All posts by lspady

#3:The Physics of Playing Guitar

Full STEAM Ahead, Uncategorized

Guitar virtuosos have the ability to manipulate sound waves, crafting melodies from inspiration and vibration. Explore the science behind guitar playing, explaining how materials like wood, metal, and plastic come together to create rhythm, melody, and music from the initial strum to the ultimate shredding chord.
Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page: #3:The Physics of Playing Guitar

2. Watch this STEAM education intro. Record the STEAM topics on your recording sheet

3. Find out about the Physics of Playing Guitar by watching the video below.  What components of STEAM are discussed in this video?  What’s something new thing you learned?  Add your responses to your recording page.

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

Check out the Music Love badge at the EY Website

Wisdom Begins in Wonder ~Socrates

Spady Blog

I wonder if my repeated dreams about failing high school English class mean something (I didn’t fail it by the way).  I wonder how we can have a whole basket full of unmatched socks.  I wonder why the time of day with the slowest traffic is called rush hour (OK…I stole that wonder from a website, but now that I think about it, I do wonder why that is so).

“I hope you never lose your sense of wonder”

lyrics from “I Hope You Dance” written by Mark Sanders and Tia Sillers

I sometimes think I’ve lost my sense of wonder.  The busy-ness of day-to-day life crowds my thoughts and most of the time I feel more like a wanderer versus a wonderer.  Thankfully, I have four boys who remind me daily what it’s like to be curious and wonder.  I’m also thankful for websites like Wonderopolis where I’m encouraged to explore, imagine, learn, and grow!

What do you wonder about?

I recently asked some students to show me their best wonder face.  I then introduced them to Wonderopolis and explained how to earn the Wonderific Certified Wonderer Badge.  Not even a week later, the same students are asking if there is an Expert Wonderer Badge and how they can earn it.  I wonder what other great ideas these kids have.

I wonder if anyone will read this blog post.  If you do, would you mind leaving a comment below?  What makes you wonder?  Maybe head to Wonderopolis and post something new you learned after reading a wonder.

#2: Nano Details of Our World

Full STEAM Ahead

Nanotechnology pertains to extremely small entities. Nano Art focuses on exploring and highlighting the aesthetic appeal of structures, both natural and synthetic, that are sized in nanometers. Learn about both in this mini spark.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your Full STEAM Ahead recording page: #2: Nano Details of our World

2. Look over this chart as a reminder of what the measurement prefixes mean.  Record the prefixes for the smallest 4 on your recording sheet. Also record the symbols for these smaller measurements.   

A micrometer symbol is μm.   A nanometer symbol is nm. A picometer symbol is pm and a femtometer symbol is fm. 

3. Nanotechnology is science, engineering, and technology conducted at the nanoscale, which is about 1 to 100 nanometers. Visit this site and record the details on your recording page. Zoom in so you can also see the information on the visual.

3. Watch this video and find out about nanotechnology. On your recording sheet, make a list of 10 examples from the video.

4. Learn about nano-art at this site. Scroll through the gallery. On your recording page,  write about your favorite images.  Notice the symbols on each of the images. Some of them are micrometers and some are nanometers.

5. At the bottom of the site there are two paragraphs. What is nanoart? and How small is a nanometer? Read each one and record details on your recording page.

6. Share your Full STEAM Ahead recording page  with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Check out the Science Mini Spark Nanotechnology

Check out the Lesson on Nanotechnology Badge at the EY website

 

 

 

 

 

#2: Graph the Story

Math Mini Sparks, Uncategorized

Data visualization is a general term that describes any effort to help people understand the significance of data by placing it in a visual context.

Spark your math thinking!

1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #2: Graph the Story

2. Watch this introduction video.  On your recording page draw a sketch of the graph from the video. Add in these 4 labels on the 4 lines she drew-steep slope, slope, horizontal line, negative slope. 

3. Download and print this sheet. If you would prefer to do the graph digitally you can use this resource.

4.  Start this video and then pause it to get your graph set up to look like the graph in the video.

5. Restart the video and decide where you will need to plot the points.

6. Pause the video and complete the graph.

7. When you have completed the graph, resume the video to see how you did. If you need to make adjustments to your graph do so. If you are doing the activity online, add a picture of your graph to your recording sheet.

8.  Choose 3 more videos to watch, graph, and check. You can make them on paper or use the digital graph maker.

Video choices 

Height of waist off ground 1-The task is to graph the height of the person’s waist off the ground against time.

Air Pressure– The challenge is to graph air pressure against time.

Elevation-The task is to draw a graph of their elevation against time. The graph contains increasing, decreasing, and constant sections.

Distance from home plate-The task is to draw a graph of the player’s distance from the home plate against time. The graph shows linear piecewise sections.

Weight of cups-The task is to graph the weight on the scales against time.

9.  Share your math mini spark recording page and your graphs with your teacher/EY coordinator.

#7: Super Snail Detectives

Reading Enrichment, Uncategorized

Finding ideas and inspiration for writing a story can be tricky for both children and adults alike. This mini spark makes it easy to start writing since the idea has been chosen-Super Snail Detectives!

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your language arts mini spark recording page: #7: Super Snail Detectives

2. Watch this video about silly snail detectives. The narrator of this video offers a TON of suggestions on how to develop your own snail characters.

3.  After watching the video one time, go back and watch it again, pausing to record details on your recording page to answer the questions he asks.  This will help you develop your characters for your own Super Snail Detectives Story!  Aim for 10-15 pieces of information on your recording sheet for this step.

4. Using your notes as a guide, write the first chapter of your your own Super Snail Detectives Story.

5. Ask for edits to be make for your first chapter and make the suggested changes.

6. OPTIONAL: Create some illustrations to go along with your chapter.

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

Do you want to keep working on your snail story? Talk with your teacher or EY coordinator about what steps you need to take to make this into a badge.

 

 

Things I Learned at Camp

Spady Blog, Uncategorized
Zip Lining, Canoeing, Rock Wall Climbing,
Fishing, Horseback Riding, Slingshots…
What more could a kid ask for?

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For the past 3 years, my boys and I have traveled to Montague, Michigan for Family Camp at YMCA’s Camp Pendalouan.  It’s a fun-filled 4 days and 3 nights of every outdoor activity you could imagine.  This year’s camp experience taught me a few things…

  • It’s all a matter of perspective!  On the 2nd day, thunder rolled through camp and a down pouring of rain left me panicked!  How would I find enough indoor activities to keep 4 boys busy?  Enter Professor Puddles (aka Sam from Wales with an awesome accent).  Wearing a PFD (Personal Flotation Device) and a graduation cap, Professor Puddles invited interested campers to go on a puddle jumping expedition.  Why not?!  We jumped in small puddles, deep puddles, muddy puddles were judged on everything from the height of our splashes to the form of our jumps.  This experience reminded me it’s all a matter of perspective.  What might have otherwise been a dreary day turned into one of the highlights of my camp experience!

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  • Kids know what they like and are perfectly capable of personalizing their day.  I will be completely honest and admit to having some control issues when it comes to keeping my boys busy and plugged into what I feel are appropriate educational activities.  After 12 hours of trying to keep all things in control on the car ride to camp  (books on CD, playing the alphabet game, looking for license plates, NO electronics), I decided to let my guard down and just let the boys decide what they wanted to do when we got to our destination.  The result was that each boy went in a different direction and found exactly what they wanted to do.  There was excitement and all sorts of stories to be told when we reconvened as a family at meal times.  The boys’  independence at camp got me thinking about this…
What would happen if the school day was structured like camp?  Could students be trusted to choose their own path and personalize at least part of their day?   I think so.

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Camp Pendalouan 2015 was amazing!  Each year, I am grateful that my boys are making  memories that will last a lifetime.  What did you do this summer?  Did any of your summer experiences teach you something new?  Leave a comment below!

 

Novels Available for Check-Out

Novels and Novel Units

Below is a link to a list of novels housed at the EY office.  The spreadsheet contains the title of the novel, the author, the number of copies available, the number of pages contained in the novel, the genre, a link to a book summary or trailer so that you can see what the novel is about, and the approximate F & P level.  Titles that are blue have a link to a google doc of discussion questions/activities.  Katie will be working on these throughout the year, so check back often.

If/when you decide you would like to check out a set of one of these novels, please e-mail Katie Sindt, who will then put your name in the “checked-out by” section of the spreadsheet and the date the novels are due back.  Please try to give Katie about a week’s notice to get you the novels.

Click here for a list of the novels.

 

Welcome Back!!

Sindt Blog

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Hello!

Welcome to the 2015-2016 school year!  I hope you had a wonderful summer! As you can see from my pictures, we spent the summer at baseball games, the zoo, and we also went on a trip to Kansas City where we visited Legoland, Oceans of Fun/Worlds of Fun and we took in a Royals game.  Lots of fun!!

There are a couple of changes this year to EY.  First of all, the EY schedule will follow a four-day rotation just like the other specialists.  On cycle days 1 and 3, I will be at Rockbrook the whole day.  On cycle days 2 and 4, I will be at Hillside the whole day.  Here is a link to our EY calendar so you can see where these cycle days fall.  During my time in the buildings, I will be providing enrichment opportunities and I will also be going into the classrooms to help enrich math and reading.  I’m very excited to be in the buildings on a more consistent basis this year! 

I am looking forward to seeing your kids and hearing about their summer!  Please don’t hesitate to e-mail me with any questions.

Thanks!

Welcome Back!

Heflin Blog

Hello! My name is Miss Heflin, and I am new to the EY team this year!

IMG_9015I hope everyone had a fantastic summer, I know it always flies by too fast! It seems just like yesterday I was at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Florida, and now I’m back at school. Summers are my favorite, but I would be lying if I didn’t say I was excited to go back to school this year. For the past few years I have been the librarian in the district, and when the opportunity to join the EY team arose, I jumped at the chance to work with some amazing teachers and students!

This year the EY schedule will follow a four day rotation just like the other specialists. During my time in the buildings I will be going into different classrooms to support math and reading, as well as other enrichment opportunities. I am very passionate about personalized learning, and my goal this year is to provide a lot of opportunities for students to learn and grow by personalization throughout their math, reading, and enrichment classes.

I am really looking forward to all of the exciting adventures that we will go on together this year! Checkout my Twitter to see what’s happening in my classes @missheflin and if you ever have any questions please don’t hesitate in getting in touch with me at heflin.kelly@westside66.net.

—-Miss Heflin