Category Archives: Learning Opportunities

#37: Constitution Day!

Social Studies Enrichment

Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship Day, is observed every year on September 17th to commemorate the signing of the US Constitution. The constitution was created more than 200 years ago in 1787,  and contains the highest rules and laws for the United States.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your social studies mini spark recording page: #37: Constitution Day!

2. Read this teaching page about the US Constitution. Make a list of 10+ bullet points as you read.

3. Watch this Schoolhouse Rock video about the Constitution to celebrate Constitution Day! Write the Preamble of the Constitution  on your recording sheet.

4. Set your timer for 3 minutes. Study this infographic. Record 5+ pieces of information on your recording sheet.

5. Share your social studies mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

#76 World Record Cat

Learning Opportunities, Math Mini Sparks

Sure, most cats are soft and furry. But this one has gone bonkers. Sophie the cat holds the world record for the longest cat fur. Measuring more than 10 inches long, Sophie’s fur might be longer than your own hair.

Judging from the look on her face, we’re not sure she likes having all that fur…and you can’t blame her. Her owners have to brush her out 2-3 times every week to keep it neat. But now that she holds the Guinness World Record for furriest cat, maybe it’s worth it.

Spark your math thinking!

  1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #76 World Record Cat
  2. Check out this post about the world record cat, Sophie!
  3. Go to the world record’s page and read about Sophie.
  4. Create a PicCollage on the topic of Sophie and some of the facts . Do a bit of extra research to add a few more bits of information related to the topic.
  5. Research other animals that hold world records.  Add this information to your PicCollege.
  6. Create some of your own math problems using the data from the post about Sophie. Add these and the answers to your PicCollage.
  7. Share your math mini spark recording page and your PicCollage with your teacher/EY coordinator.

 source for lesson: BED TIME MATH Laura Overdeck

#46: Record Breaking Cat

Early Enrichment, Learning Opportunities

Check out this early enrichment mini spark about the world record cat, Sophie!

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your Early Enrichment mini spark recording page: # 46: Record Breaking Cat

2. Sure, most cats are soft and furry. But this one has gone bonkers. Sophie holds the world record for the longest cat California rescue cat Sophie sets new record for longest fur | Guinness World Recordsfur. Measuring more than 10 inches long. Read her Guiness World Record page and and record the who, what, when and where on your recording page.

 

 

3. Read this article about Sophie. What do you think would be the best part about having a cat with the world’s longest fur. What would be the hardest thing about having a cat with such long fur.

4. Share your Early Enrichment Mini Spark recording page with your teacher or EY Coordinator.

 

#36: Draw a 3D Art

Full STEAM Ahead, Learning Opportunities

Learn how to draw a 3D ladder and chair. These are  optical illusions from Trick Art for Kids by artist Jon Harris.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page: #36: Draw a 3D Art

2.  Learn how to draw a 3D ladder.

3. Gather you materials. Materials used: cardstock, Grey Bic Marking Pen (any gray marker will work), Black Sharpie Pen, toy car. Take a picture of your materials and add them to your recording sheet.

4. On your recording page, write about what is going to be hard about this art and what is going to be easier, in your opinion.

5. Using the video as a guide, make the ladder.

6.  Recreate the optical illusion of  cars driving under the ladder. Capture your work with your ipad camera.

7. Create this image as well.

8. Capture your work with your ipad camera.

9. Share your STEAM mini spark recording page and your two art pieces. with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Image from Artist Howard Lee.
Image from Artist Howard Lee.
Image from Artist Howard Lee.

 

 

 

#36: Alexander Hamilton

Social Studies Enrichment

If you watched “Hamilton” on Disney+, or are lucky enough to have seen it in-person, you know that Alexander Hamilton was an important founding father who probably doesn’t get enough credit for his role in our history.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your social studies mini spark recording page: #36: Alexander Hamilton

2.  Watch this video to learn more about Hamilton in history. Record 4 of the roles he played outlined in the video.

3. Read this article. There are information sections listed about Alexander Hamilton. Choose 3 of them and them on your recording sheet.

4. Go back to the article and study the two graphics.  Make a tiny timeline on your recording page showing 5 dates from his life or make an argument as to why there should be a dedicated monument honoring Alexander Hamilton.

5. Share your social studies mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

#75 Make Anything into Math

Learning Opportunities, Math Mini Sparks

You know, you can think of almost anything as a math problem!

Spark your math thinking!

1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #75 Make Anything into Math

2. Check out this video
~Ms. Fibonacci from Math Curse https://vimeo.com/44966140

3. Take a snapshot of anything that reminds you of a math concept/problem.

4. Create a pic collage or another visual of your choice with your picture and a math problem goes along it. Create an answer key as well.

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

#49: Descriptive Writing

Reading Enrichment, Uncategorized

The primary purpose of descriptive writing is to describe a person, place or thing in such a way that a picture is formed in the reader’s mind. Capturing an event through descriptive writing involves paying close attention to the details by using all of your five senses.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your language arts mini spark recording page: #49: Descriptive Writing

2. Watch this Ted-Ed Video. Watch this video. Record the sentence from Hurricane Fever on your recording sheet. Explain how the words are chosen to help the reader connect with the story with their senses.

3. In the video, the narrator describes the characteristics of descriptive writing and gives several examples. Read these 4 reminders and summarize each one on your recording sheet.

  •  Good descriptive writing includes many vivid sensory details that paint a picture and appeals to all of the reader’s senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste when appropriate. Descriptive writing may also paint pictures of the feelings the person, place or thing invokes in the writer.
  • Good descriptive writing often makes use of figurative language such as analogies, similes and metaphors to help paint the picture in the reader’s mind.
  • Good descriptive writing uses precise language. General adjectives, nouns, and passive verbs do not have a place in good descriptive writing. Use specific adjectives and nouns and strong action verbs to give life to the picture you are painting in the reader’s mind.
  • Good descriptive writing is organized. Some ways to organize descriptive writing include: chronological (time), spatial (location), and order of importance. When describing a person, you might begin with a physical description, followed by how that person thinks, feels and acts.

4. Give it a try! For the following sentences, rewrite it using rich descriptive language. Keep the five senses in mind. You can use the following and rewrite each OR use one as a prompt and write a descriptive paragraph or stort story. Record all work on your recording sheet.

  • Sight – The girls went to the city park.
  • Sound/Hearing – We went to the stadium to watch our favorite team.
  • Smell – The waitress brought our food to the table.
  • Taste – My grandma made us cookies.
  • Touch – I walked to school this morning not knowing they had called a snow day.

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

#35: Olympic Medal Designer

Full STEAM Ahead, Mini Challenges

Every two years, a selection committee creates the medals that symbolize triumph at that year’s Olympic Games. They must adhere to certain guidelines while also having the creative freedom to design medals that reflect the true essence of the Olympics.

Spark your math thinking!

1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #35: Olympic Medal Designer

2. Watch this video and record 5 ideas about the process of creating medals for the Olympics hosted in Japan on your recording sheet.

3. View the history of Olympic Medals.  Pick 3 different years and compare the medals from those years (designer, composition, diameter, and mint).  Display your findings in a creative manner and add a picture to your recording sheet.

4. Imagine you are part of the Olympic Medal Design committee! Design your own Olympic medal that pays tribute to the world’s top athletes in a distinctive manner. Answer these questions on your recording sheet

  • Which Olympic Games will your medal represent — an upcoming event or a fictional one?
  • Will you concentrate on the Summer or Winter Olympics?
  • Will you maintain the classic design features on one side of your medal, or will you opt for innovative concepts?
  • What figures, locations, or symbols will you choose to celebrate on the front of your medal?

5. Do some planning and research. Add ideas to your recording sheet

6. Design your medal on paper or digitally. Add a picture of your design to your recording page.

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

Idea adapted from https://kid-museum.org/maker-playground/olympic-medals/

#34: Animal Robots

Full STEAM Ahead, Uncategorized,

While the word “robot” can conjure up an image of a cyborg human with lights for eyes and super powers, animal-inspired robots are accomplishing tasks in all kinds of medical, military and rescue work. These anibots perform tasks that would be difficult and often dangerous for mere mortals, or even human droids, to accomplish

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page: #34: Animal Robots

2.   Pneupard is a robot that is designed to be agile and fast like cheetahs and other cats. Pneupard has artificial muscles made from rubber tubing that are covered in nylon and filled with air. The pneumatic muscles have lifelike skills that allow the bot to replicate the range of motion and strength of a real cat!

3. On your recording sheet define Pneupard.

4. Watch this video about Pneupard. Record 5 details from the video on your recording page.

5. Answer the following questions.

  • How are these engineers using robots to learn about nature?
  • Why are cheetah’s ultra complex to recreate?
  • What did the engineers learn when the were in the park
  • What animal would you choose to recreate as a robot? What part or parts of this animal would be ultra complex to recreate?

6. One modern robot flier is called ornithopter. Ornithopter looks and flies much like a real bird. One sweet little ornithopter is used as a nano-spybot, equipped with a tiny camera.

7. On your recording sheet define ornithopter.

8. Watch this video about Ornithopter and write a summary of the video on your recording page.

9. On your recording page, answer these questions.

  • What materials are used to make this robot?
  • What other material come to mind that might work?
  • Have you ever seen a servo motor? If not where else might it be used? If you have seen one, what was its purpose?
  • What is visually interesting to you about this robot? What woud you change?

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