Category Archives: Learning Opportunities

#22: Edgar Allan Poe

Reading Enrichment

Who was Edgar Allan Poe? Poe was a famous American author – and many of his poems and stories are still being read and enjoyed over 100 year after his death on October 7, 1849.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your language arts mini spark recording page: #22: Edgar Allan Poe

2. Find out more about Edgar Allan Poe by checking out this Wonderopolis entry.  Take the wonder word challenge and the did you get it quiz. Record your score for both on your recording page.

3. Watch this TED-ED video about Poe. On your recording sheet, write any of the book or poem titles that are mentioned in the video

4.  Listen to at least the first half of the poem, “The Raven” being read aloud.

5.  After exploring this poem choose 1 activity and add it to your recording sheet.

  • Create a detailed illustration to go along with one “The Raven”.
  • Write your own poem or short story, “Poe style”.

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

#13: Geography Lesson-State Capitals

Social Studies Enrichment

It is always a good time to learn more about Geography. Study this geography lesson which is all about state capitals.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your social studies spark recording page: #13: Geography Lesson-State Capitals

2.  Watch this video all of the way through.  Go back to the video to find 5 capital/state combos that you don’t have memorized yet. Record the state name, capital, and the image that was drawn in the video.

3. Print or open this list of states and capitals. Choose 10 that you do not have memorized. Type or write all 10 sets on your recording page.

4. Take the 10 states that you picked and make flash cards using note cards. Set your timer and practice for 3 minutes. On your recording sheet, write how many you know after 3 minutes. For example: After 3 minutes I have 5 out of the 10 state/capital combos memorized.  5/10

5. Take this capital quiz one time. Record your score.

6. Find the list of states and capitals from step 3. Set your timer for 3 minutes and read over the list.  Take this capital quiz again. Record your score.

7. OPTIONAL: Check out this webpage made by a teacher who found the best way to memorize the states’ capitals. Look it over and see what you think.  If you want to try this challenge yourself, take to your teacher about printing a 11X 17 map of the USA so you can make all of the drawings. If want to do this project, you can earn the  state savy badge-state capitals edition.

8. Share your social studies mini spark recording page and visual with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Check out the state savvy badge at the EY website.

Early Enrichment #29: Are We There Yet? (Ep. 4)

Early Enrichment

We are headed to Egypt this week, and I want to know…

Are we there yet?!

Vintage-Travel-Poster-Egypt-3

Egypt is a country that can be found in the top right hand corner of the continent, Africa. Egypt is over 6,500 miles away from Omaha, Nebraska. It is known for its pyramids and ancient Egyptian culture.

egypt-africa-map   egypt-map

 

 

 

 

This week you are going to get to explore Egypt and some of the fascinating places to visit there.

Once you have gone on your virtual field trip, check out the activities below!

  1. Read more about Egypt on National Geographic Kids. Once you have read all about Egypt, create a poster sharing what you have learned.
  2. Download and print Penn State’s Egyptian Pharaoh activity guide. Note: this packet is 33 pages long and includes the answer key.
  3. Grab a piece of paper and build an origami pyramid. Click here for step by step directions. 

#26: Fall Math

Math Mini Sparks

I love everything about fall…football, leaves changing colors, pumpkins, candy corn, and costumes!  This math mini spark has a variety of activities to choose from.

Spark your math thinking!

  1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #26: Fall Math
  2. Print this coordinate plane graphing activity. Take a picture of your final project and add it to your recording page.
  3.  Do a candy corn science experiment. Look over the supplies for the experiment. Ask your teacher or EY coordinator if you need helping getting what you need. Take pictures and record the results for each liquid on your recording page. Prompts to answer are on the experiment page.
  4. Print this Halloween candy probability activity. Take a picture of your final project and add it to your recording page.
  5. Print this pumpkin math activity. For this activity you will need a tiny pumpkin. You can also use an orange or an apple.
  6. Share your math mini spark recording pages/activity sheets  with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Early Enrichment #28 Fall into Fall

Early Enrichment

I don’t know about you, but I love fall! My favorite part is when the leaves change colors and fall to the ground.

Watch this time lapse video to see it for yourself! 

 

This week, for early enrichment you are going to investigate why leaves change colors and fall to the ground.

First, listen or read the Wonderopolis article Why do leaves change colors in autumn?

Second, checkout this video to learn more about the force of gravity. 

Third,  create a Chatter Pix video explaining why leaves change colors and fall to the ground.

Share your video with your EY Coordinator!

 

Check out more fun Fall Science experiments and activities at home. See below! 

Leaf Chromatography

Why do apples turn brown?

Fall Nature Walk Bingo 

#25: Sweet Math

Math Mini Sparks, Uncategorized

This math mini spark has you diving into a box of donuts and solving a variety of math problems.

“Donut” let this opportunity slip by!

Start solving these “sweet” math problems today!

Spark your math thinking!

1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #25: Sweet Math

2.”You can think of almost anything as a math problem!” Ms. Fibonacci in Math Curse by Jon Scieszka.

3. Print out the PDF or make a copy of the digital version of the doughnut activity page. Due to the complexity of some of the questions, It’s acceptable to use your resources (ie. teacher, older brother or sister, Internet to look up a formula, etc.) and ask for help.

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

Early Enrichment #27: Be a Famous Writer

Early Enrichment

If you like reading, writing, or illustrating stories, you are in the right place!

Each school year, you learn important skills at school that help you become a better writer. Writing a story can be challenging sometimes, but Jeff Kinney, the author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, has some great tips for you to follow:

1. Take your time writing. To become an expert, you need lots of practice!

2. Find someone to help you out. Ask an someone who can edit your work to make it even better!

3. Be unique. Try something new and make your work stand out. 

For this early enrichment post write a short story about an adventure that takes place in your school library.

 

Library-800px

Share your story with the EY teacher at your school.

Calling all Doodlers! Submission due March 14th, 2024

Events & Contests, Learning Opportunities, Other Events & Contests

It’s time to start sketching, because this year’s Doodle 4 Google contest is openOnce a year, K-12 students are invited to bring their imagination to life in a doodle of the Google logo, using any medium they choose.

Doodles are the fun, surprising, and sometimes spontaneous changes that are made to the Google logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and the lives of famous artists, pioneers, and scientists.

Check out the contest page to see past winners and to get some ideas! Start working on some sketches.

All information can be found  @ https://doodles.google.com/d4g/.

EY Badge link 

 

 

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#21: Inventions

Reading Enrichment, Uncategorized

Invention is transforming your wildest daydreams into reality, like a robot making pancakes! It’s about mixing ideas and experiments to create something cool and useful!

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your language arts mini spark recording page: #20: Inventions

2. Watch this intro video. Summarize a few of the ideas you liked from this video on your recording sheet.

3. Did you know a 15-year-old boy invented earmuffs back 1858?  Write the steps for how this came about on your recording sheet.

4. Watch this video and write a summary for each of the inventors.

5.  These kids all used their hearts and their smarts, and started somewhere!  Watch this video to get some ideas about the process. Take 5 detailed notes on your recording sheet.

 

6. On your recording page, do some brainstorming about how you could combine two items into one, like the examples from the video. Try to come up with 3 ideas. They do not need to be useful-but perhaps more creative and fun.

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

#24: The Bean

Math Mini Sparks

Math concepts are fantastically weaved into all kinds of artwork and Cloud Gate, or “The Bean”, in Chicago, IL is no exception!  Cloud Gate is British artist Anish Kapoor’s first public outdoor work in the the United States.

cloudgate

Image Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rmlowe/6144649661

Spark your math thinking!

1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #24: The Bean

2. According to the city of Chicago website, The 110-ton elliptical sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, which reflect Chicago’s famous skyline and the clouds above. A 12-foot-high arch provides a “gate” to the concave chamber beneath the sculpture, inviting visitors to touch its mirror-like surface and see their image reflected back from a variety of perspectives. Inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture is among the largest of its kind in the world, measuring 66-feet long by 33-feet high.  Watch this summary video below and record 5-10 details on your recording page.

3. Watch a video on how they “Clean the Bean”. Record 3 sentences about what you have learned about this process on your recording page.

4. Take a look inside the Bean during construction.  What math and science was involved in creating the bean?

5.  “The Bean” is 33 feet high, 42 feet wide, and 66 feet long. It weighs about 110 tons — roughly the same as 15 adult elephants. Suppose a regular bean was sitting next to Cloud Gate. Do some research to find out the dimensions of a regular bean.  Do some math calculations. About how many times bigger is cloud gate? Record your work on your recording page.

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

Thanks to the Hoffart boys at Sunset for inspiring this math mini spark!