Learn about April Fool's Day!

 

April Fools' Day is Coming!

APRIL FOOLS’ DAY! 

April Fools’ Day is coming. I remember when I was young eager to tell my father that his shoes were untied so he’d look down and I could say,”April Fools' Day”.

I remember kids calling the local zoo and asking for Mr. Peacock(or other resident of the zoo). Whispering to someone that they had a rip in their pants was also a popular thing to say to someone. Gluing a coin to the floor and seeing someone bend down to pick it up was another prank done on April Fools' Day.

 April Fools’ Day is an opportunity to show kids that history is all around us, even holidays such as April Fools’ Day have a history! April Fools' Day is a great opportunity to discuss and identify FAKE NEWS.  It is also a great opportunity to discuss bullying and the difference of doing silly pranks as opposed to mean-spirited or hurtful ones. It’s a day I encouraged students to do an act of kindness for someone else.

READ ABOUT THE HISTORY OF APRIL FOOLS’ DAY

 All Fools’ Day as April 1st was once called, is a custom that came to the American colonies from the French and British. Although the actually start of April Fools’ Day is not certain, many say the day of doing pranks dates back to the 16th century France. At this time, the new year was celebrated on April 1st and not January 1st. When a new calendar, called the Gregorian Calendar, was introduced, the new year fell on January 1st. Without television, radio, internet, etc., and with many people not being able to read, some people didn’t get the news of the new day for ringing in the new year for a couple of years! Other people just refused to change their celebration day for the new year. These people became the joke of others for whom tricks were played. Things done included sending these people on foolish errands, or to try and tell them things which weren’t true. 

The idea of April Fools’ Day soon spread to other countries. In England, pranks are only done in the morning and it’s considered bad luck to attempt an April Fools’ trick on someone after noon time. And, if you are the victim of someone’s joke, you are called a noodle! In India, in addition to pranks, people put colors on each other to celebrate the start of spring. If you go to the country of Portugal, watch for flying flour, which is what people like to throw on April Fools’ Day! In France, people call each other Poisson d’Avril which means April Fish instead of April Fools! Why a fish? That’s because a young fish is thought to be easily caught, not knowing better. A common activity on this day in France is to put a paper fish on someone’s back.

Some famous April Fools’ Day Pranks:

1. A famous April Fools’ Day activity occurred in 1998 when Burger King said they had a new “left-handed Whopper” which had the ketchup, pickles and other condiments on the left side of the bun to help left handed eaters. Many came in to order “left” Whoppers on that day!

2. In 1957, a news show aired a video on a spaghetti harvest in the country of Switzerland. People were pulling strands of spaghetti dangling down from trees. People actually called the news show asking how they could purchase a spaghetti tree!

3. In 1996 the Taco Bell Company said they had bought the famous Liberty Bell and were renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell! Many people called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia, PA, saying they were angry about the sale of the Liberty Bell to a food restaurant!

I have an April Fools' Day resource. In addition to the reading passage on the history of the holiday, there are 15 famous April Fools’ Day pranks. There is also an activity with 8 “What do You Think?(Prank or True). For example: Scientists are working on Smell-O-Vision, televisions that can produce thousands of smells so, for example, if you are watching a cooking show, you may be able to smell the onions!(answer: Once done as a hoax back in 1965, some scientists are currently experimenting with this idea…so true)

There are also 8 comprehension questions and 7 extended activities. Click here:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/April-Fools-Day-ReadingFun-Facts-and-Activities-632947

PS: I have seen April Fool's Day and April Fools' Day. Reference books say that April Fools' Day is more correct.

Use this time to start a discussion on FAKE NEWS: This resource works well with my April Fool's Day Resource: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FAKE-NEWS-Developing-Digital-Critical-Literacy-with-Kids-INA-3074653

More April Fools' Pranks to Share:

Click here for FREE download: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/APRIL-FOOLS-FREEBIEReally-2474186

1. The oldest recorded April Fools’ Day prank may date back to 1698!  People in London, England, were told that lions would be washed in the moat(ditch) around the Tower of London.  Several people went to see the washing of the lion. Arriving at the Tower of London, there were no lions to be seen in the moat getting lathered up with soap. The date of the event: April 1st!

2. Thomas Edison was featured in an April Fools’ Day prank dating back to 1878. The New York Graphic Newspaper announced on its front page that the famed inventor had developed a machine that could take soil and change it into cereal and vegetables. It could also turn water into wine and produce biscuits. No one would ever need to go hungry again. Newspapers around the country announced the invention giving Edison much praise. The invention would change the world! The date of the article said it all…April 1st.

3. People lined the banks of the Arkansas River. in 1906, after the Wichita Daily Eagle’s front page told of a massive wave(11 ft. high) carrying millions of frogs would get to the city of Wichita at exactly 10AM. Said to be 11 miles in length, people waited for hours for the amazing occurrence only to realize that it was an April Fools’ Day prank.

4. In 1974, people living in Sitka, Alaska, were frightened when billows of black smoke rose from Mount Edgecumbe, a dormant volcano.  Could the volcano be erupting?Turns out that someone had brought old tires into the crater and set them on fire as an April Fools’ Day prank.

5. In 2013, people were amazed to hear that Virgin was introducing a glass-bottom airplane!  Imagine, sitting in an airplane and SEEING the clouds beneath your feet. Many people were very excited about this new airplane and took to social media to spread the word. It was an April Fools’ Day prank.

YOUR TURN:

1. Illustrate one of the famous pranks.
2. Write a fake news story
3. Think of an act of kindness you can do.

4. Write 2 facts about the countries of France, England, India and Portugal

Illustrations from: wpclipart.com

Ireland and St. Patrick's Day! A Possible Interactive Notebook Activity

                                    

Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day

Did You Know? 

by

Gail Skroback Hennessey

Click here for this free Interactive Notebook Activity: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ireland-and-St-Patricks-Day-FactoidsInteractive-Notebook-Activity-3004297

1. The National Leprechaun Museum in Dublin, Ireland, is dedicated to the folklore and mythology of Ireland. 

2.  In Irish folklore, there are only male leprechauns. Leprechauns are cobblers(shoemakers) and they usually carry a tiny hammer wherever they go!

3.  Ireland was the very first country in the world to tax plastic bags.(2002) 

4. Muckanaghederdauhaulia is the name for the longest place name in Ireland. 

5.  A burial tomb found near Dublin, Newgrange, may be older than the pyramids of Egypt,and was built about 4000 BC. 

6. The Irish monk, St. Brendan, may have reached North America before Columbus, in the 6th century. 

7.  Halloween has its origins in Ireland. It dates back to Samhain, an Irish festival. 

8. Famous people from Ireland include the lead singer for U2(Bono), Jonathan Swift (author of Gulliver’s Travels), writer C.S. Lewis(Chronicles of Narnia) and poet, William Butler Yeats 

9. Did you know that corned beef and cabbage, a favorite food on St. Patrick’s Day doesn’t have any corn? The term refers to a large type of salt(called “corns”) used to marinate the beef. 

10. Hurling is a very popular sport which originated in Ireland.

11. There are NO snakes in the country of Ireland. 

12. Since the Bronze Age, Ireland has had their own type of Olympics Games. They are called the Tailteann Games. 

13. Leprechaun Day is May 13th.(YES…there is such a day!)

14. The Flag of Ireland has the colors green, white and orange. 

The harp is the musical symbol of Ireland.

15.  The language of Ireland is called Irish(Gaelic). There isn’t a word for “yes” or “no” in Irish.

16. People who visit Blarney Castle, in Ireland, often try to kiss the Blarney Stone. The legend says kissing the stone gives you the gift of being a great speaker. It’s a difficult thing to do as you have to  hang upside down to reach the stone!

17. The first St. Patrick’s Day in the United States was celebrated in the city of Boston, 1737.

18. Ireland is called the Emerald Isle because Ireland has lots of green fertile land.

Your  Turn:

1. Illustrate one of the facts.
2. Write down the 3 most interesting facts you learned.
3. Create a postcard pretending you are visiting Ireland. Include 3 facts in the information you are writing to a friend or relative. Draw/ color a picture to go with your postcard.
4. Would you wish to kiss the Blarney Stone? Why or why not?

Teacher’s Page:

1. Before giving the students the factoid handout, ask the students to share prior knowledge about the country of Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day.

2.  Show the students a map of Ireland: http://www.mapsofworld.com/physical-map/ireland.html  Have students make 4 questions using the map to exchange with another group.

3.Have small groups of students review information on the country of Ireland and share 5 facts with the rest of the class.

4. Learn some Irish: 

A. Phrase: Thank you
Irish: Go raibh maith agat
Pronunciation: Guh row mah aguth (row as in cow)

B. Phrase: You're welcome
Irish: Tá fáilte romhat
Pronunciation: Thaw foil-cheh roath

C. Phrase: Hello
Irish: Dia dhuit
Pronunciation: Djee-ah gwitch

See more at this link: http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/3Focloir/Lessons1.html

5. St. Patrick's Day is coming-a wonderful opportunity to introduce your students to the country of Ireland. Did you know that Ireland is called the Emerald Island because of its green fertile lands? Did you know that the Celtic knot is a very famous symbol of Ireland? Other well know symbols of Ireland include the harp, leprechauns and shamrocks. Learn more about Ireland with my fun and informative web quest on Ireland includes 12 questions and lots of extension activities: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/St-Patricks-Day-Ireland-Webquest-and-Activities-517483

6. Another resource about Ireland to consider:This fun/informative play has Ms. Bie Ografee's guest being McSean, a leprechaun. McSean is asked questions by the studio audience about the country of Ireland and the long Irish folklore about leprechauns. Great for a unit on folk stories/folklore or as an activity around St. Patrick's Day. The play has 11 questioners, a Did You Know? section, comprehension questions, a teacher page with extension activities and links as well as the key: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/LeprechaunsSt-Patricks-DayIreland-A-Readers-Theater-Script-2315668

7. The Green Game: Need a fun activity where kids have to find answers that have the word GREEN in it or are the color GREEN? Great for St. Patrick's Day or for a Friday. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/St-Patricks-Day-The-GREEN-Game-1666115

NOTE: This resource is INCLUDED in my Ireland Webquest/Activity Resource:

8. Test Your Knowledge Challenge Activity. Learn about Ireland and St. Patrick's Day with this 

"Challenge" activity. There are 25 informative/ fun questions where students test their knowledge on Ireland and the history of St. Patrick's Day. A couple of extension activities are included, too. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ireland-and-St-Patricks-Day-Test-Your-Knowledge-Challenge-Activity-9196311

Gail 

Feedback appreciated! 

March is Women's History Month!

  

Women’s History Month(March)

"Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent." 

—Eleanor Roosevelt  

In 1978, a school district in  California, organized a “Women’s History Week”. By 1981, Congress passed a resolution establishing a National Women’s History Week and in 1987, Congress created a month, March, to honor the contributions of women and to promote the teaching of women’s history. 

The following information may be helpful  for Women’s History Month.In 2023, the theme for Women’s History Month is “Women Who Tell Our Stories”. There are many women who have made contributions which have shaped our world.

At one time, women weren’t able to do many things because of their gender. Here are some women trailblazers.  Being the first, made it easier for other women to follow in their footsteps. Every year, new firsts continue to be made by women. Here is just a sampling of firsts made by women.

Check here for the free downloadable version: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Womens-History-Month-FREEBIEpossible-Interactive-Notebook-Activity-2391333

Lucy Brewer

First woman Marine

1812

Elizabeth Blackwell

First woman to receive a medical degree

1849

Amelia Jenks Bloomer

Publisher/editor of first prominent women's rights newspaper

1849

Harriet Tubman

First woman to run underground railroad to help slaves escape

1850

Lucy Hobbs

First woman to graduate from dental school

1866

Arabella Mansfield Babb

First woman admitted to the bar to practice law

1869

Frances Elizabeth Willard

First woman to become a college president (Evanston College)

1871

Victoria Chaflin Woodhull

First woman to be presidential candidate

1872

Helen Magill

First woman to receive a Ph.D. degree (Boston University)

1877

Belva Ann Lockwood

First woman to practice law before U.S. Supreme Court

1879

Clara Barton

Founder of the American Red Cross

1881

Suzanna Madora Salter

First woman mayor (Argonia, Kansas)

1887

Marie Curie

First women to win  a Nobel Prize AND first person awarded TWO Nobel Prizes(as of 2016)

1903 AND 1911

Mary McLeod Bethune

First woman to establish secondary school that became 4-year accredited college

1904

Blanche Scott

First woman to fly an airplane

1910

Jeannette Rankin

First woman U.S. House Representative (Montana)

1917

Bessie Coleman

First African American Female pilot in USA and first AMERICAN to receive an international pilot’s license

1921

Hallie Ferguson

First woman governor of U. S. state (Texas)

1924

Amelia Earhart

First woman to be a passenger on an airplane across the Atlantic Ocean (1928)

and first woman to fly  across the Atlantic Ocean

1932

Jane Addams

First American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize

1931

Hattie Wyatt Caraway

First woman elected to U.S. Senate

1932

Amelia Earhart

First woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean

1932

Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova

First woman to fly in space, aboard Vostok 6

1963

Mary Clarke

First woman to be named major general in U.S. Army

1978

Sandra Day O'Connor

First woman to become a Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court

1981

Sally Kristen Ride

First American woman to reach outer space.

1983

Ann Bancroft

First woman to walk to North Pole

1986

Christa McAuliffe

First woman citizen passenger on a space mission(teacher)

1986

Lt. Col. Eileen Collins

First American woman to pilot a Space Shuttle

1995

Madeleine K. Albright

First woman Secretary of State and highest ranking woman in the U.S. government

1997

Condoleezza Rice

First African-American woman to be appointed Secretary of State

2005

Nancy Pelosi

First woman to become Speaker of the House

2007

Hillary Clinton 

First FIRST LADY to become a senator(from NY).First woman to be in a presidential primary and caucus in every state. She would go on to be the first female candidate for President for a major political party(Democratic Party)

2008/2016

Michelle Obama 

First African American First Lady

2008

Kathryn Bigelow

First woman to win the Best Director Award

2010

Mary Barra 

First female CEO of General Motors

2013

Women 

Allowed to compete in ski jumping events at the Winter Olympics for the first time

2014

Katie Higgins 

First female pilot of the Blue Angels(US Navy Flight demonstration squad)

2014

Megan Brennan

First female United States Postmaster General

2014

Carla Hayden

First woman(and African American woman) to become the 14th Librarian at the Library of Congress

2016

Susan Polgar

First woman in history to achieve the Grandmaster title in chess

2017

Peggy Whitson

Most days spent in space by a NASA astronaut!

2017

Vanessa O'Brien

First woman to successfully summit the 2nd tallest mountain, K2

2017

Gina Haspel

First woman to head the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)as its director

2018

First ALL Women spacewalk

On March 29th, Christina Koch and Anne McClain went outside the ISS and participated in the first all female space walk, part of Women's History Month.
2019

Kathy Sullivan

First woman astronaut to do a space walk AND to go into the deepest trench on Earth.(Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench). She is the only PERSON on the planet to have done BOTH 

2020

Sunniva Sorby and Hilde Falu Strom

First women to solo at the Arctic over a winter without any male team members. They conducted science experiments on climate change and made observations on wildlife. They had to stay several months longer than planned due to Covid pandemic. They returned a couple of months later for the 2021 winter months.

2019-2020

Kamala Harris

First African/South Asian Woman to become Vice President of the United States! 2020

Ketanji Brown Jackson
First Black Woman Supreme Court Justice. 2022

Did You Know? 

During the Revolutionary War, patriotism had no gender. A number of women worked as spies to help the patriots. Agent 355, her name was never identified, referenced a woman in the Culper Spy Ring. During the American Revolutionary War, the Culper Spy Ring was organized to work to defeat the British. Agent 355 and other members of the spy organization were very important in the colonists being victorious in the War for Independence from England. Agent 355 has been called the “hidden daughter of the American Revolution”.  Other women who worked as spies included  Anna Smith Strong, Lydia Darragh, Emily Geiger and Nancy Morgan Hart, Several women also helped fight and others spread the word of approaching British soldiers during the Revolutionary War. Molly Pitcher carried water to soldiers and helped with a cannon during the Battle of Monmouth. Another woman, Deborah Sampson dressed as a male soldier and joined the army. Margaret Corbin and Ann Bailey were two other women how fought in the war as soldiers. Catherine “Kate” Moore Barry is called the “Heroine of the Battle of Cowpens” for her efforts to help the patriots’ victory which was a turning point in the Revolutionary War.

It is estimated that approximately 400-700 WOMEN fought as soldiers during all the major battles of the Civil War including  the Battle of Gettysburg, the First Battle of Bull Run and the  Battle of Shiloh. Since females were not allowed to fight in battles at that time, those women that did become soldiers disguised themselves as men. To disguise themselves, the women had to cut their hair very short, had to wrap fabric to bind their chests and dressed in men’s clothing. The women also used charcoal to make a “pretend” shadow of a beard. Some women wore false mustaches! The learned to walked in a way to not give away their real identity and also adapted a lower voice or not talk very much at all. Some of the women even took up smoking or chewing and spitting tobacco to not cause suspicion. Several women known to have fought as soldiers during the Civil War included Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, Sarah Emma Edmonds, Amy Clarke and Mary Galloway.

During World War 2, women provided a very valuable service as pilots. It was the first time American women would fly military aircraft. The women Air Force Service Pilots(WASPS) flew new planes from factories to military bases such as the B-26s and B-29s. It wasn’t known whether these “superfortress” bombers were even safe. The women also tested planes that had been repaired and determining if they were safe before a male pilot would fly in it! Probably, the most dangerous job was that of towing targets attached to a plane. Using REAL ammunition, soldiers shot at the targets for combat practice. Several WASP actually got shot in their feet when a stray bullet went through the plane.  Names of women pilots during World War4 2 included Jackie Cochran, Cornelia Fort and Margaret Phelan Taylor.

Questions:

1. Are there any areas in which women still have yet to make a contribution?

2.  What are 3 character traits of women who have been trailblazers? What would you list as 3 of your best character traits?

3.  There is a Hispanic Heritage Month, a Native American Month, a Black History Month and a Women’s History Month. Why do you think such months were established? Do you think there is a need for such months to highlight different groups? Why, why not?

4.  If you could interview a woman trailblazer(past or present), who would it be and why? What might be 2 questions you would ask of that person?

5. Illustrate one of the women’s history facts.

For Teachers:

Sites of interest for additional materials:

1.  http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0768462.html   Statues built to honor woman 

2.  http://www.infoplease.com/quizzes/whmadventurers/1.html   Quiz your women’s history knowledge(women adventurers)   http://www.infoplease.com/quizzes/womenleaders/1.html   Quiz your women’s history knowledge (women leaders)

3. Check out the National Women’s Hall of Fame, opened in 1979, in Seneca Falls, NY.    Check out the inductees to the National Women’s Hall of Fame:  https://www.womenofthehall.org/women-of-the-hall/

4.  http://www.historyswomen.com/1stwomen.html Another great source of women past and present 

5.  http://multiculturalkidblogs.com/2015/03/02/womens-history-month-strong-girls-books-for-kids/  Books to recommend

POSSIBLE RESOURCES of INTEREST:

1. Women’s History Month: A Webquest on 15 women that made a difference: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Womens-History-Month-Webquest-501023

2. Women History: A Bundle of TEN  Reader's Theater Scripts on Women in History: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/WOMENS-HISTORY-A-BUNDLE-of-10-READERS-THEATER-SCRIPTS-4409951

3. Readings on TEN Famous Women in History: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Women-in-History-Bundle-of-Ten-Reading-Passages-on-Women-in-History-4409979

4. Check out my web quest on famous First Ladies: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Ladies-of-the-United-States-Wequest-604151

5. Check out my TpT Store for Reader’s Theater Scripts on Famous women in history, science and literature: Susan B.Anthony, Elizabeth Blackwell, Hillary Clinton, Bessie Coleman, Michelle Obama, Edith Bolling Wilson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart,Dolly Madison, Abigail Adams, Florence Harding, Lady Bird Johnson, Sacagawea, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Marian Anderson, Katherine Johnson and Rachel Carson:  I also have a Reader's Theater Script on WW2 Pilots(part of the WASP) and a Reader's Theater Script on Women Soldiers during the Civil War. I also have a Reader's Theater Script on Revolutionary War Female Spies.

A. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/World-War-2-Female-PilotsMembers-of-the-WASP-A-Readers-Theater-Script-4378242

B. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Revolutionary-War-Spies-A-Visit-with-Female-Agent-355Culper-Spy-RingScript-2441726

C. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Revolutionary-War-Heroine-Catherine-Kate-Moore-BarryBattle-of-Cowpens-5899298

D. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Civil-War-Women-SoldiersA-Readers-Theater-Script-6213517?st=8fdefcaa9409dde8252b28be3c5aed48

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Gail-Hennessey

Note: Photographs from wpclipart.com(photograph of Elizabeth Blackwell:public domain)

• Left to right: Harriet Tubman, Amelia Earhart, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Blackwell