What is a comet?

Comets are large objects made of dust and ice that orbit the Sun.

Scientists believe that comets are made up of material left over from when the Sun and the planets were formed. They think that about 100,000 million comets orbit the Sun. Some comets orbit the Sun like planets. Their orbits take them very close to and very far away from the Sun.

As of 2014 there are 5,253 known comets, a number that is steadily increasing as they are discovered. However, this represents only a tiny fraction of the total potential comet population, as the number of comet-like bodies in the outer Solar System is estimated to be one trillion. That’s a LOT!

Learn more about comets by watching the video below.

Go to this link to learn more about comets by reading a small article and then answer the question at the bottom.

Did you get it right?

Almost 70 miles west of Key West lies Dry Tortugas National Park. This 100-square mile park is mostly open water with seven small islands.  You can only get there by boat or seaplane! The park is known all over the world as the home of magnificent Fort Jefferson, beautiful blue waters, lots of coral reefs and marine life, and the tons of bird life that visit the area!

Click the link below to go on a virtual field trip to this amazing place!

https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service/dry-tortugas/near-little-africa-tour

Once there, click the “Play” button. Make sure you have headphones so you can listen to the narrator! Click and drag to explore! Dive the Windjammer Shipwreck! Swim through a coral reef!

Comment below: What was your favorite part of this field trip?

Click HERE if you want to learn even more!

Click on the image above to watch a video about the differences and similarities of Fables and Fairy Tales.

Fables are stories that are passed down, with a good lesson or moral to be learned, and are about animals, plants, or forces of nature that are humanlike. Fairy tales are stories that often involve magical characters, have good and evil characters, and generally start with “once upon a time.”

Click on the video below to hear a story. After you’ve listened to the story, scroll down to answer a couple of questions.

Answer the following questions in the comments below (don’t forget to include your first name and last initial and your school):

1. Was this a fable or a fairy tale?
2. How do you know? Use reasons from the 1st video.

February is Black History Month, and it’s also the month for the 2022 Winter Olympics. To combine the two, we’re going to learn today about a great African-American Olympian, Jesse Owens.

Who was Jesse Owens?

Track-and-field athlete Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games. His achievements were important for himself and for many other people at the time. The Games were held in Berlin, Germany. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was in power there. Nazi banners draped the sports field. The Nazis believed white athletes were best. But Owens proved that they were wrong.

James Cleveland Owens was born in Oakville, Alabama, on September 12, 1913. His family later moved to Cleveland, Ohio, in search of better opportunities.

Jesse became a track star at a young age. In 1928 he set track records in the high jump and the running broad jump (long jump). In 1933, while he was in high school, he broke three other records. He then went to Ohio State University.

In the Olympics Owens won gold medals for the running broad jump, the 100- and 200-meter races, and the 4 × 100-meter team relay. He also set new Olympic and world records.

Owens graduated from college in 1937 and worked for the Illinois Athletic Commission. He later got involved in guidance activities for young boys. He also made goodwill visits to countries in Asia for the U.S. government. Owens died in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 31, 1980.

To learn more about Jesse Owens, watch the video below.

What is the most important thing you learned about Jesse Owens? Comment below.

Halloween only comes once a year.  It is sad, except that you probably have a lot of candy at home to cheer you up for a few weeks!

My son and I like to sort our Halloween candy in different ways!

You could sort them by size:

Or, by wrapper color!

If you want to try sorting your candy these ways, click here for the labels!

Or, try sorting by type of candy and fill in a graph like this!

How did you sort your candy? Comment below!

Did you know that there are awards for funny photographs of wildlife?

Choose a book that you have recently read and enjoyed!

Create a script using the link below as a guide.

scholastic-one-hand-book-review

Choose at least two people and read your 1-hand book review to them.

Share your review with your teacher or the EY coordinator in your building.

We will celebrate National Unicorn Day on April 9th. Check out these  fun unicorn topics to stretch your knowledge about this mythical beast to get ready!

Fact Page-kiddle.com

https://kids.kiddle.co/Unicorn

Create your own unicorn fact page

Article-Siberian Unicorn Fossils

https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/animals/prehistoric-animals/siberian-unicorn-fossil-discovery-humans/

Make a trivia game about these creatures

Video-Unicorns of the Sea

https://youtu.be/CJbmSsSxf_A

Take detailed notes while watching this video

In the news-The Unicorn Puppy

https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/animals/general-animals/narwhal-the-unicorn-puppy/

Summarize this article in 3 sentences

STEAM-Design a unicorn

Include a description about where it live, what it looks like, what it eats, and its powers.

Include a picture of your unicorn in its habitat

Make a pic collage about your unicorn and its features.