Tour de France 2025 Starts July 5

   

2025 Tour de France.

In 2025, the Tour de France will begin on July 5-July 27th. The race will start in the city of Lille and end in Paris, France, along the famous Champs-Elysees.This is the first time in a few years, the race will take place ONLY in the country of France. For the first time, the racers will climb Montmartre, in Paris, in the final stage. It’s considered the world's biggest and most exciting bicycling race.  Athletes competing in the race will travel approximately 3320 km ( 2063 miles) during the 23 day race. Each day(called stages), a leader  will be awarded a yellow jersey(or Maillot Jaune in French). In addition to the yellow jersey, there is a polka dot jersey awarded to the best climber(king of the mountains), a white jersey( the best youngest rider) and a green jersey(best sprinter).The Tour de France began in 1903.This year, there are 22 teams of eight riders competing in the Tour de France, a total of 176 riders.

See a map with the 2024 route: https://www.letour.fr/en/overall-route

*Download the free resource here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/TOUR-DE-FRANCE-2023-Interactive-Notebook-Activity-3894291?st=937a613aee7ad4834dc387479518d989

Fun Facts:

Only men compete in the Tour de France.

Approximately, 123,900 calories are burned by each rider in the Tour de France.

42000 water bottles will be used by the racers!

Someone figured out that enough sweat is created from racers competing in the 22 day race, to flush a toilet 39 times!

Riders from France have won the most races!(36 as of 2015)

The Tour de France is also known as "La Grande Boucle". 

Vocabulary word: Peloton, the term for the "pack" of riders.

History of Bicycles...Did You Know? 

As of 2017, Copenhagen, Denmark, is the bike friendly capital of the world. Amsterdam, Netherlands, came in second, with Utrecht, Netherlands, third. Some sources say Utrecht is more bike friendly than Amsterdam.

Some sources say the  invention of the first “bicycle” is credited to Comte Medi De Sivrac, of France. His bike didn’t have any pedals! The year was 1792 and it was called a hobby horse(or celerifere). To move you needed your feet!

Other sources credit Baron Karl von Drais, of Germany, with the Draisine meaning “running machine”.The 1917 human-propelled vehicle didn’t have any pedals.

A bike similar to today’s bike was created by Kirkpatrick Macmillan, from Scotland. The year was 1839. His bicycle had pedals!

The word “bicycle” comes from the French word “bicyclette”. The term became popular in 1868. Previous to this, bicycles were called “velocipedes” meaning “fast foot”.

The Penny-Farthing was a British bicycle that had a large front wheel and a much smaller wheel in the back. The name represented two British coins, the Farthing and the British Penny.

Early bicycles (velocipede) were known as bone shakers by their riders. With wooden wheels inside an iron rim and an iron frame, it was a very bumpy ride!

In 1887, Thomas Stevens became the first person to ride a Penny Farthing around the world!

In 1867, father and son, Pierre and Ernest Michaux, invented the modern bicycle.

Did you know that suffragette, Susan B.Anthony made a comment on the bicycle? She said that the mode of transportation “has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world.” She called the bicycle the “freedom machine.”

In 1896, Margaret Valentine Le Long rode a bicycle from Chicago to San Francisco!

Did you know that before Orville and Wilbur Wright became famous for their flying machine, they owned a bicycle repair shop? It was in their shop, in 1903, that they made their first airplane! It was called the Wright Flyer!

YOUR TURN!

1. Write a diary pretending to be one of the cyclists in the Tour de France. What do you see? Feel? Hear?

2. Do you think women should be allowed to compete with the men's Tour de France? Why or why not?

3. What are 2 character traits of a person that would participate in the Tour de France? 

4. After reading the History of Bicycle facts, why do you think Susan B. Anthony called the bicycle, the “freedom machine”?

5. What are two positive things about riding a bicycle?

6. Learn more about the country of France: https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/geography/countries/facts-about-france/

7. How the bicycle changed the world: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/how-bicycles-transformed-world

8. How bicycles changed the world for women(for teachers): https://jalopnik.com/how-the-bicycle-changed-the-world-for-women-1834087720

9. The impact on women and the bicycle: https://www.womenshistory.org/articles/pedaling-path-freedom

Teacher Page:

Ask students if they have heard of the Tour de France and share any information they may have on the famous race.  Have students locate the country of France on a world map.  

Give the students the handout pages. Have students do one or more of the following activities.

Extension Activities:

1. Try this FREE crossword puzzle on France: http://gailhennessey.com/index.shtml?francepuzzler.html

2. Draw/color a picture of a bicycle. Write a fact learned about the Tour de France on your drawing.

3. Read about the Eiffel Tower, one of France's most famous landmarks: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Eiffel-Tower-Explore-World-Landmarks-773097

4. Learn some fun facts about France: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/countries/france.html

5.Timeline on the history of the bicycle: https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/courses/13things/7083.html. 

6. Check out this webquest on France! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FRANCE-a-Webquest-Part-of-my-Country-in-Focus-Series-11641940

Illustration from:Wpclipart

Juneteenth 2025

 Juneteenth. In 1865, the last enslaved people(in Texas) learned that they were free people. Actually, the Emancipation Proclamation, of 1863, freed the enslaved people in southern states, but those in Texas didn’t learn about their freedom for TWO more years. June and the date, 19th, were joined to create the word,Juneteenth. In 2021, President Biden signed the legislation into law making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

 Photograph from TpT

Check out these resources to learn more about Juneteenth:

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/celebrating-juneteenth

https://historyforkids.org/juneteenth-facts-information-for-kids/

https://www.timeforkids.com/g56/a-juneteenth-celebration/

https://www.kidsplayandcreate.com/juneteenth-facts-for-kids/

Flag Day 2025

                             FLAG DAY 2025 is June 14th

FREE DOWNLOAD: Click Here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Flag-Factoids-8156239

If you check out the 195 world flags, there is a color not found except on TWO world country flags. Did you guess the color purple?  The reason dates back to ancient history when the color purple was very rare and very expensive. The people known as the Phoenicians (present day Lebanon) were credited with making the first purple dye.  The dye, called Tyrian purple, was made by squeezing the gland of a tiny sea creature called the Murex snail , to obtain some of its secretions. It was estimated that over 10,000 snails had to be squeezed just to get a tiny amount of the coloring. For a time, the dye was worth more than a similar amount of gold!  Purple became  highly valued and becoming the color of royalty. In case you wish to check, the two countries with some purple on their flags are Dominica, a tiny island country and Nicaragua. The most popular flag colors include red, white and blue. 

Fun Flag Facts:

1. A vexillologist is someone that studies flags! 

2. Most flags have the colors red and white. 

3. Only Vatican City and the country of Switzerland have square flags.

4. Most world flags are rectangle in shape. The flag of the country of Nepal is the only one which is not rectangular or square in shape.

5. When Sir Edmond Hillary and his Sherpa guide, Tenzing Norgay, summited Mt. Everest, the Union Jack, the flag of Great Britain, was placed.

6.The idea of a National Flag Day,a day to honor our flag, was started by Bernard J. Cigrand, in 1885.  

7. There are currently 6 American flags on the moon.  

8. The country of Bhutan has a white dragon on its flag.

9. “From Old Saxon," Fflaken" , meaning “to fly or to float in the air”, is where the word FLAG originated.

10.The largest American Flag is called the Superflag. It weighs 3000 pounds and is the size of 2.8 football fields.

11. A WHITE flag is the symbol of a truce or ceasefire.

12.The last of the 50 stars represents the state of Hawaii.

Check out this link: https://www.almanac.com/content/flag-day-celebration-american-flag

Extension Activities:

1. https://www.factmonster.com/take-quiz/usflag
Take this Flag quiz

2. Pretend you are an American flag on the moon or in a town, or on a mountain top. What do you hear, see, feel, etc. as you wave in the air? Remember...on the moon, there is no atmosphere so the flag wouldn’t wave!

3. Write a haiku to describe the American flag. A haiku has 3 lines(5-7-5 syllables per line). Use descriptive words. Sentence structure isn’t necessary. To check syllables, place your hand under your chin. Each time the chin drops is a syllable. For example: elephant. Three drops = 3 syllables.

4. Illustrate one of the factoids. Write a sentence to go with your drawing.

5. Read about the history of Flag Day: https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/flag-day. Write a paragraph explaining the history of Flag Day, including 3 facts learned from the reading.

Check out my Flag Webquest!  

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Our-American-Flag-A-Webquest-Extension-Activities-726295

Learn about the History of the Star Spangled Banner and Francis Scott Key:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Francis-Scott-KeyThe-Star-Spangled-BannerA-Webquest-1401231

Gail

World Ocean Day 2025

                                              World Ocean Day, 6/8/2025

Click here for the free worksheet:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/World-Oceans-Day-is-June-8th-Ocean-Fun-FactsInteractive-Notebook-Activity-3815482

Exploring the Ocean Blue: Fun Facts about the oceans of the Earth. Share some of these amazing facts with family and friends!

1. Coral has been used to repair bones in humans!

2. Blue Whales can weigh as much as 30 elephants and are as long as three Greyhound buses! Its heart is about the size of a Volkswagen! 

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

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

5. Wondering how many marine species exist? According to World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), at least 212,906! 

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

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

8. The highest tides occur in the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia,Canada, reaching 53 ft. high!

9. The Ring of Fire located in the Pacific Ocean is the largest zone of active volcanoes on the sea floor. 75% of the world's volcanoes are here!

10. There are 25,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean!

11. 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!

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

13. 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.

14. 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.

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

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

17. There is so much salt in the ocean that if all the salt was dried and collect, it would cover all the continents with 5 ft. of salt!

18. There is enough gold in the world's oceans for each person on the planet to have almost nine pounds of gold!

19. You can see the world's largest reef, the Great Barrier Reef,in Australia,(1616 miles long) from outer space!

20. The earth has an estimated 315,000 miles of coastlines...that's enough miles to go 12 times around the Equator! 

Your Turn:

1. Illustrate one of the factoids. Write a sentence explaining your drawing.

2. What are three reasons the oceans of the world are important to us?

3. Scientists say there are FIVE oceans covering our planet. The Southern Ocean has been added. It is also known as the Antarctic Ocean. Name ONE fact about each of the other 4 oceans.

4. Have you ever visited an ocean?____________ Pretend you are at the ocean. Write a paragraph describing what you see, hear, smell and feel.

5. Why do you think there is a World Ocean Day?

Teachers:
Additional Links of Interest:
http://www.worldoceansday.org

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/earth/oceans.html

https://www.kids-world-travel-guide.com/ocean-facts-for-kids.html

http://www.marine.usf.edu/pjocean/packets/f98/f98u1le1.pdf (lots of information including reasons why oceans are important)

World Oceans Day is June 8th. Learn about the Oceans of the world with this web quest: Exploring the Ocean Blue: A Web quest, will introduce students to our oceans. There are nine informative web questions. Fun Facts, comprehension questions,extension activities and links are also provided as is the key. Can be used as part of a unit on oceans, for Earth Day, World Ocean Day or as an activity for a Friday, before a vacation break or as an end of the year activity. This can be a one day class resource or used for a couple of days depending on whether the activities(creative writing/art work/online simulation games, etc.) are used with the students: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Oceans-Exploring-the-Ocean-Blue-A-WebquestExtension-Activities-705943

I also have a Reader's Theater Script on Jacques Cousteau you may find of interest(part of my Ms. Bie Ografee Talk Show series of plays): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Jacques-Cousteau-A-Readers-Theater-Script-2458467

Photographs from Gail Hennessey(Cannon Beach/Pacific Ocean in Oregon and Cape May, NJ)

End of the Year Activities 2025

   

As you count down to the end of another school year, here are a few resources you may find of interest.  If you are teaching summer school or have children at home and just want some things to keep the learning going during the summer months, these selected resources may be of interest.

Have a wonderful summer and, again, thanks for all the support for my resources this year.

Best,

Gail

I will be updating my website(http://www.gailhennessey.com ) and my blog throughout the summer. Stop by....

Why not try a play on a famous person in science, English literature and history? All plays are also sold separately. 

Famous Writers:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FAMOUS-WRITERS-A-Bundle-of-Resources-7529557?st=0871124c6f0c01d42ed25f68dfb6b4f6

Famous Women in History: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/WOMENS-HISTORY-A-BUNDLE-of-10-READERS-THEATER-SCRIPTS-4409951

Famous People in Science 1: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Trailblazers-in-ScienceFIVE-STEM-Biographical-PlaysBUNDLE-of-RESOURCESPart-2-7618483?st=0c2ec42bf0e224835a99503796f4ede2

Famous People in Science 2: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Trailblazers-in-ScienceSIX-STEM-Biographical-PlaysBUNDLE-of-RESOURCES-2961301?st=0c2ec42bf0e224835a99503796f4ede2

Jules Verne:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Jules-VerneA-Readers-Theater-Script-7808900?st=894468ecd89430e38332f2c8134ba79b

Everything has a  History:

Candy: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Candy-History-of-Candy-WebquestEND-OF-YEAR-ACTIVITY-516787?st=c354c2714cfd10be7993b535242c1fe5

Bundle: Everything has a History: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/History-Everything-has-a-History-A-Bundle-of-Resource-4448553 (each sold individually, too)(History of Pretzels, Shoes, Spring, Peanuts, Soccer, Chewing Gum, Why Study History, Candy)

Landmarks of the world:

1. World Landmarks(Webquest): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/World-Landmarks-WebquestEND-OF-YEAR-ACTIVITY-1516428?st=4465c5d9b4c9a17cfa73cd3c9466774a

2. US Landmarks(Webquest): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/US-LANDMARKS-A-WebquestEND-OF-YEAR-ACTIVITY-1425419?st=3af63008876f619a3c14df01ddaf82b5

Test Your Knowledge Challenges:

1. World Capitals: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/World-Capitals-Test-Your-Knowledge-Challenge-Activity-9253008

2. US Landmarks: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/US-Landmarks-Test-Your-Knowledge-Challenge-Activity-9270184

3. Maps and Geography: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Maps-and-Geography-Test-Your-Knowledge-Challenge-ActivityBack-to-School-9239435

4. Women Trailblazer: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/WOMEN-Trailblazers-Test-your-Knowledge-Challenge-Activity-9195084

Learn about countries of the world: (France is coming by June)

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Countries-of-the-WorldA-Bundle-of-Webquests--4725632?st=db4836f9555e5e9aebe13f2d8f89b508  All sold individually, too.

MATH and STEM Biographies: 

1. Hypathia: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Womens-HistoryHypatiaFirst-Woman-MathematicianReading-4018160?st=cef0c737e6a3d1e56bdb4a408b8e68ee

2. Ada Lovelace: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ada-Lovelace-Woman-MathematicianWorlds-First-Computer-Programmer-7890823?st=831c01a079373b92f1b8124a69047f75

3. Katherine Johnson: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Katherine-Johnson-ScientistThe-Computer-that-Wore-SkirtsPlay-2961216

4. Marie Curie:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Marie-Curie-Scientist-A-Readers-Theater-Script-2494460?st=8eadfa1c7180c652a00a169dbf679dfb

Other Informative and Fun Activities:

1. Explore the Arctic(Webquest): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Arctic-Learn-about-the-ArcticWebquest-END-OF-YEAR-ACTIVITY-2889672?st=770d65a470a61a290c40d91014842be0

2.  Explore Antarctica(Webquest): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Antarctica-A-WebquestEND-OF-YEAR-ACTIVITY-2389374?st=413ddfd31672899926c3692c85fa1410

3. Mummies of the World(Webquest): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/MUMMIES-A-WebquestExtension-Activities-1915946?st=09047d34eade1d717aa89b77c411dafb

World Bee Day is May 20th

 

World Bee Day is May 20th. 

In 2018, the United Nations designated May 20th as World Bee Day.

It is estimated that 75% of the veggies, fruits and nuts in the USA are pollinated by bees! Check here to see some of the foods that are dependent on pollination.  https://bees.techno-science.ca/english/bees/pollination/food-depends-on-bees.php

Here are some helpful links:

Diagram: https://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/insects/bee/Honeybeecoloring.shtml

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4HwyYxm6gU

Short Bee video

https://bees.techno-science.ca/english/bees/pollination/default.php

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9zZ48jJZyk importance of bees

https://www.coolkidfacts.com/bee-facts/

https://worldbeeday.org/en/

DID YOU KNOW?

1.There are approximately 20,000 species of bees.

2. Scientists have found that bees have personalities. Some are shy, some are adventurous!

3. Bees have a navigational system, a type of natural compass which helps them stay on course by using the sun and polarized light.

4.Did you know that a bee’s wing beats about 190-230 times a second?

5. Bees can find “their hive” because each hive has a distinct smell.

6. With two stomachs, a bee places nectar in one and the food it eats in another.

7. Bees are able to recognize faces!

In the News:

Scientists that study viruses(virology) in Netherland have trained about 150 bees, known for their keen sense of smell, to detect the odor of Covid. Using a conditioning technique, the bees received a reward of sugar water when they correctly sniffed out the virus. The trained bees can detect the Covid virus in only a matter of seconds.  Learn more: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9550297/Bees-Netherlands-trained-detect-COVID-19-infections.html

Illustrations from pixabay and Wpclipart.com

*Illustrations from http://www.fao.org/world-bee-day/en/  and WPClipart.com