The International Day of Peace is September 21st.

Children are certainly not seeing the world demonstrating the concept of peace. Is there really anything we can do to foster the concept when our news continually shows just the opposite?

The International Day of Peace is held every year on  September 21st. Also called Peace Day, the first celebration was adopted by the United Nations in 1982. It would be in 2001, that nations of the world established September 21st as International Day of Peace. In 2016, the theme for the  International Day of Peace is “The Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace.”  At the United Nations, in New York City, the Japanese Peace Bell is rung to start the day. Made from coins collected by children from sixty countries,  the Peace Bell has the following words engraved on the bell, “Long live absolute world peace”.  There is a minute of silence at noon(at all time zones around the world).

Possible Activities for the International Day of Peace:

1. The dove is the international symbol of peace. Draw/ color a picture of a dove. Write a statement about the International Day of Peace.

2. Write an acrostic poem using the words PEACE.

3. Have students list some of the places in the world where there is conflict. Locate these places on a world map. Ask the students if they have any prior knowledge about the areas .

4. Alfred Nobel established the Nobel Peace Prize. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/  

Learn about some of the people that have been award recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize. The youngest was teenager, Malala Yousafzai.

5. Make a Peace Pole(“May Peace Prevail on Earth) and place in the lobby of your school.

6. Read Sadako Sasaki and her One Thousand Paper Cranes. Free online book: http://www.storyjumper.com/book/index/15882492/sadako-and-the-thousand-paper-cranes#   Make an origami paper crane.  http://www.origami-fun.com/origami-crane.html

7. Make a pinwheel for peace: http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/dailylp/dailylp/dailylp006.shtml

8. Have students illustrate one of these quotes: Write a short paragraph explaining what they think the quote means.

A. “ Peace begins with a smile. “ Mother Teresa

B. "You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.“ Indira Gandhi

C.  "If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”  Nelson Mandela

D.  "An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”  Mahatma Gandhi

E.  “It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it." Eleanor Roosevelt

F.  "While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.”  Francis of Assisi

G.  “If you want peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.”  Archbishop Tutu

9. Share with kids how to say "PEACE" in many different languages: Write Peace In Different Languages

10 . Check out my Purple Turtle story, Purple Meets Dovey, the Dove: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Purple-Turtle-Stories-Purple-Meets-Dovey-849071

Note: Illustration from wpclipart.com

World Rhino Day is September 22nd 

Possible Interactive Notebook Activity:

FUN FACTS about RHINOS!

A crash is what you call a group of rhino

A Black rhino can run up to 40 mph...on its toes!

About 50 pounds of manure is produced by an adult white rhino EVERY day.

A white rhino isn't really WHITE. It's name comes from an Afrikaans word meaning wide(for its mouth). The word is wyd. White rhinos are really grey.

A black rhino isn't really BLACK. Also a grey/brownish color, it got its name for the dark wet mud that they often have covering their bodies.

Did you know that a rhino is a relative of the zebra, tapirs and horse?

The word, rhinoceros comes from the Greek words-rhino(nose and ceros(horn)

After the elephant, the white rhino is the largest land mammal. A white rhino can weigh up to 5000 pounds. 

Eating only plants, a rhino is a HERBIVORE.

The horn of a rhino is not ivory but keratin, a material found in fingernails.

Rhinos have VERY bad eyesight! They do have great hearing and a great sense of smell.

Rhino have wandered the earth for over 50 million years(and haven't changed much in their appearance)

Did you know that there are 5 species of rhino? (White, Black, Javan, Sumatran, Indian)

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

Ask students why the rhino is endangered. Have students make a list of 10 endangered species. If you can only save 3 on the list, which  would you work to save and why? Make a list of 3 factors that might go into why some creatures might be preferred to be saved over others. Possible answers: "cuteness", reputation, national symbol, if there are other similar species, impact on the environment, etc.

Use a world map and have students locate the areas of the world where rhinos live in the wild. (Rhino can be found in Africa countries including South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Tanzania,Kenya and Uganda. They can be found in  India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma, Nepal and Vietnam. Rhinos are found on the island of Java. There may still be rhino in  Sumatra and Borneo.

Write a Day in the Life of a rhino. What did you do? What did you see? Feel? Smell? 

Read a story about a rhino  http://www.planetozkids.com/oban/legends/rhinoceros-horn.htm

Read an interview with a Rhino ranger/keeper: http://www.animalanswers.co.uk/blog/interview-with-a-rhino-ranger/ and http://www.blankparkzoo.com/index.cfm/18193/7230/5_questions_with_keeper_lou_keeley_all_about_rhinos  Pretend you work with rhinos and write a diary, including 3 facts learned about rhino.

Illustrate one of the Rhino Facts.

Try my webquest on the Rhino: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rhinosaurus-Rotund-Rhinos-A-Webquest-698938

Gail

Photograph from Wpclipart.com 

National Museum of African American History and Culture Opens September 24th

“I, too, am America.” 

by Langston Hughes

A new  eight story museum on the National Mall opens on September 24th and it was 100 years in the making.  Called the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the museum was first discussed back in 1915, when African American Civil War veterans called for a museum to highlight the accomplishments of African Americans.

Congress established such a museum, to be part of the Smithsonian Institution, in 2003.  Groundbreaking for the National Museum of African American History and Culture began in 2012.

The museum, the only national museum dedicated to African American history, shares the history of African Americas from the days of the slave trade through slavery in the United States. The timeline of history includes the struggles of African Americans seeking civil rights and equality and shares the contributions which African Americans have made which have helped shape our nation.

Some of the 36,000 artifacts on display include a slave cabin from the early 1800s and an 1835 bill of sale for a 16 year old African American girl.  On display are the eating utensils used by Harriet Tubman as well as one of her silk shawls and her hymnal.  Visitors can see the train car used during segregation(Jim Crow era) by African American passengers, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Woolworth’s lunch counter stools where four African American students held a sit-in, in 1960, when denied service, is on display. Jazz musician Louis Armstrong’s Selmer Trumpet as well as boxing equipment of Muhammad Ali and the tennis racket used by the first African American to win at  Wimbledon, Althea Gibson, can also be seen.There is also a training biplane used by the Tuskegee airmen during World War and a dress that dressmaker Rosa Parks was sewing on the day she refused to give up her seat after a day at work.

President Barack Obama will be on hand for the grand opening ceremonies.

Photograph from washington.org

Check out these resources: FREE: Possible Interactive Notebook activity: Factoids of contributions of African Americans: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/290482244695480744/ 

Check out this web quest on some of the contributions of African Americans who 

contributed to our country in arts, music,politics, tenchology, civil rights, sports and literature: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Black-History-Month-WebquestResources-491555

Gail

http:www.gailhennessey.com

National Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15-October 15th

National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated each year from September 15-October 15th. It was originally established, in 1969, as Hispanic Heritage Week, by President Lyndon Johnson. In 1988, it became a month long celebration. Some people say we don't really need an Hispanic Heritage Month, A Black History Month, A Women’s History Month, A Native American Heritage Month and other such months to recognize the achievements of groups which have helped to make this nation great.  I believe we do since history books just can’t address all the different accomplishments of all the people that have contributed to making our country what it is today. Here are some interesting facts to share with your students during National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Did You Know?

• Before colonists settled Plymouth Colony, there were people living in St. Augustine, Florida, and Sante Fe, New Mexico.
• Chinese(Mandarin) is spoken by the most people in the world. The second most spoken language is Spanish. A close third is... English.
• The majority of Hispanic people in the United States came from the country of Mexico.
• Pedro Flores was the first to mass-produce the yo yo in the United States.
• in 1989, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen became the first Cuban American to become a member of Congress.
• Learn some Spanish: gracias(Thank you), por favor) (Please)and adios(goodbye)
• Cinco de Mayo(May 5th) is a festive holiday. It celebrates the victory over the French in the Battle of Pueblo(1862). The Mexicans were outnumbered 3-1, yet they won the battle. 
• Have you ever played with a pinata at a birthday party? This is another activity that has its origins in Mexico.  

Check out my webquest, Histanic Heritage Month. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hispanic-Heritage-Month-A-WebquestExtension-Activities-2095906

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

Remembering a Historic Day in History: Wright Brothers Fly over Kitty Hawk, NC!

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.

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.

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?

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?

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 19thm 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. Illustrate one of the facts listed above. Write a sentence of your own explaining the illustrated fact.

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

6. 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)

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