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/

The British North America Act was signed by Queen Victoria on March 29, 1867

The Constitution Act, 1867 (formerly called the British North America Act, 1867, and still known informally as the BNA Act), is a major part of Canada's Constitution. The Act created a federal dominion and defines much of the operation of the Government of Canada, including its federal structure, the House of Commons, the Senate, the justice system, and the taxation system. The British North America Acts, including this Act, were renamed in 1982 with the patriation of the constitution (originally enacted by the British Parliament), however it is still known by its original name in United Kingdom records. Amendments were also made at this time: section 92A was added, giving provinces greater control over non-renewable natural resources.

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: Canada's Constitution Challenge
Objectives::
- the differences between the British North America Act of 1867 and the Constitution Act of 1982.
- students design and build a game based on facts about the Canadian government.
Grade Level: 4-6, 7-12
Subject: Canadian history / visual arts
Materials: Colored pencils, markers, scissors
Time Needed: Multiple Sessions
Provided by: Crayola
Link: http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/canada's-constitution-challenge-lesson-plan

Houdini, One of the Greatest Magicians Ever, Was Born

Harry Houdini (1874 - 1926), born Erik Weisz, was a Hungarian American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer. He was also a skeptic who set out to expose frauds purporting to be supernatural phenomena.


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Lesson Plan Information
Title: The Magician's Apprentice
Objectives: students will:
- follow instructions to perform a magic trick
- assess the instructions with a rubric
- teach a fellow student how to perform the magic trick.
Concepts / Vocabulary: following directions, magic, trick, rubric
Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8
Subject: Arts & Humanities
Materials: Internet access, coins, handkerchiefs, straws, construction paper, pencils, scissors, glue, carrots, toothpicks.
Time Needed: Two 50-minute class periods
Provided by: Education World (Author: Cara Bafile)
Link: http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/02/lp275-03.shtml