Happy Birthday, Mr. Shakespeare(April 23rd)

  

Check out the free downloadable version: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/William-ShakespeareA-Reading-and-Possible-Interactive-Notebook-Activity-2501243

William Shakespeare

In Great Britain, Shakespeare Week is celebrated in the middle of the month of March!

The anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death is April 23rd. It is called National Shakespeare Day. Trinity Church, in Stratford -upon-Avon, where Shakespeare was born rings bells on this day and the mayor of the town leads a procession to the grave of Shakespeare where flowers are placed.

What do YOU know about this world famous writer?

Did You Know?

An estimated 1700 words which we use all the time were first used in the plays of Shakespeare.

Words such as eyeball, hurry, lonely, frugal, majestic and generous are just a few. Shakespeare also used lots of expressions that are common today. Examples include: “Knock,knock, Who’s there?”, “green eyed monster”, “vanish into thin air”, “wild goose chase”, “makes your hair stand on end”, “so-so”, “good riddance”, “tongue tied”, “night owl” and “eaten out of house and home”.

Another interesting fact about Shakespeare you may not know is he is the reason there are millions and millions of starlings in North America! Native to Europe and parts of Asia, the story goes that a person named Eugene Schiffelin really loved the work of Shakespeare. He was called a “bardolator”. He decided to bring the songbird to the United States. In fact, he was part of a group that wanted to bring all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare’s works, to North America, that weren’t native to this continent. The year was 1890. The place was Central Park, in New York City. Schieffelin released 60 starlings in the famous park. Today, there are over 200 million of the birds flying over the skies of North America!

Did you Know?

1.Shakespeare wrote the words found on his tombstone. At the time, it was common to remove buried bones in a cemetery to make room for new bodies. Shakespeare’s tombstone has a curse to anyone who would dare to move his bones. Shakespeare's bones were never moved! See his tomb(and read the curse) located inside the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. http://poetsgraves.co.uk/shakespeare.htm

2. Did you know that pencils were a new invention when Shakespeare was born?
In one of his most famous plays,”Romeo and Juliet”, Shakespeare uses the word love 150 times.

3. It is thought(based on a 17th century portrait of him), that Shakespeare wore a gold hoop in his left ear.

4. During the time of Shakespeare, plays were only performed in the afternoon.

5. Women were not allowed to participate in plays during the time of Shakespeare so all the roles were performed by men.

Your Turn:
1. Illustrate an expression of William Shakespeare. See examples below in 3.  Place three of his expressions into sentences.

2. What are 2 character traits you think a writer needs to have?

3. Select one of the quotes of Shakespeare and illustrate it. Write a short paragraph explaining what you think the quote is saying.
A. "Better three hours too soon than a minute too late."
B. "It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves."
C. " I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you are unarmed."
D. "What's done can't be undone."
E. "Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none."

4. Create a compliment using Shakespeare's words. Go to this link: 

https://folger-main-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2022/08/QuotesScripts_Compliments.pdf

5. See the grave of William Shakespeare and what he had written on it: http://poetsgraves.co.uk/shakespeare.htm Interestingly, recent scans seem to suggest that Shakespeare's skull is missing from his grave! Why do you think someone may have stolen it?

Check out my Reader’s Theater Script on William Shakespeare.  Shakespeare is a guest on a talk show and the studio audience asks questions about his life. Part of my Ms. Bie Ografee's Talk Show Series. Comprehension/Did You Know?section, LOTS of extension activities/links/key. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/William-Shakespeare-A-Readers-Theater-Script-2299401

Note: Other Reader's Theater Scripts on Famous Writers:

1 .Hans Christian Andersen: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hans-Christian-AndersenBiographical-play-To-Tell-the-Truth-Play-348807

2. Charles Dickens: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Charles-Dickens-A-Readers-Theater-Script-3286350 

3. Edgar Allan Poe: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Edgar-Allan-Poe-A-Readers-Theater-Script-4345227

4. Jules Verne:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Jules-VerneA-Readers-Theater-Script-7808900?st=3f2a464b555b39126f0ee602acd6d32d

5. Louisa May Alcott: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Louisa-May-AlcottWriterSuffragette-and-AbolitionistA-Readers-Theater-Script-5290583?st=3591a8b59cacabf1093c0b10e24b9be8

Note: Illustration from wpclipart.com Photograph of Shakespeare’s home was taken by Gail Hennessey

*37 plays are what most believe Shakespeare wrote in his lifetime.

Earth Day 2026

 

Click here for free downloadable version: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/EARTH-DAY-FREEBIE-Possible-Interactive-Notebook-Activity-2466543

PLANET EARTH:

FUN FACTS

by

Gail Skroback Hennessey

Did You Know?

1. Scientists say that it takes about 500 years for plastic to decompose.

2. The Ring of Fire located in the Pacific Ocean is the largest zone of active volcanoes. 75% of the world’s volcanoes are here!

3. There is enough salt in the oceans that if you could collect all of it and spread it, it would cover all the continents in 5 ft. (1.5m) of salt.

4. Scientists say the earth travels at 66,700 mph through space or 18.5 miles per second!

5. The name "Earth" is the only planet named for an Angle Saxon word("erda") and not from Greek or Roman mythology.

6. In 1961, the first man in space, Russian Yuri Gagarin, was the first to call Earth, “the Blue Planet”.

7. Scientists say that the average person makes about four pounds(1.8kg) of garbage every day!

8. Did you know you are heavier in certain places on Earth? There is less gravity near the coast of India and more gravity in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean.

9. The earth isn’t round. It is an oblate spheroid, or “pear shaped”.

10. It is estimated that the earth weighs about 6, 588,000,000,000 million tons.

11. 25,000,000 plastic bottles are thrown away every hour in the United States. You read correctly!

12. Don’t throw away the tinfoil of a Hershey’s Kiss. About 133 sq. miles of tinfoil are used to wrap 20,000,000 of the sweet treats every day!

13. Yellowstone National Park, was the world’s first national park. It was established in 1872.

14. The Peace Bell, rung at the United Nations every Earth Day, was made from coins collected by kids in Japan to promote peace on Earth.

15. Scientists say that the jellyfish is older than the dinosaur and dates back at least 650 million years.

16. One recycled aluminum can saves enough energy for a television to run for three hours.

17. Scientists say there are more living organisms in just ONE tablespoon of soil than all the people living on the earth(and that’s over 7.4 billion people)

18. One inch of topsoil, the very most fertile layer of soil, takes over 500 years to create.

19. Seen from outer space, the Great Barrier Reef(off the coast of Queensland, Australia), is called the “single largest animal being of the world”.

20. Mt. Trashmore, in Virginia Beach,VA, is a hill 60 ft(18 m high) 800 ft, long( 240m) made from trash.(That’s why it’s called Mt. Trashmore!)

TEACHER PAGE:

Extension Activities:

1. Illustrate one of the Did You Know? facts.

2. Have kids select a photograph of the earth from space and write a paragraph as to what they see. 

http://www.wired.com/2014/12/nasa-best-earth-from-space-2014/#slide-6

3. Discuss Haiku(3 line poem with 5-7-5 syllable pattern). Write a Haiku about Earth day or something about the earth(trees, ocean, river, trash, etc.)

Links for teachers: 

http://www.fun-interesting-facts.com/interesting_facts_about_earth.html 

http://www.softschools.com/facts/holidays/earth_day_facts/156/

http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/ very cool! See the world population continue to grow every second!

Check out these resources:

1. NOT JUST FOR EARTH DAY.Learn about the history of Earth Day and, our planet, EARTH, with this informative web quest. There are 15 web questions as well as comprehension questions and a Did You Know? fun fact section. The teacher page includes extension activities, the key, and additional links. Great for a Friday activity! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Earth-DayWebquest-on-the-Blue-Planet-1790891

2. Learn about Mt. Everest, Nepal and the Yeti with this fun web quest! Activities,interesting facts and comprehension review,too.Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills. 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mt-Everest-Trekking-up-Mt-Everest-WebquestExtension-Activities-649400

3. Learn lots of fun facts with this Exploring the Ocean Blue: A Web quest.There are 9 informative web questions. Fun Facts, comprehension questions,extension activities,links.Use as part of a unit on oceans,a Friday activity for a Friday or before a vacation.Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills. 

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

4. Studying the ocean? Looking for a resource for Earth Day or World Ocean Day? Introduce your students to Jacques Cousteau with this informative Reader's Theater Script. Oceanographer, photographer, scientist, inventor, writer and filmmaker, Cousteau spent his life studying the oceans and the marine life that lived in the oceans. Part of Ms. Bie Ografee Talk Show Series(extensions/comprehension questions, Did You Know?, key) 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Jacques-Cousteau-A-Readers-Theater-Script-2458467

5. Antarctica! Geographical web quest which introduces kids to the continent of Antarctica. There are 10 web quests(with lots of information in the questions), 14 Did You Know? facts, comprehension questions(including several "thought question"), a teacher page with a number of extension activities, additional links and key. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Antarctica-A-Webquest-2389374

6. Geographical web quest which introduces kids to the region of the Earth known as the Arctic. There are 14 web quests(with lots of information in the questions), Did You Know? facts, comprehension questions(including several "thought question"), a teacher page with a number of extension activities, additional links and key. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Arctic-Learn-about-the-ArcticWebquest-Distance-Learning-2889672

7. Learn about Rachel Carson with this Reader's Theater Script: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rachel-Carson-A-Readers-Theater-Script-3071478?st=09d45b1cfc736fdc8714f0a5b8573474

Jane Goodall Day is April 3rd!

 

April 3rd is Jane Goodall Day!

An English primatologist, Jane helped to change the attitudes people had toward animals, specifically the chimpanzee. Her method of studying chimpanzees involved living amongst them, for over 55 years. She was known as an anthropologist, humanitarian and writer. She worked for better treatment of animals in zoos and protection of the habitat of animals in the wild. Learn some interesting facts about Jane!

Did You Know? 

Events in our childhood can often have an influence on the adult we become. 

* Jane was given a stuffed chimp as a gift at the age of two. She named it Jubilee, the same

name as the chimp recently born at the London Zoo. People worried the stuffed animal would give Jane nightmares. Instead, she was fascinated with the stuffed chimp! Jane had that stuffed chimpanzee her entire life.

 

* Jane  was always interested in creatures of the planet. She was about 2 years old when she found some earthworms and decided to place them in her bed. (Some say she put them under her pillow.) Jane’s mom said that they needed soil to survive and keeping them in her bed would harm them

* Jane showed patience and determination as a girl, important traits for her later career of study chimpanzees. Jane spent days trying to get a pig to

eat apple cores from her hand.She was only about 4 years old. She

didn’t give up until one day, the pig came up to  her and took the apple

cores from her hand. 

* Jane loved to read. She was fascinated with Africa and wildlife. In addition to the book Doctor Doolittle, Jane enjoyed  the Tarzan books.  Tarzan was doing just what she wanted to do, living in Africa among the wild. 

* As an adult, Jane’s observations changed many beliefs held at the time about the chimpanzee.  Jane observed young chimpanzees playing  games such as tug of war with a twig. She recorded chimpanzees bowing  to one another, kissing hands, throwing  rocks. Jane even saw chimps tickling one another! An amazing discovery was that like humans, chimpanzees used tools. This was something not thought to be done by other creatures than humans. Jane observed one chimp, she named David Greybeard (the first chimpanzee to make contact with Jane in her first year at Gombe) and others use long grass and dip it into a termite mound to get food.She also saw chimpanzees chewed grasses and use it as a type of sponge to get water and to clean themselves.

* Jane observed that just like humans there were kind chimpanzees and nasty ones. She witnessed chimpanzees having emotions such as anger, happiness and sadness. 

* Jane wanted to change people’s thoughts about animals. She started

the program, Chimpanzoo, for better treatment of chimpanzees in

captivity. She started a club for kids to learn about wildlife and how they

can help called Roots and Shoots. She also saw the destruction of

habitat of wildlife in Africa and started TACARE, a program to plant over

a million trees.  In 1977, Jane started the Jane Goodall Institute. The

purpose is to educate people about wildlife and the importance of

protecting their habitats.

Quotes of Jane Goodall:

1. “We should have respect for animals because it makes better human

beings of us all.

2. “The greatest danger to our future is apathy. That I did not fail was

due in part to patience.”

3. “The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for

themselves.”

4. “Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every

individual can make a difference.”

Illustrate one of the quotes and write a short paragraph explaining what you think the quote means. 

Check out this resource: Jane Goodall, A Reader’s Theater Script: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Jane-Goodall-A-Readers-Theater-ScriptPlayBiography-4836410 Students will have fun learning about the life of Jane Goodall with my Reader's Theater Script. Part of my Ms. Bie Ografee Talk Show Series, a "studio audience" asks questions of Ms. Bie Ografee's guest, Jane Goodall. In addition to the host and guest, there are 10 audience questioners. There are several DiD You Know? facts, comprehension questions, a map activity as well as a Teacher Page with additional extension activities and the keys.

Illustrations/Photographs from Pixabay

Chatgpt for illustration. The illustrations I generated for you can be used in educational resources, especially for kids, such as worksheets, presentations, posters, or digital content. They’re designed to be friendly, child-appropriate, and informative. 

Iran is in the News. Share with students about the history of this country.

In the News: Iran

 

 

Mapwork: Use the following link to answer the map questions: Map of Iran

1. Name the body of water to the north of Iran.____________

2. What is the name of the mountain range to the west of Iran?

______________________

3. What is the capital city of Iran?________________

4. Name countries that touch the country of Iran:____________ ____________ _____________ ______________

________________ ________________

5. What is the name of the narrow strait between the Persian

Gulf and Gulf of Oman?________________

6. What is the highest mountain in Iran?_______________

7. Name an important desert(a salt desert) in Iran. It is one of the

world’s hottest locations. It means “emptiness plain”.

_________________________

 

 

 

 

 

Did You Know?

1. During ancient times, King Darius the Great built the Royal Road. It stretched about 1700 miles!

2. Did you know that the oldest windmills were found in the country

of Iran(Persia).

3. People in the country of Iran especially like to drink tea.

4. very old civilization, people have lived in this area dating back

to 4000 BC.

5, Girls and boys get separate educations and don’t take classes

together.

6. The world’s largest Persian rug, the size of a soccer field, was

made in 2007.

7. Do you eat “Persian milk”? If you like yogurt, that’s what it is

called in Iran.

8. Hello in Farsi (Persian) is “salam” meaning peace.

 

 

 

Activities:

1. Share with students places to visit in the country of Iran: Have

students research one of the places and write 3-5 facts learned. Iran Facts

2. Read a folk story from the country of Iran(Persia): http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/039.html

3. See Persian writing: 

 Have students try writing a word or phrase in Farsi.

4. Have students learn some Farsi:

Hello(Salam)

Yes( Bale)

No(Na

Thank you(Tashakor)

Please(Lotfan

Goodbye (Haafez)

 

 

CHECK OUT MY WEBQUEST ON IRAN : With Iran in the news, this would be an excellent opportunity to introduce young people to the country of Iran. Included is cultural, historical and current events. There are web questions, a map activity, a Did You Know section? Comprehension/Discussion questions and a teacher page with 8 extension activities and the keys(map questions, web quest and comprehension questions.

Illustrations and photographs from Pixabay

April Fools' Day is Coming! Great Opportunity to Teach Identifying REAL vs FAKE Information

 

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