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

Crazy Creatures Writing Contest!

Other Events & Contests

Watch the video above & get excited to participate in the Crazy Creatures Writing Contest! All students in grades K – 6 can participate!
To enter this contest, you must write a MINI-SAGA featuring a crazy creature! What is a mini-saga? A mini-saga is a story told in UP TO 100 words that must have a beginning, a middle & an ending. It MUST be original! You can be inspired by other stories, but your mini-saga must be written in your own words.
Write your mini-saga on GOOGLE DOCS and then share it with your school’s EY teacher. Share your doc by MONDAY, DECEMBER 19TH!!
Use THIS LINK to download a graphic organizer to help you get started!
Here’s a WORD BANK that might help you, too!
Click HERE for more information!  GOOD LUCK!

The Scholastic (Try Your) Hardest Math Problem Contest!! Grades 5 – 8!

Other Events & Contests

The 2022 Contest is now OPEN!

ABOUT THE CONTEST

The Hardest Math Problem Student Contest is an annual competition presented by Scholastic, The Actuarial Foundation, and the New York Life Foundation that challenges grades 6–8 students to solve multistep, grade-appropriate math problems with real-world situations and engaging characters. Plus, 5th graders are eligible to participate by reaching to a higher grade level! This year’s theme is food access.

Enter Challenge 1! – Click HERE to download the entry packet!

Challenge #1 is due on or before December 5th!

Puzzle It Out!

Writing a Math Argument

Practice, practice, practice explaining clear math reasoning so you can show other people how you found your solution!

Why is this important? Many people use math in
their jobs. For example, an actuary uses complicated
math to help businesses make decisions, so they
have to be able to clearly explain their calculations
to people who aren’t math experts.

Click HERE to practice your math arguments!

Click HERE & scroll all the way to the bottom to view past questions & answer keys!

**Turn your completed entry form into your EY teacher at your school on or before December 5th!** 

 

 

Early Enrichment #59: Fables vs. Fairy Tales

Early Enrichment

Click on the image above to watch a video about the differences and similarities of Fables and Fairy Tales.

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.”

Click on the video below to hear a story. After you’ve listened to the story, scroll down to answer a couple of questions.

Answer the following questions in the comments below (don’t forget to include your first name and last initial and your school):

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

#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/

 

Early Enrichment #58: Who was Jesse Owens?

Early Enrichment

February is Black History Month, and it’s also the month for the 2022 Winter Olympics. To combine the two, we’re going to learn today about a great African-American Olympian, Jesse Owens.

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 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.

To learn more about Jesse Owens, watch the video below.

What is the most important thing you learned about Jesse Owens? Comment below.

 

 

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!

Early Enrichment #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!

My son and I like to sort our Halloween candy in different ways!

You could sort them by size:

Or, by wrapper color!

If you want to try sorting your candy these ways, click here for the labels!

Or, try sorting by type of candy and fill in a graph like this!

How did you sort your candy? Comment below!

#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.