All posts by lspady

#39: Tallest Buildings

Full STEAM Ahead

As of 2024, the tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa, located in Dubai! Many buildings have held the title of “world’s tallest building” over the years. For example, the Lincoln Cathedral in England, the Empire State Building, and the original World Trade Center, both in New York City, were once the tallest. It’s exciting to think about how buildings can be so tall and amazing!

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page: #39: Tallest Buildings

2. How tall is the tallest building you have seen? Read this information about the tallest buildings in the world. Make a chart on your recording page and record details about the the 5 tallest buildings.

3. How do you go about building a tall building? Watch this video to learn more.

4. So how can we build such a high building without it toppling over? Those clever engineers came up with an amazing design. Explain it with words or pictures on your recording page.

5. The world’s tallest building has some amazing stats. Create a visual displaying them. Add it to your recording page.

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

2020-21 Weekly Challenge #10: If I had a million…

Current Challenge

If I had a million…

For this week’s Weekly Challenge, you will explore the length of ONE MILLION objects.  You have two options for your recording sheet:  you can either print a copy or fill out a digital version.

When you’re finished with the challenge, submit your work using the Google Form: https://forms.gle/KKW9RsmEhqp3TVoz7

For inspiration, listen to How Much Is A Million by David M. Schwartz.

 

Student Voices Storytelling Project-Deadline Nov. 6

MS Learning Opportunities, Other Events & Contests

Nebraska Loves Public School presents…

Student Voices

Student Voices is a new exploratory storytelling project featuring students in Nebraska. Modeled after Humans of New York, this project will allow students to express their voice on issues impacting their education and everyday lives.

Students will tell a story about something important to them (i.e extracurricular activities, how current events are affecting them, their goals for the future, etc.) They will then upload 3-4 pictures to facilitate the story.

These Student Voices stories will be featured on Nebraska Loves Public Schools site and social media alongside selected students across the state.

Our Westside students have great stories to tell and we would love to see some of them featured! The deadline for the first round of Student Voices is Friday, November 6.  This project is open to all students K-12.

Please write your story on this Student Voices form and have your guardian fill out the release at the end. Take a look at the sample images for help in selecting your photos.

National Junior Honor Society Student Accounts

NJHS

Calling all NJHS Members…

Create your own student account with a parent or guardian and upon doing so, you will receive the most up-to-date information about NJHS programs and activities.

Step 1:  Go to https://www.njhs.us/studentaccount/ and select NOTE: If you are under the age of 13, the COPPA Parental Consent Form needs to be filled out first.  https://www.nhs.us/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/NASSP_COPPA_Parental_Consent_Form_EN.pdf

Fill out the required information to create an account.  You should be able to find Westside Middle School without an Affiliation Number.  Once you’ve finished creating an account and it has been verified, you’ll be able to access the resources on the site.

2020-21 Weekly Challenge #8: Character Quotes

Current Challenge

For this week’s Weekly Challenge, follow these simple steps…

Step 1:  Download Adobe Spark Post for Graphics from Manager.  Here’s a quick video tutorial on how to login.  You can also go to https://spark.adobe.com/sp/ on a computer.

Step 2:  Create a new project that includes a quote from a character in a book you’ve read or from a book you’re currently reading.  Be sure to add the title of the book and the author.

Step 3:  Download your project and submit it here: https://forms.gle/WWvUAwLg3iRZkMCQ6

Don’t forget to check back next week to see the highlighted projects!

 

#4: Bacteria That Eats Oil

Science Mini Spark

Oil-eating bacteria, also called oleophilic bacteria or oil-degrading microbes, are tiny living things that eat oil for food. These bacteria can break down different kinds of oil, like oils from plants and animals, as well as oil from gasoline and other products. When these bacteria digest oil, they get energy to grow and release carbon dioxide and water as waste.

Spark you thinking!

1. Set up your science mini spark recording page:#4: Bacteria That Eats Oil

2. Watch this video about an oil spill, and how we try to clean it up using bacteria. Take 5 notes from the video on your recording page.

 

3. Make a section on your recording page for each of these headings.

  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion

4. Read this article, How can we find oil-eating bacteria to clean up the sea? to learn more about this topic. For each of the sections, write down what you learned on your recording sheet.

5. Answer three of these questions on your recording sheet

  • Why is it bad when crude oil gets into the environment?
  • Why do conventional methods of cleaning up oil spills present us with a problem?
  • What is a better alternative to conventional clean-up methods?
  • What does a higher intensity of the red color of Nile Red say about the oil-eating ability of the bacteria in the new test?

6. Create a chatter pic to show what you learned.

 Make the main character a bacteria. You can draw it or find a picture. Choose two of the questions from step 5 to anwer in your Chatter Pic

Chatter Pic STEP BY STEP!

Step 1 – Find Chatter pic in Mosyle.

Step 2 – Take a picture or get one from the gallery in your device. You can also make a drawing and take a picture of it!

Step 3 – Draw a line on the object to create a mouth.

Step 4 – Record your voice! Remember you only have 30 seconds.

Step 5 – Add stickers if necessary or desired.

Step 6 – Save your project into the camera roll.

8. Share your science mini spark recording page and your chatter pic with your teacher/EY coordinator.