This Month in History Book 1

This Month in HISTORY

THIS BOOK BELONGS TO

BOOK 1

CREDITS

Naphtali Hoff, PsyD

Project consultant

Fraydel Sharf

Content Director

Deena Hoff

Project coordinator

WRITER TEAM

Yisrael Kaminetsky

Copywriter

Tamara Shane, MSpEd

Mrs. Leah Cohen

Curriculum Advisor

LAYOUT & DESIGN

Akiva Leitner

Project Manager

Mirko Zunic

Layout Director

This Month in History Book 1

ISBN 978-1-955773-24-9

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INTRODUCTION

Dear Educators and Students,

Welcome to the "This Month in History" series, an innovative educational resource from Lighthouse Curriculum. This engaging book has been thoughtfully designed to supplement your social studies and history lessons while also enhancing your students' reading and comprehension skills.

One of the key features of this series is its alignment with students' grade-specific reading levels. The book offers a captivating topic to explore each week, covering significant events and fascinating moments in history that occurred within the same month. By connecting these historical events to the present, we hope to foster a deeper understanding and relevance for students, making their learning experience more enjoyable and meaningful.

To further support students' development, each passage is accompanied by comprehension questions, exercises, interactive activities and new vocabulary words. These components have been carefully curated to encourage critical thinking, reflection, and knowledge retention.

We are proud to say that the "This Month in History" series has been met with overwhelmingly positive feedback from both educators and students alike. As you embark on this exciting journey through time, we look forward to witnessing the positive impact it has on your students. Our team is confident that this book will not only broaden their knowledge in social studies and history but also enhance their reading and reading comprehension skills.

Thank you for choosing Lighthouse Curriculum as your educational partner, and we wish you a captivating adventure through the pages of history. Let the journey begin!

Warm regards,

The Lighthouse Curriculum Team

Did you know?

• Two U.S. presidents, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, were part of the Air Force before they became presidents.

• The U.S. Air Force has a band called The Airmen of Note.

• A pilot in the U.S. Air Force was the first person to ever fly faster than the speed of sound.

▸ Symbol of the U.S. Air Force

▸ U.S. Air Force fighter planes

U.S. AIR FORCE

Do you ever think about what kind of job you would like to have when you grow up? Lots of people dream about what they want to be. Johnny is a third grader in Texas, and he has a problem. He has two dreams. He loves planes and dreams of becoming a pilot. He also dreams of becoming a soldier. What should he do?

Actually, there’s a great option for Johnny. Option means a choice. Johnny can join the United States Air Force!

The U.S. Air Force is part of the United States Department of Defense. The Department of Defense helps keep the USA safe and fights wars. It has three parts: the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force.

The Army is made up of soldiers who fight wars by land. The Navy is made up of soldiers who fight by sea. The Air Force is made up of soldiers who fight by air.

option - choice military - army transport - bring from one place to another

The United States Army began back in the 1700s. At that time, planes were not yet invented. Much later, in early 1900s, planes were invented, and countries started using

them in war. On September 18, 1947, the United States Air Force was formed.

The Air Force has special fighter pilots and very strong military planes. Military is another way of saying army. Air Force planes carry weapons and fly very fast. They also transport soldiers and supplies to wherever they are needed. Transport means to bring from one place to another.

When a soldier signs up for the Air Force, he first has to go to “Boot Camp” for eight-and-a-half-weeks. Boot Camp teaches soldiers the right way to fold and store their clothing and make their bunk beds. They also practice marching and standing in line.

Do you want to know what it’s like to be in the Air Force? Try standing in one place, perfectly straight and still. If a mosquito bites you, don’t slap it. If sweat rolls down your forehead, don’t wipe it. There are many rules to follow. If a soldier breaks a rule, he could get punished.

▸ Air Force training

Question REVIEW

1. Who is part of the Air Force?

a. Soldiers who fight by the sea

b. Soldiers who fight by land

c. Soldiers who fight by air

d. Soldiers who don’t want to go to Boot Camp

2. Which of the following is NOT taught in Boot Camp?

a. How to fly a plane

b. How to fold and store clothing

c. How to make a bunk bed

d. How to march

3. When was the Air Force formed?

a. After 8 weeks of Boot Camp

b. Before the Army was formed

c. After the Army was formed

d. At the same time as the Army was formed

4. What are the three parts of the U.S. Department of Defense?

5. Why do you think it matters how the soldiers fold their clothing and make their beds?

4:45 AM

up time 5:00 AM

1. How much time do soldiers have from when they wake up until they have to be at line up?

a. 5 minutes

b. 15 minutes

c. 30 minutes

d. 1 hour

2. When do soldiers eat breakfast?

a. Whenever they want

b. First thing in the morning

c. Right after line up

d. After running or exercising

3. How long do the soldiers learn in the classroom?

a. 5 hours

b. 4 hours

c. 3 hours

d. 2 hours

THIS MONTH IN HISTORY | 11

It’s simple. You grab some Scotch tape, tape it up, and it’s good as new!

We use Scotch tape all the time to fix torn papers, ripped books, broken toys, and even ripped window shades. When was this amazing Scotch tape invented?

Scotch tape was invented by engineer and inventor Richard

SCOTCH TAPE

Uh oh! After spending an hour on your homework, your paper rips! You really don’t want to redo the work because you want to go out and play. What do you do?

▸ The first transparent tape Richard Drew invented

▸ Richard Drew

WIKIPEDIA

▸ Scotch brands used to always have plaid on their packages. Most of their tape rolls today still have a tab with the plaid logo.

invent – create something that was never made before employees –people who are paid to work for their boss transparent – you can see through it

Drew on September 8, 1930. To invent something means to create something that was never made before.

How did he come up with this great idea?

In the 1920’s it was common for cars to be painted in two different colors. One day, Richard noticed employees at a car shop trying to paint a straight line on a two-colored paint job. Employees are people who are paid to work for their boss. They seemed to be struggling and could not get the colors to go on straight onto the car. This was quite frustrating to watch.

Richard thought of an idea to help them and invented masking tape, a beigecolored paper tape, at his workplace at the 3M Company in Minnesota. The problem was the masking tape wasn’t sticky enough, and it wasn’t clear. So, Richard went on to invent Scotch tape. It was the world’s first transparent sticky tape. Transparent means that you can see through it. How do you think the tape helped the employees at the car shop?

▸ Masking tape made it easier to paint two-colored cars.

1. Who invented Scotch tape and when?

a. Richard Drew in 1920

b. Richard Drew in 1930

c. John A. Borden in 1932

d. Richard Drew in 1932

2. What are examples of things that can be fixed with Scotch tape?

a. Ripped couches, books, and notebooks

b. Torn clothing, pictures, and boxes

c. Ripped window shades, books, and papers

d. All of the above

3. Who led Richard to invent Scotch tape?

a. John A. Borden

b. Richard’s boss at 3M

c. The employees at the car shop

d. Richard’s family

4. Why is using see-through tape better than using tape that is not see-through?

5. Why do you think John Borden’s invention of the tape dispenser was helpful?

PROBLEM SOLVE WITH SCOTCH TAPE

Four of the problems below can be easily solved using Scotch tape. Can you figure out which ones they are? Circle your answers.

1. Your shirt button popped off, and your school bus is coming in 15 minutes.

2. The ends of your shoelaces are fraying (coming apart), and you can’t slide the laces through your shoes’ narrow holes.

3. Your older sister swept up the glass you dropped, but there are still a few pieces of broken glass on the floor.

4. You want to hang up the wall clock, but you can’t find a hammer and nails.

5. Your name keeps smudging off of the scissors you labeled.

6. You accidentally stepped on the cucumber plant and broke its stem. You were really looking forward to eating cucumbers!

How many floors are in your school building? Probably less than ten floors. Imagine a building with more than one hundred floors. Would that building touch the sky? Such tall buildings are called skyscrapers because it looks like they’re scraping the sky! The Twin Towers were skyscrapers.

▸ Twin Towers before the attack

The Twin Towers were built in the 1970s and were a very special part of New York City. The towers were 110 floors tall. They were the tallest buildings in the city, and a lot of people worked in them. They were part of a place called The World Trade Center.

On September 11, 2001, something terrible happened. A group of very bad people flew airplanes into the Twin Towers. The planes crashed into the buildings. The towers caught on fire and fell down. It was a very scary and sad day for everyone in the city.

Many people died in the attack on the Twin Towers. A lot of firefighters and New York City police officers died trying to help people who were hurt in the attack. The very first ambulance to arrive at the World Trade Center

skyscrapersbuildings that are so tall it looks like they’re scraping the sky difficult - hard

▸ Twin Towers burning down WIKIPEDIA

Did you know?

• It took ten months to clean up the area after 9/11.

• On a regular day, 50,000 people worked in the Twin Towers.

• 400 police officers and firefighters died while trying to save people.

• 9/11 was the second attack on the World Trade Center. The first one happened in 1993.

site was from Hatzalah. It was a very sad time for the families and friends of the people who got hurt or died. It was also a very difficult, meaning hard, time for the city of New York.

After the attack, people worked very hard to rebuild the World Trade Center. They built a new tower called the One World Trade Center. It is also very tall, and it stands where the Twin Towers used to be. The new building is 1,776 feet high. The United States became a country in 1776, which is why it is 1,776 feet high.

September 11 is a day to remember the people who lost their lives in the Twin Towers and to honor the people who work to keep us safe.

One World Trade Center

Question REVIEW

1. What crashed into the Twin Towers?

a. Planes

b. Trains

c. Cars

d. Helicopters

2. What was the date of 9/11?

a. September 9, 2001

b. December 11, 2001

c. September 11, 2001

d. October 5, 2001

3. What building was built in place of the Twin Towers?

a. New Twin Towers

b. The Empire State Building

c. The White House

d. One World Trade Center

4. Whose ambulance was the first to arrive at the Twin Towers?

5. Why is 9/11 a sad day?

ORDER OF EVENTS

Below are events that took place on the day of 9/11. Look at the times and put the events in order of when they happened. Write ‘1’ by the first event and ‘6’ by the last event.

8:46 am - The first plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

10:28 am - The North Tower fell down.

9:59 am - The South Tower fell down.

9:03 am - A second plane crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

10:03 am - An airplane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.

9:37 am - An airplane crashed into The Pentagon.

▸ The Pentagon

Did you know?

• Henry Hudson’s full name was Henry Herdson Hudson III.

• The Hudson River, Henry Hudson Park, Henry Hudson Bridge, and the Henry Hudson Parkway are all named after Henry Hudson.

• He was the first explorer from Europe to explore some of the Arctic ocean on one of his journeys.

• We can assume that Henry Hudson brought hard cheese, honey, olives, and dark bread with him on his ship.

▸ Manhattan in the 2000s

▸ Henry Hudson

explorersomeone who looks for new places in the world island - a piece of land that has water all around it voyage - a long trip on a boat

Henry Hudson was an explorer from England. An explorer is someone who looks for new places in the world. He lived in the late 1500s and early 1600s.

In 1609, merchants, or businessmen, from a country called the Netherlands, hired Henry Hudson to find a shorter way to go to Asia. People from the Netherlands are called Dutch people. These Dutch merchants wanted to go from the Netherlands to Asia faster because they wanted to buy stuff such as spices.

HENRY HUDSON

Today, Manhattan is a very busy part of New York City. Many businesses are in Manhattan’s huge buildings. People from all over the world come to visit Manhattan, and many people live there too. Let’s find out how the city started.

Instead of finding a new way to Asia, Hudson found the island of Manhattan. An island is a piece of land that has water all around it. Some islands are tiny and fit only a few people. Some, like Manhattan, are big enough to fit a whole city. On

▸ A ship made to look like Henry Hudson’s Half Moon ship

NORTH WIND PICTURE ARCHIVES

September 3, 1609, Henry Hudson and his crew sailed their ship into Manhattan. The name of their ship was the Half Moon. The people who lived on the island welcomed Hudson and his crew. The workers that help on a ship are called the crew.

Hudson and his crew spent a few weeks learning about the island. They wanted to see if it would be a good place to live.

After a few weeks, Hudson and his crew decided to continue their voyage. A voyage is a long trip on a boat. They left the island of Manhattan and sailed up the river that is now called the Hudson River, named after Henry Hudson.

In 1624, Dutch people came to live on the island of Manhattan. They heard about this new place from the Dutch merchants who hired Henry Hudson. They called it New Amsterdam. Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. They called their city New Amsterdam to remind themselves of their old country.

In 1667, England took control of Manhattan and renamed it New York City. Over the years, Manhattan was built into the city it is now.

▸ New Amsterdam, with three ships flying the Dutch flag

Question REVIEW

1. Henry Hudson was __________.

a. A king

b. An explorer

c. A fisherman

d. A soldier

2. When exploring, Henry accidently discovered which piece of land?

a. England

b. Asia

c. Manhattan

d. Germany

3. What did the Dutch call the island of Manhattan when they came to live there?

a. Manhattan

b. Dutch

c. Hudson River

d. New Amsterdam

4. What was the name of Henry Hudson’s ship?

5. Do you think the people in Manhattan were happy or upset when Henry Hudson arrived? How do you know from the article?

HENRY HUDSON’S TRIP

Henry Hudson’s ship

Manhattan North Atlantic Ocean

The place that Henry Hudson accidentally reached

Henry Hudson was trying to find a faster route to get to .

The place where Henry Hudson came from

Asia

The river that Henry Hudson sailed on after he left Manhattan

4.

2.

3.

1.

5.

Hudson River

MODEL T

Imagine if your family’s car breaks down. Oh no! How will you go shopping, drive to school, or visit friends? It is so hard to do these things without a car! Did you know that cars were not always around? In the early 1900s, most people in the United States did not own cars and would get around by horse and buggy. That means that a person traveled in a wagon that was pulled by horses.

In 1903, Henry Ford and 12 other men started a company called Ford Motor Company. They wanted to produce a car to make travel quick and easy. The company was located in Detroit, Michigan.

Five years later, on October 1, 1908, the Ford Motor Company produced its first popular car. This car was called the Model T Ford. The Model T could go as fast as 40 miles per hour. Today, cars can go as fast as 277 miles per hour.

When they first came out, the Model T cars were very expensive. The cost of the cheapest

Did you know?

• The Model T was only available in the color black.

• More than 15 million Model T’s were manufactured in all, reaching a rate of 9,000 to 10,000 cars a day in 1925.

• Henry Ford named his first design the Model A and simply worked his way through the alphabet with each new design. It really was as simple as that, making design number 20 the Model T.

1896.

HENRY FORD BUILDS HIS FIRST CAR, THE QUADRICYCLE.

June 16, 1903.

FORD MOTOR COMPANY IS FOUNDED

July 15, 1903.

FORD MOTOR COMPANY SELLS THE FIRST MODEL A FOR $850.

1908.

FORD BUILDS A NEW FACTORY IN MICHIGAN.

1913.

FORD STARTS THE MODEL T ASSEMBLY LINE. PRODUCTION INCREASES AND CAR PRICES DROP.

1906.

FORD MODEL N IS THE BEST-SELLING CAR IN AMERICA.

October 1, 1908.

FORD INTRODUCES THE MODEL T WHICH COSTS $850, OR $950 WITH A WINDSHIELD AND TOP.

January 1, 1914.

FORD INTRODUCES THE $5, 8 HOUR WORKDAY.

October 1, 1917.

THE FORDSON TRACTOR IS SOLD – “A MODEL T FOR THE FARM”.

1924.

57% OF CARS SOLD IN AMERICA ARE MODEL T’S. HENRY FORD MAKES NO CHANGES TO HIS CAR WHILE HIS COMPETITORS CREATE NEW MODELS.

May 31, 1927.

MODEL T PRODUCTION ENDS IN AMERICA, SHORTLY AFTER THE 15 MILLIONTH CAR. FORD SHUTS DOWN TO CREATE A NEW MODEL.

▸ Henry Ford

Model T car was $850. That really costs a lot more than it seems, since each dollar was worth a lot more back then. $850 would be worth around $18,000 in today’s dollars!

Five years later, Ford started using an assembly line to put together the cars. An assembly line is where a group of people work together to make one item. Each worker does one part and then passes the item to the next person in line. This keeps happening until the product is finished. When using the assembly line to build the cars, the company was able to make cars more quickly and in a way that didn’t cost as much money. The cars were then sold for around $300.

The Model T car was very popular between 1908-1927. When an item is popular, it means that many people want to buy that item. Ford Motor Company produced and sold 15 million cars during those 19 years!

▸ 1908 Ford Model T advertisement

assembly line - a group of people work together to make one item popular - liked and admired

▸ Ford assembly line in 1913

▸ Horse and buggy, the way most people in the early 1900s used to travel

Question REVIEW

1. In what year did the Ford Motor Company produce the Model T Ford?

a. 1927

b. 1908

c. 1903

d. 1900

2. How many Model T cars were sold between 1908-1927?

a. 19 million

b. 15 thousand

c. 18 million

d. 15 million

3. In the early 1900s, most people traveled using a ?

a. Car

b. Truck

c. Horse and buggy

d. Train

4. What was Henry Ford famous for?

5. How much did the Model T cars cost when they first came out? How much money would that be today?

COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Look at the pictures of the cars below. Can you think of two things that are the same and two things that are different? Record your answers in the Venn diagram below. In the center write the things that are the same. On both sides of the diagram, write the differences. You can use the words in the boxes to help you.

1933.

WESTINGHOUSE DEMONSTRATED A 10-KILOWATT SHORTWAVE RADIO TRANSMITTER THAT COOKED STEAKS AND POTATOES BETWEEN TWO METAL PLATES

October 8, 1945.

PERCY SPENCER FILED FOR THE FIRST MICROWAVE OVEN PATENTMETHOD OF TREATING FOODSTUFFS

1940.

JOHN RANDALL AND HARRY BOOT INVENTED THE CAVITY MAGNETRON TUBE AT BIRMINGHAM UNIVERSITY IN ENGLAND

1947.

THE FIRST COMMERCIAL MICROWAVE - THE RADARANGE - WAS SOLD BY RAYTHEON FOR $5000 ($51,000 IN TODAY’S DOLLAR), WAS SIX FEET TALL, WEIGHED OVER A THIRD OF A TONNE AND USED 3000 WATTS OF POWER

MICROWAVE

1955.

THE FIRST MICROWAVE OVEN DESIGNED FOR CONSUMERS WAS OFFERED BY TAPPAN. THE TAPPAN RL-1 WAS WALL MOUNTED AND COST U.S. $1,295 (ALMOST $11,000 TODAY)

1967.

AMANA REFRIDGERATION (A RAYTHEON SUBSIDIARY) CREATED THE AMANA RADARANGES - A DOMESTIC COUNTER-TOP VERSION THAT SOLD FOR $495.

Your school bus is coming in three minutes. You want to make a cream cheese bagel to take with you for lunch, but the bagel is frozen, and you can’t cut it! What can you do? You can put it in the microwave for a few seconds.

are

1986.

25% OF HOUSEHOLD OWNED A MICROWAVE.

Microwaves

really helpful, but they weren’t always around.

SPENCER FAMILY ARCHIVES

Microwave ovens were sold for the first time on October 25, 1955.

A microwave is a kitchen appliance that is used to warm up or cook food. An appliance is a machine used to do a specific task. Microwaves send out waves of energy that can pass through glass, paper, and plastic dishes. These waves are absorbed by foods and cause them to heat up. Absorbed means to take in something.

A microwave heats the liquid in the food directly, while an oven heats the area around the food which then warms up the food.

appliance - a machine used to do a specific task disposablesomething that is used once and then thrown in the garbage absorbed - to take in something

▸ Microwave oven in 1954

Did you know?

• Never heat up anything metal in a microwave as it can start a fire. This includes tin foil!

• A microwave heats up food more quickly than an oven does.

• A microwave won’t burn the food being heated up, while an oven may burn the food if it is left inside for too long.

• A microwave uses a lot less energy to heat up food than an oven does.

When microwave ovens first came out, they did not look the same as they look today. Can you imagine a microwave the size of a fridge, but only heavier? That was exactly what the very first microwave ovens looked like.

They were also a lot more expensive. In 1955, the cost of a microwave was $1,300. That’s actually a lot more than $1,300 today since every dollar was worth more back then. $1,300 is about $10,500 today!

Nowadays, microwaves are much cheaper. A microwave can cost as little as $50. Almost every home in America has one. Some homes may even have two microwaves. Do you have a microwave in your home?

▸ A microwave today

▸ Microwaves in the 1970s

WIKIPEDIA

Question REVIEW

1. When microwaves were first sold, they were the size of a ______?

a. Cabinet

b. Oven

c. Couch

d. Fridge

2. What are microwaves NOT used for?

a. Cooking food

b. Warming up food

c. Baking

d. Defrosting solids

3. How much money did the first microwave cost?

a. $10,500

b. $300

c. $1,300

d. $1,500

4. Which is better for reheating food without burning it: a microwave or an oven?

5. What foods do you put in the microwave? Write three examples.

SAFE OR UNSAFE

Remember the ‘did you know’ that you read about putting metal in the microwave? That’s right! If you put metal in the microwave, it can start a fire!

Sort the following items by writing them in the correct column in the chart below:

• Slice of pizza

• Grilled cheese wrapped in tin foil

• Metal bowl

• Soup in a hot cup

• A cookie from the freezer

• Disposable foil pan (Disposable is something that you use once, and then throw it in the garbage.)

SAFE TO PUT INTO A MICROWAVE UNSAFE TO PUT IN A MICROWAVE

THURGOOD MARSHALL

Have you ever been left out of a game at recess for no reason? It doesn’t feel good to be left out. It might feel lonely and make you sad. For a long time, black people felt left out because they were not treated nicely. Thurgood Marshall was a black person who helped fix this unfair problem.

Did you know?

• Thurgood’s name was really Thoroughgood. It was annoying to write such a long name, so in second grade, he shortened his name to Thurgood.

• Thurgood Marshall was a lawyer for 32 cases that took place in the Supreme Court. He won 29 of the cases.

• Thurgood told the FBI about someone trying to get secret information about the United States.

A long time ago there was slavery in America. Slavery was a time when black people were forced to work without pay and treated badly. They were called slaves. Slavery in the United States ended in 1865. Even after slavery ended many people treated black people unfairly. Some states even had laws which kept blacks separate from whites. For example, black children could not go to the same schools as white children.

▸ Thurgood Marshall meeting with President Lyndon B. Johnson in the Oval Office of the White House

lawyers - people who fight against unfair laws

justice - a judge on the Supreme Court

Thurgood Marshall was born in 1908 in Baltimore, Maryland. He didn’t like that black people like him were not treated well. Marshall wanted to make things better. When he was in high school he got a job after coming home from school. He saved his money to pay for college.

Thurgood Marshall went to college and became Lawyers are people who fight in court against unfair laws. He fought against laws that were unfair to black people. He was a very good lawyer and won

On October 2, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson asked Marshall to join the Supreme Court. The Supreme

▸ Thurgood Marshall

Court is the highest court in the United States. There are nine judges on the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court decides which laws are fair to the people of the United States. If a law is not fair, the court takes the law away. A judge on the Supreme Court is called a justice.

Marshall was 59 when he joined the Supreme Court. He served on the Supreme Court for 24 years. He used his powerful position to help make America a fair place for all people.

Thurgood Marshall died on January 24, 1993. His hard work made America a better place.

▸ Thurgood Marshall and other judges in the Supreme Court

▸ Outside the Supreme Court

WIKIPEDIA

Question REVIEW

1. What is a slave?

a. A person paid for the work they do

b. A person who doesn’t have a job

c. A person who works for very little money

d. A person who is not paid for their work and is treated unfairly

2. What happened when slavery ended?

a. Black people were treated equally to white people

b. White people became slaves

c. Black people were still treated unfairly

d. Black people were paid for the work they did when they were slaves

3. Who was the first black person to be part of the Supreme Court?

a. Thurgood Marshall

b. President Lyndon B. Johnson

c. Martin Luther King

d. FDR

4. What was Thurgood Marshall known for?

5. Why do you think it is important for everyone to be treated fairly?

PRO OR ANTI NEW LAWS

Pretend that you are one of the judges in the Supreme Court. Below are different laws that people want you to decide on. Read each law and circle if you agree with the law or not. Laws should be good for the country and for the people living there.

‘Pro’ means that you agree with the law.

‘Anti’ means that you do not agree with the law.

Choose 1 law that you don’t agree with. Explain why you think it would not be good for the country.

Kids should go to school only 2 days each week.

Adults do not need to wear seatbelts in their cars.

Milk should be given out for free to families with young kids.

There should be crossing guards on busy streets.

Buses should only stop at red lights and not at stop signs.

Tuition for high schools should be free so that everyone can afford a good education.

There should be no security at airports anymore.

THE SUBWAY

What can you buy for a nickel? Today, everything costs more than a nickel. In the early 1900s, you could buy an ice cream cone, a cup of coffee, or a pair of shoelaces for a nickel. You could even ride on the subway for just a nickel!

The subway system is an underground train that carries people to many different places.

The New York City subway started running for the first time on Thursday, October 27, 1904. This was one of the first subways in the whole United States! People were so excited about the subway that one hundred thousand (100,000) people rode it on that first day.

When the New York City subway first opened, it was only nine miles long and had 28 stations. By the year 2020, there were

Did you know?

• The New York subways are around 30 feet below ground.

• 40% of New York’s subways are above ground.

• A typical New York City subway train has eight to eleven subway cars.

▸ Original subway car

▸ New York City subway construction in 1901

▸ Part of the first underground line of the subway that opened on October 27, 1904

WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

493 stations on 25 routes, spread along 693 miles of track.

In 1904, the cost to ride the subway was only a nickel. In 1948, 44 years later, the price went up to a dime. In 2015, the subway price went up to $2.75, which is paid by using a MetroCard. A metro card looks like a credit card and has money stored on it. Each time a person goes onto the subway, he pays for the ride by swiping his card. When he uses up the money, he can add more money onto the MetroCard and keep using it for future subway rides.

Did you know that New York’s subway is the 6th busiest subway in the whole world? It runs 24/7 , and over 6 million people ride New York’s subway each day! 24/7 means that it runs 24 hours per day, for all seven days of the week. It never stops running. Have you ever taken a ride on the subway?

Question REVIEW

1. On what day of the week did the New York City subway start running?

a. Tuesday

b. Thursday

c. Friday

a. Sunday

2. What is the card used to pay for the subway ride called?

a. Metro Card

b. Subway Card

c. Credit Card

d. Bank Card

3. How many stations did the first New York City subway have?

a. 9

b. 850

c. 472

d. 28

4. How many miles long was the first New York City subway?

5. Why do you think more people travel on the New York City subway today than they did in the early 1900’s?

SUBWAY LINES, LENGTHS, AND LOCATIONS

Look

Circle the word that best completes the sentence.

1. Line C is (longer, shorter, equal) to Line G.

2. Line S is (longer, shorter, equal) to Line A.

3. Line A is the (longest, shortest) subway line.

4. Line S is the (longest, shortest) subway line. It runs in (Brooklyn, Far Rockaway, Manhattan).

5. I live in Queens and have a wedding in Brooklyn. Which subway line should I take?

6. Is it quicker to go from Manhattan to Far Rockaway or Manhattan to Brooklyn? How did you know?

THE WHITE HOUSE

How many doors do you have in your house? How many windows? There is a house in the United States that has 412 doors and 147 windows. Wow! That is a huge house! It is called the White House. This is where the president of the United States lives.

1800. THE WHITE HOUSE FINISHED BEING BUILT.

THERE WAS A FIRE IN THE WHITE HOUSE CAUSED BY A PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRICITY.

THE INSIDE OF THE WHITE HOUSE WAS REDECORATED.

THE WHITE HOUSE WAS EXPANDED.

1942. THE WHITE HOUSE WAS EXPANDED AGAIN.

WIKIPEDIA

THE WHITE HOUSE WAS FINISHED BEING REBUILT.

▸ The White House when it was first built

The White House is located at 600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC. It took eight years to build it! The location for the White House had been chosen by George Washington. A location is a specific place for something. George Washington was the first president of the United States, but he never got to live in the White House.

On November 1, 1800, President John Adams moved into the White House. He was the second president

is a room to keep the president safe in case of danger. It is called the Presidential Emergency Operations Center.

• Did you know that the White House was not white when it was first built? The building was gray!

WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

▸ Floor plan for the White House

▸ John Adams, first president to live in the White House

of the United States and the first president to live there. He moved in during his last year of presidency.

Thomas Jefferson was the second President to live in the White House. In 1805, President Jefferson opened the White House to tours. Since then, it has stayed open to the public except during unsafe times such as war or terror attacks like 9/11. 9/11 refers to September 11th when terrorists attacked a few important buildings in the United States.

The White House has been expanded many times since it opened. To expand a building means to make the building bigger. Today, there are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and six floors in the White House. It needs to be this big so that there is enough space for all the people who live in, work in, and visit the White House.

location - a place or position expand - become or make larger

▸ A hallway inside the White House

▸ White House under renovations in the 1950s

▸ Front and back views of the White House

1. Who was the first president to live in the White House?

a. George Washington

b. Thomas Jefferson

c. John Adams

d. John F. Kennedy

2. How many years did it take to build the White House?

a. 32

b. 6

c. 18

d. 8

3. Where is the White House located?

a. New York

b. Washington, DC

c. Florida

d. Philadelphia

4. What is the White House used for?

5. Why do you think that the White House is not open during times of war?

PRESIDENTS’ HOMES ACROSS THE WORLD

Look

1. In which country is the president’s house not open for tours?

• Canada • India • United States

2. In which country does the president have the most rooms in his house?

• Philippines • India • United States

3. In which city was the president’s home built in 1868?

• Washington, D.C. • Ottawa • New Delhi

4. In which country is the most recently built president’s home?

• India • United States • Philippines

▸ Look at the conductor standing at the back where people got on and off the car.

▸ The last days of streetcars in Manhattan, c. 1917

MEMORIAL HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

▸ Streetcar traffic in New York City during the 1830s

STREETCARS

Have you ever seen a horse trotting down the middle of a busy city street? Probably not. What about a horse pulling something that looked like a railroad car along the city street? If you had lived in the 1800s, you would have seen this happening every day!

The first streetcar in America began running on November 26, 1832. It ran along Bowery Street in New York City. At that time, people used streetcars or horse and buggy to get around. Buses and subways were not yet invented.

Every streetcar was pulled by a horse. The driver would stand at the front of the streetcar and control the horse by using reins. Reins are leather strips attached to the head of a horse. By pulling the reins in different ways, the driver would

▸ Notice the streetcar tracks and the driver.

▸ A streetcar in the United States in the 1800s

CHICAGO TRIBUNE HISTORICAL PHOTO

tell the horse how and when to move. By the late 1800s streetcars didn’t get their power from horses anymore but from a new source of power called electricity. Electric wires on top of the streetcars gave the streetcars the power to move. The streetcars would roll along tracks that were laid down in the middle of the streets. These tracks were made out of steel. Steel is a type of metal.

reins - leather strips attached to the head of a horse steel - a type of metal fare - the money that a person using public transportation has to pay

Did you know?

• The second city in the United States to have streetcars was New Orleans, Louisiana in 1835.

Besides the driver, every streetcar had a conductor. The conductor would ride at the back of the streetcar. His job was to help passengers get on and off the car safely. Once everyone was safely on the streetcar, the conductor would pull on a rope that was attached to a bell. This sound was a signal to the driver that everyone was in the car and that it was safe to start driving again. The conductor would also collect the passengers’ fares. Fare is the money that a person using public transportation has to pay.

• Cleveland, Ohio was the first city in the U.S. to have an electric streetcar. This was in the year 1884.

Many busy cities still use streetcars. Nowadays, streetcars look like modern trains and are still powered by electricity.

▸ Modern electric streetcar

Question REVIEW

1. Which city in America had the first streetcar?

a. New Orleans

b. Cleveland

c. Chicago

d. New York

2. What were the streetcar tracks made of?

a. Steel

b. Wood

c. Aluminum

d. Tar

3. What gave a streetcar the energy to move in 1832?

a. A motor

b. It moved by itself

c. Horses

d. Electricity

4. What were the two jobs of the conductor?

5. What do you think is a quicker way to travel, by subway or by streetcar? Why?

TYPES OF TRANSPORTATION IN A CITY

Here are three different ways to travel in a city. Look at the chart and answer the questions.

Circle the correct answer:

1. The (streetcar/ subway/ bus) has the most seats.

2. You can take (subway/ bus/ any of them) at all hours of the day.

3. There are 60 people riding on the bus. Will some of the passengers have to stand? (yes/no)

4. If any of the vehicles can get you to where you need to go, the (streetcar/ subway/ bus) will get you there fastest. How did you know?

AREA CODES

How many digits are in your phone number? A digit is any number from zero-nine. What are the first three digits of your phone number?

You may have noticed that most people’s phone numbers in your city start with the same three digits. Did you ever wonder why?

digit - any number from zero-nine operator - a person who would connect phone calls from one person to another area code - the first three digits of a phone number that show which city or area you are calling

Many years ago, in the early 1900s, a person could not just pick up the telephone and call his friend. First he had to call the operator who would connect his phone call to the friend.

Operators worked together in a large room and received calls from many people. An operator would ask the caller whom he was

STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA’S DIGITAL IMAGE LIBRARY

▸ An operator working to connect phone calls

▸ One of the first telephone switchboards that operators used to connect calls

WIKIPEDIA

Did you know?

• To dial a phone number on a rotary phone, a person would pick up the receiver and put his finger in the ring of the first digit of the number that he wanted to dial. Then, he would turn the dial clockwise until his finger got to the metal hook, at which point he would take his finger out. He would keep doing this until he finished dialing all the digits of the phone number.

• By 1920 more than a third of all U.S. households had phones.

• Alexander Graham Bell is most well known for inventing the telephone.

trying to reach. Then the operator would connect the call using a switch and a plug.

In the middle of the 1900s, area codes were invented. An area code is the first three digits of a phone number. These numbers show which city or area you are trying to call. Area codes were invented so that a call could go directly to the person that you wanted to reach without the help of an operator.

The very first long-distance phone call using an area code, without the help of an operator, happened on November 10, 1951. Mayor Downing of Englewood, New Jersey, dialed a 10-digit phone number, and 18 seconds later, he reached Mayor Osborne in Alameda, California!

This was the first time that someone dialed the area code, plus the rest of the phone number, and reached the person he wanted to call right away! Soon, many more people were able to do this, and operators were no longer needed to make phone calls.

▸ Mayor Downing on the phone with Mayor Osborne

Question REVIEW

1. Who made the first long distance phone call without the help of an operator?

a. A shop owner

b. A mayor

c. A president

d. A doctor

2. In what year did the first long distance phone call, without an operator, happen?

a. 1900

b. 1925

c. 1978

d. 1951

3. What does an area code show?

a. Who you are trying to call

b. What city or area you are calling

c. What year it is

d. Who you are

4. How did an operator help with making phone calls?

5. Here is a pretend phone number(613) 782-9645. Which digits are the area code? How did you know?

TELEPHONES THEN AND NOW

A rotary phone is the type of phone that was used in the 1900s. Today’s phones are called touch-tone phones. Touch-tone, also known as push-button phones can have cords, wires or be cordless.

Read each sentence. Decide if the sentence describes a rotary phone, cordless phone, or both. Circle your answers.

1. You can call your friend using this phone.

2. It takes a long time to dial a phone number.

3. The phone has a screen on it.

4. You dial a phone number by turning a dial.

5. You can call someone who lives far away.

6. You can walk around the kitchen with this phone.

• rotary

• rotary

• rotary

• rotary

• rotary

• rotary

• cordless

• both

• cordless • both

• cordless • both

• cordless • both

• cordless • both

• cordless

• both

▸ Roosevelt’s picture is engraved on the dime.

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WIKIPEDIA

▸ Before becoming president, FDR was a secretary in the Navy.

WIKIPEDIA

▸ Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR)

PRESIDENT FDR

Do you like grilled cheese? So did one of our presidents!

Franklin D. Roosevelt loved grilled cheese, scrambled eggs and fruit cake. He also really enjoyed boating and fishing.

election - when people of a country vote for who their next president will be term - four years that a president is in charge of running the country

Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) was the 32nd president of the United States. On November 7, 1944, FDR won the presidential election for the fourth time in a row! A presidential election is when the people of a country vote for who their next president will be.

FDR won the elections in the years 1932, 1936, 1940, and 1944. He was the only U.S. President to be elected for more than two terms. A term is the four years that a president is in the White House running the country. Since 1951, there has been a law that a president can only be elected for two terms.

▸ Machine that was used to vote for president in the 1900s

▸ Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1912 WIKIPEDIA

Did you know?

• FDR was the President of the United States during World War II.

• FDR got sick with polio when he was a child. This made it hard for him to move his legs. So, he used a wheelchair to get around.

During FDR’s four terms as the president, he had three different vice presidents working with him. The vice president helps the president.

FDR was the president during the Great Depression. During this time, many people lost their jobs and didn’t have money. FDR helped people find jobs and earn money for their needs.

• FDR had six pet dogs!

World War II also took place during his presidency. Together with presidents of other countries, FDR sent soldiers to Europe to fight against the Germans. The Americans won the war.

President Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, less than a month before World War II ended. This was 53 days after he was elected for his fourth term. The vice president, Harry Truman, took over as the president.

▸ Last photograph of Roosevelt, taken April 11, 1945, the day before his death

▸ Roosevelt meeting with other presidents in February 1945

▸ Roosevelt signing papers during WWII saying that the U.S. was going to fight against Japan (left) and against Germany (middle)

WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

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WIKIPEDIA

Question REVIEW

1. Who was the 32nd president of the United States?

a. Harry Truman

b. George Washington

c. Franklin D. Roosevelt

d. Abraham Lincoln

2. For how many terms can a president be elected?

a. 8

b. 4

c. 5

d. 2

3. FDR was president during which war?

a. World War II

b. World War I

c. War of Independence

d. American Civil War

4. Which two big events happened during FDR’s presidency?

5. Do you think the people in the U.S. liked FDR as president? How do you know?

WHICH PRESIDENT AM I?

Look at the chart of some famous presidents. Then write the name of the president that fits with each clue.

I became the president in 1933. I was the president in 1863. I was the president for 8 years.

I was the president for only half a term.

NAME OF PRESIDENT George Washington Abraham Lincoln

Franklin D. Roosevelt John F. Kennedy

WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE

Have you ever jumped on the shaky bridges at the park or on a trail? The bridge is called a suspension bridge because the middle is “suspended” up in the air and the sides are held down in place with strong towers or poles. This is what helps keep the bridge in the air and does not let it fall.

Can a car go on that bridge?

Can a train go on that bridge? The answer is “no” because those bridges are only made

Now, can you imagine if there was a suspension bridge that was built for cars and trains to drive on? Well, there actually are many. One of the oldest is called the Williamsburg Bridge and it’s located in New

The Williamsburg Bridge opened on December 19, 1903.

1896.

1903.

1920.

THE WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE IS COMPLETED CARS BECAME THE MAIN WAY TO TRAVEL ACROSS THE BRIDGE

CONSTRUCTION FOR THE WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE BEGAN

WIKIPEDIA

1908.

TRAINS BEGIN TO TRAVEL ON THE BRIDGE

▸ The bridge was damaged by fire while under construction in 1902.

WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

It connects the Lower East Side of Manhattan with Williamsburg, which is in Brooklyn. It was not easy to build the bridge and cost $24 million! The bridge was built for horses and buggies, and bikes to ride on, and for people to walk on. Trains did not run on the bridge until 1908. In the 1920s people began using cars to travel and started to drive them over the bridge. Today, people can choose if they want to go on a train, car, or walk across the bridge. Today there are subway lines that go across the bridge.

When the Williamsburg Bridge opened, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world, measuring 7,308 feet in length! Now, the Verrazano Narrows Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the United States. It was built in 1964 to connect Brooklyn to Staten Island. ▸ Would you walk on this suspension bridge in Haifa, Israel?

▸ The Williamsburg Bridge nowadays

Question

1. What is a suspension bridge?

a. A bridge without poles

b. A bridge where the middle is suspended up in the air

c. A bridge that connects two cities

d. A bridge for bikers

2. When was the Williamsburg Bridge opened?

a. 1903

b. 1908

c. 1920

d. 1964

3. Which two areas does the Williamsburg Bridge connect?

a. Brooklyn and Staten Island

b. Manhattan and Williamsburg

c. Staten Island and Williamsburg

d. Manhattan and Staten Island

4. What is the longest bridge in the United States today?

a. The George Washington Bridge

b. The Williamsburg Bridge

c. The Brooklyn Bridge

d. The Verrazano Narrows Bridge

5. Why do you think they needed to connect the neighborhoods?

6. Do you think they had to make the bridge stronger once cars and trains went on it? Why?

SUSPENSION BRIDGES IN NEW YORK CITY

Below are some of the famous suspension bridges in New York City. Using the chart, fill in the blanks to complete the sentences.

1. The Brooklyn Bridge is (longer / shorter) than the Manhattan Bridge.

2. The (Brooklyn / George Washington) Bridge can hold more cars. (Hint: double check how many lanes the bridges have)

3. The Williamsburg Bridge is (older / newer) than the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

4. The Manhattan and (Williamsburg / Brooklyn) bridges were both built for cars and trains.

MISSISSIPPI

There once was a second grader who was having a spelling bee in school. He was a great speller and was sure that he was going to win. The spelling bee happened, but he did not win. He got out on the word ‘Mississippi’. When he told his mother what happened, she told him that he should practice saying the letters out loud in a sing-song tune. Doing this will help him remember the correct spelling of this U.S. state for the next contest.

There weren’t always 50 states in the United States. The country started with only thirteen states. Over time more and more states joined the country.

On December 10, 1817, Mississippi became the 20th state of the United States. At that time, there were only 47,000 people living in Mississippi. By the year 2022, there were almost three million people living there. The state of Mississippi is a bit larger than New York State.

▸ A quarter with Mississippi’s nickname, The Magnolia State, written

▸ Seal of Mississippi

Did you know?

animal is a white-tailed

Mississippi between 30 to 100 tornadoes a year.

Mississippi has the third best drinking water in the United

The state flower is the magnolia flower. One of Mississippi’s nicknames is The

because of its many magnolia flowers

Mississippi

THIS MONTH IN HISTORY | 61

The state is named after the Mississippi River that flows through it. Before Mississippi became a state, Native American tribes (Indians) lived on the land. They named the river “Mississippi” which means “great waters” or “father of waters” in the Indian language.

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States and is the fourth longest river in the whole world. The river was very important to the state since it watered many fields nearby. It also gave jobs to a lot of people. Some people worked as fishermen; others worked to load and unload boats that brought food and other items from state to state.

Cotton is an important crop that grows in Mississippi. A crop is the food or plants that grow in a field. In the 1800’s many people in Mississippi owned cotton fields. These people were called landowners. The landowners had slaves who worked for them. The slaves would spend all day picking and packaging the cotton crop. Landowners sold their cotton and made a lot of money.

▸ Slaves picking cotton

▸ The Mississippi River is 2,340 miles long

crop - food or plants that grow

Question REVIEW

1. Mississippi is the name of

a. A river and a city

b. A river and a state

c. A state and a crop

d. A state and a landowner

2. Who lived in Mississippi before it became a state?

a. Native American tribes

b. Landowners

c. Slaves

d. Other Americans

3. Who picked the cotton growing in Mississippi’s cotton fields?

a. Landowners

b. Slaves

c. Workers

d. Machines

4. On what date did Mississippi become a state?

5. Name a type of crop that grows in a hot climate.

FAMOUS RIVERS IN THE USA

Look at the famous rivers in the chart. Then answer the riddles.

Which river am I?

1. My waters are 20 feet deep, and I do not have alligators.

2. I have waterfalls along my water and a color in my name.

3. Even though I am the shortest river, I have the deepest water.

4. I have alligators in my water and the longest name on the chart.

Did you know?

• There are 43 different types of cotton.

• U.S. bills are made of 75% cotton and 25% linen!

• Cotton can be rolled and made into wicks.

• Cottonseed oil also comes from a cotton plant. This oil can be used for cooking.

▸ Cotton plants

▸ Samuel Slater’s cotton mill

COTTON MILL

Did you know that some of your clothes are made of cotton or have cotton in them? Cotton comes from a plant and looks white and fluffy like a cotton ball. How do we turn that cotton into clothing?

Cotton grows on a plant. Cotton plants grow in hot climates. Climate is the weather in a specific place. The cotton that we pick is the fruit of the plant. It takes around 6 months for cotton plants to grow and be ready to be picked. Cotton is grown in 70 different countries.

The first American cotton mill opened on December 20, 1790. It was located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Samuel Slater owned and ran this cotton mill.

A cotton mill is a factory with big machines that clean and untangle cotton. The cotton is then spun into yarn. Afterwards, the yarn is made into cloth which is used to make clothing.

▸ Samuel Slater’s cotton mill

▸ Samuel Slater

Before 1790, cotton was processed into cloth by hand. Processed is another way of saying made. Samuel Slater built machines to process cotton which made it easier and quicker than having it done by people.

Many people came to work in Samuel’s cotton mill. They wanted to see and learn about his machines. Slater’s mill worked so well that many of his workers left him and returned to their cities where they built cotton mills on their own.

▸ Samuel Slater's spinning frame

▸ Old machinery from a cotton mill

Question REVIEW

1. What is a cotton mill?

a. A store

b. A machine

c. A factory

d. A field where cotton grew

2. Who built the machines that were used in the cotton mill?

a. Samuel Slater

b. Cotton pickers

c. Samuel Adams

d. Joseph-Marie Jacquard

3. How long does it take from the time cotton seeds are planted until the cotton can be processed in the mill?

a. 1 year

b. 3 months

c. 6 weeks

d. 6 months

4. Why did people come to work at Slater’s cotton mill?

5. Why did Samuel Slater invent machines to process cotton?

COTTON TO CLOTHING: STEP BY STEP

Put the steps in their correct order. Use the information in the article to help you.

Plant cotton seeds Make the cloth into clothing

Clean and untangle the cotton

Spin the cotton into yarn Bring cotton to the cotton mill

Can you think of four things that are made from cotton?

1.

2. Pick cotton from plants.

3.

4.

5.

6. Weave the yarn into cloth.

7.

Norway’s explorers

SOUTH POLE

Have you ever had a race with a friend? Two countries did this too!

Norway and Britain raced to see who would reach the South Pole first. Norway won the race by 5 weeks!

The South Pole is the bottom end of the earth’s axis. The earth’s axis is an imaginary pole that goes through the middle of the earth from top to bottom. The earth spins slowly around on this axis. The South Pole is located in Antarctica. Antarctica is one of the 7 continents, or main lands on earth. The South Pole is the coldest place on earth.

▸ Roald Amundsen

Roald Amundsen and his team aboard their small ship, the Gjoa

▸ Amundsen and his team at the South Pole

▸ Amundsen on skis, March 7, 1909

WIKIPEDIA WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

South Pole

Scott Amundsen (12/14/1911) (01/17/1912)

Beardmore Glacier

Evan died (02/17/1912)

Oates died (03/17/1912)

▸ Amundsen’s route compared to Scott’s

Britain’s explorers

Scott, Wilson and Bowers died (about 03/30/1912)

In the early 1900s, there was a race to see which country could get to the South Pole first. Nobody had ever reached there yet because of the extremely cold weather and ice-covered land. Two countries, Norway and Britain, sent explorers to travel to the South Pole. Roald Amundsen was the head of the team from Norway. Robert Falcon Scott headed the team from Britain. Norway won the race against Britain. Norway’s explorers

▸ Location of South Pole

▸ Robert Falcon Scott

▸ Scott’s team having a meal

▸ Amundsen (left) and Scott (right) wearing special clothing to stay warm

Victoria Land

Axel Heiberg Glacier Ross Ice Shelf

Ross Sea

reached Antarctica five weeks before Scott got there.

On December 14, 1911, Roald Amundsen and his team arrived at the South Pole. They were the first people to stand on this part of the earth. They planted a Norwegian flag in the ground to show that Norway reached this land first.

Did you know?

• In the winter, the temperature at the South Pole can become as cold as -83 degrees Fahrenheit.

Scientists try to learn more about Antarctica and the South Pole. Many countries, including the United States, built buildings in Antarctica. Researchers live in these buildings when they come to study the land. Researchers are people who study something to discover new information about it. There is a research building in Antarctica that is named after the first two explorers who traveled there. It is called The Amundsen-Scott Station.

• During winter (May through August), the South Pole receives no sunlight at all and is completely dark apart from moonlight.

• Penguins, whales, and seals are some of the animals that live in the South Pole.

• People have to vacuum themselves before stepping onto Antarctica. The scientists don’t want any new dust getting on the ground there.

Many people take tours to Antarctica. People want to see the animals that live there and the huge icebergs that are found in the water. Tourists enjoy seeing a different kind of land that is full of rocks and ice. There are no trees or grass in Antarctica. Tourists usually visit during Antarctica’s summer months as it is too cold to go in the winter. Even in the summer, it is very cold there. The average temperature in the summer is 34 degrees Fahrenheit. The money from tourists goes to paying scientists to research more about the land.

▸ The Amundsen-Scott Station

earth’s axis - an imaginary pole that goes through the middle of the earth from top to bottom researcherspeople who study something to discover new information about it

▸ Tour boat in Antarctica

Question REVIEW

1. Which country reached the South Pole first?

a. United States

b. Belgium

c. Britain

d. Norway

2. Where on Earth is the South Pole?

a. Top

b. Bottom

c. Middle

d. Side

3. What is the temperature in Antarctica?

a. Warm

b. Hot

c. Freezing

d. Cool

4. Why did Amundsen and his team plant a Norwegian flag in the ground at the South Pole?

5. Do you want to visit Antarctica? Why or why not?

ALL ABOUT ANTARCTICA

Using the map of Antarctica below, answer the following questions.

1. Which ocean is on the east of Antarctica? Indian Ocean / Pacific Ocean / Atlantic Ocean

2. The South Pole is in the (top / middle / bottom) of Antarctica.

3. Circle two animals that live in Antarctica or in the water around it. Seal, shark, lion, penguin, wolf

4. Why do you think there is a picture of a snowflake on the map of Antarctica?

Did you know?

• A typical rubber tree can produce enough sap to make 19 pounds of rubber each year.

• Rubber got its name when Joseph Priestley realized that this material can ‘rub out’ (erase) pencil lines!

• A rubber tree starts making sap six years after it was planted.

• In 1943, James Wright was trying to create a synthetic rubber and accidentally made Silly Putty!

▸ Rubber tree

▸ Sap being collected from a rubber tree

▸ Notice how rubber can stretch!

WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

▸ Silly Putty

RUBBER

What do rubber bands, erasers, rain boots, and tires all have in common? Do you know? They are all made of rubber!

America needed lots of rubber to help fight World War II. Soldiers needed boots and gas masks, and the army needed rubber tires and parts for their tanks and airplanes. Americans were asked to donate old rubber tires, raincoats, boots, and anything that had rubber in it. This rubber

WIKIPEDIA

▸ Sheets of natural rubber

▸ Rubber bands

▸ Eraser

▸ Tires

▸ Rubber boots

sap - the liquid inside a tree synthetic - fake, but made to look and work like the real product

was then used to make equipment for the soldiers. The problem was that even with all the donations, there still was not enough rubber.

At the time of the war, all rubber was natural rubber. Natural rubber comes from the sap of rubber trees. Sap is the liquid inside a tree.

On January 12, 1942, the government asked U.S. factories to invent synthetic rubber. Synthetic means fake, but made to look and work like the real product.

Goodyear Tire and Firestone

Tire companies invented synthetic rubber. Now the U.S. was able to make as many rubber products as they needed to fight the war.

Today, more than half of the rubber we use is synthetic.

WIKIPEDIA

▸ A compression molding machine used to make rubber items

▸ Car tires that are made of rubber cannot melt.

Question REVIEW

1. Where does natural rubber come from?

a. Rubber trees

b. Rubber plants

c. Wheat

d. Oil

2. What equipment was not needed for the soldiers fighting in World War II?

a. Life rafts

b. Rubber boots

c. Tires

d. Rubber bands

3. What did the U.S. government want to invent in January 1942?

a. New war planes

b. Synthetic rubber

c. Rubber gloves

d. Bombs to fight the enemy

4. Why did Americans donate old rubber items to the army?

5. What type of rubber are most of our rubber products made from today?

SORT IT!

Sort the objects into the correct category based on what they are made of.

Screws Bike tires Wire hangers Straws Disposable water bottles

Balloons Toy blocks Hot water urn Erasers

PLASTIC RUBBER METAL

1. Ziploc bags

1. Dishwashing gloves

1. Tin foil

THE FIRST PRESIDENT TO TRAVEL BY AIRPLANE

Were you ever on an airplane? Some airplanes have enough room for more than a hundred people! But imagine having your own airplane. Whenever you need to go somewhere, you ask your pilot to fly you there. The first president to travel by airplane was President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Presidents after him had a private airplane to help them travel on important business.

On January 14, 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) became the first American president to travel by airplane. This was during World War Two. President Roosevelt flew to Morocco to meet with England’s Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. Morocco is a country in Northern Africa.

SHIPS.BOUWMAN.COM

Did you know?

• FDR was 60 years old when he flew to Morocco.

• Howard M. Cone,

was the pilot on FDR’s flight. He was 34 years old.

• FDR had his 61st birthday while flying back to the United States.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt preparing to cut his cake for his 61st birthday on January 30, 1943

WIKIPEDIA

▸ President FDR traveling to the Casablanca in January, 1943 aboard the Dixie Clipper

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

▸ Inside of Boeing 314

Jr.

The flight was a 17,000-mile round trip. Round trip means traveling to a place and back. The journey or trip began on January 11. The plane stopped a few times during the journey to refuel and for the passengers to rest. Refuel means to fill up the airplane with fuel so that the engines work and the plane can fly. They finally reached Morocco four days later on January 14.

In Morocco, President Roosevelt met Churchill. The meeting was called The Casablanca Conference. A conference is a meeting. FDR and Churchill discussed how they could fight the Germans and end the war. FDR also did some sightseeing while in Morocco.

round triptraveling to a place and back journey - a trip refuel - to fill up the airplane with fuel so that the engines work and the plane can fly conference - a meeting

▸

FDR and Churchill discussing how they could fight the Germans and end the war

Question

1. Who was the first U.S. president to travel by plane?

a. Teddy Roosevelt

b. Franklin D. Roosevelt

c. Howard M. Cone

d. Winston Churchill

2. How many days did the trip from the U.S. to Morocco take?

a. 5

b. 3

c. 4

d. 7

3. Winston Churchill was the prime minister of which country?

a. Morocco

b. America

c. Germany

d. England

4. What are two things FDR did while in Morocco?

LOOK AT AIR FORCE ONE

Air Force One is the special plane that presidents use to fly. Look at the different rooms inside the plane and answer the questions below.

5. Why do you think the Casablanca Conference was very important?

1. Where do you think the pilot sits?

a. The conference room

b. The flight deck

c. The medical office

d. The President’s suite

2. Where does the president go if he’s not feeling well?

a. The conference room

b. The medical office

c. The guest section

d. The galley

3. Where do you think the president will go if he needs to do work?

a. The President’s office

b. The flight deck

c. The medical office

d. The guest section

4. If the president needs to have a meeting with his staff, which room would they use?

a. The crew lounge

b. The flight deck

c. The conference room

d. The galley

guest section conference room galley medical office president’s office president’s suite

office staff senior staff comms center crew lounge flight deck Security section

POLL TAX

Your class is voting on where to go for the end of year trip. Everyone in your class is excited to vote. But, you have to pay $5 in order to vote. That’s not fair! You shouldn’t have to pay in order to vote!

without paying a fee. Congress is the part of the government in charge of making laws. Citizens are people who live in a country.

President Lyndon Johnson said, “There can be no one too poor to vote.” He was the president who signed the new law.

▸ President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the law

Did you know?

• The poll tax was around $1.50, which is about $35 in the year 2022.

• Until 1919, women were not allowed to vote at all.

• In 2020, only 70% of citizens voted in the presidential election.

• The United States has a presidential election every four years.

Before this law was passed, citizens in some states had to pay a fee to vote in an election. A fee is an amount one has to pay for a service. This fee was called a poll tax.

The poll tax was one way to prevent, or stop, African Americans from voting. At that time African Americans were not respected. They were not given the same chances as white citizens in the United States. Many African Americans and some poor white people did not have enough money to pay the poll tax and therefore could not vote. Some of the states that charged the poll tax were Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas. Many African Americans lived in these states.

citizens - people who live in a country fee - an amount one has to pay for a service prevent - stop

Today, any citizen who is 18 years old and older can vote. Some states even allow 17 year olds to vote.

▸ Flier distributed to fight poll tax ▸ Voting machine in the 1960s WIKIPEDIA WIKIPEDIA

Question REVIEW

1. When did the Supreme Court pass a law that citizens could vote for free?

a. 1919

b. 1890

c. 1964

d. 1941

2. What is a citizen?

a. A person who votes

b. A person who lives in a country

c. A person above the age of 18

d. A poor person in the United States

3. What was a poll tax?

a. A fee for voting

b. A tax on food

c. A fee for driving on roads

d. A tax on mail

4. What types of people didn’t vote because of the poll tax?

5. Why do you think it is important that citizens can vote for free?

CHOOSE THE TRAITS

A presidential election is when the citizens decide together which person is the most fitting to be President and lead their country. Circle the character traits that you think are important for a president to have.

Funny Mean Honest Dresses nicely Shy

Which character trait do you think is the most important for the person leading your country to have? Why?

CIA

Do you know who helps keep the United States safe? The police force, the army, and one other special group all work together to keep the country safe. This special group is called the CIA. They do their work in a more secretive way than the police and army.

group became known as the Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA in short.

The CIA does very important work. They help keep the United States safe. The CIA gives information to the U.S. leaders so that the leaders can make good decisions.

The CIA gathers information in a few different ways. Some of their information comes from other countries’ newspapers. Since U.S. leaders don’t have time to read

bribe - money offered to someone to get them to do something that you want them to do explosivesdangerous materials that can explode and cause damage to the people and things nearby

Did you know?

• Most of the CIA officers are over the age of 40.

• A CIA officer is called an ‘Operations Officer’.

• It can be very lonely to work as a spy in another country.

• A secret term used by the CIA is ‘Camp Swampy’. This is the nickname of the CIA’s secret training base.

WIKIPEDIA President Ford meeting with the head of the CIA in 1975

▸ The CIA seal or stamp

WIKIPEDIA

▸ Central Intelligence Agency main office, Langley, Virginia

▸ President Harry Truman

WIKIPEDIA

▸ William J. Burns, head of the CIA in 2021

WIKIPEDIA

all these newspapers, the CIA does it for them.

The CIA also finds people in other countries who agree to spy and pass along secret information to the CIA. In exchange, the CIA gives them bribes or payment. A bribe is money offered to someone to get them to do something that you want them to do. This helps the CIA learn things that other countries are trying to hide.

The K-9 Corps is a special group in the CIA. This group is made up of CIA officers and dogs that work together. The K-9 dogs are trained to smell explosives, search people and places, and catch the bad guys. Explosives are dangerous materials that can explode and cause damage to the people and things nearby.

The CIA seal has a picture of a shield and the bald eagle on it. The bald eagle is the United States national bird. Both pictures are signs of strength. The seal is red, white and blue just like the American flag.

CIA.GOV

K-9 dog sniffing for danger in a warehouse CIA.GOV

Question REVIEW

1. Which President created the Central Intelligence Group?

a. George Bush

b. Harry Truman

c. Henry Ford

d. FDR

2. The K-9 Corps is made up of ?

a. Soldiers and dogs

b. Police officers and wolves

c. Spies and CIA officers

d. CIA officers and dogs

3. Which of these is not a job of the CIA?

a. They keep the country safe.

b. They give information to China’s government.

c. They give information to the U.S. government.

d. Their dogs smell out if there are any explosives in a given area.

4. What is the United States national bird?

5. Why do you think the CIA has to pay or bribe people to give them secret information?

CRACK THE CODE LIKE A CIA DETECTIVE

Can you be a detective like a CIA officer and solve the riddle below? Here’s how to do it. Fill in the answers to the 5 questions below. Write the circled letters onto the lines at the very bottom to answer the riddle.

1. The CIA reads the of other countries to get information.

2. What is the abbreviation for the Central Intelligence Agency?

3. What is the name of a special group in the CIA?

4. The CIA seal has a picture of a bald eagle and a on it.

5. What animal is used in the K-9 Corps part of the CIA?

Riddle: What can you catch, but not throw?

ARIZONA

What type of weather do you like best? Do you like playing in the snow more or the warm weather? Some states almost never get snow and are almost always warm. One of those states is Arizona.

▸ Cactus plant growing in Arizona

▸ Grand Canyon

On February 14, 1912, President Taft made Arizona the 48th state. Arizona is the sixth biggest state in the United States.

Arizona is near five states. It touches the states of New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California, and Colorado. It also touches the country of Mexico.

Did you know?

• A person from Arizona is called an Arizonan.

• There are four different deserts in the state of Arizona.

• The flavor ‘prickly pear’ is very popular in Arizona.

• Arizona is also known as the “Copper State” because it has so much copper.

▸ Saguaro flowers on a cactus

▸ Desert in Arizona

▸ President William Howard Taft

A large part of the land in Arizona is a desert. Deserts are very hot and the ground is very dry and sandy. People usually don’t live in deserts. The desert has cactus plants instead of trees. Cactus plants don’t need a lot of water. It rains very little in deserts.

There are also cities in Arizona. A lot of people who get sick in rainy weather move to Arizona as the warm weather can help them feel better.

The capital city of Arizona is Phoenix. A capital city is the most important city in the state. Phoenix is a very big city with lots of people. Four million people live there.

Arizona is also home to the Grand Canyon. A canyon is a very big and very deep hole in the ground. Canyons are so big that it can feel like you are on the top of a very tall mountain when you visit one. The Grand Canyon is the biggest canyon in the United States.

The saguaro cactus is the state flower of Arizona. It can grow to over 70 feet tall. Saguaro is the largest type of cactus in the USA. Saguaro flowers smell sweet and feel a little bit like wax.

capital city - the most important city in the state canyon - a very big and very deep hole in the ground

▸ Phoenix, Arizona

▸ Grand Canyon

Question REVIEW

1. Arizona has many _______?

a. Forests

b. Rivers

c. Deserts

d. Lakes

2. What is the capital city of Arizona?

a. Cleveland

b. Phoenix

c. Manhattan

d. New Jersey

3. Which of these are found in Arizona?

a. The Grand Canyon

b. Cactus plants

c. Deserts

d. All of the above

4. What type of plant grows in the desert?

5. Why do you think that people don’t usually live in deserts?

NAME THE NATURAL WONDERS

There are 7 natural wonders of the world. Four of those wonders are listed below. Match the name of the natural wonder to the picture.

Mount Everest, one of the tallest mountains on earth.

Grand Canyon, located in Arizona.

Victoria Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in the world.

The Northern Lights, beautiful colors naturally seen in the sky.

Which one might you want to visit? Why?

Did you know?

• The Postal Service has more than 200,000 vehicles.

• Almost 6,000 mail carriers are attacked by dogs each year.

• The U.S. Postal Service receives no money from the government to help pay for the service. All the expenses are covered by the money that the customers pay.

• In 1963, letters mailed a distance of 300 miles or less were 5¢ per half ounce; while those mailed over 300 miles were 10¢ per half ounce.

POSTAL SERVICE ACT

Did you ever see your parents open their mail? Did you ever get mail? Getting a letter in the mail can be fun. Let’s read about how mail gets to your house.

▸ When the U.S. Postal Service started, mail was delivered by horse and buggy.

▸ Mail was also delivered by sled and motorcycle

▸ Mailmen with mail trucks in 1914

Before 1792, sending letters to friends was not as easy as it is today. There were no post offices yet. The post office is the company that delivers the mail. To deliver something means to take it where it needs to go. People who wanted to send a letter had to either ask someone who was taking a trip to bring the letter with them, or they had to pay someone to bring it for them. This could be expensive . That means that it could cost a lot

▸ On February 20, 1792, President George Washington signed the Postal Service Act.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES, GENERAL RECORDS OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT WIKIPEDIA

of money. Sometimes, the person would forget to give the letter to the right person.

On February 20, 1792, President George Washington signed the Postal Service Act. This law created the United States Post Office. The United States Post Office delivers mail throughout the country. This made it much easier to send mail. People brought their mail to the post office and paid them to deliver it. The post office hired mailmen to bring mail everywhere in the United States.

In 1847, the post office began using stamps. This made it easier for people to pay for sending mail. Instead of paying every time someone sent a letter, people bought stamps and stuck them on the envelope when they wanted to send mail.

In the late 1800s, the post office began using trains to deliver mail. This sped up the delivery of mail. In the 1900s, they started using cars and airplanes too. In the 1980s, the post office began offering overnight delivery. That means the letter will arrive at the person you’re sending it to the very next day!

Over 500,000 people work for the United States Post Office. They deliver mail to more than 150 million addresses in the United States. They also deliver mail from the U.S. to over 190 countries.

Question REVIEW

1. Which president created the United States Postal Service?

a. George Bush

b. George Washington

c. Abraham Lincoln

d. FDR

2. In 1792 how did people pay to send mail?

a. It was free.

b. They paid at the post office.

c. They put a stamp on the envelope.

d. They paid by credit card.

3. How fast does mail arrive when using overnight delivery?

a. The mail arrives before the night comes.

b. The mail arrives within a week.

c. The mail arrives the next day.

d. The mail arrives three days later.

4. How did people send letters before the United States Postal Service was created?

5. What do you think are some of the jobs the workers in the post office have to do?

What do you need to write on the envelope? Look at the example to help you.

Jane Doe 425 Sugar Lane Brandon, ND 97036

Miss Joan Johnson 346 Elm Street Madison, SD 57042

What are you inviting your friend to?

Pretend that you are sending an invitation to your friend who lives in another city. Your friend’s address is 96 Freelane Drive, Cleveland Ohio, 44101. write your name, address, city, state and zip code write

9-1-1

Being in an emergency can be scary, but knowing what to do can help. There are many people that are trained to help in emergencies. The people that help most are police officers, firefighters, and ambulance medics. A medic is someone who is trained to help in medical emergencies. All these people have the same phone number.

911 is a special phone number that people in the United States can use to get help in an emergency. If you see or hear something dangerous, you can call 911. They will send a police officer, firefighter, or ambulance to help you.

In 1937, England made the number 999 for all emergencies. That was the first time there was a special number for emergencies. On February 16, 1968, 911 became the number for all

Did you know?

• If you accidentally called 911 when there was no emergency, do not hang up. Stay on the phone and tell the dispatcher that everything is ok. If you don’t, he will think that something is very wrong and send a police officer to check.

• A person might have to pay a lot of money if he calls 911 on purpose when there is no emergency.

• Haleyville makes a festival each year to honor all

▸ and police rushing to an emergency

emergencies in Haleyville, Alabama. The phone that was used to answer the first 911 call is now in a museum in Haleyville. When other U.S. cities heard about the idea, they also started using 911. Soon, the whole country started to use 911 to ask for help.

Before 911 there were two ways to call for help. One way was to dial 0 for the phone operator and ask them to send the police or ambulance. Phone operators are friendly phone workers who help people make phone calls. The other way to call for help was to call the phone number of the police or firefighters. The police, fire department, and ambulance each had their own phone numbers. Calling 911 is a much easier way to get help.

911 is used in more than 100 other countries, including Canada and Mexico. It is important to try to stay calm when calling 911. When you are calm it is easier for the person answering the phone to hear you and send the help you need.

911 has assisted, or helped, a lot of people in emergencies. If you ever need help, remember to call 911 right away.

▸ A person who answers 911 calls is called a dispatcher. medic - someone who is trained to help in medical emergencies assisted, helpeda friendly person who helps people

1. Nowadays, what number can a person call to get help in an emergency?

a. 0

b. 999

c. 911

d. 991

2. When calling for help, one should try to stay .

a. Nervous

b. Angry

c. Sad

d. Calm

3. Why is it important to call for help right away?

a. I might forget if I don’t call right away.

b. I want to get help as soon as possible.

c. I might not have a phone to use if I wait.

d. It isn’t important to call right away.

4. In which city and state was the first 9-1-1 call made?

5. What information would a person need to tell over when calling 9-1-1?

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS

1. Circle the telephone numbers that are important for you to know.

• Pizza store

• The library

• Hatzolah

• 9-1-1

• My mother’s cell phone

• My father’s cell phone

• My house number

• The grocery store

• My piano teacher’s number

2. Where in your house would be a good place to keep a list of these numbers?

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT

3. There is other information that is important to know. Fill in the chart with your information. If you don’t know the answer, ask one of your parents tonight. your name

Address (number and street) City Home phone number

Father’s cell number

Mother’s cell number

Did you know?

• Frank Woolworth grew up in a very poor family.

• Frank Woolworth’s brother, Charles Woolworth, joined the business in 1879.

• In 1979, The Guinness Book of World Records declared that Woolworths was the

WIKIPEDIA

▸ Woolworth Building

WIKIPEDIA

WOOLWORTHS

What can you buy with 5 cents?

Today, five cents will not buy you a lot. In most stores, even ten cents is not enough to buy anything. Imagine a store where everything was five or ten cents. Read about a store called Woolworths where nothing was more than ten cents.

He had an idea to open a store with low prices. He wanted to sell for cheap all the things that people needed. Woolworth bought huge amounts of necessities from the companies that made them. Necessities are things we need, such as food and clothing. The companies sold them to him for cheaper than usual because he bought so much. Cheaper means less money.

WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

▸ Frank Woolworth

▸ Woolworth in the 1930s when everything cost 20 cents

He used these necessities to start his first store on February 22, 1879, in Utica, New York. He named his store Woolworths. He sold all the items in his store for very low prices. It was a big success! People loved being able to buy so many things at such low prices. A nickel or dime would buy any item in the store. That’s just five or ten cents!

Woolworth opened more stores all over the United States and even in other countries. There were soon Woolworths stores in almost every city. Over the years he opened 8,000 stores!

For almost 55 years the prices were five or ten cents. In 1932, the company raised some prices to 20¢. Even though the prices went up, Woolworths was still the cheapest store for a long time.

In the 1980s, other stores started to open that sold things at even lower prices. Many Woolworths stores had to close because people started going to other, cheaper stores.

In 1997 Woolworth closed all of its stores in the U.S. Frank Winfield Woolworth is remembered as the first person to bring low prices to everyone.

Question REVIEW

1. What was Frank Woolworth famous for?

a. Selling expensive products

b. Selling wool sweaters

c. Selling groceries

d. Selling necessities for cheap prices

2. In what city did Woolworth open his first store?

a. Utica

b. Manhattan

c. Utah

d. Denver

3. How many Woolworth stores opened throughout the years?

a. 800

b. 8,000

c. 1,800

d. 180

4. Do you think it was fun to shop in Woolworths? Explain.

5. Do you know any stores that are similar to Woolworths today?

SHOPPING TRIP TO WOOLWORTHS

Imagine you are shopping in Woolworth’s first store in 1879! What will you buy?

MONEY THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR WALLET

1. How much money do you have in total?

2. Circle four items that you want to buy.

3. How much money do you have to pay for the items you chose?

4. How much money will you have leftover?

Did you know?

• Some types of cherry blossom trees have flowers on them for only one week.

• There are over 100 different types of cherry blossom trees.

• Most cherry blossom trees are between 40-50 feet tall when they are fully grown.

• Cherry blossom petals are edible! The Japanese use them in many types of teas.

CHERRY BLOSSOMS

Friends give each other gifts to show their friendship. A gift can be something small like a snack bag. Countries that are friends also give each other gifts. Those are usually very big gifts, sometimes even two

Cherry blossom trees are pretty trees that grow mostly in Asia. A cherry blossom tree is not the same as a cherry tree. There is no fruit on cherry blossom trees. Cherry blossoms are flowers that grow on trees. The cherry blossom is an important flower to the Japanese. They call it a sakura flower. Sakura flowers are very delicate and can be pink or white. They only bloom for a few weeks each spring. When a flower is open, it is in bloom. The cherry blossom trees in full bloom are a beautiful sight.

▸ Cherry blossoms

In 1927, the Japanese government gave a gift of two thousand cherry blossom trees to the United States. On March 27, 1912, two of these trees were planted by First Lady Helen Taft, wife of President Taft, and Viscountess Chinda, wife of an important Japanese officer. The trees have been a beautiful part of Washington D.C.’s landscape ever since. Landscape means the way a city looks.

In 1935, the first National Cherry Blossom Festival took place in Washington D.C. The festival celebrates the friendship between the United States and Japan. Every year, visitors from all over the world come to look at the flowers in full bloom. There are fun activities and many people fly kites near the cherry blossoms.

bloom - when a flower is open landscape - the way a city looks

▸ Cherry blossom trees near The White House

▸ Cherry blossom trees in Washington, D.C.

Question REVIEW

1. What grows on a cherry blossom tree?

a. Cherries

b. Flowers

c. Apples

d. Peaches

2. What colors might a Sakura flower be?

a. Pink or yellow

b. White or orange

c. Pink or white

d. Blue or white

3. How many cherry blossom trees were sent to the United States?

a. 2,000

b. 200

c. 2,200

d. 20,000

4. Which country sent the cherry blossom trees?

5. What do you think was the message that the cherry blossom trees were meant to show?

COMPARE AND CONTRAST CHERRY BLOSSOMS AND CHERRY TREES

Using the Venn diagram below, compare and contrast the cherry blossom and the cherry tree. Use the words in the boxes to help you.

Has branches Has a trunk Has green leaves Grows from ground Has pink flowers Grows fruit Does not grow fruit

CHERRY TREE CHERRY BLOSSOM

CHERRY TREE BOTH CHERRY BLOSSOM

NATIONAL ROAD

Did your family ever drive to a different city or state? How long did it take? Without special roads called highways, it would be very hard to drive to different cities. A highway is a big road that can fit a lot of travelers. Highways connect different parts of the country to each other so that people can go places.

▸ The Casselman River Bridge in Maryland was built in 1813-1814 as part of the National Road.

▸ Marker at the start of the Cumberland National Road

▸ Map of the National Road in 1850

In the early 1800s, most Americans lived in small towns. People traveled in wagons pulled by horses. Going from one town to another town was difficult because there were very few roads connecting towns.

On March 29, 1806, President Thomas Jefferson said that the government would build a road connecting different parts of the United States. He called the road the National Road. The road would be a highway connecting the bigger towns.

Did you know?

• The National Road was the first national road funded by the federal government.

• The National Road was 620 miles when it was first built.

• Over 200,000 people traveled on this road each year.

• It was free to travel on the National Road.

Baltimore

▸ President Thomas Jefferson

▸ Horse and buggy traveling on a road

WIKIPEDIA

▸ Part of National road between Baltimore and Wheeling

The highway would go from one end of the country to the other.

Building the National Road started in 1811. It was a very difficult job because there were many mountains along the way. The workers had to clear land and build bridges and tunnels in order to build the highway.

The first part of the highway opened in 1818. People began traveling west on the National Road to new places in the U.S. where very few people lived. People loved the National Road, and it helped show the country to more people. People even began new towns along the road. The National Road helped the United States grow.

It took more than twenty years to build the entire highway. Finally, in 1837, the highway was completed. Thousands of people used the road for business, and even more people moved to the western part of the country.

When railroads also began going west, people used the National Road less. Trains went much faster than horses. In the 1900s, people started using cars, and the highway became very important again.

The National Road had other names too. Some people called it the Cumberland Turnpike, the National Pike, or the National Turnpike. Turnpike is another word for road. Some parts of the National Road are still used in 2022 but most of it is not.

Question REVIEW

1. Which president decided to build roads connecting different parts of the United States?

a. George Bush.

b. Thomas Jefferson.

c. Franklin D. Roosevelt.

d. Abraham Lincoln.

2. When it was first built, people traveled on the National Road by .

a. Car.

b. Train.

c. Horse and buggy.

d. Walking.

3. Which was not one of the names for the National Road?

a. Cumberland Turnpike.

b. National Turnpike.

c. National Pike.

d. American Turnpike.

4. What made it hard to build the National Road?

5. Why do you think people started moving to new areas of the United States once the National Road was built?

ROAD SIGNS FOR DRIVERS

There are many signs along highways and city streets that tell drivers about the road and the area around it. Can you figure out what each of these signs is telling the drivers? Match the sign to its meaning.

No left turns

Look out, the road might be slippery up ahead Cars drive in both directions on this street

Careful, people might be crossing the street in front of you

The road curves to the left

Look out for the traffic light ahead

Did you know?

• Many mailboxes are made from plastic since plastic is cheap and won’t rust.

• The average mailbox is 19 inches long, 6 1/2 inches wide, and 8 1/2 inches high.

• In 2022, it is possible to rent a PO box for as little as $4.33 per month depending where in the U.S. a person lives.

▸ Hubert Work was the postmaster general in 1922.

▸ Mailboxes

WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

MAILBOXES

Mailmen are very important people. Some walk many miles each day in really cold or hot weather. It’s a very hard job to deliver so much mail every day. The postmaster general is the person in charge of the postal service. His job is to make sure the mail comes quickly. He also works to make the mailman’s job as easy as possible.

When the postal service started in 1792, the mailman went to each house and business to distribute, meaning give out, their mail. If no one answered, he would try again the next day. Sometimes, it took people a few days to get their mail. It was also very hard for the mailman to go to each house so many times.

Some towns had a special table in the town store for mail and everyone had to go to the store to pick up their mail. Some people hung boxes on trees near their houses for mail. These were not very safe for the mail.

When the postal service grew, they wanted people to feel safe mailing important things. In 1922, the postmaster general was Hubert Work. He realized that if everyone had a mailbox, it would be easier and quicker for the mailman to deliver all the mail. On March 20, 1922, Work said that everyone had to buy a mailbox. He said that any house or business without a mailbox would not get their mail. Soon everyone in the United States had a mailbox.

There is also a special type of mailbox that is not near a house or business. They are in post offices. Post offices are buildings where the mail stays until the mailman delivers it. The post office also has a room of mailboxes that people can rent if they want to keep their addresses private. These mailboxes are called post office boxes. Most people call them PO boxes.

postmaster general - the person in charge of the postal service distribute -

Question REVIEW

1. In 1792, what would a mailman do if nobody was home to receive the mail?

a. Leave the mail on the floor by the door

b. Hang the mail in a bag on the door handle

c. Come back the next day

d. Leave a note saying that he came by

2. Who came up with the idea that everyone should have a mailbox?

a. A mailman

b. A president

c. A judge

d. A postmaster general

3. Where is mail kept until the mailman delivers it?

a. In the mail truck

b. In the post office

c. In the mailman’s house

d. In a PO box

4. Why do you think someone might want to keep their address private and use a PO box instead of a regular mailbox?

5. How is it easier for a mailman to deliver mail now that there are mailboxes?

HOW WOULD YOU MAIL IT?

There are all kinds of letters and packages that people send through the postal service. Some types of mail are delivered more quickly than others. There are also different prices for different types of mail. Look at the chart and answer the questions below.

Choose the mail type that fits best with the situation. Circle your answers.

1. A parent wants to send a letter to his child in camp and does not want to spend a lot of money.

•

2. A person needs to send a check to his business partner. He doesn’t care about the cost and needs it to get there quickly.

•

3. A person wants to send out invitations to a party that will take place in two weeks.

•

4. A person wants to tell everyone in his neighborhood about a day camp he is opening in the summer.

•

leaves for medicines, and the fruit can be eaten.

Did you know?

• The U.S. Virgin Islands are the only places in the whole U.S. where people drive on the left side of the street like they do in England.

• The Coral Reef Underwater Trail Park by the St. John Island is one of the best places in the Caribbean to go snorkeling.

Puerto Rico

▸ Coral reef

▸ Christopher Columbus

WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

Did you know that there is more to the United States than the fifty states?

Besides the states, there are also territories. Territory means land someone or a country owns. The United States owns many different territories. One of those territories is a group of islands called the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Virgin Islands are in the Caribbean Sea. The Caribbean Sea is part of the huge Atlantic Ocean.

Christopher Columbus was a Spanish explorer. He discovered the islands in 1493 and claimed them for Spain. To claim land means to take it for your government to rule. Spanish settlers moved to the island. They brought along slaves and used them to help plant huge farms. The land was very good for growing food and plants. The owners made a lot of money from the land.

territory - land someone or a country owns claim - to take land for your government to rule

England and the Netherlands also wanted the islands. These countries fought a lot until the 1600s. In the 1600s, England won some of the Islands and the Netherlands won the others. England still owns some of the islands. Those islands are called the British Virgin Islands.

The United States wanted the Virgin Islands, but they did not

Saint Thomas Saint John

Saint Croix

want to start a war. They tried to buy the islands from the Netherlands. The Netherlands did not want to sell them. On March 31, 1917, the United States and Denmark finally reached a deal, and the United States bought the Virgin Islands. They paid 25 million dollars for the land. That is worth 581 million dollars in 2022.

The islands became a territory of the United States. The territory was named the U.S. Virgin Islands. The people who lived on the islands became U.S. citizens.

The U.S. Virgin Islands are three big islands and fifty smaller islands near them. All the islands combined are 1,100 miles. The three main islands are St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas. 106,000 live people on the islands, mostly on the island of St. Croix.

The Virgin Islands are warm and sunny and are home to many interesting plants and animals.

▸ The night-blooming cereus cactus flower found in the tropical forests of St. John Island

▸ Some of the wildlife found on the Virgin Islands

Question REVIEW

1. Where are the Virgin Islands?

a. In the Virgin Sea

b. In the Dead Sea

c. In the Caribbean Sea

d. In the Atlantic Sea

2. Who discovered the Virgin Islands?

a. Christopher Columbus

b. Henry Hudson

c. John Cabot

d. Samuel de Champlain

3. In what year did the United States buy the Virgin Islands?

a. 1867

b. 1913

c. 1657

d. 1917

4. How many islands are a part of the U.S. Virgin Islands?

5. Why do you think the United States wanted to own the Virgin Islands?

Below is a chart with information about the three main U.S. Virgin Islands. Using the chart, answer the questions below.

1. St. Croix has the largest population.

• true

• false

2. St. John does not have an airport.

• true

• false

3. St. Thomas is the hottest of the three islands.

• true • false

4. There are horses on St. Croix.

• true • false

5. What do all three islands have in common?

▸ Lincoln’s home in Springfield, Illinois

Did you know?

• Abraham Lincoln was six feet and four inches tall.

• Lincoln’s shoe was size 14!

• Abraham Lincoln’s favorite dessert was apple pie.

• The Lincoln’s family farm was called Sinking Spring.

▸ Abraham Lincoln and his son Thaddeus

▸ The farm where Lincoln grew up in Spencer County, Indiana

▸ Abraham Lincoln

▸ Lincoln in his late 30s WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

The Lincolns were farmers. Abe Lincoln did not like doing hard labor, meaning work, on the farm. His family thought he was lazy. But he wasn’t lazy. He loved to read and was very smart. He wasn’t meant to be a farmer. He was meant to be the president of the United States of America.

Lincoln was born in 1809 to a poor family. The family lived in a small log cabin in Kentucky and later on a farm in Indiana.

Young Abe loved to read and taught himself many subjects. He was always scribbling and writing in his notebooks.

When Abraham Lincoln was 22, he moved to Illinois and became a lawyer. In 1846, he joined the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives is part of Congress which is the group of people who make laws for the U.S.

WIKIPEDIA

President Lincoln giving a speech

▸ Lincoln with officers during the Civil War WIKIPEDIA

In 1860, he ran for President. Abraham Lincoln was against slavery. Slavery was a time when black people were forced to work without pay and treated badly. They were called slaves. He felt that all humans were valuable and should be treated well. He said that if he became president he would end slavery.

Lincoln won the 1860 election and became President in March 1861. Seven states were angry that he won and separated from the United States to start a new country. This caused the Civil War which lasted from 1861 to 1865. The U.S. won and slavery was stopped in the United States.

Most people felt that Lincoln was a hero for ending slavery. Someone who does something very great is called a hero. Some people were not happy to be losing their slaves and did not like President Lincoln. On April 14, 1865, President Lincoln was in Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. when John Wilkes Booth shot him. Americans were very sad when Lincoln died. He was a great leader and one of the best presidents of the United States.

labor - work hero - someone who does something very great

▸ This train carried Lincoln’s body from Washington, D.C. to Springfield, Illinois.

▸ John Wilkes Booth and reward for his arrest

Question REVIEW

1. In which city was Abraham Lincoln born?

a. Washington, D.C.

b. Kentucky

c. Illinois

d. Kansas

2. In what year did Lincoln become president?

a. 1854

b. 1865

c. 1846

d. 1861

3. What did Lincoln promise to do when he would be president?

a. Continue slavery

b. End slavery

c. Make sure that there are enough jobs

d. Stop wars

4. What happened in the Ford Theater in April 1865?

5. Why do you think some people were not happy that Lincoln ended slavery?

ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND OTHER AMERICAN HEROES

Most people felt that Lincoln was a hero for ending slavery. Below is a chart showing Lincoln and other American heroes. Look at the chart and answer the questions below.

Fill in the blanks:

NAME OF HERO BORN IN CAME FROM

WHAT DID THE HERO DO?

Abraham Lincoln 1809 Kentucky Ended slavery

Alexander Graham Bell 1847

Scotland. He moved to the U.S. in 1871.

Invented the telephone

1. sewed the first American flag.

2. The person who ended slavery was .

3. was born in the year 1732.

4. Alexander Graham Bell came from .

Betsy Ross 1752

New Jersey Sewed the first American flag

George Washington 1732 Virginia

Was the first president of the United States

5. Who do you think was the most important hero? Why?

Did you know?

• The land of Louisiana was named after King Louis the 14th of France.

• The United States had to borrow money from two European banks in order to pay for the Louisiana Purchase.

• Napoleon’s brothers tried to convince him not to sell the land to the United States.

• The 15 million dollars that the United States paid for Louisiana is worth around 395 million dollars in 2022.

THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE

Imagine if you got home from school one day and your house was bigger. Imagine if it was twice as big as when you left in the morning. That is what happened to the United States. The country doubled in size in one day. This was because of the Louisiana Purchase.

In 1803 the United States was only 15 states. France owned a lot of the land west of the U.S. called Louisiana. The king of France was Napoleon Bonaparte. He sent more than 20,000 soldiers to guard New Orleans, the main city in that area. Napoleon liked fighting wars and was already fighting in Europe.

President Thomas Jefferson was nervous that France would start a war with the United States. Many Americans even wanted to attack the French soldiers in

▸ Thomas Jefferson

WIKIPEDIA

▸ Map of the United States. The states in white were bought in the Louisiana Purchase.

▸ Napoleon Bonaparte

New Orleans, but Jefferson did not want to fight. He sent messengers to France to ask about buying the city of New Orleans from France. Wars are very expensive. He knew that Napoleon needed money and might be willing to sell it. The messengers were James Monroe and Robert R. Livingston. Jefferson told them to pay up to ten million dollars for the city.

The messengers met with Napoleon’s officer, François Barbé-Marbois. The French officer offered to sell them all the French land in America for fifteen million dollars. The Americans were very surprised — all that land was as big as all 15 states combined! The messengers agreed right away. The United States was getting bigger and people needed more room for their animals and farms. On April 30, 1803, the Americans and French signed a deal called the Louisiana Purchase. Purchase is another word for buying something.

The Louisiana Purchase was the first time the U.S. bought land from another country. The land they bought doubled the size of the country. It also showed the world that the United States was becoming a big, powerful country.

Jefferson sent people to check out the new parts of the country. They said that the land was very good. People began moving west and the land became a few states including Louisiana, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. The United States was expanding, meaning growing.

▸ Flag raising in New Orleans when it became part of the United States

WIKIPEDIA

purchase - buy expandinggrowing

▸ James Monroe WIKIPEDIA

1. How many states did the United States have before the Louisiana Purchase?

a. 10

b. 20

c. 15

d. 8

2. Which president bought all the French land in America for the United States?

a. Thomas Jefferson

b. James Monroe

c. Robert R. Livingston

d. George Washington

3. Louisiana was the area of land that was of the United States.

a. North

b. South

c. East

d. West

4. How much bigger was the United States after the Louisiana Purchase?

NEW LANDS FOR THE USA

Below is a chart of different areas that America bought from other countries. These areas later became part of the 50 states. Using the chart, answer the questions below.

AREA THAT WAS BOUGHT BOUGHT FROM WHICH COUNTRY IN WHAT YEAR HOW MUCH DID AMERICA PAY

Louisiana Purchase

France 1803 $15 million

Alaska Russia 1867 $7.2 million

Florida Spain 1819 $5 million

California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Wyoming

Arizona and New Mexico

Mexico 1848 $15 million

Mexico 1853 $10 million

1. Which of these lands did America buy first?

a. Louisiana Purchase

b. Alaska

c. Arizona and New Mexico

d. Florida

2. Which state was not bought from Mexico?

a. Utah

b. Florida

c. Texas

d. Arizona

5. What do you think showed the people that the new land was good land?

3. Which land was bought in 1853?

a. Alaska

b. Florida

c. Arizona and New Mexico

d. Louisiana Purchase

4. Which land did America pay the least for?

a. Louisiana Purchase

b. Alaska

c. Gadsden Territory

d. Florida

5. Why do you think America wanted to buy so much land?

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Are you talented? means to be good at something. You might not yet know what your talents are, but everyone is talented in at least a few things. As people get older they start to find the things they are good at. People who work hard to use their talents usually do a lot of great things. Benjamin Franklin was very talented and worked very hard.

▸ Franklin’s birthplace on Milk Street in Boston

WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, Massachusetts. Franklin was the 15th of 17 children. Benjamin Franklin’s family was poor. He started working when he was very young to help his family. Benjamin loved learning new things, but he was so busy working that he couldn’t go to school. He used all of his free time to read. He taught himself all of the subjects that schools

Did you know?

Benjamin Franklin was the only Founding Father to have signed all of the four documents that made the United States an independent nation. Franklin invented bifocal glasses and the rocking chair.

Franklin came up with the idea of daylight saving time. That’s when we move the clocks ahead one hour in March.

Benjamin Franklin’s face is on the U.S. $100 bill.

When Franklin grew up he loved science and writing. He was very good at both. He invented a lot of things. He wrote in newspapers. He even started his own newspaper which was very popular. Franklin wrote a lot about working hard. He said that people who use their talents and work hard are usually happy

Until 1776 England ruled the United States. In 1776

▸ Bifocal glasses

WIKIPEDIA

▸ Franklin flying a kite in a storm to prove that lightning is electricity

▸ Idea for daylight saving time was published in this newspaper

▸ Franklin in London, 1767

WIKIPEDIA

the United States declared independence from England and became a country. To declare independence means to say that you don’t want a different country to rule you. The people who led the country to independence are now called the Founding Fathers. Benjamin Franklin was an important Founding Father. He helped write the Declaration of Independence. That is the document that the Founding Fathers signed to say they were starting a new country.

Even though he was already old after the United States became a country, he helped the country in many ways. He started a mail system, libraries, and fire departments. Franklin died on April 17, 1790, at the age of 84. He was a very important person and is still remembered and admired, meaning respected, today. Some people call Franklin the First American for being so important to the country.

▸ Declaration of Independence

▸ The Founding Fathers of the U.S.

Question REVIEW

1. Benjamin Franklin’s family was very .

a. Small

b. Rich

c. Kind

d. Poor

2. Benjamin Franklin started his own .

a. Store

b. City

c. Newspaper

d. School

3. What did Franklin NOT help set up in the United States?

a. Mail systems

b. Schools

c. Libraries

d. Fire departments

4. How did Benjamin Franklin help the United States when it declared independence from England?

5. Why do you think Benjamin Franklin started libraries?

THE MANY FACES ON U.S. DOLLAR BILLS

Benjamin Franklin’s face is on the $100 bill. Look at the faces on other U.S. bills. Then answer the questions.

Which bill am I?

1. My bill has the first president of the United States on it.

2. I am the bill that is half of $100.

3. My bill has a picture of the person who helped write the Declaration of Independence and started libraries.

4. The person shown on my bill stopped slavery in the United States. His initials are AL.

5. I am the bill between $5 and $20.

George Washington Abraham Lincoln

Alexander Hamilton

Ulysses S. Grant

Benjamin Franklin

▸ First United States Mint

▸ The first U.S. Mint branch in San Francisco opened in 1854.

WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

▸ One of the U.S. commemorative coins

▸ U.S. Mint building in Washington, D.C.

▸ Seal and logo and of the U.S. Mint

THE U.S. MINT

There are so many things that you can do with money. Your parents use money to buy food for your family. Your parents may sometimes give you money to buy snacks on your own. Money can also be used to help people who have less than you. Let’s find out where our money comes from.

Did you know?

• The Fugio cent was the first minted coin in the United States. It was created in 1787.

• In 1825, the U.S. Mint had a rule that people cannot visit the Mint on rainy days.

• The mint was originally fueled by manpower and animal power. In 1836, they got steam-powered machines to produce the coins.

On April 2, 1792, the United States Mint opened. Most people call it The Mint. The Mint is where the government makes coins. All United States coins are made in the Mint.

The first coin they made had a portrait of The Statue of Liberty. A portrait is a picture of someone’s face. For many years they used this design on most of the coins they created. There are many different types of coins. The most popular coins are pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. There are also dollar coins and half-dollar coins.

▸ The Fugio coin

▸ Abraham Lincoln on 1 cent coin

▸ Thomas Jefferson on 5 cent coin

▸ Franklin D. Roosevelt on 10 cent coin

▸ George Washington on 25 cent coin

▸ John F. Kennedy on 50 cent coin

The coins usually have the face of a President on them.

Not all the coins The Mint produces are money. The Mint also makes special coins called commemorative coins. Commemorative means in memory of something. Commemorative coins are special coins in memory of an important event or person. Many people collect these coins, but they cannot buy anything with them.

The Mint has four factories in the United States to make coins. They all allow visitors to watch the coins being made. They are in Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and West Point. Every coin has a little letter on it that says where it is from. Every day, the Mint produces 52 million new coins!

A bigger coin does not mean that it is worth more money. A nickel is worth five cents and is bigger than a dime which is worth ten cents.

Some money is paper bills. Paper money is not made by The Mint. The Department of Engraving and Printing is in charge of printing paper money.

something

portrait - picture of someone’s face commemorative - in memory of

U.S. Mint building in Washington, DC.

▸ Machine in the U.S. Mint in Denver

Question REVIEW

1. What does The United States Mint do?

a. They print paper money.

b. They make coins for all countries.

c. They make coins for the U.S.

d. They make laws about money.

2. A commemorative coin is a coin that .

a. Reminds a person about the national bird

b. Reminds people of an important person or event

c. Reminds people to follow the law

d. Reminds a person of the president

3. How many factories does The Mint have?

a. 1

b. 2

c. 6

d. 4

4. By looking at a U.S. coin, how can you know where it was made?

5. List the names of the coins that you know and write how much they are worth.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST COINS

Below are pictures of a dime and a nickel. Look at the coins and answer the questions below.

Circle the correct answer:

1. This coin has a torch and branches on it.

• dime • nickel • both

2. This coin has a face on it.

• dime • nickel • both

3. This coin has a picture of “Monticello” on it. Monticello was Jefferson’s home in Virginia.

• dime • nickel • both

4. This coin is shaped like a circle.

• dime • nickel • both

5. This coin says on it how many cents it is worth.

• dime

• nickel

• both

6. This coin says ‘liberty’ on it.

• dime

• nickel

• both

FRONT AND BACK OF A U.S. DIME

FRONT AND BACK OF A U.S. NICKEL

Did you know?

• The real name for velcro is “hook and loop”. Velcro is the name of the company that makes it.

• Velcro can be made out of different types of materials such as plastic or nylon.

• In 2008, the Velcro company made $298 million.

• The name velcro came from the French words “velour” (velvet) and “crochet” (hook).

VELCRO

If your parents ever take you on a hiking trip, they will probably tell you to dress properly. It is good to wear long pants on hikes so you don’t get scratched by plants. Many plants have rough edges which could hurt a little bit.

▸ George de Mestral with his dog

▸ Burdock plant

▸ Shoes can have velcro on them.

VELCRO.COM

One day in 1941, George de Mestral from Switzerland was on a trip to the Alps. The Alps are a huge group of mountains in Europe. De Mestral was with his dog. After the trip was over, he realized that burrs from burdock plants were sticking to his dog. This is a plant that comes from Europe. Burdock plants are covered with rough edges called burrs. The edges stuck to his dog’s soft fur.

▸ Burrs stuck to dog fur

▸ Burdock sticky plant seed

These burrs gave de Mestral an idea. He saw that the burrs had tiny hooks that stuck to anything soft. This gave him the idea for a new type of fastener. A fastener holds things together. Zippers are one type of fastener. Mestral spent many years working on creating the perfect hook and loop. His fastener had many tiny hooks that hooked onto tiny loops, holding them together. On May 13, 1958, George de Mestral started selling his invention and called his company Velcro.

Velcro is used in many ways. Velcro is used in astronaut space suits. In the 1960s, Velcro became very popular in children’s clothing, especially shoes. Velcro became very popular because it is easy to use and very strong. People who have a hard time using their hands are usually able to use Velcro. Wherever you go, you can find Velcro being used in some way.

burrs - rough edges fastenersomething that holds things together

▸ Velcro hooks

▸ Velcro loops

WIKIPEDIA WIKIPEDIA

Question REVIEW

1. Who invented velcro?

a. George Washington

b. George de Mestral

c. Mark Velcro

d. Alexander Graham Bell

2. What does a fastener do?

a. Makes things go faster

b. Pulls things apart

c. Holds things together

d. Makes things not so heavy

3. Seeing ___________ gave de Mestral the idea to create velcro.

a. Burrs on his dog’s fur

b. Zippers on coats

c. Buttons on sweaters

d. Leaves on his plants

4. What makes velcro a good fastener?

5. Do you think De Mestral’s invention sold well? How do you know?

SORT IT!

Sort the objects into the correct category based on what type of fastener they have. Then add one of your own to each column.

1. Shoes

Coat

1. Button down cardigan

2.

▸

that shows what nutrients are in the food

▸ USDA logo

▸ USDA’s seal

Label

▸ Original food stamp coupon

WIKIPEDIA

▸ The first Department of Agriculture Building in Washington, D.C. around 1895

WIKIPEDIA

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Do you enjoy eating candy? While candy is a great treat, it does not give us the energy to play, learn, and do all the things we need to do every day. For that, we need to eat healthy

On May 15, 1862, President Lincoln started the United States Department of Agriculture. This department is usually called the USDA. Abraham Lincoln gave the USDA a very important job. The USDA helps all people in the United States eat properly.

The USDA made a law that all companies must tell people exactly what is in the food. On the label of all food packages it says what vitamins and other nutrients are in the food. Nutrients are the parts of food that your body uses to keep you healthy. The USDA also tells people how much they should

▸ Abraham Lincoln WIKIPEDIA

Did you know?

• Vegetables have lots of nutrients and vitamins in them.

• Eating lots of fruit makes a person’s skin healthy.

• Milk products have lots of calcium in them. Calcium helps keep your bones and teeth healthy.

eat of different types of food. Grains, fruits, and vegetables are important things to eat. Bread and pasta are types of grains. It is also important to eat milk products like yogurt, but not too much.

nutrients - parts of food that your body uses provide - give

There are other ways that the USDA helps people. In 1939, the USDA realized that there was a lot of food on farms going to waste. Meanwhile, some people in the cities did not have food to eat. The USDA started a program to provide, or give, food to people who don’t have enough money to buy food. This program was called Food Stamps. In 1964, Food Stamps started giving people money to buy food. Every year, the USDA provides millions of families with money for food.

▸ Building of United States Department of Agriculture

Question REVIEW

1. What does the USDA stand for?

a. United States Department of Accounting

b. United States Department of Air Travel

c. United States Department of Agriculture

d. United States Department of Administration

2. What is the job of the USDA?

a. To deliver food to stores

b. To help people eat healthy

c. To make sure stores sell only healthy food

d. To help pay for the transportation of healthy food

3. What did the USDA make companies write on the food packages?

a. What is in the food

b. How much the food costs

c. Where the food was made

d. Why someone should buy the food

4. What are nutrients?

5. How does the government help people pay for their food?

FOCUS ON FOOD GROUPS

Below are different types of foods. Sort the foods into the correct food group by writing the numbers in the correct columns.

Pretend you are in charge of supper tonight. What would you like to serve? Write or draw it on the plate. Make sure to choose healthy foods from at least three food groups.

Did you know?

• The bridge is 8,981 feet long.

• The color of the bridge is ‘international orange’. This color was created just for the bridge.

• The Golden Gate Bridge has the most pictures taken of itmore than any other bridge in the world.

• More than two billion cars have crossed the Golden Gate Bridge.

▸ Golden Gate Bridge being built

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

Did you ever walk across a bridge? Some bridges have room for cars and people. Suspension bridges are bridges that have two tall towers at each end. The road hangs by strong steel cables, meaning thick ropes made of wire, from the towers at each end of the bridge.

The city of San Francisco in California is surrounded by water on three sides. Across the water is the northern part of California. There is about one mile of water between San Francisco and northern California. For many years, the only way to cross the water was by boat.

▸ Joseph Strauss

In 1916, the government of San Francisco hired Joseph Strauss to design a bridge across the water. To design a bridge means to plan how it should be built. Strauss designed a suspension bridge. In 1933, construction began on the bridge which was called the Golden Gate Bridge. Construction is another word for building something.

It took thousands of people to build the bridge. There were very strong winds which made it hard to do the work. It was also very foggy and hard to see. It took four years to build the Golden Gate Bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge was completed on May 27, 1937.

Many bridges that were built later used the design of the Golden Gate Bridge. Everyone loved the new bridge. People began visiting from all over the world to walk or bike across the bridge. There is a lot of traffic on the bridge from all the people and visitors that use it every day.

cables - thick ropes made of wire construction - building something

▸ There is a lot of traffic on the bridge.

▸ View at Golden Gate Bridge

▸ A view of the Golden Gate Bridge from above

Question REVIEW

1. What two areas does the Golden Gate Bridge connect?

a. Staten Island to Miami

b. San Francisco to Northern California

c. Florida to South Carolina

d. New Orleans to Northern California

2. How many years did it take to build the bridge?

a. 4

b. 8

c. 6

d. 5

3. Which kind of transportation is not used to cross the Golden Gate Bridge?

a. Car

b. Bike

c. Walk

d. Train

4. Why was it hard to build the Golden Gate Bridge?

5. Why do you think having bridges is helpful?

SUSPENSION BRIDGES AROUND THE WORLD

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most famous suspension bridges in the world. The chart below tells you about some of the other famous suspension bridges. Look at the chart and answer the questions below.

HOW LONG IS IT? (IN FEET)

WHEN WAS IT BUILT?

1. The Verrazano Bridge was built in 1998. (true / false)

2. The Great Belt Bridge is in Denmark. (true / false)

3. The Humber Bridge is the longest of the four bridges in the chart. (true / false)

4. The Kanmon Bridge was built after the Verrazano Bridge. (true / false)

THIS MONTH IN HISTORY | 147

BIG BEN

Do you have a watch?

Knowing the time helps people go places at the right time. Some cities have large clocks on buildings to help people know the time. Big Ben is a big clock in England. It is on the top of a tower that can be seen and heard from far away.

The people who make the laws for England are called the Parliament. The Parliament meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England’s capital. The palace is very big and very fancy.

Outside the palace are tall towers. In 1843 the people of England began building a new tower outside the palace. There built a large clock at the top. They called it Clock Tower.

▸ Machine inside the clock that keeps the clock working

WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

▸ Great Bell better known as Big Ben

▸ Big Ben

▸ The inside of the clock face WIKIPEDIA

▸ There are clocks on all four sides of Clock Tower.

BRITANNICA.COM

On May 31, 1859, Clock Tower was finally ready. The clock is about 23 feet tall and 23 feet wide. It is made of glass pieces in an iron frame. The clock’s hour hand is nine feet long. The minute hand is 14 feet long. The clock also has a large bell that rings every hour. It can be heard for miles around. The name of the bell is Big Ben. Over time, people started using the name Big Ben for the clock too. Big Ben’s pendulum weighs over 600 pounds! A pendulum is a part of some clocks that swings back and forth.

Big Ben is famous for always telling the correct time. It is always within two seconds of the proper time. Over the years, a few time changes were made to the clock to help keep it working well. In the spring and fall a lot of countries move the clock. In the fall, the clock is moved an hour back. In the spring, we move it forward an hour.

Special workers go to the top of the tower and change Big Ben by hand. These workers are called the Palace of Westminster Clockmakers.

In 2012, Clock Tower was renamed Elizabeth Tower in honor of the queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II. 2012 was sixty years since she had become the queen.

Parliament - the people who make the laws for England pendulum - part of some clocks that swings back and forth

▸ The Parliament in the Palace of Westminster in London

Question REVIEW

1. What is Big Ben?

a. A clock tower

b. The capital of England

c. A clock

d. A palace

2. Who makes laws in England?

a. Queen

b. King

c. Parliament

d. Prime minister

3. How long is the clock’s minute hand?

a. 14 feet

b. 9 feet

c. 23 feet

d. 10 feet

4. What is Big Ben famous for?

5. Why do workers have to change the time on the clock in the fall and spring?

WRIST WATCH OR WALL CLOCK?

Below are pictures of a watch and a clock. Using the pictures, answer the questions below.

Circle the correct answer:

1. Tells you the time

• watch • clock • both

2. Sits on your wrist

• watch • clock • both

3. Goes on the wall

• watch • clock • both

4. Can be waterproof

• watch • clock • both

5. Has a minute hand

• watch • clock • both

6. Do you have a watch? What does it look like?

▸ The seven spikes in the crown are to show peace between the seven continents of the world

Did you know?

• The statue of liberty is made of a metal called copper. The outside of the statue used to be a shiny reddish brown color. Over time the copper turned green.

• The torch of the statue was replaced in 1984.

• The Statue of Liberty sways three inches in the wind.

▸ Statue of Liberty

STATUE OF LIBERTY

Giving someone a present is a nice way to show them that you are their friend. Countries sometimes give each other presents too. Many times countries give presents that honor the other country’s way of life.

In 1865, France decided to create a statue for the United States. It would be a sign of friendship between France and the United States. It would also honor liberty and democracy. Liberty and democracy are very important to the United States. Liberty means that everyone is free to decide the things they want to do. Democracy means that all citizens get to vote for the government.

▸ Head of the Statue of Liberty in Paris before it was shipped to U.S. WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

▸ Liberty Island

▸ Statue construction plan

▸ Building the feet for the statue

The American government said they would build a base for the statue on an island near New York. The island was in a busy part of New York where boats came into the country. When people moved to the U.S. by boat, the first thing they would see was the Statue of Liberty welcoming them.

France began creating the statue in 1871 and completed it in 1884. The statue was divided into 350 pieces. It was shipped to the U.S. in 214 crates. It arrived in New York City on June 17, 1885. It was put together on Bedloe’s Island. The Statue opened on October 28, 1886. In 1956, the island’s name was changed from Bedloe’s Island to Liberty Island.

The statue is 151 feet tall and made of steel and copper. There are 354 steps to get to the statue’s crown. The statue is also known as Lady Liberty. Lady Liberty holds a torch in her right hand. In her left hand, she holds a book. At her feet is a broken chain. This was to celebrate that slavery ended in the United States. Slavery ended the same year that France decided to create the statue.

liberty - everyone is free to decide the things they want to do democracy - all citizens get to vote for the government

▸ Statue of Liberty with Manhattan in the background

▸ Opening of the Statue of Liberty in 1886

Question REVIEW

1. Which country sent the Statue of Liberty to the United States?

a. England

b. France

c. Russia

d. Canada

2. What does the Statue of Liberty stand for?

a. Liberty and honesty

b. Peace and friendship

c. Democracy and honesty

d. Liberty and democracy

3. How tall is the Statue of Liberty?

a. 28 feet

b. 151 feet

c. 175 feet

d. 61 feet

4. Why is there a broken chain at the feet of Lady Liberty?

5. Why do you think the U.S. wanted the Statue of Liberty to be the first thing people moving to America saw when they arrived?

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY: STEP BY STEP

There were many steps that happened until the Statue of Liberty was actually built. Put the steps below in order of when they happened.

The French packaged up the parts of the statue.

The U.S. built the Statue of Liberty.

France created the pieces of the statue.

The pieces were shipped to the U.S.

People came to visit the Statue of Liberty.

The U.S. unpacked the parts of the statue.

FLAG DAY

Every country has a flag that is special to them. A flag stands for the country and is designed very carefully. Each flag has a special meaning to the people of that country.

When the United States became a country in 1776, it needed a flag. On June 14, 1777, Congress passed a law that said how the U.S. flag should look. They said the flag should have 13 red and white stripes going across. In the corner of the flag, there should be 13 white stars on a blue background.

Over time, more states joined the country. Each time a

▸ The American flag is flown on the top of the flagpole.

former - earlier half-staffhalfway down the pole

▸ June 14 is Flag Day in America.

Did you know?

• In 1777, Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag.

• A 17 year old high school student designed the pattern for the 50 stars on the current American flag.

• Army uniforms have a flag on their right shoulder.

• Only Pennsylvania celebrates Flag Day as a state holiday. That’s because Betsy Ross was from Pennsylvania.

• The American flag can fly on the same pole as another flag. However, the American flag always has to be on top of the other flag.

▸ 13-star variant

▸ American flag on army uniform

▸ 39 historical U.S. flags

▸ Diagram of the flag’s design

WIKIPEDIA

state joined, another star was added to the flag. In 1960, the 50th star was added to the flag for the state of Hawaii. The 13 stripes are for the 13 states that started the country.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson made June 14, Flag Day. This day is to remember the day Congress passed a law creating the U.S. flag. Many people hang the American flag outside their homes in honor of Flag Day.

Every government building has a flag hanging outside. There are special laws about how to respect the flag. The flag is almost always flown at the top of the flagpole.

At sad times like the death of a former, meaning earlier, president, it is flown at half-staff. Half-staff means halfway down the pole. The flag is also flown at half-staff on important days such as Memorial Day. This is a holiday that honors people who died fighting for the United States.

▸ The American flag flying at half-staff

▸ President Woodrow Wilson WIKIPEDIA

▸ U.S. flags hanging outside homes

Question REVIEW

1. How many stars did the original U.S. flag have?

a. 14

b. 13

c. 50

d. 21

2. Which president made Flag Day?

a. George Washington

b. Abraham Lincoln

c. FDR

d. Woodrow Wilson

3. What do Americans do to honor Flag Day?

a. Dress in the colors of the flag

b. Hang a U.S. flag outside their homes

c. Sing the American national anthem

d. Take the day off from work

4. What happened to the flag each time a new state joined the U.S.?

5. Why do you think there are laws about respecting the country’s flag?

THE U.S. FLAG OVER THE YEARS

The U.S. flag has changed many times since it was first made in 1777. Here are some of the main versions of the flag. Look at the chart and then answer the questions below:

2. Which flag had only 13 stars?

a. The First American Flag

b. The Star Spangled Banner

c. The flag from 1863

d. The flag from 1960

3. Which flag was used during the Civil War?

a. The Star Spangled Banner

b. The flag from 1777

c. The flag that had 36 stars

d. The current U.S. flag

4. Why did the flag keep changing during the years 1863-1960?

1. Which flag is used nowadays in the U.S.?

a. The First American Flag

c. The 36-Star Flag

b. The 48-Star Flag

d. The 50-Star Flag

5. What are the differences between the First American Flag and the Star Spangled Banner?

GUANTANAMO BAY

Did you ever get into trouble for something you didn’t even do? Maybe a teacher thought you threw something on the floor when it really fell by mistake. It does not feel good to get punished for something you did not do. The Spanish-American War started because of a similar mistake.

▸ Guantanamo Bay

WIKIPEDIA

Until 1898, Spain ruled the island of Cuba. Cuba is very far from Spain but very close to the United States. In 1898, the people of Cuba wanted to become their own country and not be ruled by Spain anymore.

Warships are huge boats that guard the water near a country. The U.S. had a warship near Cuba called the USS Maine. One day, there was an explosion on the boat that killed 250 people. People in the U.S. thought that Spain bombed the ship and wanted the U.S. to fight Spain. The United States decided to punish Spain by helping the Cubans fight to become their own country.

Did you know?

• The Guantanamo Bay army base is the oldest one still used by America today.

• Lots of Americans go on vacation to Guantanamo Bay. There is even an amusement park there!

• Every president since FDR has visited Guantanamo Bay.

• The U.S. has a prison in Guantanamo Bay.

Cuba

Guantanamo Bay

Caribbean Sea

U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay

▸ USS Maine

▸ SpanishAmerican War

▸ Guantanamo Bay and Cuba on a map

The United States sent the Marines to fight in Cuba. The Marines are special soldiers who are very strong fighters. The Marines reached Cuba on June 10, 1898. They set up a base in an area of Cuba called Guantanamo Bay. An army base is where the army keeps its equipment while fighting. Equipment means the things a person needs in order to do their work. The Marines helped the Cuban people win the war with Spain. This war is called the Spanish-American War.

When Spain lost the war, the Cubans set up their own government. Cuba gave the base in Guantanamo Bay to the United States to thank them for helping fight the war.

The U.S. army base in Guantanamo Bay is very big. About 10,000 people live on the base. The base has restaurants, parks, and stores for everyone who lives there.

warships - huge boats that guard the water equipment - the things a person needs to do their work

▸ U.S. army base sign on Guantanamo Bay

▸ Raising the U.S. flag on Guantanamo Bay when they won the Spanish-American War

WIKIPEDIA

Question REVIEW

1. Who ruled Cuba until 1898?

a. The United States

b. Cuba

c. Spain

d. Britain

2. Who did the United States want to punish when there was an explosion on its warship?

a. Spain

b. Cuba

c. France

d. Mexico

3. Who are the Marines?

a. Tall soldiers

b. Mean soldiers

c. Smart soldiers

d. Strong soldiers

4. How did Cuba thank the U.S. for helping them fight the SpanishAmerican War?

5. Why do you think Cuba wanted to declare independence from Spain?

DOES IT BELONG TO THE ARMY, NAVY, OR AIR FORCE?

Below is a chart about the three parts of the U.S. Department of Defense. The Department of Defense helps keep the USA safe and fights wars. During the war with Spain, the U.S. sent the Marines, who fight in the Navy. Put the words in the correct places in the chart.

Did you know?

• It took a year to plan for D-Day.

• Over 425,000 soldiers were killed or hurt fighting for Normandy.

D-DAY

World War II was a huge war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The war was between many countries from all around the world. Millions of people died in the six years of war.

▸ Soldiers invading Normandy

▸ Map of attack

WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

after Germany invaded, or attacked, other countries. Germany’s leader was Adolf Hitler. He was a very bad leader who did not believe in being peaceful with other countries. Germany was very strong and took a lot of land from other countries.

WIKIPEDIA

WIKIPEDIA

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WIKIPEDIA

The war was fought in many places, but one of the most important battles happened in Normandy.

The Allies were the countries fighting against Germany. They wanted to take control of France. From there, it would be easier to move closer to Germany and defeat, or beat, it. The countries that invaded France were the United States, Great Britain, and Canada.

On June 6, 1944, thousands of Allied soldiers, planes, and ships landed on the beaches of Normandy, in France. This day was one of the most important days in World War II. It was called D-Day. There was heavy fighting, and many soldiers were killed or hurt. The German army was surprised by the attack, but it was strong, and the Allies had to fight very hard.

It took a few weeks of heavy fighting for the Allies to take control of Normandy. After getting Normandy the Allies were quickly able to take over the rest of France from the Germans. Less then a year later the Allies won the war. In May, 1945 the Germans surrendered to the Allies. WWII officially ended September 2nd.

invade - attack defeat - beat

▸ Soldiers walking through Normandy

▸ Omaha beach in Normandy then and now

Question REVIEW

1. Which city did the Allies invade on June 6, 1944?

a. Normandy

b. New York

c. Paris

d. London

2. Who was Germany’s leader during World War II?

a. Benjamin Franklin

b. George Washington

c. Adolf Hitler

d. Franklin Roosevelt

3. Where is the city of Normandy?

a. Germany

b. Poland

c. Russia

d. France

4. When did World War II start?

5. How do you think the Allies felt after winning in Normandy?

MEDALS FOR THE BRAVE

The Allies won the fight in Normandy and the whole war with the help of the soldiers who fought bravely. The U.S. Army gives out medals to honor soldiers for doing a good job or showing special bravery. Here are five medals soldiers can get from the Army.

Which medal am I?

1. Soldiers who behave well for three years get me.

2. I am colorful like a rainbow.

3. Healthy soldiers do not get me.

This is the highest honor a soldier can receive for being brave in war.

This medal is given for doing a job better than expected.

This medal is for soldiers who are hurt or killed in war.

This medal is given to soldiers who behave well for three years.

This ribbon is given to soldiers who served in the army for three years or more.

4. I am the highest honor a soldier can get.

5. You have to work extra hard to get me.

1. MEDAL OF HONOR

2. ARMY COMMENDATION MEDAL

3. PURPLE HEART

4. GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL

5. ARMY SERVICE RIBBON

1600.

1609

SEPTEMBER 3

Henry Hudson and his crew sailed their ship into Manhattan.

1790

APRIL 17

Benjamin Franklin died at the age of 84. He was a very important person and is still

1790

DECEMBER 20

1777

JUNE 14

Congress passed a law that said how the U.S. flag should look.

1792

FEBRUARY 20

President George Washington

1800.

1792

APRIL 2

The United States Mint opened.

The first American cotton mill opened in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

1803

APRIL 30

The Americans and French signed a deal called the Louisiana Purchase.

1806

MARCH 29

President Thomas Jefferson said that the government would build a road connecting different parts of the U.S.

1859

MAY 31

Big Ben Clock Tower in London was finally ready.

1862

MAY 15

President Lincoln started the United States Department of Agriculture.

1800

NOVEMBER 1

President John Adams moved into the White House.

1817

DECEMBER 10

Mississippi became the 20th state of the United States.

1832

NOVEMBER 26

The first streetcar in America began running.

1865

APRIL 14

President Lincoln was in Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. when John Wilkes Booth shot him.

1860.

1885

JUNE 17

The pieces of the statue of liberty arrived in New York City. It was shipped to the U.S. in 214 crates.

1898

JUNE 10

The United States sent the Marines to fight in Cuba. The Marines reached Cuba.

1903

DECEMBER 19

The Williamsburg Bridge opened.

opened

The New York City subway started running for the first time.

the first Woolworth store in Utica, New York

1908

OCTOBER 1

Ford Motor Company produced its most popular car of the time.

1900.

FEBRUARY 14

President Taft made Arizona the 48th state.

1912

MARCH 27

Two of the cherry blossom trees gifted to the U.S. by Japan were planted by First Lady Helen Taft.

1911

DECEMBER 14

Roald Amundsen and his team arrived at the South Pole.

1930.

1917

MARCH 31

United States

1922

MARCH 20

Postmaster General, Hubert Work, said that everyone had to buy a mailbox.

1937

MAY 27

The Golden Gate Bridge, connecting San Francisco to Northern California, was completed.

1930

SEPTEMBER 8

Scotch tape was invented by engineer and inventor Richard Drew

1930.

1943

JANUARY 14

President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) became the first American president to travel by airplane.

1946

JANUARY 22

The Central Intelligence Group (CIA)

1942

JANUARY 12

The government asked U.S. factories to invent synthetic rubber.

1944

NOVEMBER 7

FDR won the presidential election for the fourth time in a row!

1944

JUNE 6

Thousands of Allied soldiers, planes, and ships landed on the beaches of Normandy.

1947

SEPTEMBER 18

United States Air Force was formed.

1955

OCTOBER 25

Microwave ovens were sold for the first time.

1958

MAY 13

George de Mestral started selling his invention and

1968

FEBRUARY 16

911 became the number for all emergencies in Haleyville,

1967

OCTOBER 2

President Lyndon B. Johnson asked Marshall to join the Supreme Court.

1964

JANUARY 23

The U.S. Supreme Court passed a new law to allow all citizens vote without paying a fee.

2000.

2001

SEPTEMBER 11

A group of very bad people flew airplanes into the Twin Towers. without the help of an operator.

GLOSSARY

24/7 24 hours a day for seven days a week

absorbed to take in something admired respected appliance a machine used to do a specific task area code the first three digits of a phone number that show which city or area you are calling assembly line a group of people word together to make one item assisted a person who helps another bloom when a flower is open bribe money offered to someone to get them to do something that you want them to do burrs rough edges cables thick ropes made of wire canyon a very big and very deep hole in the ground capital city the most important city in the state cheaper less money citizens people who live in a country claim to take land for your government to rule climate the weather in a specific place commemorative in memory of something conference a meeting construction building something crop food or plants that grown in a field defeat beat deliver take something where it needs to go

democracy all citizens get to vote for the government difficult hard

digit any number for zero-nine disposabe something that is used once and then thrown in the garbage distribute give out earth’s axis an imaginary pole that goes through the middle of the earth from top to bottom election when people of a country vote for who their next president will be

employees people whor are paid to work for thier boss equipment the things a person needs to do their work

expand become or make larger expanding growing expensive costs a lot of money

explorer someone who looks for new places in the world

expolosives dangerous materials that can explode and cause damage to the people and things nearby fare the money that a person using public transportation has to pay

fastener something that holds things together fee an amount one has to pay for a service

former earlier half-staff halfway down the pole hero someon who does something very great highway big road that can fit a lot of travelers invade attack invent create something that was never made before

island a piece of land that has water all around it

journey a trip

justice a judge on the Supreme Court labor work

landowners people who own land or fields landscape the way a city looks lawyers people who fight against unfair laws

liberty everyone is free to decide the things they want to do location a place or position

medic someone who is trained to help in medical emergencies

MetroCard a card with money stored on it to pay for transportation in New York

military army necessities things we need (like food and clothing)

nutrients parts of food that your body uses

operator a person who would connect phone calls from one person to another option choice

Parliament the people who make the laws for England

purchase buy

refuel to fill up the airplane with fuel so that the engines work and the plane can fly

reins

researchers

leather strips attached to the head of a horse

people who study something to discover new information about it

round trip traveling to a place and back sap the liquid inside a tree skyscrapers buildings that are so tall it looks like they’re scraping the sky

steel a type of metal synthetic fake, but made to look and work like the real product talent to be good at something term four years that a president is in charge of running the country territory land someone or a country owns

transparent you can see through it transport bring from one place to another turnpike road

voyage a long trip on a boat warships huge boats that guard the water

pendulum

part of some clocks that swings back and forth popular liked and admired causing many people to want it

portrait picture of someone’s face postmaster general the person in charge of the postal service prevent stop processed made provide give

This Month in History Book 1

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