All posts by Jenny Henningsen

Writing Contest-Use your voice

October 20, 2014Other Events & Contests, Uncategorizedcontest, literature, writingJenny Henningsen

Letters About Literature is a reading and writing contest for students in grades 4-12. Students are asked to read a book, poem or speech and write to that author (living or dead) about how the book affected them personally. Letters are judged on state and national levels. If you are in grades 4-12, you are eligible to enter the Letters About Literature reading and writing contest. Here are the Rules and Guidelines.

Please turn your work into your EY coordinator no later than Jan. 9th, 2015!!!

Some books challenge your brain. Others touch your heart. Some books do both!

What book have you read lately that got you thinking about things you never thought about before? What book’s character made you shiver in fear or shake with laughter, clench your fists or want to hug your kid brother? What one, special book was so

powerful it became a part of YOU? Thinking and feeling are two sides of the same “brain” coin. Exploring how and why you respond to a

book—either through thoughts or emotions—is a key to understanding yourself.

Below is an excerpt from a winning letters from a past LAL contest.

Dear Mrs. Lowry,

. . . with each passing paragraph, each turned

page, each new chapter, I realized The Giver was different. I couldn’t understand why your characters had no recollection of animals. I didn’t understand the Ceremonies of Age. I didn’t understand what was meant by Release. Release. When I got to that part of your book, I became frightened . . . I have a younger sister. I reread the passage, hoping I had interpreted it wrongly. But your chilling words were still on the page. . . .It wasn’t until the end that I realized this book was a warning to this generation and to the next, to ten generations from now and 100 generations from then. It is up to us to make sure that our children’s children will always be able to ride a sled down a snowy hill. . . .

R. Pynn, Brooklyn, NY

More info for teachers and parents

Teaching Guide

http://www.read.gov/letters/

Westside Community Schools does not sponsor or endorse the organization or activity described here. The sharing of this information is provided as a community service.

Math Contest Practice grades 1-8

October 20, 2014Parents, Teacherscontests, mathJenny Henningsen

The purpose of Math Stars is to challenge students beyond the classroom setting. Good problems can inspire curiosity about number relationships and geometric properties. It is hoped that in accepting the challenge of mathematical problem solving, students, their parents, and their teachers will be led to explore new mathematical horizons. Math Stars are in sets for Grades 1-8 and include commentaries for teachers. All Math Stars Newsletters are ready for classroom use and available for downloading as PDF files.

Link to newsletters

On Cloud Nine

October 15, 2014Uncategorizedclouds, science, weatherJenny Henningsen

Cloud watching has been a favorite past time of kids for ages. We see them floating by, some fluffy, some wispy, and others dark and stormy.

Here is a question for you-

Why don’t clouds fall from the sky?

Watch this PBS video- Why Do Clouds Stay Up. You will find the answer to the question “Why don’t clouds fall from the sky” and you will gather fun information about these big, fluffy piles of water vapor that live overhead.

Take this quiz after watching this video to show what you learned!

EY and Conferences

October 13, 2014UncategorizedJenny Henningsen

Hello! Here are some updates from EY

Conferences:

I will be at PL on Wed from 5:45-7:45

Swanson on Thursday from 10-12

Please email if you would like to set up a phone conference.

Battle of the Books- I am doing my slides checks each time that we meet. I am excited to see the work done by the students, and I am also thrilled to see that there are so many children that have already read several books and completed activities! I attached the graphic organizer link here if you want to have a visual at home to help keep the kids organized. They all have one and they are keeping it in the EY folder.

Screen Shot 2014-10-13 at 7.49.52 AM — Snapple Facts

Screen Shot 2014-10-13 at 7.53.12 AM — Snapple Facts

We learned how to use Haiku Deck a few weeks ago. It is a great way to showcase what the students have learned. The students explored Snapple facts, and conducted research to determine if the “facts” were true or false. You can ask your child to share this presentation with you-they are fun to see!

Each child took a Spelling bee qualifying test. The contestants will be released on Wednesday of this week. There will also be qualifying tests given in the next few weeks for the following events: Trivia Contest and Geography Bee

I have made sure that all children can log into KHAN and know how to navigate the site. The math portion of Khan is wonderful, but there are also many other learning areas that the children can access.

I am so in love with Wonderopolis. Please check it out. This site is so fun to explore and the children have unlimited learning all in one spot.

Enjoy the long weekend coming up! Please drop me a note with any questions and comments.

Jenny

Build a Whole New World

October 2, 2014UncategorizedJenny Henningsen

The mysterious door opened and none of the children were prepared for what was on the other side…

Words like these are what make fiction books so hard to put down. We are taken to amazing new worlds that allow us to experience a journey with our minds as well as our senses. The Author Kate Messner does just this – builds new “worlds” for her readers in the fiction stories that she writes. Watch the video below on creating fictional worlds. After watching, explore the “Think” and “Dig Deeper” sections.

http://ed.ted.com/on/AQtELfQR#watch

Some research has even shown that certain parts of your brain are stimulated (or woken up) when you read fictional stories. So not only are they fun to read, but great brain food too!

Hopefully this challenge will inspire you to take up your pencil and begin your own journey of “world-building”! Leave a comment and tell us about an author or book you’ve enjoyed reading. Tell us about the fictional world that author created.

A House for a Mouse??

August 26, 2014Nordquist BlogJenny Henningsen

It was awesome to see all of the EY students again after the summer break! This week we spent time jumping right into our first quarter concept: Exploration! This theme lends itself to a whole host of areas, but we are focusing on creative problem solving for now. This will also lead us into our Creative Problem Solving seminar coming up on Friday, Sept. 26th (more details on that to follow shortly).

During EY small group, students were given the challenge of building a house (or room of a house) for a mouse and then had to present their house/room as realtors selling to a mouse family (played by Mrs. Skaggs). The creative juices were definitely flowing as mouse structures were popping up everywhere! Who knew mice these days enjoy refrigerators filled with cheese, cookies for life (with your house purchase), and even a mouse potty! Check out the photos below for some amazing mouse-inspired architecture!

A Year of Opportunities!

August 22, 2014Nordquist BlogJenny Henningsen

Another school year has begun and I am left wondering where the summer went and when the snow will begin. I know, WAY to early for that, but it sure seems like time just flies right by!

This is an exciting year for EY as well as the school district! We have made some changes that I am super excited about! I will be working more closely with the teachers to provide enrichment opportunities for all students. This means that I will be in all of the 3-6 classrooms during their E/I (Enrichment & Intervention) times once a week (or every 6 days to be exact :). At that time, I will share ideas and resources for all students to use to explore and enrich their learning experience. EY students will meet with me outside of the classroom in a pull-out setting during their E/I time once a week as well (in addition to the classroom E/I lessons).

Please explore the other areas of this blog site for information on the events & contests, weekly challenges, and other exciting learning opportunities we are offering this year. Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions or thoughts you may have.

Here’s to a wonderful 2014-15 school year!

The End Is Here!

May 31, 2014Nordquist Blog, UncategorizedJenny Henningsen

Wow, it’s hard to believe that the last day of the 2013-14 school year has come and gone! We wrapped up the year with independent projects in order to dig deeper into our own interest areas. There were projects completed on the history of favorite gaming systems, nuclear reactors, basketball, robotics, the Holocaust, and more. We learned so much from each other and possibly found new interests for ourselves in the process!

The Oakdale 6th graders took “trips” to many different corners of the world and brought a piece or two back into the classroom to share. We had a presentation day that included a world feast. The food was delicious and such a great way to experience a new culture! They encouraged us all to add a few new destinations to our bucket lists! 🙂

It has been a great year full of new and exciting learning adventures! I am so grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such talented individuals this year! We are all learners in this process and I hope you all learned as much from me as I did from you!

Congratulations to all of the 6th graders on the close of one chapter in your lives and the amazing opportunities that await! I am glad I was able to be a small part of your journey!

Enjoy your summer and always be on a mission to actualize your talents!

~Mrs. Skaggs

EY updates

May 5, 2014Henningsen BlogJenny Henningsen

Hello. This blog has some updates about what we have been doing and also some links for other opportunities/resources for you to try out at home.

The students explored Chemistry and Cooking using TED ED. 60 Students submitted responses to this video and were entered into a drawing to be official taste testers for District 66 Nutrition Services. Here is a link to pics and info about the event.

https://ey.westside66.org/tag/whatsnew/

I have been spending time developing lessons around TED ED videos. Check out more learning videos from this awesome online resource http://ed.ted.com/.

Brownell Talbot hosted a math contest for students in grades 5 and 6 on Thursday, May 1. Swanson and Prairie Lane teams competed against students from 10 area schools. The students showed strong team work, persistence, and problems solving during the event! 5th grader, Graham, scored 3rd place on the individual test in the grade 5 division! Congratulations!

Sample question: Find the total number of triangles of any size in this figure

Bookadventure.com is a fun online reading challenge site for your child to check out this summer. There are over 8000 titles in the quiz-0-matic library. Students read books, take quizzes, and earn prizes. Parents, you can sign up your child @ http://www.bookadventure.com/registration.aspx

Our 4th quarter theme is “CONNECTIONS” and we are studying the area of Social Studies. Have you child check out blog post from Mrs. Spady, titled Worldmapper, and leave a comment about a map you found interesting!

Map # 1 Meat Imports: http://www.worldmapper.org/display.php?selected=50

How do they choose the shape of the countries?

Map # 2: Fruit Imports: http://www.worldmapper.org/display.php?selected=42

To be so big, how much fruit does Europe import?

Map # 3: Vegetables Consumed: http://www.worldmapper.org/display.php?selected=124

What is the most eaten food in china?

Map # 4 Poor Water: http://www.worldmapper.org/display.php?selected=186

What is the disease that is mostly caught through water?

Map # 5: Cholera Cases: http://www.worldmapper.org/display.php?selected=231

What is the usual age one gets cholera?

Map # 6: Yellow Fever: http://www.worldmapper.org/display.php?selected=236

Where would you get a yellow fever vaccination?
How much does it cost and how hard would it be to get to people in Northern Africa?

Map # 7: Absolute Poverty: http://www.worldmapper.org/display.php?selected=180

What would you most likely buy when you live on two dollars a day?

SUMMER 2014

The end of the school year is quickly approaching, and parents have been asking me about summer programs opportunities. Here are a few ideas for you.

Camp Shakespeare  Creighton University Dept. of Fine Arts as part of Shakespeare on the Green, workshops and hands on experience Location: UNO Fine Arts Building & Elmwood Park Ages: 8 to 18 Contact: Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, (402) 280-2391, neshakes@creighton.edu   

Omaha Community Playhouse  Various classes in creative drama, arts exploration, voice, acting, dance, and yoga Grades: 1 through high school Contact: Omaha Community Playhouse at (402) 553-4890 ext. 139 www.omahaplayhouse.com   

Mav Kids Summer  University of Nebraska at Omaha  Campers will participate in a variety of sport and game activities in a non-competitive environment, along with passive activities such as arts and crafts. All campers will also have the opportunity to swim every afternoon in the university’s very own 50 meter swimming pool. AND every camp week is accompanied by either a full-day or half-day of recreational or educational attractions both on and off campus!  Ages: 6-12 years.  Contact: www.unomaha.edu/~wwwocr

 Techademy

UNO College of Information Science & Technology For middle and high school students. Depending on the camp, some age restrictions may apply. Our exciting camps include: Cyber Adventures in Security, Digital Music Synthesis, Game Development for Mobile, IT innovation. To find out more, call 402- 554- 2070 or visit techademy.unomaha.edu

Summer Program In Computer Science Peter Kiewit Institute, UNOmaha Grades: 10-12 Contact: Judy Kelsey, Judith_Kelsey/IST/UNO/UNEBR@unomail.unomaha.edu   

Talented and Gifted Academy of Omaha

The Talented and Gifted Academy of Omaha is now accepting applications for high ability students in grades 4-8th. Exciting and challenging courses will be offered in robotics, technology, science, math, creativity, art, and performance arts. Opportunities will include after school scheduling as well as week-long full and half day summer camps. TAG Academy was created to fill a need for highly able students so they will have a venue for exploring their passion areas and excel outside of regular school curriculum.

For more information, please view our website at www.tagacademyomaha.com or contact us directly at 402-315-3500

AD ASTRA  Creighton University Experience college life while you attend classes taught by outstanding faculty and professionals. Attend classes in the morning and then later each day have fun attending the theater, staying overnight at the zoo, paddle-boating at the state park, and meeting new friends. Location: Creighton Campus Grades: 7th- 8th grades this fall Contact: Mavis Hill, 1-800-637-4279 or mhill@creighton.edu   

https://ey.westside66.org/2014-summer-opportunities/

Enjoy the spring weather!

Jenny

answer to triangle question: 47

Culture Shock!

April 21, 2014Nordquist BlogJenny Henningsen

Well, the warm weather has finally appeared and everyone seems to be coming out of their winter hide-outs. What better time to take a “trip” to explore lands far and wide?!

As we enter the last few weeks of school, many students are embarking on a journey to another country/region through independent studies. These “trips” will be documented through products of their choosing and then presented to the class. We hope to gain a wealth of information connecting us to the world and it’s cultures. It has already been quite an adventure! 🙂

Check back for a full list of places we visited and the products that were created…

Westside Excellence in Youth

Talent & Interest Development for All Learners