All posts by lspady

Metro Omaha Reading Council Writing Contest

Other Events & Contests,
The Metropolitan Reading Council is now taking submissions for their 2017-2018 MRC Writing Contest

Grades K-3 Writing Prompt:  If you could have a super power, what would it be?  Tell why you want this power and what you would do with it.

Grades 4-6 Writing Prompt:  If you had a super power, what would it be?  Why? What would you like to do with that power?  The power can be something you can do (e.g. recite the alphabet backwards, expert on dogs, throw perfect passes, etc.) or something you imagine (e.g. talk to animals, fly, superhuman strength, etc.).  Write a story about how you would use your power.

Stories may have no more than 2500 words

Deadline: December 22, 2017

For more details, visit:

http://www.metroreadingcouncil.org/writing-contest-2017-2018.html

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WOW! That’s Engineering Event Sept 30, 2017

Other Events & Contests, Uncategorized
Who: 6th-10 Grade Girls interested in engineering fields 
When: Saturday, September 30, 2017 – 8:30 AM to 3 PM
Where: College of Saint Mary
7000 Mercy Road
Omaha NE  68106
Cost: FREE!! Pre-registration is required due to limited space.
Parents & Educators are welcome to join us for our Parent & Educator Track!!
Our event is aimed at encouraging young women to pursue careers in Engineering and Technology!
Students will experience:
Mechanical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering
Systems Engineering
Registration Materials  Click here
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#29: Snapple Facts

Reading Enrichment

Snapple is a brand of juice drinks. The company was founded in 1972 by Leonard Marsh, Hyman Golden, and Arnold Greenberg, who started selling fresh apple juice called Snapple out of the back of Greenberg’s parents’ pickle store in Queens, New York. The name Snapple is a combination of the words “snappy” and “apple”.  This mini spark isn’t really about Snapple. It is about the facts that are printed on the lids.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your language arts mini spark recording page: #29: Snapple Facts

2. Did you know how much a bumblebee bat weighs? Do you know the national animal of Scotland? Record your guesses on your recording sheet and then click the links to find out.

3. Click the arrows at Snapple Facts to explore more facts.

4. Print this recording sheet or use your recording page and record 5 interesting facts that you found.

5. Do some further research on one fact.  Add at least 5 details to your recording page.

6. Finally, display your researched fact on a Pic Collage or other digital tool.

7. Share your language arts mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Check out the Fact Monster Badge at the EY Badge Page.

#36: Minimum Wage

Math Mini Sparks

Minimum wage is the minimum hourly wage an employer can pay an employee. This number is determined by the government, and it is illegal for employers to pay their non-exempt workers anything below the minimum wage. This is very important, because it makes sure that employees do not fall into poverty.

My boys and I recently had a conversation about minimum wage and it got me thinking about my first job.  It was the late 1980’s and I was 13 years old.  I worked at Bishop’s Buffet rolling silverware in napkins and I made a whopping $2.15 an hour!

Spark your math thinking!

  1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #36: Minimum Wage
  2. Go to this site and click around on the map to see some of the current minimum wages in the United States. Record several observations on your recording page.
  3. Look at this site and make a table of Nebraska’s minimum wage from 1968 to present.
  4. Using the same site from #3, compare the minimum wage for several states. Make a table and then transfer it to a graph. Use this online graphing tool or another graphing tool of your choice.
  5. Read about Nebraska’s minimum wage at this site. What kinds of jobs offer minimum wage?  Is $12.00 an hour sufficient?
  6. Ask a parent, grandparent, or other adult what their first job was and how much they made per hour.
  7. Share your math mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Truckin’ Through Nebraska: A Mobile Children’s Museum

Other Events & Contests

In honor of the 150th anniversary of Nebraska’s statehood, a mobile Children’s Museum has been on the move throughout our state and they’re coming to a stop near us very soon!
mobileMuseum

Check out https://ne150.org/museum/ for more information.

Friday, September 22 from 3-7pm:  K Street in front of the State Capital in Lincoln

Saturday-Sunday, September 23-24:  Canopy & R Street in front of the Pinnacle Bank

  • Saturday 10am – 5pm
  • Sunday 1-5pm

#35: The Math Behind the Solar Eclipse

Math Mini Sparks

Taken from NASA.gov:  One of the reasons that ancient peoples could not predict total solar eclipses was because they did not appreciate the mathematics involved in forecasting. Also, many of the parameters needed to accurately predict eclipses had not been astronomically measured until the first century CE.

Spark your math thinking!

  1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #35: The Math Behind the Solar Eclipse
  2. Go to this site to read about eclipses. Then click the arrows to go through the quick facts. Record several details.
  3.  Watch this video, The Coincidental Geometry of a Total Solar Eclipse, to learn more about the math involved. Take notes while watching.

4. Read and take notes about total solar eclipses at National Geographic Kids. 

5.  *Advanced: Take the NASA Challenge X Marks the Spot Linear Equations. Print out the activity sheets to get started.

6. *Advanced: Take the NASA Challenge Exploring Angular Diameter.

7. Share your math mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

#34: Pizza Math

Math Mini Sparks
Where is your favorite place to eat pizza?  My Top 3 are Sortinos, Mama’s Pizza, and Papa Johns.  Of course whenever we eat pizza as a family, we have to make up some math problems!  Explore some “pizza math”!
Spark your math thinking!

1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #34: Pizza Math

2. Watch the video, Pizza Pi, and add details on your recording page.

3. Now watch this video, The Twitter Pizza Equation Explained ,and add details to your recording page showing the math behind the pizza sizes.

4. Omni has a great site with information on pizza math and an pizza size calculator. On the left side there are a few articles about pizza. Record the title of each article and 3 details from each one on your note taking sheet.

5. Now try out the calculator. You can use the measurements from one of the videos or create your own and see what the comparisons are. Record what you find.

6. OPTIONAL: Calculate the area, circumference, and price per square inch of the next pizza you order.  Make a display of the math/calculations.

7. Share your math mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

 

#33: Math Madness

Math Mini Sparks

March Madness is an exciting time for basketball fans, where 68 college teams compete in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion. But did you know that math plays a crucial role in understanding and predicting the outcomes of these games?

Spark your math thinking!

  1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #33: Math Madness
  2.  Read about March Madness at at DOGO news. Add some information to your recording sheet from the article.
  3. Watch this video about the perfect bracket.  You will need a coin or this online coin flipper.  On your recording page, record your flips totals, and the math that he introduces. Then answer to this question:  What are the chances of choosing the winner of every game in the entire tournament?
  4. Print out this activity from Yummy Math Activity: Does Seeding Matter? Read the page and do the math. Reminder for your teacher-the answer key to this activity can be found in the math mini spark folder.
  5. Share your math mini spark recording page and Does Seeding Matter activity with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Social Studies Mini-Spark #18: Who Was Saint Patrick?

Social Studies Enrichment

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We just recently celebrated St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th!  How many of you know who St. Patrick is?

This Wonderopolis entry answers that question.  Check it out!

Read the article and then test your knowledge by taking the quiz – report your score down below in the comments section, along with the most interesting thing you learned from the article!

If you want to learn even more, History.com has a video and another article about this Patron Saint of Ireland!

Check it out:  http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/who-was-saint-patrick

#28: Fairy Tales

Reading Enrichment

What are Fairy Tales?  According to Merriam-Webster, a fairy tale is “a story (as for children) involving fantastic forces and beings (as fairies, wizards, and goblins) – called also fairy story”.  

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your language arts mini spark recording page: #28: Fairy Tales

2. Have you seen Beauty and the Beast? Watch this short clip from the animated movie. Record 4 characters from the clip and explain how they are magical.

3. The original Beauty and the Beast (French: La Belle et la Bête) is a traditional fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins. Read this article about this fairy tale. On your recording sheet record 5 details.

4. Please visit this Wonderopolis entry: How Old are Fairy Tales?  Read the article, and take the wonderword challenge. Record your score on your recording page.

5. Go to this website and choose 2 more fairy tales to read. Record the title and a summary of the story on your recording page.

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