My Book-Mrs. Paddington and the Silver Mousetraps
Anti-Bullying Resources
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Gail Hennessey
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7/2020:Mrs. Paddington and the Silver Mousetraps won a 1st place Purple Dragonfly Book Award in the Picture Books 6 & Older category. Thank you, Story Monsters!
3/24/20:Excited to have my latest children's book, Mrs. Paddington and the Silver Mousetraps, chosen as a 2019 Story Monster Approved winner!
Highlighted FREEBIES for SEPTEMBER:
2. Election 2024:Election 2024
3. Mummy Facts:Amazing Mummy Facts
4. Antibullying: Antibullying
5.International Peace Day: September 21st. International Peace Day
6.World Rhino Day( 9/22)Rhino Factoids
7. Fake News:Fake News! Teaching Digital Critical Literacy
8. Do you have the Time? Do you Have the Time?
2. Learn about the U.S. Constitution(Constitution Day is September 18th in 2017). Part of my Ms. Bie Ografee series of plays, this Reader's Theater Script is on the "Father of the Constitution", James Madson(1751-1836), and his sharing with students the history of the writing of the Constitution. Madison who would become the 4th President of the United States(1809-1817)), played a very important role in the forming of our US Constitution. In addition to being a delegate, he introduced the first additions to the Constitution(amendments) which came to be known as the Bill of Rights. With 13 audience questioners, a Did You Know Section, comprehension questions, a Teacher Page with extension activities, key and additional links, students will learn about the writing of our important government document, the Constitution. James Madison, Father of the Constitution, A Reader's Theater Script
3. Study the Civil War? Check out this Bundle. Everything also sold individually.Civil War, A Bundle of Resources
4. Johnny Appleseed: Part of my Ms. Bie Ografee Talk Show Series. This biographical Reader's Theater Script is on John Chapman, better remembered as Johnny Appleseed.There are 8 Audience Questioners in the complete resource. There are 12 Did You Know? fun facts about apples, 9 comprehension questions, a teacher page with 9 extension activities, the key and additional links of interest. Great for a Friday biography day, during a study on pioneers or a unit on apples! Johnny Appleseed Day is celebrated March 11th and/or September 26th.Johnny Appleseed, a Reader's Theater Script
5.The Supreme Court starts its new session in October: Oyez, Oyez...Hear Ye, Hear Ye! The first Monday in October is the beginning of the new term of the Supreme Court. This web quest will introduce students to the Supreme Court. There are several extension activities and additional links as well as the key: Supreme Court, A Webquest
6. Studying the American Revolution? Use this reading for kids to learn about what it was like to be a Tory during the American Revolutionary War. Joshua Crabtree(fictitious character) is a guest on Ms. Bie Ografee's Talk Show. The format of the Reader's Theater Script is that a studio audience asks questions of Ms. Bie Ografee's guest to learn what it was like to support the British and not the Patriots during the American Revolution. There are 10 questioners, A Did You Know? section, comprehension questions and a Teacher Page with extension activities and the key: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/American-Revolutionary-War-Readers-Theater-ScriptA-Visit-with-a-Tory-3371179 Also have a Ms. Bie Ografee Talk Show play on Female Revolutionary Spies! Revolutionary War Female Spy, A Reader's Theater Script READING on Heroine of the Battle of Cowpens: Catherine Kate Moore, Revolutionary War Heroine
7.Show kids that EVERYTHING has a history, even Pens, Paper and Pencils! Great for a Friday or before a holiday or just if you want to show kids that history is everywhere: Pencils, paper, pens...We use them every day but what do you really know about them? Did you know that 2 billion pencils are made each year just in the United States? Did you know pencils were designed to have six sides to help prevent them from rolling off tables? Pencils, Pens, Paper, A Webquest
Also have the history of CANDY, PRETZELS, CHEWING GUM, PEANUTS, TULIPS and SHOES.
8. Great Back to School reading! Students always ask me..."Why do we have to learn this stuff about ancient Greeks or Middle Ages?" My answer-much of what we have today was because of things developed by people that lived long ago.This reading activity shares with kids many things we have today thanks to previous cultures. I've included several comprehension questions and two extension activities.Why Study History?
9. This mini-unit on Early Humans/Prehistoric Cultures will assist the classroom teacher in presenting this topic of history to students.In addition to an overview and notes, lots of additional resources, websites and activities are also included which you will find of value. This resource also includes a web quest with 12 web questions. Prehistoric Man: Unit and Webquest
10. Countries in Focus: Great for a Friday Activity, a substitute or if you are covering the areas in your units of study: TEN countries are in the bundle: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Countries-of-the-WorldA-Bundle-of-Webquests-on-Different-Countries-4725632 11. World Landmarks and US Landmarks: World Landmarks, A Bundle of Resources and U.S. Landmarks, A Webquest
12. Need information to use with your students on map skills? I would like to share my mini-unit on map skills with you. Included are notes, lots of activities to use with your students(4-8th grade) and website resources which I found helpful. Also included, a 10 question web quest, comprehension questions(and writing in the content area), and some fun facts on the topic of maps and geography of the world. Maps and Geography
13 . Geographic Secret Messages: Need a geography activity? Try my geographic secret messages. Students find the answers to geographic questions and then use the first letter of the answer to arrive at a secret message. When the questions are answered, the "secret" term(a geography term) will be revealed! There are 5 geographic messages to solve. Grades 5 and up. Geographic Secret Message Activityand Geographic Secret Message Activity 2
14. Mesopotamia, called the cradle of civilization, is where archaeologists have found the remains of the oldest historic people.People called the Sumerians, Babylonians, Chaldeans, Akkadians and Assyrians, all called the area home. These people left behind many ideas which we still have today. This unit of study includes notes, map work, a webquest, activities and resources. Mesopotamia, First Historic People:Unit/Webquest
15. This product covers an introduction to the Phoenicians and their contributions to the world(Alphabet,color purple, first sea traders).Notes, extension activities and links and several comprehension questions, too. Depending on how many activities you'd like to do, the mini unit could take 2-3 days.Several Common Core Standards in social studies as well as Language Arts are addressed. Learn about the Phoenicians
16. Learn all about mummies of the world. Included: Bog Mummies, Otzi, Chinchorro Mummies, Taklamakan Desert Mummies, Egyptian Mummies and more. 12 informative text questions/comprehension questions/extension activities, key, fun facts:Mummies, A Webquest
1. World Capitals: World Capitals, Test Your Knowledge
2. US Landmarks: U.S. Landmarks, Test Your Knowledge
3. Maps and Geography: Maps and Geography, Test Your Knowledge
4. Women Trailblazers: Women Trailblazers, Test Your Knowledge
Bundle on Countries of the WorldAll sold individually, too.
1. Hypathia: Hypathia, Woman Mathematician
2. Ada Lovelace: Ada Lovelace, Woman Mathematician
4. Katherine Johnson: Katherine Johnson, STEM Biography
4. Marie Curie: Marie Curie, Stem Bio
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Use my THINGY letters to have kids write spelling words, vocabulary words or as an art activity! Have students try and guess what some of the THINGY Letters are.(also have Black/White option):ClipArt: Alphabet Thingy Letters!
Check out my series of Children's Books from Aadarsh Publishing!
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Stop Bullying!
To any young people visiting my website. Please,if you are being bullied, seek help...SPEAK TO AN ADULT today!And, if you SEE something that looks like bullying-SAY something to an adult!
Check out my Pinterest page to see all my resources in one easy place!Click here to learn more:Gail's Social Studies Emporium(and More)
IN THE NEWS 9/5/2024:
Birds chirping, frogs croaking, bees buzzing but did you ever thing SOIL made noise? Scientists in Australia (Flinders University)wanted to see just how noisy things are in healthy soil. Microphones were planted and the "soundtrack" created was quite amazing. Seems that land that is cleared is definitely NOT as noise producing as land that is natural. Called Ecoacoustics, scientists hope that listening to soil and its crackles,pops and clicks,(soundscapes) may help its ecosystem that includes, ants, beetles, earthworms and more. It is estimated that 75% of the earth's soil has been harmed from overgrazing, deforestation and habitat destruction.
Oyster shells are finding a new use. A company in Taiwan is recycling the shells into fabric! An estimated 200,000 tons of oyster shells are produced each year in Taiwan. The shells produce smelly odors and give homes for mosquitoes to breed.So, finding uses for this large amount of shells is important. Some of the uses for oyster shells include being used for insulation in homes and for water purification.Now, the oyster shells are being repurposed into "sea wool" to create clothing! Clothing made from this material is very similar to natural wool and is lightweight and...odorless!
For the first time in United States history, a woman of color was officially selected the Democratic candidate for the presidency at the Democratic National Convention this week in Chicago, Illinois. Kamala Harris, the first woman of color to become the Vice President with Joe Biden, was selected to be on the top of the ticket, when President Joe Biden announced he would not seek a second term of office. VP Harris select as HER VP running mate, Governor Tim Walz. At her acceptance speak, VP Harris said that she promises to "chart a new path forward" and lead "for all Americans" if elected in the fall. Harris/Walz are running against Republicans Donald Trump and JP Vance. The election is November 3rd.
Photograph from YahooThe mostly complete skeletal remains of what may be a new species of dinosaur have been unearthed in the United States, specifically the state of Utah. Original discovered in 2007, in the Badlands of Utah, it has taken until now to put all the pieces together of the 150 million year old sauropod. Called Gnatalie(because paleontologists dealt with lots of gnats during the excavation), the dinosaur bones are actually a green coloring. This is very rare and due to the minerals from long ago volcanic activity. With a long neck, the sauropod stood over 75 ft.tall when it roamed the earth. It is estimated to have weighed about 5 tons(the size of a motor home). It will go on exhibit at the natural History Museum in Los Angeles later in the fall.
Photograph from USA TodayScientists from The University of Adelaide and the South Australian Research and Development Institute have come up with an unusual way to help map the sea floor and learn more about the habitat of marine life. They are using SEA LIONS. Strapping on cameras to eight female Australian sea lions, they are filming areas where they dive under the waters near South Australia. So far, the sea lion photographers, have filmed more than ninety hours of video.With numbers of this species of sea lion dwindling, classified as endangered, in 2021, it is hoped that by learning about their underwater seabed habitat might help science develop a plan to help the endangered species. Fun fact. Did you know sea lions are pinnipeds? Pinnipeds are aquatic, carnivorous mammals.
Photograph from Pixabay.Scientists at Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute have come up with a plan to try and save the different wildlife for future generations, a modern day Noah's Ark. Frozen cells of species including birds, mammals and reptiles would be taken to the MOON. With the frigid temperatures on the moon, there would be no need for electricity or other methods to keep the cells cold. Should there be some horrible catastrophe on Earth, the cryopreserved (frozen) cells could be eventually used to clone the creatures so they could be reintroduced back on Earth. With an estimated seven million animal species, it would be an amazing undertaking to collect the samples. How do you think scientists might go about determining which creatures to save for the future? The idea was sparked by a seed bank in Svalbard, Norway, where different seeds of plants from around the world are frozen and stored in an underground vault.
Illustration from Daily MailA Vanessa card butterfly species, more commonly called painted ladies, were found to have flown an amazing journey of 2600 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. The butterflies traveled from West Africa to French Guiana in South America. They did this unbelievable journey in just about a week. The study also suggested the butterflies may have actually started in Europe before getting to West Africa, making the actually journey more than 4,340 miles!
Photograph from Daily MailDo you like to draw? Well, Fola David, of Nigeria, is a doctor who also likes to draw. He is hoping that his recent drawing will set a new Guinness World Record as the largest drawing created by only one individual. David created his drawing in a Lagos stadium. It is 16,145.86 sq. feet in size and took David six days to complete. It required a drone to photograph the drawing, called Unity in Diversity. David's drawing features two large hands holding up the map of the country of Nigeria.
PAST NEWS STORIES
About Gail:
I retired from teaching after 33 1/2 years in the classroom. Of that time, I taught Grade 6 Social Studies teacher for 31 1/2 years.I earned my BA in early secondary education with a concentration in social studies from SUNY Oneonta, New York, and my MST in social studies education from Binghamton University in New York. In 1988, I was awarded the Outstanding Elementary Social Studies Classroom Teacher of the Year Award from the New York State Council for the Social Studies. Additionally, in 1988, I was also awarded the Outstanding Elementary Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award by the National Council for the Social Studies. I am the author of 8 books for teachers and over 35 books for children(Purple Turtle Series by Aadarsh Publishing and Odd History Series by Red Chair Press).
My work has appeared in most children's publications including:
Highlights for Children,News-O-Matic,Appleseed,,Scholastic's Super Science,,Scholastic's Science World,Jack and Jill,National Geographic World, Ranger Rick, Cobblestone, Faces, Muse Magazine,Contact Kids, US Kids,Action Magazine(Scholastic),Girls' Life,Boys' Life,American Girl, Instructor,Creative Classroom,Middle Years,Time for Kids,Scholastic News,Scholastic News Zone, Time for Kids , Ask Magazine, Dig,Calliope, Cobblestone, FACES, Studies Weekly, Glo Adventurer, and more.
