Category Archives: Learning Opportunities

#3:The Physics of Playing Guitar

Full STEAM Ahead, Uncategorized

Guitar virtuosos have the ability to manipulate sound waves, crafting melodies from inspiration and vibration. Explore the science behind guitar playing, explaining how materials like wood, metal, and plastic come together to create rhythm, melody, and music from the initial strum to the ultimate shredding chord.
Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page: #3:The Physics of Playing Guitar

2. Watch this STEAM education intro. Record the STEAM topics on your recording sheet

3. Find out about the Physics of Playing Guitar by watching the video below.  What components of STEAM are discussed in this video?  What’s something new thing you learned?  Add your responses to your recording page.

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

Check out the Music Love badge at the EY Website

Early Enrichment #2: You can be an inventor

Early Enrichment, Uncategorized

Screen Shot 2015-08-23 at 8.01.52 AMBUILD A BETTER PENCIL

Did you know that the popsicle, ear muffs AND the trampoline were invented by kids? You can be an inventor, too. Take this challenge to create a new and improved pencil.

1. FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM

Inventors are motivated by things that don’t work. Imagine that your pencil keeps slipping out of your hand and it presses on your fingers and they get sore.

Figure out the problem!        Is the pencil too narrow?               Is the paint  to slippery.

Think about what might improve the pencil so that the problem is erased (no pun intended). Write your ideas down in a notebook.

2. LET YOUR IMAGINATION GO!

Brainstorm as many ideas to solve the problem of as possible. Next, turn these ideas into designs. Draw them in your note book. No matter how bizarre or unrealistic a design may seem, make sure to make sure to include it. Although a design may seem impossible, it might inspire a realistic solution.

Comment below to share your ideas or Snap a picture of your best pencil idea and share it with the EY coordinator in your building.

 

#2: Nano Details of Our World

Full STEAM Ahead

Nanotechnology pertains to extremely small entities. Nano Art focuses on exploring and highlighting the aesthetic appeal of structures, both natural and synthetic, that are sized in nanometers. Learn about both in this mini spark.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your Full STEAM Ahead recording page: #2: Nano Details of our World

2. Look over this chart as a reminder of what the measurement prefixes mean.  Record the prefixes for the smallest 4 on your recording sheet. Also record the symbols for these smaller measurements.   

A micrometer symbol is μm.   A nanometer symbol is nm. A picometer symbol is pm and a femtometer symbol is fm. 

3. Nanotechnology is science, engineering, and technology conducted at the nanoscale, which is about 1 to 100 nanometers. Visit this site and record the details on your recording page. Zoom in so you can also see the information on the visual.

4. Watch this video and find out about nanotechnology. On your recording sheet, make a list of 5 examples from the video.

 

5. Learn about nano-art at this site. Scroll through the gallery. On your recording page,  write about your favorite images.  Notice the symbols on each of the images. Some of them are micrometers and some are nanometers.

6. At the bottom of the site there are two paragraphs. What is nanoart? & How small is a nanometer? Read each one and record 2 details on your recording page from each one.

7. Share your Full STEAM Ahead recording page  with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Check out the Science Mini Spark Nanotechnology

Check out the Lesson on Nanotechnology Badge at the EY website

 

 

 

 

 

#2: Graph the Story

Math Mini Sparks, Uncategorized

Data visualization is a general term that describes any effort to help people understand the significance of data by placing it in a visual context.

Spark your math thinking!

1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #2: Graph the Story

2. Watch this introduction video.  On your recording page draw a sketch of the graph from the video. Add in these 4 labels on the 4 lines she drew-steep slope, slope, horizontal line, negative slope. 

3. Download and print this sheet. If you would prefer to do the graph digitally you can use this resource.

4.  Start this video and then pause it to get your graph set up to look like the graph in the video.

5. Restart the video and decide where you will need to plot the points.

6. Pause the video and complete the graph.

7. When you have completed the graph, resume the video to see how you did. If you need to make adjustments to your graph do so. If you are doing the activity online, add a picture of your graph to your recording sheet.

8.  Choose 3 more videos to watch, graph, and check. You can make them on paper or use the digital graph maker.

Video choices 

Height of waist off ground 1-The task is to graph the height of the person’s waist off the ground against time.

Air Pressure– The challenge is to graph air pressure against time.

Elevation-The task is to draw a graph of their elevation against time. The graph contains increasing, decreasing, and constant sections.

Distance from home plate-The task is to draw a graph of the player’s distance from the home plate against time. The graph shows linear piecewise sections.

Weight of cups-The task is to graph the weight on the scales against time.

9.  Share your math mini spark recording page and your graphs with your teacher/EY coordinator.

#7: Super Snail Detectives

Reading Enrichment, Uncategorized

Finding ideas and inspiration for writing a story can be tricky for both children and adults alike. This mini spark makes it easy to start writing since the idea has been chosen-Super Snail Detectives!

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your language arts mini spark recording page: #7: Super Snail Detectives

2. Watch this video about silly snail detectives. The narrator of this video offers a TON of suggestions on how to develop your own snail characters. Record a few ideas from the video on your recording page.

3.  After watching the video one time, go back and watch it again, pausing to record details on your recording page to answer the questions he asks.  This will help you develop your characters for your own Super Snail Detectives Story!  Aim for 10-12 pieces of information on your recording sheet for this step.

4. Using your notes as a guide, write the first chapter of your own Super Snail Detectives Story.

5. Ask for edits to be make for your first chapter and make the suggested changes.

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

OPTIONAL: Create some illustrations to go along with your chapter. Do you want to keep working on your snail story? Talk with your teacher or EY coordinator about what steps you need to take to make this into a badge.

 

 

#6: Book Spine Poem

Reading Enrichment, Uncategorized

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your language arts mini spark recording page: #6: Book Spine Poem

2. Have you heard of “a book spine poem?” It’s a kind of poetry that you don’t really write from scratch – instead, you “find” it by arranging book titles to make a poem. This type of poem can be serious or funny, just like in regular poetry. Write the poems you see here on your recording page.

Screen Shot 2015-08-11 at 2.50.31 PMScreen Shot 2015-08-11 at 2.52.18 PM

3. Watch this video to see the process. Record 3-5 details from the video.

4. Okay, ready to make your own book spine poetry?

  • You need is a stack of at least 8  books with interesting titles from around the house, your classroom, or your school library.
  • Place a few books on top of each other.
  • Play around with the titles to create a short poem, words that create an image, feeling or scenes.
  • Write down the titles when you find a combination you like.
  • As you write down titles, you might notice some that seem to go together to tell a funny or interesting story. Switch them around to get a poem you like.
  • If you are doing a digital recording page, also take a picture of your work in progress

5. Keep working on your final project. Your finished spine poems should have at least 4 book titles included. Document your poem by taking a picture and adding it to your recording page or typing the titles in a poem format.

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

Lesson adapted from :http://www.brainpickings.org/tag/book-spine-poetry/ and http://www.pbs.org/parents/adventures-in-learning/2015/04/book-spine-poetry/

 

#1: Strandbeests

Full STEAM Ahead

Artist Theo Jansen demonstrates the amazingly lifelike kinetic sculptures he builds from plastic tubes and lemonade bottles.  His creatures are designed to move – and even survive – on their own.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your language Full STEAM Ahead recording page: #1: Strandbeests

2. Read this quote from Theo Jansen. “Every spring I go to the beach with a new beast. During the summer I do all kinds of experiments with the wind, sand and water. In the fall I grew a bit wiser about how these beasts can survive the circumstances on the beach. At that point I declare them extinct and they go to the bone yard.”

3. On your recording page, write about what you think a Strandbeest is like.

3. Watch this video. and gather more information.

4. Set your timer for 3 minutes. On your recording page explain a Strandbeest to someone who has not seen one before.

Screen Shot 2015-08-09 at 9.54.18 PM

5.  Watch this TED talk: Theo Jansen: My creations, a new form of life. On your recording page record 5 takeaways from the talk.

6. Visit Theo Jansen’s website.  Click on “Strandbeest” and then “Genealogy” in the menu to explore the photo gallery. In detail, choose one of the structures to describe on your recording page.

7. Write about what you you learned.  How does what Mr. Jansen create relate to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM)?

8. Share your Full STEAM Ahead recording page and visual with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Early Enrichment #1: Pebble Go or Pebble Go Next

Early Enrichment, Uncategorized

EXPLORE ANIMALS, FAMOUS PEOPLE, SOCIAL STUDIES, and DINOSAURS

Screen Shot 2015-08-07 at 1.50.30 PM

Do love to learn new things? Pebble Go or Pebble GO Next is your go-to for facts, pictures, videos, and games!

  1. Choose a topic to learn about
  2. Learn 10 things
  3. After doing research at Pebble Go, create a pic collage, apple clip, explaineEverything, or your favorite presentation tool to share your findings.
  4. Share this presentation with your teacher. Respond to this post and share what topic you choose to research.

Create-a-Plant

Early Enrichment, Uncategorized
CREATE-A-PLANT

Screen Shot 2015-08-07 at 1.29.29 PM

Research to find out more about the parts of a plant

1. Watch this video

2. Study the parts of a plant at this site- kids growing strong

Show What You’ve Learned

You are a botanist who has just discovered a new type of plant. As every good scientist does, you will document your exciting finding. Design a fact sheet highlighting your new plant discovery. Be sure to include the following key pieces of information:

• your plant’s name
• your plant’s basic needs
• your plant’s parts
• where your plant lives
• a colored illustration of your plant in its natural habitat

Your fact sheet might have text features like labels, captions, maps, bold words, subheadings, and more.

lesson idea adapted from ilove2teach.blogspot.com/

A Redefinition of Gardens

Early Enrichment

Mary Mary Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow?garden

 

Do you have a garden?  What is the most unique thing you’ve grown in a garden?  Maybe you’re thinking you’d like to have a garden, but you don’t have the yard space or know how to get started.  Well this is the Wonder for you!

Springtime is a great time to start planting a garden and this Wonderopolis article talks about many things related to gardening!

  • Watch the short video at the beginning
  • Read the Wonder (or have it read to you)
  • Complete the Did You Get It? at the end
  • Leave a comment and let us know something new you learned.  You could also tell us about your own garden if you have one, or tell us what you’d like to plant if you could start a garden.  When leaving a comment, use your first name only.  Include your grade and school (i.e. Trevor, 3, Sunset)