Magna Carta Was Sealed by King John, on this day, in 1215

Magna Carta, is an English legal charter, originally issued in the year 1215 by King John of England. It was written in Latin and is known by its Latin name. The usual English translation of Magna Carta is Great Charter.

Magna Carta required King John of England to proclaim certain rights (pertaining to freemen), respect certain legal procedures, and accept that his will could be bound by the law. It explicitly protected certain rights of the King's subjects, whether free or fettered — and implicitly supported what became the writ of habeas corpus, allowing appeal against unlawful imprisonment.

Magna Carta was the first document forced onto an English King by a group of his subjects (the barons) in an attempt to limit his powers by law and protect their privileges.

Magna Carta was arguably the most significant early influence on the extensive historical process that led to the rule of constitutional law today in the English speaking world. Magna Carta influenced the development of the common law and many constitutional documents, including the United States Constitution.

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: Magna Carta: Cornerstone of the U.S. Constitution
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will understand:
- why the rule of law is necessary in a free and democratic society.
- the relationship between Magna Carta and the evolution of constitutional government.
- how the Magna Carta was used to justify independence from Great Britain.
Grade Level: 9-12
Subject: U.S. History / Civics
Handouts: Worksheets, activities and background information.
Time Needed: Three class periods
Provided by: EDSITEment (Author: Christine L. Compston, Bellingham, WA)
Year: 2007
Link: http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=737

Johnny Weissmuller, Best Known as Tarzan, Was Born

Johnny Weissmuller (1904 -1984) was a Romanian-born American swimmer and actor. Weissmuller was one of the world's best swimmers in the 1920s, winning five Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal. He won fifty-two US National Championships and set sixty-seven world records. After his swimming career, he became the sixth actor to portray Tarzan in films, a role he played in twelve motion pictures. Dozens of other actors have also played Tarzan, but Weissmuller is by far the best known. His character's distinctive, ululating Tarzan yell is still often used in films.

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: Trashin' the Camp, AABA Song Form, with Tarzan
Objectives: Students will demonstrate an understanding of AABA song form through dance and Tarzan yells.
Concepts / Vocabulary: AABA song form
Grade Level: K-12
Subject: Music
Materials: Trashin' the Camp sound recording from Disney's Animated Feature Tarzan
Time Needed: Two 50-minute class periods
Provided by: Wave Music Studio
Year: 2008
Link: http://www.makingmusicfun.net/htm/f_mmf_music_library/trashin-the-camp-music-classroom-lesson.htm

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Inventor of Sherlock Holmes, Was Born

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (1859 – 1930) was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger. He was a prolific writer whose other works include science fiction stories, historical novels, plays and romances, poetry, and non-fiction.

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: Sherlock Holmes: Teaching English Through Detective Fiction
Objectives: Teaching English to low level students through the study of Arthur Conan Doyle’s short stories featuring the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes.
Grade Level: 9 (adaptable)
Subject: English / Language Arts/ Literature
Materials: Sherlock Holmes' films
Handouts: Questions for The Adventure of the Speckled Band.
Time Needed: As needed.
Provided by: Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute (Author: Pamela J. Greene)
Link: http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1989/4/89.04.04.x.html

Salvador Dalí, the Painter of The Persistence of Memory, Was Born

Salvador Dalí (1904 – 1989) was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter. Dalí was a skilled draftsman, best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealist work. His painterly skills are often attributed to the influence of Renaissance masters. His best-known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in 1931. Dalí's expansive artistic repertoire includes film, sculpture, and photography, in collaboration with a range of artists in a variety of media.

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: Drawing with Dali - Persistence of Memory
Objectives: Introduce surrealistic art movement through the artwork of Salvador Dali.
Concepts / Vocabulary: Surrealism
Grade Level: 5
Subject: Art history
Materials: Dali's print of The Persistence of Memory, Colored pencils, erasers, markers, white drawing paper.
Time Needed: Two 50-minute class periods
Provided by: A Lifetime of Color
Link: http://www.alifetimeofcolor.com/main.taf?p=1,7

William Shakespeare Died this Day in 1616

William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His surviving works, including some collaborations, consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: A New Look at Romeo and Juliet
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will learn:
- about the history of the English language and life during Shakespeare's time;
- to use various methods of research to learn about Shakespeare and Romeo and Juliet;
- how Shakespeare's life and times affected his writing;
- how Shakespeare's plays can still apply to our lives and times today.
Grade Level: 9
Subject: English / Language Arts / Literature
Materials: Student copies of Romeo and Juliet; computers with access to the Internet.
Time Needed: Two 50-minute class periods
Provided by: Louisiana Association of Computer Using Educators (LACUE); author: Tracy Jordan
Link: http://www.lacue.org/conference/lessons/RomeoandJuliet.doc

Adolf Hitler, the man behind World War II and the Holocaust atrocities, was born on this day, 121 years ago

Lesson Plan Information
Title: The Rise of Adolf Hitler to Power
Objectives: Students will understand how and why Hitler was able to come to power.
Grade Level: 9
Subject: Hitler and Nazi Germany
Materials: Access to the Internet
Handouts: http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/hitler
Time Needed: One class periods
Provided by: SchoolHistory.co.uk
Link: http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/lessons/riseofhitler/teacher_notes.htm

NATO was formed, this day, 61 years ago

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is an intergovernmental military alliance signed on 4 April 1949.

NATO headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium, and the organization constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party.

NATO was founded by the western powers in order to counter the military power of the USSR in general and the Soviet Berlin Blockade in particular.

The twelve founding members of NATO were: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom, United States.

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: The Role of NATO
Objectives: students will understand:
- the political atmosphere of post-World War II Europe and the U.S. foreign policy of containment;
- the critical events that occurred prior to the formation of NATO;
- the countries that formed the Warsaw Pact and the NATO alliance.
Concepts / Vocabulary: alliance, arms race, blockade, cold war, containment, occupation
Grade Level: 9-12
Subject: US history / European history
Materials: access to the Internet, a map of post-World War II Europe
Time Needed: Two 50-minute class periods
Provided by: Discovery Education (Author: George Cassutto)
Link: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/nato/