5/27/2014 Happy Birthday Rachel Carson!

Happy Birthday Rachel Carson!

Environmental activist, marine biologist, and author Rachel Carson was born on May 27, 1907 in Springfield, PA.  She is best known as the author of Silent Spring. This 1962 book brought public attention to the the harmful impact of pesticides on the environment.  Rachel Carson’s work had an important impact on the American environmental movement, which led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.  Carson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter in 1980.  

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.   My Nature & Science books, including Leveled Book set Kindergarten Levels A/B, Louis Pasteur - Exploring Pasteurization and Vaccines, and The Legend of the Unicorn: The Narwhal.

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.