Imagine all of your students actively engaged in a unit on Ancient Egypt with very little preparation on your part! Sound wonderful? It is!! This Ancient Egypt activity includes five PowerPoint programs for five different groups on five different topics related to Ancient Egypt. Group A – The Nile River: The river, animals, plants, other uses for the river Group B – The Egyptian People: Clothing, classes, daily life, artisans Group C – Egyptian Rituals and Religion: Mummies, burial, mythology, symbols Group D – Egyptian Government: Pharaohs, kingdoms, cities, hieroglyphics Group E – Egyptian Architecture: Pyramids, sphinx, temples, inventions The activities in each group are many and varied, allowing for creative research and development of the topic. The unit helps the students with the 4 C's of education; Critical Thinking, Communication, Creativity, and Collaboration. When one group finishes their four tasks, the students are encouraged to divide up and join other groups to help finish their tasks. Eventually, all groups will finish with the assistance of everyone in the classroom. This is a cooperative effort. As each group finishes, you’ll see that the teacher PowerPoint program allows you to click on the group and cover it with a pyramid. After everyone is done, your students will present their findings to the class. As each group presents, your PowerPoint program will allow you to make the pyramid disappear so you can keep track of which group has gone, although you can certainly go in alphabetical order starting with Group A. Finally, the class discussion involves learning how the Egyptian people influenced modern people. You can determine what “treasure” will be most appropriate for your class. Depending on the level of ability of your students, this unit can take anywhere between 4 days and two weeks. You can also use the group work for whole-class participation, but having individual groups makes for a livelier discussion at the end! Your students will work eagerly and cooperatively to complete this Treasure Quest so they can find the treasure at then of the unit. Minimal preparation is required on your part!

Has your supervisor asked you to get your students moving while they learn? Have you noticed that children who participate actively in a lesson learn easier? There’s a reason for this phenomenon: When children move, they increase the rate that oxygen circulates throughout their bodies, including their brains. Each activity in this 77-page book includes a time stamp to show you whether you need to plan a few extra minutes to prepare for the activity. You get the materials needed and in some cases, a sample finished product. However, since each classroom is different, each way of approaching the activities will be different. These activities can be used for any grade level and any subject.

This is a complete writer’s workshop for you to use with your students. The best part of this unit is the included original mystery story. I am a retired language arts teacher and former instructor for The Institute of Children’s Literature. Throughout this unit, your students will see the formation of my finished story from choosing a title through developing characters, planting clues, and resolving the conclusion. See the revised story I have included as a sample for your students to witness the author’s craft! The accompanying PowerPoint includes introductions on the following topics: - Characteristics of mystery and suspense - Mystery writer’s vocabulary - Examples of published mysteries with synopses - Choosing a theme - Defining characters - Describing a setting - Adding clues, props, and red herrings - Planning a plot - Organizing and outlining the story - Writing a rough draft - Revising - Submission of the finished product Also, I have included worksheets to go with each slide: - Vocabulary puzzle with answers - Development of story themes - Description of characters - Determining a setting - Timeline of clues - Choosing props, clues, and red herrings This unit is totally student-driven and allows individuality within the framework of the assignment. I have not included a grading rubric because any writing rubric you currently use is applicable.

This 144-page book contains nine original short stories and many more images to comfort and heal the tired teacher's soul. It is the perfect go-to escape after a long day. Envision yourself in the many places I have depicted in images and words. Or, keep this book in your desk drawer for a ten-minute trip to a different environment. You might even share these stories with your students. See if they can develop a different story for the pictures, or a different ending for the story I have written. My Peaceful Place is also perfect as a gift for a hospitalized friend or a grandparent in a nursing home... anyone who is unable to get out into the world and enjoy all that nature has to offer. ​Research shows that the healing effects of natural scenes are increasingly being understood as helpful in stressful environments such as hospitals, nursing homes, and even remote military sites. Simply seeing nature is important to people and is an effective means of relieving stress and improving well-being. Apparently, it is not necessary to actually experience nature, simply looking at it even remotely, provides a calming effect. Go to My Peaceful Place and I'm sure it will become YOUR PEACEFUL PLACE, too! Go to my primary website, www.reneeheissart.com for a sample story!