Welcome back from a hopefully restful Thanksgiving Break. With only a few more weeks until the Winter Holiday and a New Year, we want to make your lesson planning as seamless as possible! Here are 7 topics throughout the month of December to keep your students discovering!
December 1 – Rosa Parks Day
On this day in 1955, one woman’s small act would change the course of our country’s history. Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give her seat to a white man. Four days later, the Montgomery Bus Boycott began. In our Rosa Parks Unit, you will be able to learn more about the events leading up to the boycott and the aftermath.
December 3 – First Human Heart Transplant (1967)
Just over 50 years ago, the world’s first human-to-human heart transplant was conducted in Cape Town, South Africa. At the time, it was the world’s most widely reported medical event and has since led to even greater innovations. Students are never too young to begin learning about Keeping the Heart Healthy. Our Heart Unit gives students an up-close look at the organ that keeps the blood flowing.
December 6 – Washington Monument Completed (1884)
This impressive monument in our nation’s capital is as synonymous with Washington, D.C. as the White House or Lincoln Memorial. Taking 40 years to complete and standing at just over 554 feet tall, it commemorates the life of our first president, George Washington. In our Washington, D.C. Unit, students can learn about the incredible history and sites that call this city home.
December 7 – Pearl Harbor Anniversary
President Franklin Roosevelt called the bombing of Pearl Harbor “a day which will live in infamy.” It was also the pivotal event that brought the United States into World War II. In our Pearl Harbor Topic, your students will learn more about the short-term and long-term events December 7th, 1941 had on the nation and the world. For even more details, be sure to visit our World War II Unit.
December 11 – International Mountain Day
Ready for a peak experience? Our Mountains Unit will help your students find out everything they ever wanted to know about these majestic formations to celebrate International Mountain Day. This covers how they take shape when the Earth’s crust buckles or a volcano explodes, to what happens to them as water and weather wear them away.
December 27 – Louis Pasteur’s Birthday (b. 1822)
The fight against germs is as old as humanity. French researcher, Louis Pasteur, found that germs caused disease and discovered ways to combat them. In 1862, he invented pasteurization, which uses heat to remove germs from milk and other drinks. In our Germs Unit, your class can learn more about the man who saved countless lives with his works and about the History of the Fight Against Germs.
December 27 – Darwin Sets Sail from England (1831)
In 1831, twenty-two-year-old Charles Darwen set sail from Plymouth, England, on the HMS Beagle. He spent this five-year journey primarily around South America, filling notebooks on observations of plants, animals, and geology. The time spent in the Galapagos Islands helped him develop his theories on evolution and natural selection. You can read more about one of the most exciting island chains by reading from our Destinations Unit.
