All posts by lspady

#14: 100

January 19, 2016Math Mini Sparkslspady

10 squared = 100

The number of centimeters in a meter = 100

The number of sides on a square multiplied by the quantity of the number of letters in the alphabet take away one = 100

55+45 = 100

The base 10 equivalent of this binary number: 1100100 = 100

Spark your math thinking!

1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #14: 100

2. Choose one of these projects to earn this mini spark.

Come up with 100 facts about the number 100. You can include math problems (like the ones listed above)
Facts that include the number 100
How to say 100 in different languages
Learn the scientific names of 100 animals. Use this site (or another research tool) and present your learning using a tool of your choice (a list on paper, a Keynote, Pic Collage, etc.). Flip a coin 100 times and record the number of heads and tails. Summarize your results.
Write a 100 word story about what you think life will be like 100 years from now.
Research information about life 100 years ago. This article has some information about how things have changed. You may need to do other research Make a NOW VS THEN chart on your recording page. Compare/Contrast this year to what it was like 100 years ago. Include at least 10 items in your chart.

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

Pondering Perfectionism

January 5, 2016Spady Bloglspady

perfection ~ noun

the condition, state, or quality of being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects

I’ve been pondering perfectionism lately and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to write a blog post. Part of setting my goal of blogging 2x a month this school year was to try and break free from the disability that perfectionism has played in my writing. I have come a long way and still have a long way to go. I will say that I no longer despise the act of writing, but have grown to accept it as a welcome challenge. (Side Note: I just spent 10 minutes looking up whether it should be ‘welcome challenge’ or ‘welcomed challenge’. UGH! These are the details that frustrate me when writing!)

Instead of writing elegant paragraphs for this blog post, I’m using a strategy I have suggested to some of my students who struggle with writing. Start by writing a list of your thoughts and then organize them into categories. Here’s what I have so far…

Quotes
- Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection ~Kim Collins
- Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence ~Vince Lombardi
- I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence I can reach for; perfection is God’s business. ~Michael J. Fox
Articles
- Helping Gifted Students Cope with Perfectionism
- Is there a cure for the busyness epidemic?
Questions
- Is perfectionism a bad thing?
- How has media enforced perfectionism? Is it all the media’s fault or am I unintentionally/unknowingly demanding perfection in my children/students?

I’m interested in your thoughts about perfectionism? Do you have any resources to share?Maybe you’re like me and have more questions than answers. Leave a comment below. I look forward to learning from you!

#13: Mad About a Million

January 5, 2016Math Mini Sparkslspady

One of my favorite pictures books is A Million Dots by Andrew Clements. This book provide readers with several different ways to visualize a million. This math mini spark asks you to explore this fascinating number!

Spark your math thinking!

1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #13: Mad About a Million

2. A Million Dots by Andrew Clements is a book that actually has 1,000,000 dots in it (along with many other fascinating facts!). One million dots my seem kind of hard to imagine, but check out the book and see for yourself.

3. Watch The Making of Hero, a drawing composed entirely out of 3.2 million ink dots. Write your reaction to the final project on your recording page.

4. Do a little experimenting with stippling. Try the activity shown in this video . Add a picture of your work to your recording page.

5. Figure out a problem involving a million. Show your work and reasoning for your answer on your recording page.

- - How tall would a stack of one million pennies be?
  - If your leaky faucet dripped one million drops, how much wasted water would that be?
  - How long would it take you to count from 1 to 1,000,000 assuming that you counted one number every second for 8 hours a day?
  - How old would you be if you lived for 1,000,000 minutes?
  - How long will it take for your blink one million times?
  - Come up with your own “million problem”

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

Breaking Barriers Essay Contest for Grades 4 – 8

January 5, 2016Uncategorizedlspady

The Breaking Barriers Essay Contest is a chance for students in grades 4 – 8 to share their personal stories and show how they use Jackie Robinson’s values to face their own barriers. There are prizes for the winners!!!

Visit this link: http://www.scholastic.com/breakingbarriers/kids/ for more details.

If you have any questions, please ask your classroom teacher, or your school’s EY teacher.

Deadline for entry is March 14th, 2016-Check in the spring for a new contest

Westside Community Schools does not sponsor or endorse the organization or activity described here. The sharing of this information is provided as a community service.

Early Enrichment #12: Building Strong Shapes

January 4, 2016Early Enrichmentlspady

This is an easy, fun experiment to find out how strong different shapes are. Shape 1 sheet of paper into different shapes and see how much they can hold. We made a triangle, square, and cylinder.

A hypothesis is a special word that scientists use for “an idea that you can test,” it is also a kind of prediction. Make a hypothesis of which shape will hold a book best. Do you think a circle will be stronger than a square?

Test your hypothesis out! Does your shape hold more than one book?

Can you think of other shapes or structures that might be stronger? Share your ideas below!

Activity from All for the boys

Early Enrichment #11: Beethoven’s 245th Birthday

December 17, 2015Early Enrichmentlspady

Did you know that on December 17th, 2015, Beethoven would have turned 245?!

So who is this guy, and why is he so important?

Beethoven is one of the most famous composers in history. He played the piano and composed a lot of different symphonies.

For this Early Enrichment activity, build your own musical instrument out of recycled materials and see if you can play Happy Birthday for Ludwig von Beethoven.