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Gail Skroback Hennessey taught for over 33 years, teaching sixth grade in all but two years. She earned a BA in early secondary education with a concentration in social studies and an MST in social...
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Going on Summer Break?
Wishing those of you who are now on Summer Break a very relaxing time. As someone that taught for 33 1/2 years, the very first FULL day of vacation was always the beginning of possibilities of things to do that I didn't get to do during the school year. In fact, I remember dreading the alarm clock going off at 6AM during the school year yet during the summer, I gleefully got up at 6AM because the day was all mine! I wanted to seize every bit of the day.
Enjoy each and every day of your vacation. It will go too quickly! Read a book, garden, listen to music, take a pottery class, visit with friends and family, try a new recipe, take a trip, sit by the pool (or visit someone who has one), binge watch a series (so many great ones on Netflix! See below) and most importantly, take a break from thinking about school! Really! Even if it is only for a couple of weeks, place thinking about your classroom on hold for just a wee bit!
Of, course, if you are on the computer, please check in from time to time as I will continue to make blog postings, update my website for teachers/kids and add new teaching resources to my Teacher store.
For those of you who have school or summer school during July and August, I will continue to update my blog posting as well as my website for teachers/kids. Please continue to check in as you may find something of value to use with your students!
Recommendations of shows to Binge watch on Netflix:
- Safe (Harlan Corbin) Kept me guessing until the end.
- The Five (Harlan Corbin) Very Good mystery!
- Midsomer Murders ( Amazing how many murders take place in the villages of England!)
- Murdoch Mysteries (Historical mysteries that will make you look up some information!)
- Doctor Blake Mysteries
- Longmire
- Father Brown
- Death in Paradise (Think Columbo in Paradise)
- Doc Martin (Love Cornwall, England, where this quirky doctor series is filmed)
- The Crown
- Turn
- Call the Midwife (awesome) Really...I didn't think I would like it and I am hooked.
- Poirot
- Broadchurch (powerful police story told in several season)
- Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (1920 flapper solves mysteries in Australia) It is being made into a movie!
Acorn TV:
- Good Karma Hospital (two seasons so far). Very GOOD!
- 800 Words
Recent Books I have enjoyed which I'd recommend:
- Pamela Flavey's books about Ireland: The Linen Queen, The Yellow House and The Girls of Ennismore.
- Ruth Wares's books.
- Karen White's books.
- Melanie Dobson's books(most set in World War 2) are all excellent.
- Try Chateau of Secrets and Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor.
- Patricia McDonald's Books-GREAT!
- Fiona Davis' Books: The Address, The Doll House-great stories and you learn about the Barbizon Hotel for Women and The Dakota. The latest book is the Masterpiece and it's on my list to read.
- All Sarah Jio books are great! (Most take place in two eras and are intertwined by the end.)
- Pam Jenoff: Wow, I really like her historical books (mostly set in WW2-at least the one's I've read: Try The Orphan's Tale and the Diplomate's Wife.)
Gail
Note: Illustration from wpclipart.com
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Great American SmokeoutThanksgivingSquantoIslamic HajjBlack FridayThe Edmund FitzgeraldVeterans DayTime ZonesPresident Warren G. HardingStellalunaKing Tut's TombSousa MarchesMarie CurieThe Hope DiamondMontana StatehoodEloiseSesame StreetElizabeth Cady StantonAmerica's ComposerArtist Georgia O'KeeffeOklahoma, the Sooner StatePresident James GarfieldRobert F. KennedyYoshiko UchidaMacy's ParadeThe SlinkyThe St. Augustine Monster
Looking for ideas for using Every-Day Edits in your classroom? See our idea file.
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Lesson Plan: Different Types and Sources of Energy
Subject: Science
Grade: 4
Lesson Objective: To understand that there are different types and sources of energy
Next Gen Science Standard: 4-PS3-2. Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.
Starter:
Say:
What do you think energy is? (Allow the students to answer.)
Main:
Say:
Today, we are going to be talking about energy.
Energy is power that comes from a source and is used to provide light, heat or to work machines.
There are different kinds of energy and energy comes from different sources.
One type of energy is kinetic (ki-ne-tic) energy and one type of energy is potential energy.
Kinetic energy is energy that is in motion. A ball bouncing is using kinetic energy.
Potential energy is stored energy. A ball that is sitting at the top of a hill has potential energy.
When you are sitting at your desk with your hands on your desk, your hands have potential energy. When you raise your hand or move your hand to write, your hand has kinetic energy.
Now, we are going to talk about the sources of energy. That means where energy comes from.
Energy comes from many different places.
Coal, natural gas and oil are all burned and then turned into energy.
Energy can also come from the sun, wind, heat in the Earth, water and natural things like wood and corn.
Energy comes from the sun is called solar energy. Solar panels soak up the sun and turn it into energy.
Wind, energy and heat from the Earth are all caught and used to make energy.
Wood, manure and corn can be burned and that is used to make energy.
Energy is transferred from place to place and can then be used to produce motion, sound, heat or light.
You are now going to look around the room and make a list of the different places where you see energy being transferred and producing something.
Does anyone have any questions?
Allow about 10 minutes for the students to make a list of places where energy is being transferred.
Feedback:
Say:
Who would like to share the list that you made? (Allow the students to answer and share.)
Written by Kimberly Greacen, Education World® Contributing Writer
Kimberly is an educator with extensive experience in curriculum writing and developing instructional materials to align with Common Core State Standards and Bloom's Taxonomy.
Copyright© 2018 Education World
Image by wpclipart.com
Lesson Plan: Changes in Habitat
Subject: Science
Grade: 3
Lesson Objective: To understand that changes to an environment can be dangerous
Next Gen Science Standard: 3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
Starter:
Say:
How do plants and animals in a habitat depend on each other? (Allow the students to answer- students should explain that animals eat plants that grow and then other animals eat those animals. When animals die, they put nutrients in the soil that helps the plants to grow.)
Main:
Say:
Last class we talked about how the plants and animals in habitats rely on each other to survive.
Today, we are going to talk about what happens to the plants and animals in a habitat if there are changes to the environment.
Sometimes there are changes to an environment or habitat. These changes can happen for different reasons.
Some of the changes happen because of something that people do or because of weather patterns or a natural disaster.
Animals and plants in habitats are affected by any change that happens to an environment.
Any change to an environment can cause a change in the way that living things interact or depend on each other.
People often cut down trees to make room for farms or for houses.
When trees are cut down, it takes away places for animals to live and it takes away food from animals that eat the leaves or fruit from the trees.
This can be very dangerous to the animals in that habitat because if they cannot eat, they will die. Then, the animals that eat those animals will not have food either.
Sometimes making changes to an environment like cutting down many trees can cause a change in temperature or rainfall in that habitat.
This will make it difficult for the plants and animals that live in that habitat because they are not used to the new temperature or amount of rainfall.
Air and water pollution also cause problems for animals that live in habitats that are affected.
Any change to an environment can cause really big problems for plants and animals in a habitat.
The changes can make the plants and animals in that habitat die.
We just talked about how changes to the environment can be very dangerous for the plants and animals that live in a habitat.
Please take out your notebooks.
You are going to write a few sentences describing what makes changes to an environment dangerous.
Feedback:
Say:
Who would like to share what you wrote about what makes changes to an environment dangerous? (Allow the students to share.)
Written by Kimberly Greacen, Education World® Contributing Writer
Kimbery is an educator with extensive experience in curriculum writing and developing instructional materials to align with Common Core State Standards and Bloom's Taxonomy.
Copyright© 2018 Education World
Image courtesy of: wpclipart.com
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