Category Archives: Learning Opportunities

Early Enrichment #22: Roman Numerals

I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X


 I just counted to ten can you believe it?! It doesn’t look like I did, because they are letters,  but long ago that is how numbers looked liked. Number like that have a special name,

Roman Numerals 

We don’t use Roman Numerals often, but you can find them on clocks, in books, and even at the super bowl each year. Superbowl

Roman-Numeral-Clock

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Can you figure out your birthday in Roman Numerals? Here is an example:

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. That is the same as 2/12/1809

2 = II                           12 = XII

(1809 = 1000 + 800 + 9)                           1000 = M                           800 = D C C C                           9 = IX

II – XII – MDCCCIX

Comment below with your birthday!

#20: Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Take Me out to the Ball Game! The baseball/softball season is upon us and what better way to prepare for the fun than by studying the ways in which math is used in these fine sports.

Spark your math thinking!

1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #20: Take Me Out to the Ball Game

2.  Watch this video about how to calculate batting average. Comment about something new you learned from the video on your recording sheet.

 

3. Print off this page and calculate batting averages. Worksheet Source: http://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/future-eligibles#2017-eligibles

4. Watch this PBS video-Real Life Math Baseball. What math does he discuss in the video? Add several ideas to your recording page.

5. Share your math mini spark recording page and batting average practice sheet with your teacher/EY coordinator.

#18: Make a flip book

A flip book is a small booklet containing a sequence of images that gradually change from one page to the next. When the pages are turned quickly, they create the illusion of motion.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your language arts mini spark recording page: #79: Peter Reynolds

2. Print this instruction page or open it up on your ipad.  Read all of the information.

How does the flip book work? Why 24 pages? What is the patent history for this toy? Record this information on your recording sheet.

3. Watch this video

4.   He outlines several different ideas.  Watch the video to get an idea of how to get started

5. On your recording page write down the materials you will need and the idea you will use for your story.

6. Gather the materials and add a picture to your recording page.

6. If you want to use your ipad for a light source, watch this tutorial

7. Make your 24 paged flip book. Add a picture of some of the pages to your recording page.

8. Have a friend take a video of your flip book in action.

9. Share your STEAM mini spark recording page and video with your teacher/EY coordinator.

 

Early Enrichment #21: Are We There Yet (Ep.3)

This week we are going far, far away.

To get there you will be traveling almost 6,500 miles! It would take you at least 18 hours to fly there. Which continent are we visiting? Check out these photos to see if you can figure it out.

China China2 China 3 China4

 

Welcome to Asia 

 

More on China:

Modern day China was formed after World War II, and it is the country with the biggest population in the world. There are over 1.3 billion people that live in the country! The capital of China is Beijing (bay-jing), but it’s largest city is Shanghai (shang-hi). To learn more interesting facts about China, check out National Geographic Kids’ country profile and try the activities below.

(1) Learn to count to 10 in Mandarin Chinese— Watch the video and share with friends

(2) Make your own Chinese Abacus—  (Chinese calculating instrument, also called Swan-Pan.)

(3) Chinese Tangrams— Cut out shapes and to create different images

 

Early Enrichment #20: Math Challenges

Do you have what it takes to be a math olympiad?

Try these math challenges to find out! 

 

(1) How many squares and triangles are there in the following drawing?

Triange Squares

(2) Draw the following shapes in one stroke without lifting the pencil and without retracing the same line.

1stroke_2 1stroke_1

(3) Sam lives in an apartment building. There are 3 levels above her and 2 levels below her. How many levels are there in the building?

(4) What do the following letters have in common?

Y M A O T U V X

(5) There are 2 rings and 6 triangles. Move the rings and triangles so that each ring has 4 triangles in them.

New 3r7

(6)  Alphabet Spaghetti Puzzle

Spaghetti is famous for the way it all gets tangled up on the plate. Those of you who think they know their alphabet are bound to get all tangled up with this puzzle too, unless you read it and think about it very carefully!

What letter of the alphabet is the one which comes eight letters before the letter which comes five letters after the fourth appearance of the first letter to occur four times in this sentence?

Comment Below with your answers!

Questions from Math Top 10 and Math is Fun

Early Enrichment #19: Are We There Yet? (E.2)

This week we are traveling to visit one of the largest cities in the world, 

London, England! 

United Kingdom

England is a part of Great Britain or the United Kingdom, and makes up the southern half. You can see it below in Yellow. Can you believe London, England is 4,287 mi away from Omaha, Nebraska. To get there you would have to take at least two different planes!

Checkout these activities about London, England: 

  1. Read more about England
  2. Build your own London Bridge  
  3. Learn to draw Big Ben 
  4. Design an English castle and try to include at least 5 different shapes!

Share what you learned below or with your EY Coordinator!

 

 

Social Studies Mini-Spark #10: Explore!!

An unmanned European-Russian mission to Mars blasted off successfully from Kazakhstan in March 2016.
Learn more about this trip and Mars by completing this mini mars research project.
1. Watch a Mars video (free at Brainpop) https://www.brainpop.com/science/space/mars/
Take a quiz after the video and record your score.

3. Watch this BBC video about the Rover, Bruno
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35788195

Respond in the comments section below with your score from the Brainpop video. Also include 5 sentences about what you learned from this research.
**Remember to only use your first name, your grade, and your school when responding in the comments section below!

Early Enrichment #18: Pi Day

Pi

Not, Pie, but Pi! Have you ever heard about it?

Pi is the 16th letter in the Greek Alphabet, and it is also a math symbol used with circles.

radius

Pi equals the circumference divided by the diameter (π = c/d). The interesting this about pi is that mathematicians who have been working on this number believe that it is infinite, meaning that it’s not the quotient of two integers. In other words, the number pi goes on and on and on, and we don’t know where it ends!

Today, March 14th or 3/14 is celebrated around the world as Pi Day! 

Try out this fun Pi Day Early Enrichment activity below. Watch this video about the never ending number and download the Pi Day Grid Art!

 

Pi Day Grid Art 

Share your artwork with your EY Coordinator!

** Project adapted from Tinkerlab.com

#19 Exponent Exercises

Stretch your thinking with this math mini spark!

Spark your math thinking!

  1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #19 Exponent Exercises
  2. Watch this exponent activity at Khan. Take notes on your recording page.
  3. Review exponents at Math is Fun. Make a mini teaching page about exponents,  negative exponents, and what to do it the exponent is 0 or 1 on your recording sheet.
  4. Practice your exponent math by playing Power Play at Transum. Pick the level that fits you. Play the level until you get a trophy. Add a picture of your trophy to your recording page.

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

Social Studies Mini-Spark #9: The First Filming of an Inauguration

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Ever wondered when the media first became involved in the Presidential Election process?

Well, one could say it began right about this time of the year, 83 years ago! That’s right! The first Presidential Inauguration ever filmed was filmed on March 5th, 1933!

It was the Inauguration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Click on the link below to watch this first inauguration ever on film:

Then, respond in the comments section below with your thoughtful reaction!