My Book-Mrs. Paddington and the Silver Mousetraps
Anti-Bullying Resources
Bell Ringers!
Updated regularly
Mrs. Portulaca Purpilopilis
and the Purple Adventure Goggles
Facts to Wow your Friends!
Teaching Ideas!
Mrs. Waffenschmidt
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Mail Gail:
Gail Hennessey
by The JavaScript Source
Welcome to My Website for Educators!
Teach PEACE and TOLERANCE
Try doing an act of kindness for someone, today!
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"Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
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 OCTOBER:
1. Halloween. This possible Interactive Notebook activity is a fun activity to use around Halloween! There are 12 Fun Facts about the holiday with several activities to do with the students.Halloween Freebie
2. FALL means PUMPKINS.The world record in 2017 seems to have stayed the same. However, the North America record for a pumpkin has increased by about 100 pounds. A man in the state of Washington has grown a pumpkin that tipped the scale at 2363 pounds! Pumpkin Factoids
3.Ancient Egypt and mummy go together like peanut butter and jelly! Halloween is also a great time to discuss mummies. This resource includes lots of mummy facts as well as extension activities and great resources!Mummy Facts!
4. Doing a Fall unit on apples? Looking for an activity during a study of pioneers? Doing a unit on folk hero? Doing a biography on Johnny Appleseed? This interactive notebook on Apples has several activities and 17 interesting fun facts about apples.Apple Facts!
5 Vikings: Viking Fun Facts
6. Anti Bullying: Antibullying Freebie
7. Learn about the newest Supreme Court Justice, Ketangi Brown Jackson: Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson
8. Fake News:Fake News Freebie
1. Supreme Court begins new session the first Monday in October: Learn about the Supreme Court with this Webquest:Supreme Court, A Webquest Reader's Theater Scripts on Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor:Sonia Sotomayor, A Reader's Theater Script and Reader's Theater Script on Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg:Ruth Bader Ginsburg, A Reader's Theater Script
2. Vikings( A Visit with Leif Erikkson and Eric the Red)Reader's Theater Script: Leif Erikkson Day is October 9th. Part of my Ms. Bie Ografee Talk Show Series of plays, Leif Ericsson and his father, Eric the Red are guests on Ms. Bie Ografee's Talk Show. They share information about their lives and the Vikings. There is a Did You Know? section of fun facts, reading comprehension questions and a teacher section with lots of extension activities, links and the key. Vikings, Leif Erikkson and Eric the Red
3. Orange Game: Looking for a Friday activity? Something for your students to do with a substitute or following testing time? Maybe you'd like a learning challenge for over the summer months.Check out my ORANGE Game. There are 24 statements and several extensions. This resource challenges kids about their knowledge of all things ORANGE. Great for a fall activity! I also have other Color Games: RED, GREEN, BLUE , PURPLE and YELLOW. Orange Game
4. Columbus: A Reader's Theater Script:Learn about Christopher Columbus with this informative play. There are 10 questioners asking questions of Columbus. Additionally, comprehension questions and discussion questions are included.Christopher Columbus, A Reader's Theater Script
5. Beautiful illustrations! In this story, "Purple and the Pumpkin Race",Purple, Zing and Squirty are exciting about participating in the annual pumpkin race. After they carve out their pumpkin to sail, the race begins. Sounds like lots of fun but something goes very wrong! Purple Turtle and the Pumpkin Race
6. Halloween Webquest: With 12 informational web questions, this resource is just the thing to use as a learning tool about the holiday of Halloween. Bats, Owls, pumpkins, the human skeleton, the origin of Halloween, superstitions, and famous stories in literature, are covered. There are comprehension questions, lots of fun facts, extension activities(including writing in the content area), and additional links for teachers:All Things Halloween, A Webquest
7. ALL Mummy Webquest: Kids love mummies. Great for Halloween time(or for a unit of study on ancient Egypt) 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
8. King Tut: Learn about King Tut. Practice oral reading fluency in Language Arts with this biographical reader's theater on King Tut.Learn lots of cool facts about mummies and the discovery of King Tut's tomb. Comprehension/discussion questions/ extension activities,Great for informative text/listening standards.Great for a unit on ancient Egypt, around Halloween or as a fun/informative Friday activity.King Tut, A Reader's Theater Script
9. Pumpkin Webquest: Did someone say pumpkin pie?This 10 web question web quest has several comprehension questions(lots of extension activities). Great for LA classes, a fall activity, or for a substitute lesson!PUMPKINS, A Webquest
10. Hispanic Heritage Month is September-October: Check out this web quest on Hispanic Heritage:Hispanic Heritage Month, A Webquest
11. This Reader's Theater Script introduces kids to fairy tale writer,Hans Christian Andersen. His story, The Ugly Duckling, some say was actually about him. Great activity for Anti-Bullying Month in October to go along with reading of this fairytale.Comprehension questions, discussion questions, extension activities and resources are included.Hans Christian Andersen, A Reader's Theater Script
12. With the virus still in our lives, students will learn about microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, protists and virus with this informative web quest. Students will also learn about famous people who work with microbes, including Louis Pasteur, Alexander Fleming, Joseph Lister, Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek and Edward Jenner. Students will also learn about helpful and harmful microbes. The web quest also mentions the coronavirus, has a Did You Know? section, comprehension questions and a Teacher Page with extension activities and links. There are 12 webquestions in the resource. Microbes, A Webquest
13. Johnny Appleseed, A Reader's Theater Script: Johnny Appleseed, A Reader's Theater Script 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 area 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. 14. History of Candy! Show kids that everything has a history!History of Candy, A Webquest
15.FAKE NEWS. FAKE NEWS: The term FAKE News seems to be used a lot these days! A recent survey found that many young people(and adults for that matter) can't seem to determine which is a real news story from a fake news story. We need to develop digital critical literacy with our students. This Interactive Notebook activity also has extension activities:FAKE News!
https://outlook.live.com/mail/inbox
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:9/26/2023:
Astronaut Dr. Frank Rubio has set a record. He has been in space longer than any other American, a full year. Originally, Dr. Rubio planned on being at the international Space Station for about six months. The spacecraft that brought the astronaut(and two other astronauts) to the ISS was damaged and was not felt safe for their return. The astronauts had to wait for another spacecraft to arrive at the ISS. The spacecraft was to bring replacements but the three astronauts stayed the extra months to do the work before an empty spacecraft could be sent for them. Scientists will be studying the effects of long term low gravity on the human body. Dr. Rubio, however, is NOT the record breaker for the longest time in space. That goes to Valeri Polyakov, a Russian astronaut that remained in space for 437 days.
Photograph from NASA<>/center>Simeon Graham, 15, who used You Tube to teach himself how to juggle, just juggled himself into the Guinness World Records. The teen managed to break three records with the most juggling catches in one minute with 5, 6 and even seven balls! Simeon managed 378 catches(7 balls) in one minute, 423 (five balls) and 396(six balls)in one minute. He has even juggled up to 10 balls! From Great Britain, Simeon has been juggling since he was 7 years old . While home with the chickenpox, he decided to learn how to juggle.At the young age of 11, Simeon got to perform his craft at a performance of the Gandey Circus. He did such a great job that he was invited to work at the circus during his school breaks! Simeon can even juggle while he is on his knees and says he finds drums and bass instruments help him juggle.
Photograph from Simeon's Website.Imagine having a dinosaur skeleton in your yard! A man in the country of Portugal was doing some remodeling when he came upon some bones that turned out to be that of a sauropod. It is believed to be the largest such dinosaur skeleton found in Europe, measuring 82 feet in length! Now that its ribs and vertebrae were discovered, paleontologists believe more of the dinosaur's skeleton will be unearthed on the property.Learn more about sauropods at this link: Sauropods
Photograph from Goodnews NetworkPhotograph from goodnewsnetwork.
A sea turtle took a very long adventure, a distance of 4000 miles, from Texas. Seems, back in 2021,Tally, a very rare Kemp's Ridley sea turtle, ended up in Wales! Scientists believe that Tally got into the sea current called the Gulf Stream which helped transport her so far from home. Weak and malnourished and not used to such cold water temperatures, Tally had been recuperating at the Anglesey Sea Zoo, in Wales. This week, Tally got an airplane ride back to Texas where she is being checked by the Houston Zoo to see if she is well enough to be released back into the Gulf of Mexico. If Tally is released into the waters, she will have a tracking device to keep check on her movements.
Photograph from MSN
Photograph from USATodayPAST 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:
Appleseeds,Scholastic's Super Science,Scholastic's Science World,Highlights for Children,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.
