EnVision The Present

TITLE EnVision The Present


BY Shannon Bridget Murphy


SUBJECT History and Geography


GRADE LEVEL A lesson that has appeal for all ages. The steps within this lesson plan can be revised according to the ages of the students in class.


MATERIALS

At least one of the following can keep notes about supplies.

* A notebook and pen.

* A large notebook with fold over pages that can be seen by the class and magic marker.

* A blackboard with chalk.


INTRODUCTION After a workable seating arrangement has been made for your classroom, a vision of what supplies are needed for the year can be made. Errands for school supplies can be made. This includes a schedule for restocking. Beginning with writing a list of what will create your dream classroom. A homeschool or ESL group can easily make a virtual shopping trip or by visiting a store. So . . . making a shopping trip might be the more difficult part of the assignment depending upon the ages of those involved.


DIRECTIONS

1 Make a list of supplies for your dream classroom. This can be done collectively as a group. Keep the list on a large folding notebook or a blackboard. This is a good vocabulary building exercise.

2 Take your class shopping through an online store or visit a store.

3 Make assignments for who will buy the supplies again when they are needed.


QUESTIONS

1 What supplies did the class agree were the most important to have?

2 What was learned about trading American currency?

Marking Memorial Day Memories

TITLE Noting Names Through Marking Memorial Day Memories


BY Shannon Bridget Murphy


SUBJECT History and Geography


GRADE LEVEL Elementary School Grades 1-3


MATERIALS A notebook, several pens or pencils



INTRODUCTION Although Memorial Day was established to honor veterans beginning with the Civil War, those who served during the Revolutionary War can have their place of honor for Memorial Day. A trip to your local cemetary can reveal the Revolutionary War in action.



DIRECTIONS


1 Take a trip to a cemetary where there are gravesites of Revolutionary War veterans.


2 Walking through the gravesites, record the names of veterans who served during the Revolutionary War. You should note their names, dates of birth and dates of death.


3 Note what states the veterans came from. The states that they came from can be found with their birth and death dates.


4 Take your notes back to the classroom to share through discussion.



QUESTIONS


1 How many different states were mentioned through the gravesites?


2 Was the state that you live in found through the gravesites?



Shannon Bridget Murphy

In All Of Our Domestic Affairs

We will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice or Representation.

Abigail Adams

There are only a few short weeks left until the General and Special Elections that will take place on November 6, 2007. The list of those who are being voted for, or not, is an extensive one. It includes state senators, state delegates, Soil and Water Directors, the Clerk of the Court, the Commonwealth Attorney, the Board of Supervisors and county school boards. The ballots on which the candidates names appear are extensive enough to keep any voters busy for weeks finding out about the platforms being offered for the taking.

Abigail Adams was an active campaigner. After succeeding George Washington, John and Abigail Adams were the first presidential family to live in the White House. The large and spacious residence was only half finished at the time that they moved in. The role of Abigail Adams was to provide an invitation for the countless visitors at the White House. An immediate and obvious problem was where to hang the family wash.

The White House was inadequately heated when the Adams family declared residence on Pennsylvania Avenue. Several rooms were cold and damp. Abigail finally decided upon the East Room. It was, after all, the warmest and dryest place in the mansion. A clothesline was strung in that room for the purpose of laundry.

The trees and bushes still continue to hide the East Wing of the White House from the world to date. There, the offices of the First Lady and a theatre occupy the area that was once a former laundry room among other purposes. These rooms still have little furniture allowing open air to rule. If someone pauses long enough in the world of the East Wing, which is frequently seen through rose colored glasses, a glimpse of Abigail Adams can still be seen hurrying towards the East Room with her arms outstretched. The cap and lace shawl that she once wore during her lifetime are recognized as her trademarks. It can only be thought that she is carrying a load of laundry. It is during these times that she is not being bound by any laws in which she is not making her voice known through time.

www.whitehouse.gov/ghosts

Interwoven Moments Of Entourage

The late day summer warmth made travel fairly smooth. Walking along the city street, I made quick observations about what I saw. Stores, restaraunts and offices lined the streets. A set of star crossed lovers found their moment in the isolated walk leading to an office. The tables outside of a restaraunt were filled with small groups of people. They talked with their attention caught in the interwoven moments of the late afternoon.

Almost breaking the calm of the afternoon, the sirens from the end of the city street were heard. The crowds on the sidewalks slowed to stopping. A procession of black cars began to drive slowly towards my direction. All attention was temporarily cast towards Vice President Cheney. The procession passed engaging all within it's scope. Everyone was lost in a moment of time.

The long walkway leading to the red brick building beckoned the morning visitors. Delegates from the colonies arrived early in the morning. Georgia was the only colony who did not send a delegate. The concerns of the delegates were grievances that were against the colonies.

http://www.carpentershall.org/

It could have been the full moon that provided the inspiration and vision for the contributions that John Adams had during the fall of 1774. He attended the First Continental Congress. He must have held the attention of those who were enjoying the late summer days. He ventured off from the Continental Congress into the city of Philadelphia on his shopping spree. The acquistion of over 3,000 books was the vision of John Adams and the beginning of a city legacy.

While in Philadelphia, John Adams wrote a letter to Abigail Adams while attending the Continental Congress. "I have spent an estate on books" wrote John Adams. The contribution that John Adams made to the city of Boston, Massachusettes totals 3,700 volumes. He wrote within the pages of many of these. It has become the Library of Treasures.

Shannon Bridget Murphy

Bar-b-Que, it's Revolutionary

It had been a favorite food for those who resided within the Connecticut community. Late in the August afternoons, the bar-b-ques at the homes in Milford, Connecticut were inviting. Strangers and friends made their appearance. Summer gatherings served as the backdrop to create enough comfort and familiarity to begin homes in the area.

Bar-b-que quickly became a favorite food in America. It was among the uniting threads that was needed. The unity that began could have been one of the reasons why roads were put along both sides of the Wepawaug River in 1640. Early homes were not complete without a fireplace.

During the Revolutionary War, there were as many fireplaces as tents. Those from all areas of life engaged in outside cooking. Recipes were shared as freely as friendships, entertainment and eating. George Washington visited restaraunts and grills that served bar-b-que in Alexandria, Virginia before and after the Revolutionary War.

A deep love for bar-b-que has continued through the years. Since the 1600s, the fireplace has often been replaced with elaborate outdoor grills. Warm weather bar-b-ques have been a way for friends, neighbors and co-workers to become even more familiar with one another. Restaraunts for the bar-b-que crowds ranging from inexpensive and simple through expensive and formal have flourished. An American tradition has been born.

Shannon Bridget Murphy

Revolutionary Compensation Falls Back In Time

The Treaty of Paris was signed on November 30, 1782. The Provisional Articles were signed in Paris, France. The weather was more than likely much cooler than it had been during many of the battles that made the fabric of the conflict called The Revolutionary War. During many of the days of the conflict, there were temperatures over 100 degrees F. The day that the treaty was signed it was also much cooler than the summer days in this country. The recent summer days of Northern Virginia have been breezy and on the cooler side. I am not complaining.

There was a small group of people who participated in The Treaty of Paris. This has been an ongoing trend in the decision making policies for the workers of America. Basic laws and regulations that provide protection frequently apply to a small group of workers. Other people are excluded from these.

Those who were civilian contractors on the battlefield were essential. The early commanders realized that there was a need to make supplies available for armies beyond what would have been available. Those providing supplies were called suttlers. Transportation was one of the needs that were met by suttlers. The role of suttlers during the Revolutionary War was irreplaceable.

All of these trends have continued through this day with different terms and places. This sweltering Independence Day is one that thousands of workers are providing the needs that are met through their roles in the working world. Far to many of them are without time compensation and making sacrfices within their own lives. There have been extreme advances in technology and products among other things since the time of the Revolutionary War. Workers this Independence Day are fulfilling community needs through working in restaraunts, grocery stores, telephone companies, hospitals and airlines to name only a few. The benefits, rewards and consideration that is given to those in the world of work has remained frequently minimal through time.