave Whitehead successful powered an aircraft in Bridgeport, CT, on August 14, 1901. That is two years before the Wright Brothers. Whitehead's craft, called the Condor, did two flights on that date. Reaching 50 Ft., the distance covered was 1 1/2 miles.

14. Aerophobia is the fear of flying.

15. KLM is the world’s oldest airline, started in 1919.

16. Someone estimated that if you add up all the miles flown by all the 747 airplanes, it’s the distance from the Earth to the Moon and back over 75,000 times.c

17. National Aviation Day, August 19th, was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, on the birthday of Orville Wright, who first piloted the Wright Flyer, on December 17, 1903.

Your Turn:

1. Write a diary entry pretending to be Lindbergh, Earhart, Coleman, Orville/Wilbur Wright and tell about a day in your aviation life.

2. Illustrate one of the factoids. Write a sentence of your own explaining the illustrated fact.

3. Have you ever flown in an airplane? Tell about something you remember about your first time in an airplane.  If you haven't flown, would you like to experience flying? Why, why not.

4. If you could meet one of the aviators mentioned above, what would be TWO questions you would ask of the aviator?

5. Write 3 POSITIVE(i.e.: helpful) character traits that a person can have. Write 3 NEGATIVE (i.e.: jealousy)character traits a person can have. What would be 2 positive character traits you would describe for yourself. What would be ONE negative character trait you would describe for yourself. What are 3 character traits that you would give to someone that is an aviator such as Lindbergh, Earhart, Coleman, Orville/Wilbur Wright? 

Links:

Visit the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: https://airandspace.si.edu 

Wright Brothers' National Memorial: http://www.outerbanks.com/wright-brothers-national-memorial.html

Teachers, check out these resources on the History of Flight.

     1. Wright Brothers( A Webquest): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Wright-Brothers-and-the-AirplaneA-WebquestExtension-Activities-628501

2. Bessie Coleman( Reader’s Theater Script): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bessie-Coleman-AviatorReaders-Theater-Script-1687487

3. Amelia Earhart (Reader’s Theater Script): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Amelia-EarhartBiographical-PlayTo-Tell-the-Truth-Play-348663

Note: Photograph from Gail Hennessey(Wright Brothers' National Memorial)

World Elephant Day is August 12th: Possible Interactive Notebook Activity

ELEPHANT FUN FACTS! 

by

Gail Skroback Hennessey

World Elephant Day is August 12th and April 16th is Save the Elephant Day

Did You Know?

If you'd like this Possible Interactive Notebook download, go to this link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Elephant-Fun-Facts-Possible-Interactive-Notebook-Activity-1793743

Sadly, the Wildlife Conservation Society says that 96 elephants are killed EVERY day in Africa!

1. Did you know that elephants can be right or left tusked, similar to how humans are with their hands? Which are you?__________________________

2. Elephants will quickly wave their ears, twirl their trunks and blowing dirt when they are ___________________.

3. The elephant has the largest brain of the animal world. They are very intelligent! 

4. Elephants can show many emotions including joy, anger, playfulness and grief with the death of a family member

5. Surprisingly, peanuts are NOT a favorite food of elephants.

6. The world’s largest LAND mammal, elephants eat about 300-600 pounds of food every day. They are herbivores, non-meat eaters.

7. Elephants live in families with females being the head of the heard(called a matriarch). There can be as few as 8 or as many as 100 in a group.

8. Did you know the elephant can use its trunk as a “snorkel” making it possible to swim in deep water.

9. In the last 100 years, the number of  Asian elephants in the wild have declined by about 90%. What are TWO reasons for the declining numbers of elephants in the wild?_______________________  and ________________________________

10. Elephant throw dirt/mud onto their backs in the hot sun. Why do you think this is done?___________________________________

11. Did you know that ever 15 minutes a poacher kills an African elephant?

12. Of the two, Asia and African, there are much less Asia elephants left in the wild.

13. Elephants make a sub-sonic rumble sound to communicate over long distances. The feet and trunks are very sensitive and other elephants can feel the sound being sent over the ground.

14. The word, jumbo, comes from the circus animal by that name. It means “large” or “huge”.

15. Elephants walk on average about 4 mph but can actual run up to 24 miles per hour!

16. The skin of an elephant is about 1 inch thick. Look around and find something that is about 1 inch thick._______________________________

17. An elephant tusk can be as long as 10 ft. and weigh over 200 pounds.

18. Elephants are one of the few animals that can recognize itself in the mirror.

19. There are 40,000 muscles, but no bones in an elephant’s trunk.

20. Did you know that an elephant tooth can weigh up to 12 pounds? 

Which three facts did you find the most interesting to learn about and why?_____________________. _____________________  ___________________________

Teacher Page:

Extension Activities to Use with Your Students:

* Have students write a letter to a parent, grandparent, etc. to spread the word of the dwindling number of elephants. Include 3 facts about the elephant in the letter.

* Draw a picture of an elephant. Write 3 facts about elephants on the picture.

* Adopt an elephant project: http://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/African-Elephant.aspx?sc=AWY1500WCM18&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Adopt%20-%20Elephant&utm_term=adopt%20a%20elephant  ( WWF) or https://secure.defenders.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=wagc_elephant

* Write a poem about an elephant using all the letters in the word, elephant, or write a haiku.

* Read a story about elephants. https://www.peacecorps.gov/educators/resources/story-blind-men-and-elephant/. The Blind Men and the Elephant.  Discuss summary writing and have students write a summary of the story.

* Write three facts from this site about elephants: https://www.ducksters.com/animals/elephant.php

Links for teachers to share with students:

http://www.childrenhelpingelephants.org

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/nature/angels-help-elephants/ Children’s efforts to stop ivory and destroy stockpiles of Ivory in Hong Kong

Check out my web quest on Elephants:https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/ElephantsOn-SafariA-Webquest-610125

Note:
If you see an elephant quickly move its ears, throw dirt and twirl  its trunk, it is angry!
Elephants are dwindling because of the destruction of their habitats and for their ivory tusks.
Elephants apply dirt/mud on their backs in the sun to prevent sunburn!


Gail

I also have web quests on the Rhino, Polar Bear and the Leopard.

*Photograph from WPclipart.com