All posts by Katie Sindt

#50: Thanksgiving 

Social Studies Enrichment

As a nation we celebrate Thanksgiving on the 4th Thursday in November each year. Thanksgiving wasn’t alway a national holiday. In this mini spark, you will learn about the history of Thanksgiving and how it became a national holiday.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your social studies mini spark recording page: #50: Thanksgiving

2. Set up your recording page with a section for each of these topics

  • Native Americans
  • The Settlers
  • Settling and Exploring
  • The Celebration
  • The Myths
  • Native Americans and Thanksgiving
  • Modern Thanksgiving

3. Read this article. For each category, record 3+ bullet points.

4. Watch this video about how Thanksgiving became a national holiday. When you are done watching, choose 5 questions to answer thoughtfully. Remind your teacher that the key can be found in the social studies mini spark folder.

  1. What year did the first Thanksgiving celebration take place in Plymouth, Massachusetts? Who was the great Indian chief that attended the first Thanksgiving celebration? 9. In what year did Congress officially make Thanksgiving a national holiday?
  2. Describe how Abraham Lincoln contributed to the establishment of a national Thanksgiving holiday.
  3. What message did Lincoln convey in his Thanksgiving proclamation during the Civil War?
  4. Identify why Sarah Josepha Hale believed a national Thanksgiving celebration was important. How did Hale promote the idea of Thanksgiving through her work as a magazine editor? 
  5. What was the significance of Lincoln’s proclamation being the first in a series of annual Thanksgiving proclamations?
  6. How did Lincoln’s view of Thanksgiving differ from the political divides of his time?
  7. Reflect on the idea of gratitude discussed in the video. Why is it important to express gratitude during Thanksgiving?

5. Optional: This is an interactive about Thanksgiving and the early settlers. Check it out.

CLICK HERE TO EXPLORE AND PLAY!

6. Share your social studies mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator

#59: Fables vs. Fairy Tales

Early Enrichment

 

Fables are stories that are passed down, with a good lesson or moral to be learned, and are about animals, plants, or forces of nature that are humanlike. Fairy tales are stories that often involve magical characters, have good and evil characters, and generally start with “once upon a time.”

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your early enrichment mini spark recording page #59: Fables vs. Fairy Tales

2. Watch a video about the differences and similarities of Fables and Fairy Tales. On your recording page, write an example of a fairy tale and an example of a fable.

 

3. Click on the video below to hear a story.  Record the name of the story on your recording page.

 

4. Was this a fable or a fairy tale? How do you know? Use reasons from the 1st video.

5. Share your early enrichment mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Check out the Folktale Fun Badge at the EY Website.

#49: The Museum of the Fur Trade

Social Studies Enrichment

If you take a trip to western Nebraska you can visit the Museum of the Fur Trade in Chadron, Nebraska. This mini spark takes you there without any traveling.

Spark your thinking!

  1. Set up your social studies mini spark recording page: #49: The Museum of the Fur Trade.
  2. Watch this quick video that introduces you to the fur trade. Complete a 3-2-1 for the video 

3 new things you learned

2 things you wonder

1 question you have

  1. The Museum of the Fur Trade was created in Chadron, Nebraska because it is located on the original James Bordeaux trading post, which is an important historical site. This trading post was established in the fall of 1837 as a site for the American Fur Company to conduct business with the Native Americans who spent their winters in the area. The trading post was reconstructed on its original foundation in 1956 & formally opened to the public later that year. Go to this site and read the article about this trading post. Make a list of 7 details about the post on your recording sheet-one from each paragraph.
  2. Learn more about the Museum of the Fur Trade by watching this video. Discuss the types of items that the Museum of the Fur Trade exhibits. What is unique about their collection? Use 3 sentences.

  1. Go check out the museum itself by taking the audio tours. Listen to two tours of your choice. For each on record the title, a summary, and 5 details. 
  2. Share your social studies mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

2022-23 EY Challenge #1

Current Challenge

What Melts in the Sun?

This summer was HOT!! There were even stories about eggs frying on a sidewalk. This makes you think….what ordinary items might melt in the sun?

Task: Ask your parent’s permission first!! Then, find a muffin tin and 12 ordinary household items that make you ask….”Does this melt in the sun?”

Write those items down on a piece of paper and then divide that paper into 2 columns: 1 column for predicting and the other column will be your results. It can look like this:

Choose a day where the temperature is at least 85 degrees. Put your muffin tin with the items in the full sun and wait at least 20 minutes.

I know it’s hard to wait 20 minutes, but you can do it!!! After the 20 minutes is up, go check on your results! Fill in the column with the results of your experiment.

Now, for the most important step:  CLEAN UP AND PUT THINGS BACK!

Finally, take a picture of your paper with your predictions & results and email it to your EY teacher!

We can’t wait to see it!

Lesson adapted from: https://frugalfun4boys.com/simple-science-experiment-for-kids-what-melts-in-the-sun/

 

#58: Jesse Owens

Early Enrichment

Jesse Owens, son of a sharecropper and grandson of a slave, achieved what no Olympian before him had accomplished.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your early enrichment mini spark recording page #58: Who was Jesse Owens?

2. Read this information and make a mini timeline. You can print this timeline or make your own on your recording page.

Who was Jesse Owens?  Track-and-field athlete Jesse Owens won four gold medals at

the 1936 Olympic Games. His achievements were important for himself and for many other people at the time. The Games were held in Berlin, Germany. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was in power there. Nazi banners draped the sports field. The Nazis believed white athletes were best. But Owens proved that they were wrong.

James Cleveland Owens was born in Oakville, Alabama, on September 12, 1913. His family later moved to Cleveland, Ohio, in search of better opportunities.

Jesse became a track star at a young age. In 1928 he set track records in the high jump and the running broad jump (long jump). In 1933, while he was in high school, he broke three other records. He then went to Ohio State University.

In the 1936 Olympics Owens won gold medals for the running broad jump, the 100- and 200-meter races, and the 4 × 100-meter team relay. He also set new Olympic and world records.

Owens graduated from college in 1937 and worked for the Illinois Athletic Commission. He later got involved in guidance activities for young boys. He also made goodwill visits to countries in Asia for the U.S. government. Owens died in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 31, 1980.

3. To learn more about Jesse Owens, watch the video below.  Record 1 idea you would like to remember, 2 words to describe Jessie, and 3 facts.

4. What is the most important thing you learned about Jesse Owens? Add this to your recording sheet.

5. Share your Early Enrichment mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

 

 

Social Studies Spark #48: African-American Athletes in the Winter Olympics!

Social Studies Enrichment

Source: https://news.yahoo.com/7-notable-black-athletes-made-184117774.html

February marks the beginning of Black History Month, and it is also the month when the Winter Olympics of 2022 kick off! This post honors both of those events.

There have been some big moments for Black athletes in the Winter games. Of course, the Winter Olympics is not historically known for its racial diversity, but that hasn’t stopped a few superstars of color from making their mark, like figure skater Debi Thomas, who became Team USA’S first Black athlete to win an Olympic medal! It was in 1988 in Calgary that she took home the bronze.

And it wasn’t until 2002, just 20 years ago, that Vonetta Flowers became the first Black athlete from any country to win gold in the Winter Olympics. She was a Team USA bobsledder at the Salt Lake City games.

In Beijing, keep an eye out for Erin Jackson, who is back at the Olympics after becoming the first Black woman to qualify for the US Olympic Long Speed Skating Team four years ago.

And one of my personal favorites, the Jamaican four-man bobsled team, they’re back at Beijing– this time around, their first Winter Olympics in more than 20 years. And if folks recall, “Cool Runnings” may have an opportunity for a comeback.

As you watch the Olympics this month, who do you think is an outstanding athlete of color?

Comment below!

#57: Halloween Candy Sorting

Early Enrichment

Halloween only comes once a year.  It is sad, except that you probably have a lot of candy at home to cheer you up for a few weeks! For this early enrichment mini spark you are going to sort your Halloween candy in different ways! Talk with an adult to see if you are allowed to try out this project.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your early enrichment mini spark recording page #57: Halloween Candy Sorting

2. Watch this video to remind you how to set up a bar graph. On your recording sheet make a tiny bar graph as practice.

3. Decide how you would like to sort your candy. Look at the choices and record your decision on your recording page.

  • size
  • type
  • beginning letter
  • color of wrapper
  • size (big and small or small, medium, large)
  • chewy/crunchy
  • chocolate/not chocolate
  • like/not like

4. Sort your candy and take a picture.

5. Create a graph of your sort on your recording page. Use this graph as a guide.

6. Share your Early Enrichment mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

 

#47: The Black Sea

Social Studies Enrichment

In 2017, researchers off the Bulgarian coast discovered the oldest intact shipwreck ever found! This ancient Greek vessel was not only nearly 2,500 years old, but was just one of 65 shipwrecks found at the bottom of the Black Sea in remarkable condition. So, why does the Black Sea contain so many well-preserved shipwrecks? Helen Farr and Jon Adams dive into the depths of the unique body of water.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your social studies mini spark recording page: #47: Ancient Shipwreck.

2. Watch the video. Record details about the Black Sea as you watch. Find the Black Sea on a map and describe its location.

3. Make a study guide for this video on your recording page. Include the answers to at least 5 of these questions. Remind your teacher that the key can be found in the social studies mini spark folder.

  1. Describe the condition of the shipwreck that was found. What features remained intact?
  2. How did researchers determine the age of the shipwreck?
  3. Why is the Black Sea referred to as “the world’s biggest pickle jar”?
  4. What role did the Black Sea play in historical trade and conflicts?
  5. Explain the significance of anaerobic bacteria in the preservation of the shipwrecks.
  6. What challenges do researchers face when attempting to recover artifacts from the shipwrecks?
  7. Discuss the importance of the discovery of the medieval Italian merchant ship. What does it tell us about trade during that time?

4. Share your social studies mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

#46: A Raindrop’s Journey

Social Studies Enrichment

Have you ever thought about the journey a raindrop takes? This mini spark shows you that path through the United States that a raindrop will follow to get to the sea.

Spark your thinking!

  1. Set up your social studies mini spark recording page #46: A Raindrop’s Journey
  2. Read these 3 paragraphs. Write a summary of a raindrop’s journey using 5 bullet points.

You may think every drop of rain falling from the sky, or each glass of water you drink, is brand new, but it has always been here, and is a part of the water cycle.  At its most basic, the water cycle is how water continuously moves from the ground to the atmosphere and back again.  As it moves through this cycle, it changes forms.  Water is the only substance that naturally exists in three states on Earth – solid, liquid, and gas.

Over 96% of total global water is in the ocean, so let’s start there.  Energy from the sun causes water on the surface to evaporate into water vapor – a gas.  This invisible vapor rises into the atmosphere, where the air is colder, and condenses into clouds.  Air currents move these clouds all around the earth.

Water drops form in clouds, and the drops then return to the ocean or land as precipitation, often rainfall.   When it rains, the raindrops fall to the ground, and run off into a lake or river, which flows back into the ocean, where it starts the process again.

3. This website allows for you to click anywhere on the map to drop a raindrop and follow its journey to the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic or the Pacific Oceans! Once you click, you’ll get a bird’s eye view of the path the raindrop takes!

Try it out! Set your timer for three minutes and spend time exploring the site. At the end of the three minutes, write two sentences about what you noticed about the raindrop’s journey.

4. In the top right corner of your search, you are able to see the actual distances that the raindrop is traveling, and along what path.   Choose a location to drop your raindrop, look at the data in the top right corner, and record all of the waterways and the distances on your recording sheet.

 

 

5. Find 3 spots on the map where the raindrop makes a journey to different ending point: Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic or the Pacific Oceans. Record these three starting locations on your recording page.

6. Share your social studies mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

#56: Funny Wildlife Photos

Early Enrichment

Did you know that there are awards for funny photographs of wildlife? The free competition, open to wildlife photography experts and beginners, celebrates the funniness of our natural world and highlights what we need to do to protect it. From a surprised otter to an angry turtle, Comedy Wildlife’s photographs bring a smile to everyone’s face.

Spark your thinking!

1.  Set up your Early Enrichment Mini Spark recording page #56: Funny Wildlife Photos

2.  Visit the site and browse through the winning pictures. Choose 3 favorites. On your recording page describe each one with ONLY 3 words.

3. Look at these 3 winning animal photographs. Your job is to write something funny to go along with each photo!

4. Share your Early Enrichment Mini Spark recording page with your teacher or EY Coordinator.

Check out the Caption this Badge at the EY Website.