Spooky Sagas 2023
Creative Writing Contest
Essay Contest: Imagine it is 1897 and you are a newspaper reporter for The Philadelphia Times. Your newspaper editor has asked you to write an article about the new song performed that day. Your article needs to tell about Sousa’s life and the story behind the song. It is the first performance of the song, so make sure your article includes thoughts about the music and how the audience reacts to what was seen and heard that day.
Title of Essay: The Stars and Stripes Forever
Subtitle (optional)
Length: Grade 5: 300-600 words and Grades 6-8: 600-1000 words
Entry Deadline: December 15, 2023
Type your essay in Google Docs and share it with your EY Coordinator so they can help you with formatting/submission of your essay.
Thursday-Saturday, September 28-30: Code Crush at UNO for 8th Grade Girls Only
Friday, October 6: Mixed Media Grunge Cake Art Seminar with Julie Fjell (12pm – 3pm)
Tuesday, Oct. 10: Middle School Science Olympiad at Gifford Farm
Week of October 23: Qualifying Spelling Test in ELA Classes
Friday, October 27: NPR Podcast Challenge Workshop
Wednesday, November 1: Deadline for Spooky Saga Creative Writing Contest
Friday, November 17: Hydroponic Adventures at Yates Illuminates (10:00am – 1:30pm)
Friday, November 17: Thinking Cap Quiz Bowl Competition (9th Period & Warrior Time)
Monday, November 27: WMS Spelling Bee
Friday, December 15: District Spelling Bee at WMS
Friday, December 15: The Stars and Stripes Forever Essay Contest due
Friday, Feb. 9: Mad Hatter Quiz Bowl at ESU 3
Friday, April 19: Thinking Cap Quiz Bowl Competition
Tuesday, May 7: Extreme Math at ESU 3
Friday, May 10: Middle School Battle of the Books at ESU 3
https://sites.google.com/westside66.net/mathminisparks/math-mini-sparks
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/
NOTE: You don’t have to get the daily newspaper to do this mini spark. Ask your neighbors, ask your teacher and/or EY Coordinator and have fun!
Challenge # 1: Build the tallest freestanding tower with only 2 sheets of newspaper and 12 inches of tape. No wedging or taping to the table or floor! You can manipulate the newspaper in any way you wish.
Challenge #2: Using 10 sheets of newspaper and 18 inches of tape, build a tower that holds a textbook 6 inches above the table for at least 3 seconds. The tower must be free-standing, which means no taping or holding to the table.
Challenge #3: Use 3 large sheets of newspaper and 24 inches of tape to make a piece of clothing that you can wear.
When you’re finished with your projects, take a picture and email it to your EY Coordinator.
Paper Folding Football Instructions: https://www.instructables.com/How-To-Make-A-Paper-Football/
Football Image Source: https://openclipart.org/detail/102853/football
Choose 2 prompts below to show your thinking and learning after watching this video.
Lesson adapeted from https://ed.ted.com/lessons/could-you-survive-the-real-twilight-zone-philip-renaud-and-kenneth-kostel#digdeeper