On this Day...

Sneak Peek: First two weeks of December!

Biographies, Historical Events,

Geography, and more!
 Teacher Notes
These task cards are SO fun! There is an endless number of ways to use them.
Each card has something about that day--whether it’s a famous person’s birth
or an important historical event. There is a wide range in content and
time-period.

In addition to mini-lessons and primary source images, there are tasks at the
bottom of the card to draw connections with the event of the day. These tasks
are cross-curricular. Sometimes students are asked to write, while other times
they are prompted to sketch. Students will look at maps and paintings and
sometimes even play a mini simulation! There is even math and science
embedded in some cards. Such a variety of experiences!

These cards make the perfect bell-ringer or addition to calendar work. They can
be used to prompt discussions at morning meetings or as a station to integrate
some cross-curricular tasks throughout the day. They make terrific enrichment
for your “early finishers.”

If you purchase every month of the year, you can even use them for student
birthdays or holidays.

We hope you enjoy these task cards as much as we do. We are better trivia
players for having made them!
 Source Page

www.Onthisday.com

www.Commons.wikimedia.org

www.LOC.gov

www.History.com

www.Britannica.com

www.Biography.com

www.Womenshistory.org
 Color Codes
Each card is color coded to fit into a broader category.

U.S. Government

Biography/Famous Person

Historical Event

Geography/Place

Arts/Literature/Entertainment

Sports

Invention
 On This Day: On This Day:
December 1 December 2

1955 Rosa Parks refuses to give up her 1970 The Environmental Protection Agency
seat to a white person and move to the is created
back of the bus

At the time, African

Americans did not have equal
rights. The law said they had
to sit at the back of the bus.
Rosa Parks was seated in the
back, but the “whites only”
section was full. When a
white person got on, the bus
driver told her to give up her
seat. She refused and was
arrested.
Rosa Parks became a national According to their website, the EPA works to make sure
symbol of dignity and Americans have clean air, water, and land. The
strength. organization helps to make sure environmental laws are
followed. They also teach people about the environment
and give money to other organizations that help it.
Rosa Parks said she felt scared but also
determined. Write 3 synonyms for “scared.” Can
you think of other words that mean “determined?” Make a list of ways that you help to protect the
environment.
 On This Day: On This Day:
December 3 December 4

2018 a 7 year-old Youtube star makes 22
million dollars for his page Ryan Toysreview
Ryan uses his youtube channel to review toys. He has
over 20 million followers, and his videos have over 30
billion views.
Ryan has his own line of toys now sold at Walmart,
Target, and Amazon.
Pick a toy and create a review. Answer:
● What is the toy?
● What did you like about it?
● What would you change?
● Who do you recommend it for?
● How many stars out of 5 do you give it?
1848 Chester Greenwood, inventor, is born
Have you ever worn
earmuffs on a cold
winter day? If so, you
can thank Chester
Greenwood. He grew
up ice skating in the
cold Maine winters.
Chester was allergic to
wool, so he could not
wear the available hats. At the age of 15, he asked his
grandmother to attach two pads of fur to some wire. He
was so happy with the result that he patented the
product!
Chester continued to make improvements on the band
and the fit of the pads. He opened a factory to make
earmuffs and employed the majority of his town in
Maine.
Chester had a problem (cold ears) and did not like the solution
offered (wool hats), so he invented his own product. Think of a
problem you had recently and the available solutions. Can you
come up with a better way or invention to solve this problem?
 On This Day: On This Day:
December 5 December 6

1791 Mozart died 2017 World’s largest Starbucks opens in

Shanghai, China
Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart is one of the best The Starbucks cafe is about the size of half a football field.
known musicians and
composers to have ever
lived. He was born in
Austria and died there at
the young age of 35.

Mozart could play many

instruments as well as a
professional by the age
of 5. He began to write
his own compositions by
age 6. Mozart wrote The playing field for football is 100 yards long. It also has 2
around half of his endzones that are 10 yards on each end. How long is a football
musical symphonies field in yards?
before the age of 19.
How many yards is half the field?

Make a list of as many famous musicians that
started as children as you can. Share your list
with your neighbor, and see how many total you
can get.
How many feet long is half the field (1 yd = 12 feet)?
Find the area of half a football field in feet if you know the width
is 160 feet (remember: area = length x width).
That is about how large the Starbucks is!
 On This Day: On This Day:
December 7 December 8

1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor 1776 George Washington’s army retreats

and crosses the Delaware River
Pearl Harbor is a U.S.
naval base outside of They were freezing, hungry, tired, and giving up. The
Honolulu, Hawaii. colonists retreated from battle and crossed the Delaware
The attack by River away from New Jersey. After this day, Washington
Japanese bombers came up with a new plan to re-cross the Delaware in a
killed 2,403 surprise attack a few weeks later on Christmas Day. The
Americans and attack was successful and the colonists were re-energized.
destroyed battleships Some call it the turning point of the war.
and important
buildings.

Many countries in Europe had already been in war for two

years before Pearl Harbor. Japan to the West was also
engaging in war and conquering Asian nations.

The United States had tried to stay out of it, until Japan
bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This brought America into
what is now known as World War 2.

Write down two questions that you would like to

research about World War 2.
This is a painting of when they cross the Delaware on Christmas for
Why are you curious about these topics? the surprise attack, painted by Emanuel Leutze. What are 3-4 things
you notice in this painting?
 On This Day: On This Day:
December 9 December 10

1965 First animated Peanuts special 1906 President Theodore Roosevelt is the
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” premiers first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize

President Roosevelt
worked hard to solve
conflicts in peaceful
ways. He won the Nobel
Peace Prize from his
efforts writing peace
treaties between nations,
even when the United
States was not involved.

(Photo by Karl Kuntz 11/08/2005) Photo from the Otterbein Theatre production of "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown "

If you could give a peace prize to

If you were a character in the
someone in your school, who would
Peanuts gang, what would you look
it be? Why?
like? Sketch a picture.
 On This Day: On This Day:
December 11 December 12

1816 Indiana becomes the 19th state 1800 Washington DC established

Fun Facts about Indiana: as capital of the United States
● Indiana got its name
from being known by
the settlers as the “land After the Revolutionary War, leaders wanted a location
of the indians.” for the new nation’s capital. They chose the land and
● The famous began building the president’s home and the Capitol
Indianapolis 500 car building for Congress. They named it Washington after
race is held there each George Washington and the District of Columbia after
May. Christopher Columbus. When Congress moved into this
● Birthplace of poet new building from Philadelphia, they officially
James Whitcomb established Washington D.C. as the new capital!
Riley
● Basketball team is
Indiana Pacers;
Football team is
Indianapolis Colts
● Michael Jackson born
and raised in Indiana **These are the buildings there now, but the British
burned down the original buildings in the War of 1812.
Use a map of the United States to find Indiana
and answer the questions: Take a poll of how many students in your class have been to
● What states are Indiana’s neighbors Washington D.C. Write your data as a fraction.
● Why do you think Indiana is considered a If everyone has been, take a poll of your classmates’ favorite
part of the midwest region? monument. Write your data as fractions.
 On This Day: On This Day:
December 13 December 14

1989 Taylor Swift born 1911 Roald Amundsen is the first to ever
reach the South Pole
Taylor Swift was born
in Pennsylvania. She
released her first album,
Taylor Swift, when she
was just 16 years old.

Taylor has sold more

than 50 million albums
and has won 10
Grammy Awards.
Rolling Stone has
Roald Amundsen was an explorer from Norway. Robert
named her on their top
Scott, an English explorer, was also trying to be the first
100 Greatest
to reach the South Pole. Amundsen had more experience,
Songwriters of all time.
however, and made some choices that helped him. For
instance, he used sled dogs to carry his equipment, while
Photo by Paolo Villanueva paolopv.com
Scott used Siberian ponies.

If you could interview Taylor Swift,

Write a journal entry as though you were Roald
what are some questions you would Amundsen on this expedition.
like to ask her?
 On This Day: On This Day:
December 15 December 16

1789 Bill of Rights adopted by all States

The Bill of Rights is made

up of the first 10
Amendments to the
Constitution. It sets out
guidelines for the country
like freedom of speech,
freedom of religion, the
right to bear arms, and the
right to gather in protest.

Many of these
Amendments are still
debated today as to what the founding fathers intended.
New technological advances make it even harder to
know where people’s rights begin and end.

Do you think a school dress code goes against

someone’s freedom of speech? Is someone
“speaking” through what they wear? What about
when a school does not allow certain writing on
shirts?