by California Casualty | News |
‘Twas two nights before Thanksgiving…..
The Turkeys are busy unthawing and the smell of pumpkin & pecan pie lingers in the air. To some, it’s a comforting feeling, to have everything all planned and in the process of creation for their Thanksgiving feast, but to others, the mere thought of cooking for Thanksgiving dinner may bring anxiety- we’re looking at you, procrastinators.
If you are like the majority of the working class, you have yet to prepare much for your big dinner. Or, worst-case scenario, maybe some of you haven’t even been to the grocery store yet to buy supplies! Have no fear, we have created a list of simple, easy, last-minute Thanksgiving dishes that you can bring and show off to your family (just don’t tell them how long it took you to cook 😉 ).
Here are 10 Easy Thanksgiving Dishes:
Check out our Pinterest board “Last-Minute Thanksgiving Recipes” for more simple dish ideas! While you’re there, don’t forget to give us a follow at California Casualty to stay up to date on every new Thanksgiving classroom game and activity we discover! Scan our Pincode with your Pinterest camera to follow:
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. California Casualty does not own any of the photos in this post, all are sourced to their original owners. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
by California Casualty | Educators |
Our Education Blogger is a public school teacher with over a decade of experience. She’s an active NEA member and enjoys writing about her experiences in the classroom.
“Never Forget.” Americans associate this saying with the attacks on September 11th. However, many of our students weren’t even alive when the devastating attacks occurred. In many cases, if you ask a student about September 11th, they wouldn’t be able to tell you much, if anything, about the event. This is where our job as educators becomes critical. Teaching students about September 11th is a delicate, but necessary task. We’ve gathered tips and resources to help you teach your students about September 11th.
10 tips to remember before you begin teaching a difficult subject:
- Make parents aware you’ll be discussing the event in your classroom
- Find out what students know
- Listen to students
- Be as specific as possible, and clear up any misconceptions
- Answer questions with facts, and if you don’t know, don’t speculate
- Reassure students of their safety at school
- Be prepared with plenty of resources – limit graphic pictures and videos
- Talk about it – allow plenty of time for questions and discussion
- Keep it simple – mostly for elementary students
- It’s okay to get emotional – talk about why
Lesson Plans, Resources, and Videos:
9/11 Memorial and Museum – Explore the National September 11 Memorial and Museum’s lesson plans for all grade levels. Each lesson is tied to the Common Core Standards. Grounded in our collections, they are written for use throughout the school year and across subjects, including Social Studies, History, English Language Arts, and Art.
Scholastic: Understanding September 11 – Discover informative and poignant articles, lesson plans, activities, and stories. Use it as an interactive lesson for students or teach from provided lesson plans (along with printables).
History Channel: September 11 Attacks – Find out more about the history of 9/11 Attacks, including videos, interesting articles, pictures, historical features and more.
The Second Day– Watch this 40-minute documentary directed by a 14-year-old who was a kindergartener in Tribeca on 9/11. She interviews students, teachers, and first responders about the experience, how it affected them, and what they learned from the experience.
PBS: Reflections on the 9/11 Memorial– Watch this short video about the importance of the 9/11 memorial and what it means to the city of New York
Teaching Tolerance: Bringing 9/11 in the Classroom- Useful Lessons– Find multiple resources on the events of 9/11 and different cultural understanding
New York Times: The Reckoning– Discover stories, news articles, photos, and infographics on this interactive website about 9/11 and the world more than a decade later.
Education World: September 11 Lessons and Resources– Features a large list of lesson plans and resources from various websites that you can use to teach 9/11 in your classroom
BrainPOP: September 11– Find animated videos, related readings, worksheets and more on 9/11 and a basic understanding of what happened that day.
U.S. Department of Education 9/11 Teaching Materials– Find lesson materials based on The Consitution and 9/11 and extraordinary citizens during 9/11, as well as basic teaching resources to learn about 9/11 and strategies to teach the emotion subject.
Recommended Books:
The Little Chapel That Stood by A.B. Curtiss
America at War by Lee Bennett Hopkins
America Is Under Attack: September 11, 2001: The Day the Towers Fell by Don Brown
September Roses by Jeanette Winter
14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy
With Their Eyes: September 11th–The View from a High School at Ground Zero by Annie Thoms
We the People: September 11 by Mary Englar
Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Messages from Ground Zero: Children Respond to September 11th by Shelley Harwayne
102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers by Jim Dwyer & Kevin Flynn
Report from Ground Zero by Dennis Smith
Last Man Down by Richard Picciotto & Daniel Palsner
How do you teach about September 11th in your classroom? What tips would you give fellow educators when teaching this topic?
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
by California Casualty | Homeowners Insurance Info |
Springtime; for many of us it means we can start hanging up the cold weather gear and begin getting out the gardening equipment. However, the pleasant change in weather can often lull us into a false sense of security. In fact, I’m reminded of the warning Julius Caesar was given, “Beware the Ides of March.”
So what does that warning have to do with you and me? While March marks the end of winter, it starts a dynamic time of year with a clash of late season cold fronts and warm gulf air leading to dangerous thunderstorms, flooding and even tornadoes.
Many scientists warn that between climate change and El Nino, we are facing some of the most extreme and unpredictable weather patterns ever seen: one of the worst droughts and fire seasons ever in California followed by torrential rains and heavy snows, record flooding in Texas, Missouri and South Carolina, rare deadly December tornadoes across the Midwest and South and unprecedented holiday warmth in the Northeast.
Maybe we should change Shakespeare’s line to “Beware the Ides of Spring.”
Springtime Dangers
Flooding
Flood season begins in spring as winter snow and ice melt. Severe thunderstorms can add tremendous amounts of water to the runoff, often inundating cities and towns located in flood zones.
Flooding is the most common and costly natural disaster in the United States, causing an average of $50 billion in economic losses each year. Anyone living in a low-lying area near a lake, river or stream should make sure they are protected. Homeowners and renters insurance don’t cover floods from rivers, streams, or other runoff; if you want your home and valuables protected, you need flood insurance that often has a 30 day waiting period.
Flooding caused by a damaged roof or broken water pipe is covered by most homeowners insurance. While it can happen any time of year, springtime thawing can be the culprit. Do you have enough coverage if water should destroy your valuable possessions? The Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates that just two inches of water can cause more than $10,000 for repairs and replacement of flooded items. Six inches of water can add up to more than $30,000.
Fires
While a house fire can happen any time of year, spring marks the start of wildfire season. More than 4,600 structures were destroyed by wildfires in 2015, 2,667 of those were homes or apartments.
Fuels, such as grasses and brush, start to dry out as temperatures warm. Before they become a threat to your home you should mow and trim back any grasses, trees or bushes to create a 30 foot defensible space. Don’t forget to move gas grills, firewood and other combustibles 15 to 30 feet away from your home. You can find more wildfire prevention tips here.
Tornadoes
The volatile mix of warm and cold usually results in tornadic activity. Almost every state has experienced a tornado, and if you live in the South, Midwest or points east you may have already taken these tornado preparedness actions:
- Identify a safe place in your house (basement, storm shelter or sturdy interior reinforced room on the lowest floor of the home
- Prepare an emergency kit with first aid supplies, food, water and sanitary needs (include important medicines, eye glasses, etc.)
- Practice tornado drills
Severe Thunderstorms
Thunderstorms are the top cause of insured loss each year in the United States due to high winds, large hail and dangerous lightning. When a thunderstorm approaches, immediately move indoors and away from windows and avoid electrical equipment and corded telephones. Preparations for severe thunderstorms are much the same as tornadoes.
How to Protect Your Property
Before wild weather has a chance to threaten your home, here are some key tips to help prevent damage:
- Check roofs and shingles for damage, lifting or other signs that they might leak
- Clean gutters and drain spouts and make sure they direct water away from your home’s foundation
- Look for loose boards, cracking or other damage on decks and porches to avoid tripping, falls or other hazards
- Inspect the exterior of your home for cracks, holes or exposed wood or siding that could allow water, insects or small wildlife to get in
- Make sure chimneys and vents are well sealed and sturdy to prevent water or wind damage
- Trim back trees and bushes, looking for weak or broken branches or other damage, to protect against them falling into roofs or siding
Check Your Insurance
Before a catastrophe strikes, the Insurance Information Institute says you should:
- Purchase homeowners or renters insurance
- Get flood insurance if you live in a flood prone area
- Review your policy so you understand your coverages (replacement costs, replacement of personal possessions, and additional living expenses)
- Make a full inventory of everything you own
After a Disaster
If the unexpected should occur, you should take these steps:
- Secure your property from further damage or theft
- Contact your insurance company as soon as possible
- Catalogue your losses and take pictures
- Save receipts of meals, purchases and hotels while you are unable to live at home
- Be careful of fraudulent contractors
Now is good time to reevaluate your protection against the unpredictable moods of spring; contact a California Casualty advisor to purchase flood insurance, get a review of your policy or add any coverage that you might need. Give a call today at 1.800.800.9410 or visit www.calcas.com.
Resources for this article:
https://news.yahoo.com/record-el-nino-climate-change-drive-extreme-weather-170109695.html;_ylt=AwrTcdtKdZVWbA8ATzMnnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTBya2cwZmh2BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwM1BHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg–
https://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pages/flooding_flood_risks/the_cost_of_flooding.jsp
https://www.calcas.com/documents/10326/0/wildfire_pamphlet_residential_CA.pdf/4c476835-55f4-4a70-a208-0f7930218e90
https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_statistics.html
https://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/tornado
https://www.iii.org/article/making-sure-your-home-properly-covered-disaster
https://www.redcross.org/find-help/disaster-recovery/recovering-financially
