January Happenings

January 1
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was born in 1735. Visit the Paul Revere Virtual Museum to find out more about this historic event.

Slavery abolished
Day of celebration for the end of slavery in the United States. President Lincoln freed all slaves on January 1, 1863. The proclamation only affected the states fighting the federal government. It wasn't until December 18, 1865, when the 13th Amendment was passed, that slavery was abolished in the United States.

Betsy Ross
Birthday of Betsy Ross, born in 1752. Create a PowerPoint presentation to show the changes in the U.S. flag since its creation.

National Soup Month
January is National Soup Month. Try the Teaching K-8 Super Soup reproducible activity from the January, 2001, issue of Teaching K-8, also visit Cook It Quick!

National Book Month
Celebrate National Book Month by starting a bookworm around your classroom. Add a circle for every book a student reads this month. See if you can get the bookworm to extend into the hallway.

Check out KIDS: Award-winning Books and Authors to find websites and suggested activities for National Book Month.

New Year's Day
Happy New Year! Chart your goals for the new year and decide what you will do to meet your goals.

January 3
Jacob Grimm's Birthday
Jacob Grimm was born on this day. Investigate his life and the fairy tales of the brothers Grimm by visiting the "Brothers Grimm Home Page"

J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien was born on this date in 1892. Choose two of his books and compare the characters. Do a survey to see how many classmates have seen the movie Lord of the Rings and how many have seen all 3 movie episodes. Compare the three.

January 16, 2006
Martin Luther King Day
National Holiday to celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 15, 1929.

January 17
Ben Franklin
Ben Franklin was born on this date in 1706. Divide the class into teams. Each group will select a different career focus to research and present information about this famous statesman, scientist, inventor, economist, and printer.

January 18
Pooh Day
A. A. Milne, the author of The House at Pooh Corner was born on this date in 1882. Hold a Winnie the Pooh Day with curriculum activities that revolve around this famous bear.

January 24
Gold Rush
Gold was discovered in California on this date in 1848. Research Sutter's Mill and do a multimedia presentation to show how life changed in the west after this discovery.

January 27
Mozart
Mozart was born on this day in 1756. Draw a picture as you listen to one of his music classics. Find out his full name and see if you can write it, without looking!