How much do you know about our nation's symbol? Find lots of interesting information on our flag, Flag Day and the Fourth of July with this web quest! Great for a Memorial Day or Flag Day Activity.

1.Philadelphia seamstress and friend of George Washington,Betsy Ross, is credited with making the first flag.Others say that Francis Hopkinson, a congressman, was the person to design the first American Flag. How many versions of the flag have there been to date?________ What was different on the versions of flags?_________________In 1912,which president said that the flags should have a certain pattern?_________Find the answers at this link:http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jun14.html

2. The idea of a National Flag Day,a day to honor our flag, was started by Bernard J. Cigrand, in 1885. Which president proclaimed a national day of recognition of the flag?____________ In 1949,which president established Flag Day to be held each June 14th?__________________ Find the answers at this link: http://www.nationalflagday.com/default.asp

3. Flag Day is celebrated every June 14th. An 18 year old student designed the current design of our flag for a national contest. In fact, he received a B- for his design from his teacher. When Congress approved Robert Heft's flag design his teacher agreed to change the grade to an A! The year was 1958.What are three rules in which a flag must be treated?_________________________________________________________Find the answers at this link: http://www.wereyouwondering.com/10-interesting-facts-about-the-us-flag/

4. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first landed on the moon in 1969, they planted a U.S. Flag. How many American flags are on the moon at this time?___________Name two other countries that also have flags on the moon._________and __________The EU, a group of European countries,also has a flag on the moon.To fold a U.S. flag correctly, in which shape must it be?________________What must show after the flag has been folded?___________Find the answers at this link:http://www.wereyouwondering.com/10-interesting-facts-about-the-us-flag/


*Did you know that most flags have the colors red and white?
*There are 7 red stripes and six white stripes on the American Flag. A red is on the top and bottom.
*The African country of Libya's flag is all green. It is the only flag with no other color or design.
*The shape of most flags is rectangle. The flag of Nepal is the only one that is not rectangular or square in shape.

There are 12 web questions in the complete resource,16 fun facts and 7 extension activities. Click here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Our-American-Flag-A-Webquest-Extension-Activities-726295  The resource is $3.


Note: Illustration from: openclipart.org

Using the News in the Classroom(Bell Ringer)

Barry Clifford,an underwater explorer, says he thinks he's made an amazing discovery. He believes he has found the wreckage of the Santa Maria. Yes, the boat of Christopher Columbus used on his voyage in 1492 to sail "the ocean blue".  The 500 year old ship sank off the coast of the island of Haiti. Resting about 10-15 feet below the surface, it was first discovered in 2003. At the time, there was also 15th century cannon near the wreckage, which has since gone missing. Clifford has used journals from Christopher Columbus to try and get information on sinking of the Santa Maria, on Christmas Day, in 1492. He hopes to bring the ship to the survive in the coming months.

Thought questions:

1. How do you think exploration changed the world in positive ways?  negative ways? 

2. What would be several REAL dangers Columbus and other sailors could face on the seas?  

3.  What were some of the imagined dangers that sailors believed could happen to them on the seas? 

4.What in history might you like to see discovered?

Activities:

1. Draw a sea monster  and state three reasons why you think people believed in sea monsters.

2. Write a diary entry pretending you were a sailor on one of Columbus’s ships and tell about one of your days.

Did You Know:

* Columbus used his knowledge of an eclipse to scare the natives in Jamaica.

* Columbus took tobacco and slaves back to the King and Queen of Spain.

* Columbus brought horses to the new world on his second voyage.

* Columbus believed there were gold digging ants. 

* All crew took an oath to agree with Columbus that he had found Japan and were close to China!

* Columbus noticed natives sleeping a "hammocks". It was an idea that became "beds" aboard sailing ships.

Photograph from news.nationalpost.com    

2014 Global Games: Soccer are coming!

The 2014 Soccer competition will be held this summer. Called the World Cup, the games will take place in the country of Brazil. Use this web quest to learn about the sport of soccer and the country of Brazil.Great end of year activity!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/SOCCERThe-2014-Global-GamesLearn-about-Braziltoo-1232455

VERY exciting News...one of my Purple Turtle stories is now a Cartoon!

I have been writing Purple Turtle stories for over a year for Aadarsh Publishing. The stories center around a purple turtle and his friends. In each story, there is a lesson shared. One of the stories, "Purple and the Cupcakes" was recently made into an animated cartoon. It is hoped that a series of animated cartoons based on the stories is forthcoming.  Check out the cartoon here: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cDbkID-uK3s&feature=youtu.be    The animated cartoon also won an award at the 4th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival in May/2014!

Appreciate any feedback if you view the animated cartoon, "The Case of the Missing Cupcakes."
Email me at geshrwh@hotmail.com

If you'd like to purchase any of the Purple Turtle Ebooks, go here to learn more: http://www.pinterest.com/gailhennessey/writing-for-kids-see-some-of-my-recent-work/

Gail

Replica King Tut Tomb to Open To Help Preserve Real Tomb. What do you think?

Visitors have had negative effects on the famous tomb of KingTutankhamun,discovered in 1922. All the oohs and ahs of visitors as they walk inside the tomb have caused moisture to form onto the tomb's walls and its paintings. Mold is also growing on the walls. Add to this, body heat and electric lighting are also taking a toll. Remember, the tomb was not meant to be a tourist destination but a burial place for Tutankhamun.  Egyptologists think they have come up with a way to help preserve King Tut's tomb...make a replica tomb!  This will be the first such construction in the Middle East.Constructed began in 2009 and used high tech laser scanning and 3 D printers to collect data to create an exact copy of the original tomb. It is hoped that visitors will get a similar experience of  the tomb without actually going into the 3,300 year old tomb. Unlike the "real" tomb where visitors are kept behind a railing, in the replica tomb, visitors will be able to move around and look at things up close.Currently, to protect King Tut's tomb from continued deterioration, only 160 people are allowed inside each week AND there is a three year waiting list! The idea of creating replica structures is not new. In France, few people are allowed into Lascaux Cave. Instead, a replica cave was created for visitors to enter.  The King Tut  replica tomb is expected to open in May.

Question:
*What do you think of this idea of creating a replica cave? Why?
* Do you think mummies should be on display in a museum or left in their tombs for tourists to see? * Write a persuasive paragraph on your position. Include at least 2 reasons for your position.
* If you were a mummy, what are 5 things you’d pack away for the afterlife. Why would you place these items in your tomb?

Did you know?
* The oldest mummies haven't been found in Egypt but in Chile and Peru?
* A mummified lion was found in Egypt!
* A mummified gerbil(with some food for the afterlife) was found in Egypt.
* During the mummy making process, the brain was thought to be of no value and thrown away.
* The heart, believed to be the center of intelligence and caring, was wrapped and replaced back into the mummy. Other organs were saved in special containers called canopic jars.
* King Tut's tomb was found to have licorice root, watermelon seeds and a box with underwear!
* The mummy of Pharaoh Ramsees 2 has a passport! It was required when it went from Egypt to France.

Extension Activity:
* Write a day in the life of a mummy on display in a museum. What do you hear? See? Smell? Feel?

SEE:Learn about mummies and specifically King Tut with this fun/informative play: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/King-Tut-Wrapping-with-a-Mummy-Biographical-PlayTo-Tell-the-Truth-Play

Note:Photograph from: Ft.com

Kids' Effort to Help Elephants!

The ports of Hong Kong are where much of the illegal ivory arrives for distribution in Asia. The world's largest ivory destruction is set for May 15th, an amazing 30 tons of ivory. That's equal to  about 11,000 elephant killed for their tusks! The ivory stockpile being destroyed is largely due to school children who sent a petition(letter) to the government asking that this be done. A number of school children in Hong Kong have been writing letters to create awareness on just where ivory comes from and the damaging effect the illegal ivory trade is having on the remaining elephant population. One of these kids is Nellie Shute, 12, of Australia, who attends the Hong Kong International School. Her message, "no to ivory". She was able to convince her school to remove ivory carvings from a display case. Nellie then made gift cards which helped to raise $250 which was given to pay for the care of an orphaned elephant at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in the African country of Kenya. The students haven't stopped yet. Now, the students are spreading the word in hopes that  Hong Kong stores remove ivory products from their shelves.

Photograph of Nellie from adelaidenow.com/au

Fun Facts about Elephants:
•An elephant molar is about the size of a brick.
• An elephant can reach speeds of 24 miles per hour.
• An elephant's tusk can weigh 200 pounds and grow to 10 feet!
• When upset an elephant will blow dirt into the air or twirl its trunk.
• September 22 is Elephant Appreciation Day!
• Elephants have poor eyesight and poor hearing.
• An elephant can eat 495 pounds of food each and every day.
• The trunk of an elephant has 40,000 muscles(and no bones).
• Although the Indian elephant can be trained, the African elephant has yet to be domesticated.
• An elephant is one of the only mammals  unable to jump.
• Male elephants can weigh about that of a school bus!
• Elephants can be right or left tusked.
• Elephants have the largest brain of the animal world.


You might be interested in my webquest on elephants: Check it out here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/ElephantsOn-SafariA-Webquest-610125

What's YOUR favorite Number? Poll says we do have one...

A recent poll  asked the question,” What is your favorite number?”  The response with the most votes…the number 7. The number 7 is also MY favorite number(with 5 being a close second).  Got me thinking of all the things that have the number 7 related to them. Here is my list. You may want to ask your student this question and then brainstorm all the different things THEY can think of that have to do with the number 7. Might be fun to ask another question about numbers,” What is your least favorite number?” I think I would respond with the number 1. As Three Dog Night once sang, “One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do.” 

* Ask students to give a reason for these selection of their favorite and least favorite numbers.

7 wonders of the ancient world

7 dwarfs in Snow White

7 continents

7 days of the week

7 years of bad luck breaking a mirror

7 hills of Rome

7 colors of the rainbow

Soda called 7 UP

7 reindeer of Santa

7 books in the Harry Potter series

7 foods in the food pyramid

7 openings in the human head

7 sided shape(called a heptagon)

7 notes on a scale

7 games in playoff series in NBA, NHL, MLB

7 seas

7 stars (main) in Big Dipper and Orion constellations.

7 objects that can be seen from space with the naked eye(sun,moon, Mars, Venus,Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury)

Gail
Note: Illustration from: openclipart.com