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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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Every-Day Edits
Use Every-Day Edits to build language skills, test scores, and cultural literacy. Be sure to see our tips for using Every-Day Edits in your classroom.
African American History MonthRosa ParksSpace Shuttle ColumbiaWoolworth's Sit-InGroundhog DayThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn PublishedSled Dogs Save NomeGrand Central TerminalThe Super Bowl"Hammerin' Hank" AaronPresident Ronald ReaganLaura Ingalls WilderSapporo Snow FestivalChinese New YearLucy Cousins and MaisyPresident Abraham LincolnArtist Grant WoodArizona, the 48th StateValentine's DayMatt GroeningSusan B. AnthonyMichael JordanPluto, the Dwarf PlanetFirst Woman DentistGeorge Frederick HandelKuwaitGrand Canyon National ParkUntethered Space WalkEdison’s First Movie SetSnow Ice CreamLeap Year
Looking for ideas for using Every-Day Edits in your classroom? See our idea file.
Run out of Every-Day Edit activities for the month of February? Check out our Xtra activities for any time of year.
Subject: ELA- Reading
Grade: 3
Lesson Objective: To ask and answer questions about a particular text
Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
Materials:
Printable Paragraph Student Handout
Starter:
Say:
Why do we ask questions? (Allow the students to answer.)
Main:
Say:
We ask questions to learn more about something. Sometimes we ask questions because we do not understand something and we need it to be explained more. And, sometimes we ask questions because we just want to know more!
Many times, when we are reading, we think of questions that we have about what we are reading. It might be a question about a word that we do not understand or a question about why something happened.
Raise your hand if you have ever asked a question out loud or to yourself when you were reading?
You are now going to read a paragraph about space. While you are reading, I want you to think about any questions that you might have. (Allow the students time to read the paragraph.)
Now that you have read about space, I want you to think about questions that you have about what you read. Raise your hand if you have a question. (Allow the students to share their questions. If the students cannot come up with any questions to ask, prompt them by asking them to think about questions using who, what, where, why and how.)
You came up with some really good questions! Now, you are going to answer questions about what you read.
You will write the answer on the line next to the questions. You will also need to underline the part of the paragraph that shows you where you got your answer.
Does anyone have any questions?
Feedback:
Say:
Who would like to share their answers? (Allow the students to share and go over the answers and where they came from.)
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© 2019 Education World
Subject: ELA- Reading
Grade: 3
Lesson Objective: To sequence the steps of how to make chocolate chip cookies
Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.3 - Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
Materials:
Printable Paragraph Student Handout
Starter:
Say:
Do you think it is important to do something like following a recipe in order? Why or why not? (Allow the students to answer.)
Main:
Say:
When following directions to make a recipe or to put something together, it is important to following the steps in order.
If you do not follow directions in order, what could happen? (Allow the students to answer.)
Raise your hand if you have ever followed a recipe or put something together following directions.
When reading directions, it is important to start at the beginning and read everything. After you understand what the directions are telling you to do, you can start.
Today, you are going to read about how to make chocolate chip cookies. When you are reading the directions, make sure that you understand what the recipe is telling you. (Allow the students time to read the recipe.)
Raise your hand if you can tell me what the directions are telling you to do. (Allow the students to answer. Answers should refer to mixing ingredients together and baking.)
What is the first step? How do you get from step one to the last step? (Allow the students to answer.)
You are now going to sequence all of the steps. Under the recipe that you read are all of the steps, but they are not in order. You will put a number next to each step. The first step will have a number 1.
Does anyone have any questions?
Feedback:
Say:
Who would like to share their answers? (Allow the students to share and go over the sequence of steps.)
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© 2019 Education World
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