All posts by lspady

3rd Grade SciFest Opportunity

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Calling all 3rd Graders Interested in Science…
We want to take YOU to Nebraska SciFest!

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At the 2015 Nebraska Science Festival Expo, students will experience fun and engaging learning opportunities.  Throughout the afternoon, students will find answers to an array of science-related questions through hands-on activities, presentations and demonstrations.

We will take 14 students on Thursday, April 16 and 14 different students on Friday, April 17.  In order to be considered to attend this event, you must complete the following activity by February 4.  If you are chosen to attend, you will receive a permission form with more information.

Thank you for your interest!

This opportunity is no longer available.

However, you’re still welcome to check out the wonders below!

Read the following 3 Wonderopolis articles and then answer the questions on the Google Form (linked below).

  1. http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/where-are-the-la-brea-tar-pits/
  2. http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-makes-popcorn-pop/
  3. http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/can-you-only-see-the-moon-at-night/

Nebraska SciFest Essay Contest-Check back after Jan 1

Learning Opportunities, Other Events & Contests, Teachers

rain windy_5 small_snow Sunshine

Nebraska SciFest is sponsoring a writing contest.  Students in grades 4-12 can choose from a writing prompt an can enter a paper to be judged.

This writing prompts will be posted with this contest opens in after the first of the year, 2019 @  https://www.nescifest.com/participate/essay/

Essays must be postmarked by March 1.   For more details on the essay requirements, check out https://www.nescifest.com/participate/essay/ after the first of the year.

Good lucK!

Pictures taken from http://www.pdclipart.org

Coding Resources

Teachers

Coding, Programming, Computer Science, Oh My!  

Have your students started coding yet?  If not, they should…everyone else is doing it! 😉

For the first time in my teaching career, I have witnessed problem solving at a whole new level.  When students are coding, I see engagement, problem solving, and grit.  Coding has allowed me to introduce higher level math concepts to our youngest students…and they get it!

There are several free apps and websites that introduce students to the basics of coding.  Many of these apps are also open-ended and allow students to be creative and design their own programs.

The wiki linked below is a work-in-progress.  Please leave a comment and let me know your ideas/resources.  Together we can give students an opportunity to learn the language of their future!

https://ey.westside66.org/wiki/pages/S2s452J6/Coding_Resources.html?target=

Series and Parallel Circuits

Spady Blog

In order to participate in the circuit mini-course with Mrs. Spady, please watch the following 2 videos and answer the questions on a separate piece of paper or email your answers to me.

Video 1:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2EuYqj_0Uk

The numbers before the question tell you what time in the video when the question is answered.

  1. 00:30-What component is represented by the jagged line in the diagram?  Choose One:  Battery, Resistor, or Diode
  2. 00:40-If there is more than one loop that the electricity can take, what kind of circuit is it?  Choose One:  Series or Parallel
  3. 02:59-What happens in a series circuit when another light bulb is added?  The light becomes  brighter or dimmer (Choose One)
  4. 3:30-In order for a series circuit to work, all components need to be connected.  Choose One:  True or False
  5. 04:13-Let’s say you’re using a 3 Volt battery and 2 lights in a series circuit.  One light measures 1.5 Volts.  What does the other one measure?  Choose One:  1.5 Volts, 3 Volts, 4.5 Volts
  6. 06:15-What happens when you remove a light bulb from a parallel circuit that has 2 light bulbs?

Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnnpLaKsqGU

  1. 00.38-What is the part of the light bulb that actually lights?  Choose One: Filament, Wire, or Electron
  2. 00:58-What is flowing through this circuit (the tiny balls moving in the video)?  Choose One:  Protons, Neutrons, Electrons
  3. 01:07-What would happen if the wire was not connected to the positive side of the battery?
  4. 02:14-Electricity will follow the path of least resistance.  Choose One: True or False

 

WMS Gaming Seminar

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GamingSeminar

On Tuesday, January 13, WMS students spent the morning designing their own video games using 2 free apps: Hopscotch and Pixel Press Floors.

Click here for an iMovie Trailer of the morning

Link to Resources: https://ey.westside66.org/wiki/pages/81M8d4/Gaming_Seminar_at_WMS.html

Sindt Blog

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Welcome back to school in this new year!  I hope everyone had a restful break!

As you all know, I missed the first 2 weeks of December due to my surgery.  The week before Winter Break, the EY team spent some time taking on the role of learner at teacher trainings, and diving into data in order to best meet the needs of all students in the district.  Although these tasks were important, this led to less time with students which is why I’m very much looking forward to the coming weeks.

Soon we will be ready to dive into our new 3rd quarter focus which is science-based.  Currently students are working on finishing their 20-year timeline (current events from our world, nation, and local community will be included for each year), as well as the Battle of The Books reading and activity keynotes.  These will wrap up in the next couple of weeks and will allow us to shift gears into our new science based focus.  Students were happy to learn that the due date for the Battle of the Book projects is February 19th!

During the 3rd Quarter, we will revisit our web-savvy friend Sylvia and her Super Awesome Mini Maker Show episodes.  These will serve as a springboard for our own super awesome science shows that will spotlight an experiment of each student’s choosing.  They will research and decide on an experiment to conduct and present.  We love science…mess and all!    If you’d like to check out Sylvia’s video series, please visit: http://sylviashow.com/episodes

Upcoming events & opportunities to think about:

*The Science Olympiad is fast approaching and will be a great event for those 4th-6th grade students who have a passion for all things science!  This event will take place on Tuesday, January 27th.  Students interested in attending need to submit their plan for their edible vehicle to their classroom teacher by Wednesday, January 14th.  Here is the link to the activity:   https://ey.westside66.org/category/teachers/  We will be looking at effort and creativity to determine attendees.

*The Math Olympiad contests will begin soon.  Students in grades 4, 5 & 6 will have the opportunity to challenge themselves by participating in a math quiz competition.  There will be a total of 5 quizzes that the students can take, followed by an answer session.  It is a great opportunity to learn new math strategies and concepts!

*Check out a new spot on the blog:  Math Minutes!  A great way to tickle your math brain!

Thanks for all of your continued support!  Happy New Year!!

The Marshmallow Challenge

Other Events & Contests, Teachers

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What can you build with 20 full pieces of spaghetti, one standard-sized marshmallow, a yard of masking tape and a yard of string?  The Omaha Public Power District challenges you to challenge your inner engineer and build the tallest structure you can!

Teams of three to four students currently in 5th grade are invited to participate.  Read more about the contest rules here.  OPPD is accepting electronic entries until 5 p.m., February 19.

Breaking Barriers Essay Contest

Learning Opportunities, Other Events & Contests, Teachers

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The Breaking Barriers Essay Contest is a chance for diverse students in grades 4-8 to share their personal stories and how they use Jackie Robinson’s values to face their own barriers.

Details:  Write an essay about a barrier that you have faced. Explain how you faced this barrier by using one or more of Jackie Robinson’s Nine Values:

  1. Citizenship
  2. Commitment
  3. Courage
  4. Determination
  5. Excellence
  6. Integrity
  7. Justice
  8. Persistence
  9. Teamwork

Each essay should be at least 200 words long and not exceed 700 words
in length.  There is a limit of one entry per student. All essays must be factual and based on the student’s real-life experience.  Fictional stories will be disqualified.

Contest Deadline:  March 13, 2015

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You can read more about the essay requirements, official rules, and judging criteria by going to the website.

2015 Block Kids

Other Events & Contests, Parents

BlockKids

The Block Kids program was created in 1990 to introduce children in grades 1-6 to the construction industry.  During the event, kids are given a maximum of one hour to use their blocks and selected items to build a project that is in some way related to the construction industry.  This is a free event!

When:  The 2015 event will be held on Saturday, February 7th at 10:00 am

Where:  Metro Community College South Campus (29th and Q Street)  Industrial Technology Center, Room 120

Click Here for the Brochure

Click Here for the Registration Form

Click Here for Frequently Asked Questions