Happy Birthday, James Monroe!

“It is only when the people become ignorant and corrupt, when they degenerate into a populace, that they are incapable of exercising their sovereignty.” — James Monroe

Today is the birthday of James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States, and the last U.S. President who was also a Founding Father.  Monroe was born on April 28th, 1758 in rural Westmoreland County, Virginia.  

My  five-page Level O reader The Founding Fathers is a wonderful resource to bring information about life in the American colonies about the founders of the United States into your classroom.  The book comes with three accompanying worksheets to help reinforce literacy skills involving reading comprehension, language, spelling, and writing.   

Your class can learn more about some of America’s other important Founding Fathers in my third grade level O reader Ben Franklin - A Man with an Electric Personality

my first-grade Level G reader Ben Franklin, my second grade Level L reader John Hancock and a Study of Pronouns.  Your students will learn more about The Liberty Bell, and The United States Flag in my set of leveled books Social Studies Topics - Leveled Books: First Grade Levels H/I

Happy Birthday Shakespeare!

A (probably!) belated Happy Birthday to the Bard himself, William Shakespeare!  Shakespeare’s birthday is celebrated in modern times on April 23rd, however some experts believe that he was actually born on April 20, or another day entirely.  However, we do know that he was baptised in Stratford upon Avon on April 26, 1564, so his 450th birthday did occur sometime recently!  Shakespeare’s birthday comes in one of the last weeks of National Poetry Month.  EdWeekly offers this great list of 13 Ways to Celebrate Shakespeare's 450th Birthday.  

Want another way to enjoy poetry with your class?  In my collection of four first-grade leveled books Literature Topics - Leveled Books: First Grade Levels F - I your students will have the opportunity to explore different literature topics including a poem, two fables, and a folktale. You can also enjoy another favorite literary form of Shakespeare’s, the theater, with one of my original plays.  My reader play Trees – A Joy Forever! is also perfect this week for Arbor Day celebrations!

4/22/2014 Earth Day, Arbor Day, and Happy Birthday John Muir!

Happy Earth Day, and (almost) Happy Arbor Day!  

Arbor Day will be celebrated across America on Friday, April 25th.  The Arbor Day Foundation has some wonderful recommendations for activities for kids on their website.   

Also, a belated Happy Birthday to naturalist, preservationist and author John Muir!  John Muir was born on April 21st 1838 in Dunbar, Scotland.   Muir was the founder of the Sierra Club and worked to preserve important natural areas, including Yosemite National Park.  

My original reader Do Your Part to Save The Earth is a great addition to your lesson plan this week, or whenever your class is studying recycling and conserving resources! This third-grade level N reader combines reading activities and science concepts.Another great educational resource for Arbor Day is my original play, Trees – A Joy Forever! The play is written for 2nd - 5th grades and has 11 parts. The play focuses on J. Sterling Morton, the founder of Arbor Day. The play tells the history of Morton’s contribution to establishing Arbor Day as a national holiday through the eyes of the statue (J. Sterling Morton). The statue comes alive when two children walk through Arbor Lodge Historical Park in Nebraska.  This is an original play written for use as readers’ theater, as a part of balanced literacy (Read-Aloud, Shared and Performance Reading or Guided Reading), or for an actual play production.

4/21/2014 Happy San Jacinto Day!

Today, April 21st, is the  is the 178th anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto, the final battle of the Texas Revolution. With this victory, Texas won its independence from Mexico.  San Jacinto Day is celebrated as a state holiday in Texas.    

The site where the battle was fought is now the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site on the Houston Ship Channel, where historic renactments take place yearly to mark this important point in the history of Texas.  

Your class can learn more about this holiday and its history in my original 1st grade Level G reader San Jacinto Day

The San Jacinto Monument in Houston commemorates this battle.  It is the world's tallest monumental column and tallest war memorial.  My original 4th grade Level R reader “The San Jacinto Monument” will tell your class more interesting facts about this monument and the early history of Texas.

4/13/2014 Happy Birthday, Thomas Jefferson!

Happy Birthday, Thomas Jefferson!

Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, was born on April 13th, 1743.  He was an important Founding Father, and the main author of the Declaration of Independence.  

The Founding Fathers is a great resource for your students to learn about life in the American colonies and about the founders of the United States. This five-page Level O reader has specific concepts, skills, and vocabulary targeted in the book listed on the first page of the story. And to help reinforce literacy skills involving reading comprehension, language, spelling, and writing, the book comes with three accompanying worksheets.

Your class can learn more about some of America’s other fascinating Founding Fathers in my third grade level O reader Ben Franklin - A Man with an Electric Personality

my first-grade Level G reader Ben Franklin, my second grade Level L reader John Hancock and a Study of Pronouns.  Your students will learn more about The Liberty Bell, and The United States Flag in my set of leveled books Social Studies Topics - Leveled Books: First Grade Levels H/I

4/8/2014 Looking Ahead: Earth Day and San Jacinto Day

April has so much to get excited about- We are now just about two weeks away from Earth Day and San Jacinto Day!  

My original reader Do Your Part to Save The Earth is a great addition to your lesson plan for Earth Day, or when your class is studying recycling and conserving resources! This third-grade level N reader combines reading activities and science concepts.

The battle that would decide the outcome of the Texas Revolution, The Battle of San Jacinto, was fought on April 21, 1836.  The Texans were led to victory by General Sam Houston against a Mexican army led by Santa Anna.  Santa Anna would soon sign a peace treaty that required the Mexican army to leave the land that would become the Republic of Texas, later the US state of Texas.    

Your class can learn more about this holiday and its history in my original 1st grade Level G reader San Jacinto Day

The San Jacinto Monument in Houston commemorates this battle.  It is the world's tallest monumental column and tallest war memorial.  My original 4th grade Level R reader “The San Jacinto Monument” will tell your class more interesting facts about this monument and the early history of Texas.

4/5/2014 Happy Birthday Colin Powell!

Today is the birthday of American politician and general Colin Powell.  He was born in Harlem, New York City, NY on April 5th, 1937.  

In my fifth-grade level U reader Colin Powell - Helping Young People your class can learn more about this four-star general and the first African-American U.S. Secretary of State.

The four-page story is accompanied by two pages of worksheets which reinforce literacy skills involving reading, language, spelling, and writing. Specific concepts, skills, and vocabulary targeted in the story are listed on the first page of the reader.  This is one of the fifth-grade readers in my original series of leveled books which I have written to incorporate the Fountas and Pinnell leveled vocabulary, Rebecca Sitton spelling words, and common core curriculum standards for grades K-6 in the United States.

4/4/2014 Happy Birthday Maya Angelou, and the Beginning of National Poetry Month!

We are now officially in the month of April, National Poetry Month! The Academy of American Poets have held National Poetry Month is now held every April since 1996, a month in which, according to the Academy’s website “schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets throughout the United States band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events."  

Today, is also the 86th birthday of the great American poet and author Dr. Maya Angelou.  She was born April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri.  Maya Angelou has written novels, including I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, plays, screenplays, and many volumes of poetry.  

Her poetry book Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1971.     

 Check out the Academy of American Poets website for 30 Ways to Celebrate for some inspiration to infuse your classroom with poetry.

In my collection of four first-grade leveled books Literature Topics - Leveled Books: First Grade Levels F - I your students will have the opportunity to explore different literature topics including a poem, two fables, and a folktale.

4/2/2014 Happy Birthday Hans Christian Andersen, and Happy International Children's Book Day!

"The whole world is a series of miracles, but we're so used to them we call them ordinary things." ~ Hans Christian Andersen

Today, April 2nd, is the birthday of beloved author Hans Christian Andersen, and International Children's Book Day (or ICBD.)  International Children’s Book Day was founded in 1967 by the International Board on Books for Young People (or IBBY)  to be observed on or around Hans Christian Andersen's birthday.  Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2nd, 1805 in Odense, Denmark. His fairytales, including “The Little Mermaid,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “The Ugly Duckling” are read and loved by children all over the world.   

This year the 2014 The Hans Christian Andersen Awards go to Nahoko Uehashi of Japan, the winner of the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Author Award and Roger Mello of Brazil, the  winner of the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator Award.

From the IBBY website

“The Hans Christian Andersen Award #IBBYHCA, the most prestigious in international children’s literature, has been awarded biennially to authors since 1956 and to illustrators since 1966 by the International Board on Books for Young People. It is given to an author and an illustrator whose complete works are judged to have made lasting contributions to children's literature...Nahoko Uehashi writes unique fantasy novels from the viewpoint of cultural anthropology.  She believes one thing, that people from every corner of the world have in common is a love for telling stories.  Her stories about honour and duty, fate and sacrifice, are refreshing as well as being authentically Japanese…  Roger Mello’s illustrations provide avenues to explore the history and culture of Brazil.  He does not underestimate a child’s ability to recognize and decode cultural phenomena and images. His illustrations allow children to be guided through stories by their imagination.”

Do your students want to weigh in on your own favorite books?  Right now Children's & Teen Choice Book Awards are open for voting!  Children and teenagers have until Monday, May 12, 2014 to vote at ccbookawards.com for their favorite author, illustrator, and book of the year.

The Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards program is the only national book award decided by the votes of children and teens.  The awards were started in 2008 by the Children's Book Council and Every Child a Reader

You class can work on improving their reading skills while learning more about a famous author in my original reader Dr. Seuss - Best-Selling Children's Author: Second Grade Level K Reader

Find more fun ways to celebrate reading and children’s books on the Haven Hill Learning Pintrest page!  

3/31/2014 Happy Cesar Chavez Day!

Happy Cesar Chavez Day! Today, the birthday of Mexican American labor leader and activist Cesar (sometimes spelled Caesar) Chavez is celebrated as an official state holiday in California, Colorado, and Texas.  In 2011 President Barack Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation calling upon all Americans “to observe this day with appropriate service, community, and educational programs to honor Cesar Chavez's enduring legacy.”

Cesar Chavez was born on March 31st, 1927 in North Gila Valley, near Yuma, Arizona.  As a child, he and his family became migrant farm workers in California after they lost their home and business in the Great Depression.  He left school after seventh grade to support his family by being a full-time migrant farm worker.  In 1952 Chavez began to work as a community organizer.   1962 he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (later called the United Farm Workers) with Dolores Huerta.

My original Level T reader Caesar Chavez: Champion of Farm Workers' Rights is Great book for your students to learn more about the life of Cesar Chavez who was a champion for rights for migrant farm workers. It is written as a Level T reader but can be used with younger grades for advanced readers or as a read-a-loud and also for higher grade levels for special education students or ELL learners with various reading abilities. This four-page reader comes with three accompanying worksheets which reinforce literacy skills involving reading, language, spelling, and writing. Specific concepts, skills, and vocabulary targeted in the book are listed on the first page of the book.

3/31/14 The last day of Women's History Month, Abigail Adams and "Remember the Ladies"

Today, March 31st, marks the last day of Women’s History Month. I hope that you have enjoyed learning more about some amazing women and the vital roles they have played in history.  On March 31st, 1776 Abigail Adams famously wrote to her husband (future U.S. President John Adams) to “Remember the Ladies” In an excerpt of this letter, she tells him:

“I long to hear that you have declared an independancy-and by the way in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If perticuliar care and attention is not paid to the Laidies we are determined to foment a Rebelion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.”

You can read the full text of the letter here.  The White House’s official website is a great resource for short biographies of Abigail and all other American First Ladies

Women’s History Month may be ending, but you can continue to study more remarkable women with your class at any time of year with my leveled book set Famous Women in History: Leveled Books for Grades 2 - 4. This collection of leveled readers for second through fourth grade features stories about eight women and their contributions to history.  Each book highlights specific grade-level concepts and vocabulary. An accompanying set of worksheets reviews the targeted literary skills.