U.S. Treasury to Place a Woman's portrait on the Ten Dollar Bill!

Do you know who is on a ten dollar bill? If you answered Alexander Hamilton, you are correct...for now. The U.S. Treasury has announced that there will be a change coming in 2020. A woman's face will be featured on the ten dollar bill!  The year, 2020, is the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote.

An organization has been petitioning the U.S. Treasury to place a woman's face on the twenty dollar bill for this 100th anniversary. Currently, President Andrew Jackson is on the twenty dollar bill. Due to Jackson's treatment of Native Americans, this particular bill was suggested for the change. An online vote asking people which woman they'd like to see selected, picked Harriet Tubman.

The U.S. Treasury will begin asking people which woman they'd like to see on the new ten dollar bill. 

Trivia: Did you know that the last woman to be on a U.S.paper currency was Martha Washington?
THIRTEEN other countries already have a woman on their paper currency. See this list: http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2015/06/18/11-countries-that-beat-america-to-putting-a-woman-on-paper-currency/

 Suggestions

1. Have small groups Name 10 famous women in U.S. History. Regroup and list the 3 most named.

2. By law, a person must not be living to be selected for selection for U.S. Currency.What would be 3 characteristics you would use for your selection?

3. Who would be your selection and why?

Personally, I would select Eleanor Roosevelt.

Born into wealth, advice from her dad helped shaped the person she became. He told her after reading the story, The Ugly Duckling, “We mustn’t spend too much time thinking about ourselves. We must think about other people, too."  This is what Eleanor did all her life! I remember reading a story about how as a young girl,while visiting Italy with her family, went for a donkey ride. When she noticed the young boy guiding the donkey had no shoes, she showed kindness by letting HIM ride the donkey! 

When her husband,Franklin Roosevelt contracted polio and was confined to a wheelchair, Eleanor became the yes, ears and legs for her husband. Eleanor traveled the country, returning with information that helped shape the policies of her husband’s 12 years in the White House. Eleanor also showed her bravery by traveled to visit troops during World War 2.

When asked the 3 most important things for happiness,Eleanor replied, "A feeling that you have been honest with yourself and those around you; a feeling that you have done the best you could in your personal life and in your work; and the ability to love others.”

She strongly believed that  “freedom must be universal and all men must be assured that there will be respect for the individual human being, regardless of his race, his creed, or his color”. Civil Rights were very important concern to Eleanor. In fact, she caused quite a commotion when on March 29,1941, she  went for a ride with a pilot,one of the Tuskegee Airmen. It is hard to believe today but at the time, many people didn’t think African Americans could safely fly aircrafts. She wanted to change that perception…and helped to do so.   She also resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution, when in 1939, the group refused permission for African American singer, Marian Anderson, to perform at Constitution Hall.  Eleanor then organized a performance at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, attended by over 75,000 people!

Called a  humanitarian , she worked at the  newly formed  UN after her husband  died. The organization  stood for a moment of  silence  in her honor at her death in 1962 . President Truman call Eleanor Roosevelt, the  “First Lady of the World.”

In my opinion, Eleanor would be a great choice for the new ten dollar bill.

Gail

I have a fun/informative play on Eleanor Roosevelt:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Eleanor-Roosevelt-A-Biographical-PlayTo-Tell-the-Truth-Play-590590

National Library Day is April 15th and Library of Congress Day is April 24th!

National Library Day is April 15th and Library of Congress Day is April 24th!

2/3 of all Americans have a library card. If you don't have a library card...this would be a great time of year to get one.  And, what's great about a library card... it's  FREE! 

Fun Facts to Share with Kids:

1. The word "library" comes from the word librarie, meaning "a collection of books". The Anglo-French word comes from an earlier Latin word, librariaum ,meaning "chest of books"

2.The first lending library was established by Ben Franklin, in 1731.

3. The first bookmobile was in operation, in 1857, England.

4. St. Catherine's Monastery's Library(in Sinai, Egypt) is said to be the oldest continually run library in the world. It was constructed in 6th century. Only monks and  scholars can use it.

5. The oldest continually run public library is The Library of Paris(Bibliotheque de Paris), in Paris, France. It dates back to 1368.

6. A Greek, Zenodotus, is considered the first known librarian in history.  He worked at the Library of Alexandria, Egypt.

7. The Library of Congress, in the USA,is the world's largest library.

8.The largest book find ever owed was  $345.14(two cents a day). A book of poetry was checked out in 1955 and found in a home 47 years later!

9. The most expensive book ever sold is the Codex Leicester, by Leonardo da Vinci. It was purchased by Bill Gates, in 1994, for $30.8 million!!!! dollars.

10. Each year, the main library ,at Indiana University, sinks about one inch from the weight of all the books! 

11. The world’s first library was built by Ashurbanipal(668-627BC) in Assyria.
12.The Epic of Gilgamesh is considered the oldest written story. It comes from the people of Mesopotamia ,telling the adventures of the King of Uruk( @2750-2500 BC). 

Extension Activities:

1. See photographs of some of the most beautiful libraries in the world: http://www.miragebookmark.ch/most-interesting-libraries.htm  Pretend you are visiting one of these libraries. What do you see? How do you feel?What might you be reading?

2. Write a paragraph explaining what you think of one of these quotes:

     " Reading makes all other learning possible. We have to get books into our children's hands early and often." President Barack Obama

     "Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation." American Broadcast journalist, Walter Cronkite.

     "There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island." Walt Disney
     " A book is like a garden, carried in the pocket." Chinese Proverb
3. Write a persuasive paragraph explaining why someone should have a library card.

4. Write a poem about a library.

5. Check out my informative web quest on the Library of Congress, our nation’s library! Are you a bibliophile(someone that loves books)? The Library of Congress, called our Nation's Library has over 33 million books. There are also over 12.5 million photographs and 6 million pieces of sheet music! Learn more about the Nation's Library with this fun and informative webquest.

  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Library-of-Congress-Explore-Our-Nations-LibraryWebquest-604584

Links:

http://www.against-the-grain.com/2011/06/five-fun-facts-you-may-not-know-about-libraries/

http://libraryoutsourcing.com/10-interesting-facts-libraries/

The National Week of the Ocean is Coming! Share these Fun Ocean Facts

Exploring the Ocean Blue: 

National Week of the Oceans is March 29-April 4, 2015

Share these fun facts with your students!

Coral has been used to repair bones in humans!http://www.thekidswindow.co.uk/News/Ocean_Life.htm

Blue Whales can weigh as much as 30 elephants and are as long as three Greyhound buses! It’s heart is about the size of a Volkswagen!(http://marinebio.org/MarineBio/Facts/index.asp )

Basket Starfish has the most arms of any sea life... 80,000!

The highest wave ever record hit near Lituya Glacier in Alaska in 1958. It was 1740 ft. high!

Wondering how many marine species exist? According to World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) at least 212,906!(http://marinebio.org/MarineBio/Facts/index.asp)

Scientists say the jellyfish is older than the dinosaurs dating back at least 650 million years ago! 

Did you know that a dolphin sleeps with one eye open and with only half its brain.

The highest tides occur in the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia,Canada, reaching 53 ft. high!(http://www.buzzle.com/articles/ocean-facts.html )

The Ring of Fire located in the Pacific Ocean is the largest zone of active volcanoes on the sea floor... About 1133 of them!

20, 500, 2000, there are 25,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean!

On April 17, 2013, a bottle  washed up on the shores of a beach in the country of Croatia. It had been thrown into the sea in Nova Scotia, Canada....4000 miles away! Scientists say it probably traveled 5x that in its 28 years at sea!

Great Britain(2013) is building the world’s largest wave farm. It will power about 30,000 homes.

A fish thought be be extinct for 60 million years was caught alive by fisherman off the southern coast of Africa in 1938. Called a coelacanth, the fish has been around for 300 million years.(http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/facts-about-atlantic-ocean-3522.html)

If you measure the tallest mountain from the sea floor up, Mt. Everest isn’t the record holder.! The highest mountain would be Mauna Kea, in Hawaii. It is 33,474 ft from the ocean floor but only 13, 680 ft. above sea level.

Need light? An electric eels can make enough electricity to run about 10 light bulbs!

The longest mountain range on Earth is found in the Atlantic Ocean,  from Antarctica to Iceland!

There is so much salt in the ocean that all the salt  was dried and collect, it would cover all the continents with 5 ft. of salt! http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/OCEAN_PLANET/HTML/education_oceanographic_facts.html

There is enough gold in the world’s oceans for each person on the planet to have almost nine pounds of gold!http://www.buzzle.com/articles/oceanography-facts.html

You can see the world’s largest reef, the Great Barrier Reef,in Australia,(1616 miles long) from outer space!http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/earth/greatbarrierreef.html

The earth has an estimated 315,000 miles of coastlines...that’s enough miles to go  12 times around the Equator!http://fun.yukozimo.com/facts-about-the-ocean/

Extension Activities:

Have kids illustrate/color a fact about the ocean.

Pretend to be a fish and tell about a day in your life. Use 3 facts about the ocean in your story.

Ocean Resource:Looking for an activity to use with your students? Check out my Exploring the Ocean Blue: A Webquest. There are 9 informative web  questions, Fun Facts, comprehension questions, extension activities and links. Skills include reading for information and using research/computer skills.

Click Here:https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Oceans-Exploring-the-Ocean-Blue-A-WebquestExtension-Activities-705943

Gail

Group Hopes to Change the Face on a Twenty Dollar Bill

Use the news to develop short activities for the beginning of the class or if there is time at the end of a class.

Possible Bell Ringer Activity I'd like to Share.

       In 2020, it will be the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment, giving women in the United States the right to vote. A group think that this would be a great opportunity to have a woman's image placed on the twenty dollar bill by this anniversary date.

Currently, Andrew Jackson's portrait is found on a $20 bill. With Jackson's policies towards Native Americans, especially the forced movement from their lands(called the Trail of Tears),with the Indian Removal Act of 1930, it is this bill's image, which Women on $20s seek to change.

The group is asking people to vote on one of fifteen women,including Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony and Eleanor Roosevelt, to be considered, as a replacement. There is also a petition asking the President to recommend that the US Treasury make such a change.

And, if you are wondering, Sacagawea, is currently honored on a dollar coin. Previously, there was a Susan B. Anthony dollar coin and Helen Keller's image can be found on one side of the 2003 Alabama quarter.

     Click here to learn more and vote on your selection for the woman you'd like to see honored: http://www.womenon20s.org/candidates

Questions
      Which woman might you wish to see honored on a $20 bill? Why?
       Is there a woman who you'd like to see considered who is not on this list?
       Read about the Trail of Tears and write a summary. Do you think Andrew Jackson should be honored on the $20 bill?Why,why not.
        http://www.ducksters.com/history/native_americans/trail_of_tears.php
  

Great short activity to use during Women's History Month! Students could also do a mini-research on one of the 15 suggested candidates and,then share with the class why they believe their candidate deserves to be selected on a $20 bill.

Gail
Check out my Reader's Theater Script on Eleanor Roosevelt: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Eleanor-Roosevelt-A-Biographical-PlayTo-Tell-the-Truth-Play-590590

Check out my Women's History Month web quest:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Womens-History-Month-Webquest-501023

World Book Day is March 5th

World Book Day!

Did you know that March 5th is World Book Day?  The day was established 17 years ago and was designated by UNESCO, as a worldwide celebration of reading books.  Over 100 countries participate World Book Day as a way to share the joy of reading books.

Personally, I love to read. Books are a way to visit the Taj Mahal, the pyramids, climb Mt. Everest, travel back through history or rocket into the future, all without living home.  

To, me, the public library was an awesome idea. Just think, before a library, you had to purchase anything you wanted to read,limiting assess to those that couldn’t afford to make such a purchase.

I was saddened to read that according to a  2014 study, posted at Buzzfeed.com, one out of five kids asked said that if a friend found them reading a book, they’d be embarrassed! The study also found that of those kids responding, 54% said they prefer to watch television than read a book. How can we turn such poll numbers around?

I grew up on Nancy Drew books, I eagerly awaited the next published adventure of Nancy and her friends. I read biographies on women including Amelia Earhart, Clara Barton, Florence Nightingale, Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony and more.  Kids need to see the wonderful world of books.  Perhaps, the next time you need to get gifts for your child, niece or nephew, include a book as one of you gifts. 

Whether you read traditional books that you can hold in your hand or ebooks, it doesn’t matter, just grab a book and read!

Book Facts:

1. Did you know that the Chinese invented paper around 105 AD?

2. Each second, 57 books are sold. Someone figured that in one day, you’d need 78 miles of book shelving to store that amount of books.http://infactcollaborative.com/things/book-facts.html 

3. Each year, the main library at Indiana University sinks about one inch from the weight of all the books!

http://www.strange-facts.info/interesting-facts-about-books

4. Roald Dahl, author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,worked as a boy, at Cadbury, as a chocolate taste tested! Shows you never know how your childhood may shape what you do as an adult! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/oliver-tearle/fascinating-literary-facts_b_4368760.html

5. A new book by Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr.  Seuss, was recently found. Called “What Pet Should I Get?”, the book will be published some time in 2015.

6. Another fun fact about Dr. Seuss, he was challenged to write a book using only 50 words. The result, “Green Eggs and Ham”. Here are the 50 words he used: a, am, and, anywhere, are, be, boat, box, car, could, dark, do, eat, eggs, fox, goat, good, green, ham, here, house, I, if, in, let, like, may, me, mouse, not, on, or, rain, Sam, say, see, so, thank, that, the, them, there, they, train, tree, try, will, with, would, you.

7. Ever read, Where the Wild Things Are, written by Maurice Sendak? He originally wanted the book to be called Where the Wild Horses Are, but couldn’t draw horses and told his editor, he could draw…things.

8. The author of Frankenstein was Mary Shelley. The monster was NOT Frankenstein, he had no name. Frankenstein was the scientist who created the monster.

9.  The author of  Alice in Wonderland ,Lewis Carroll, is credited with introducing 21 made-up words to the Oxford English Dictionary. https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/top10facts/388572/Top-10-facts-about-children-s-books

10. Someone calculated that Charles Dickens used 4.6 million different words in his writings. Also, a new treat, the lollypop was featured in a couple of Dicken’s books.

11. Books helped to build a road! 2.5 million books were shredded and added to the road asphalt for part of the M6 road in England.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/qi/10174462/QI-some-quite-interesting-facts-about-books.html

12. The world’s first library was built by Ashurbanipal(668-627BC) in Assyria

13. In 2012,  998 people, in Sydney, Australia, set a record for the most people balancing books on their head!

14. Sadly, worldwide, 1 in 5 adults can not read or write.(as of 2014) http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/top10facts/508275/Top-10-facts-about-books

15.Did you know that people in the country of India  take the title for the most reading done each week? On average 10.7 hours a week is spent reading.  http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/top10facts/508275/Top-10-facts-about-books

16. The Epic of Gilgamesh is considered the oldest written story. It comes from the people of Mesopotamia , telling the adventures of the King of Uruk( @2750-2500 BC).

17 The first book printed on the printing press was the Bible, in 1450.It was done on Johann Gutenberg’s press. The Bible is also  the largest-selling non-fiction book in the world!

18. A library in Charleston,m South Caroline, opened its doors in 1698, making it the first public  library in the America. http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0932506.html

19. As of  2014, the handwritten,The Codex Leicester, by Leonardo da Vinci, which sold for a whopping $49.4 million dollars,in 1994, is still the most expensive book ever sold. The buyer…Bill Gates.

20. According to the Pew Research Center, 1 out of 4 Americans said they didn’t read even ONE book in the past year! http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/23/opinion/blow-reading-books-is-fundamental.html?_r=0

Quotes about Reading and Books:

“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.”  Richard Steele

"To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark."  Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

"There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island."  Walt Disney  

“ A book is like a garden, carried in the pocket." Chinese Proverb

"The things I want to know are in books. My best friend is the man who'll get me a book I [haven't] read." Abraham Lincoln

 “A house without books is like a room without windows.” Heinrich Mann

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." Dr. Seuss

"Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers." Harry S Truman 

Extensions:

Each child should have a library card. As educators, ask your students if they own a library card and if,not, try and encourage them to get one.

Illustrate one of the quotes.

Which quote do you like the best and why? Write a paragraph explaining what you think your favorite quote means.

Note: Source of study: http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/utterly-disappointing-facts-about-books#.krLXka6XD

Clipart from: wpclipart.com

Check out my web quest on the Library of Congress, our Nation's Library! The Library of Congress, our Nation's Library has over 33 million books. There are also over 12.5 million photographs and 6 million pieces of sheet music! Learn more about the Nation's Library with informative webquest.(Grades 4/ up) Great informational text/research skill activity!   https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Library-of-Congress-Explore-Our-Nations-LibraryWebquest-604584

Black History Month: Fun Facts

Black History Month:

Dr. Carter G. Woodson, organized a two week period in February,in 1926, to highlight contributions of African Americans. In 1976, the month of February was established as Black History Month.

The month of February was selected as it was the month in which both Frederick Douglass(abolitionist) and Abraham Lincoln (Emancipation Proclamation)were born.  Black History Month is also celebrated in Canada in February and in October in Great Britain.

Did You Know?

Dr. Carter G. Woodson once said,” It is never too late to learn.”  Personally, I love this quote!

The first African American invited to the White House(by President Theodore Roosevelt) was Booker T. Washington. The educator was also the first African American to be honored on a U.S. postage stamp.

Dr. Mae C. Jemison, was the first African American female astronaut. She went into space in 1992.

Guion Bluford, was the first American American to travel into space.

In 1821,Thomas L. Jennings, was the first African American to receive a patent for an invention.(dry cleaning process)

George Washington Carver found developed 300 products from the peanut, 118 from the sweet potato and 75 for the pecan! 

The first American American to be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court was Thurgood Marshall in 1967.

The first African American elected to the U.S. Senate was Hiram Rhodes Revels.( 1870-1871)

Bessie Coleman was the first American American woman to get a pilot’s license and the first American to hold an international pilot’s license.

Olympian Jesse Owns broke 4 world records for track and field, at the 1936 Berlin. 

In 1909, Mathew A. Henson and Robert E. Peary made the first successful expedition to the North Pole.(for the USA).

In 1940,Dr. Charles Drew found a way to preserve blood and started the first blood bank.

Garrett Morgan invented a traffic light and a gas mask.

Ralph J. Bunche, in 1950, was the first African American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, for his efforts to mediate an  Arab-Israeli truce.

Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play for a Major League Baseball team.

In the 18th century, astronomer and inventor, Benjamin Banneker, helped design Washington, DC.

During WW 2, the first African American pilot group were the Tuskegee Airmen.

Basketball great, Bill Russell, was the first black coach for a NBA team.

Links:

Play the Find the Face game: http://pbskids.org/aaworld/face.html

Learn about the Tuskegee Airman: http://www.timeforkids.com/news/flying-high/26571

Check out my twelve fact-packed Black History Month Webquest/Extension Activities: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Black-History-Month-WebquestResources-491555

Read my Reader’s Theater Script on Bessie Coleman: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bessie-Coleman-AviatorReaders-Theater-Script-1687487

Check out my fact-packed Webquest on Martin Luther King/Extension Activities: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Martin-Luther-King-A-Webquest-484492

From Appleseed Magazine.

Illustration from: publicdomainclip-art.blogspot.com

Did You Know? Fun Presidential Trivia to Share for Presidents' Day!

Presidents’ Day is coming:

Share some fun facts about our Presidents:

Did You know that President John Quincy Adams had a pet alligator?

President Martin Van Buren had two tiger cubs. 

President George W Bush(first term) and Benjamin Harrison were two presidents elected without the majority of the people( they had the most electoral votes but not the most popular votes).

President McKinley's pet parrot could whistle, "Yankee Doodle”. 

Did you know that President Franklin D. Roosevelt served HOT DOGS to the King of England? 

Did you know that President Garfield could write with both his right and left hand at the SAME time?

The teddy bear is named for President Theodore Roosevelt.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the only president elected to FOUR terms in office.

President George Washington was a spelunker(someone that likes to search inside caves).

President Ronald Reagan had jelly beans on his desk in the oval office.

President William Henry Harrison was only president for 31 DAYS!

President John Quincy Adams was known to swim naked in the Potomac River.

President Grover Cleveland was elected President twice but not consecutively. He first served in 1885-1889 and then again, 1893-1897.

President Bill Clinton likes to play the Saxophone. President Ronald Reagan played the harmonica.

Before President Thomas Jefferson started shaking hands with visitors, visitors used to “bow” to the president of the United States!

President George Washington is the only president who did not live in the White House.(It wasn’t built yet)

President Gerald Ford is the only president who was not “elected” by the people of the United States.When President Richard Nixon resigned, as Vice President, he became president.

President Barack Obama likes to eat chili.

President Ulysses S. Grant got a speeding ticket for driving his horse drawn buggy too fast down a street in Washington, D.C. He was charged $20.

President Martin Van Buren is crediting with first using the word, “OK”.

Check out my webquest on Presidential trivia

http://www.gailhennessey.com/index.shtml?presidentcyberhunt.html  FREE

Want another webquest on Presidential Trivia, click here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Presidents-A-Presidential-Webquest-338700

Note:

clipart: openclipart.org