Share a historic event each day with your students. This is a great bell-ringer! Post on Smartboard or write on white board and discuss with your students to develop background knowledge. If you are searching for a way to develop reading skills, check out the differentiated passages (with comprehension questions) at the bottom of the page–each based on one of these events. Each event includes a suggested free resource for teachers to help in extending your lesson.
January 9–Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc is known for her role in the Hundred Years’ War. Judges’ investigations for the trial of Joan of Arc begin on January 9, 1431.
The International Joan of Arc Society website contains many resources to accompany a classroom study including primary source documents, teaching resources (many of these are college level), a large gallery of images, videos, songs containing references to Joan of Arc, an interactive map, and links to additional resources.
January 10–Women’s Suffrage
The Women’s Suffrage Movement spanned decades. The January 10 date for this article is inspired by women protesting at the White House to get the right to vote on January 10, 1917.
Edtechteacher, Best of History Website: American History–Women’s History includes a plethora of websites to help teachers with reliable resources to benefit teachers. There are links to research resources (including primary source collections), background information, many comprehensive lesson plans, visual images, interviews, timelines, public domain resources, literature, websites, and student activities. There are materials for various grade levels. Some include common core standards.
January 11–Egyptian pyramids
January 11, 2010 Egypt displayed newly discovered tombs more than 4,000 years old belonging to people who worked on the Great Pyramids
History.com always provides creditable, well-written resources, and this one is no exception. 10 awesome images show The Great Egyptian pyramids, Early Step Pyramid, the Pyramid of Djoser, the Red Pyramid, Monuments to Three Kings, the Grand Gallery Inside the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre, the Great Sphinx, and the Collapsed Pyramid of Maydum, Students will enjoy these images of these fascinating man-made structures.
January 12–Charles Darwin
Naturalist and biologist, Charles Darwin is known for his theory of evolution. January 12, 1836, HMS Beagle and Charles Darwin reach Sydney, Australia.
Registering for a free account on National Geographic Kids will give you access to history, science, geography, Enlightenment, Math, and Art/Design activities (among others). The VERY BRIEF sign in process (name, email and password) allow you immediate access. Typing Charles Darwin into the search bar will bring three awesome resources.
The first is Charles Darwin: Theory of Evolution Resource. It explains Darwin’s concept of natural selection. The second resource Charles Darwin Primary Resource gives information about Charles Darwin, his life, and the theory of evolution through a comic form which is sure to be a winner with your students. The third activity is Charles Darwin and the Mystery of Life. After reading a brief introduction, students click on NG KIDS heads to to the Galapagos Islands where they find out about animals such as the Galapagos giant tortoise, Galapagos penguin, scalloped hammerhead shark, Galapagos sea lion, and blue-footed booby.
January 13–Bill Gates
January 13, 2000, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates steps aside as Microsoft chief executive.
A short biographical sketch of Bill Gates may be found here. The mini-bio is well-designed and gives basic background information about the life of Bill Gates.
January 14–Ratification Day–Treaty of Paris, American Revolution
Ratification Day, January 14, commemorates the US coming a sovereign nation in 1784.
A quick overview of the Treaty of Paris (1783) can be found on the YouTube channel of Reading Through History. Click here to be redirected to this short but complete video with a viewing time of just over 3 minutes.
January 15–the Pentagon
The Pentagon houses the Department of Defense. January 15, 1943, the Pentagon was dedicated in Arlington, Virginia.
Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon the same day the Twin Towers were brought down. These links show pictures after the 9/11 attacks.
