Category Archives: Learning Opportunities

#3: Let’s Simile

Early Enrichment, Uncategorized

Learn more about how to add spark to your writing.

 Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your mini spark recording page: #3: Let’s Simile

2. Watch this BrainPop Jr. video about Similes. Record a few of the examples from the video on your recording page.

3. Use this image as an example Draw your own image on your recording page.

Screen Shot 2015-09-08 at 9.59.26 PMpicture from ehssjadej.edublogs.org

4. Fall Simile Writing Activity. Copy these 3 of these sentence starters on your recording page and create your own similes. You may use your own ideas instead if you wish. Add color/designs to your finished page.

A fall leaf is a red as a _________________________.

A jack-o-lantern is a round as a______________________.

A fall leaf is a crunchy as a___________________________.

A fall leaf is as ____________________ as ________________________.

A pumpkin is _______________________like _______________________.

A bat is as ________________________as __________________________.

Halloween is __________________________as ___________________.

The scarecrow is ____________________like__________________________.

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

#8: Haiku Poem

Reading Enrichment, Uncategorized

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry. It often centers around nature. Haiku poems don’t rhyme and they follow a pattern.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your language arts mini spark recording page: #8: Haiku Poem

2. Record this haiku poem on your recording page. What patterns do you notice?

cloud-205bdge

3. Watch this video. Record 3 details from the video.

4. Record the pattern on your recording page:

The pattern for haiku is the following:
Line 1: 5 syllables
Line 2: 7 syllables
Line 3: 5 syllables

5. Count out the syllables in an example written by Basho Matsuo. Record the answers on your recording sheet for each line.

An old silent pond…               (How many syllables did you count?)

A frog jumps into the pond,           (How about this line?)

splash! Silence again.                  (Does this line follow the rule?)

6.   Choose a topic or theme (nature, sports, family, school, friendship, etc.) and brainstorm a list of many words related to your topic.

7. Follow these bulleted points to write your own Haiku Poem with using the words you brainstormed.

  • Example topic : weather
  • Example brainstormed words : rain, clouds, soft breezes, mist, windy, snowing
  • Choose the words that you like from the list you made and start working on arranging those into your poem with other filler words.
  • Count the syllables
  • Put them together using the pattern.

8. Write 2 or 3 haiku style poems about the topic/theme you picked out.
Follow the 5-7-5 pattern

9. Send your work to the EY coordinator in your building.

OPTIONAL: Draw an illustration for one of the poems.

 

 

Image : http://heightstechnology.edublogs.org/files/2010/10/cloud-205bdge.jpg

 

 

#4: Papel Picado

Full STEAM Ahead, Uncategorized
Papel Picado means “pierced paper” in Spanish.  In Mexico, artists use special tools to pierce through many layers of paper at once. In Mexico, people create Papel Picado banners to celebrate holidays and different occasions.
Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page: #4: Papel Picado

2. Set up your recording page with these sections

WHAT IS PAPEL PICADO?

PRE-COLOMBIAN PAPER

CULTURAL INFLUENCES CHINA

CULTURAL INFLUENCES SPAIN

GENERATIONAL FOLK ART

2. Read the lesson pages.  On your recording sheet write a few sentences for each section.

3.  Watch this instruction video. On your recording page write the supplies you will need.

4. Ask your EY teacher to help you find paper and string for your project.

5. Ask your teacher to use this template and print it on the colorful paper for you.

6. If you want to use the template to get started, and then create your own design that is great.

7. Create a simple Papel Picado following the steps from the video. If you want to print out this instruction page you can

8. Take a picture of your project and add it to your recording page.

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

#4: Weird But True! Size

Math Mini Sparks

This math mini spark explores Weird But True! Size Edition.

Spark your math thinking!

  1. Set up your math mini spark recording page:#4: Weird But True! Size
  2. Explore math facts at National Geographic Kids Weird but True! Size Edition.
  3. To move from fact to fact click the arrows.
  4. There are 8 facts in total. Record your favorite four facts on your recording sheet.
  5. Do research about each of the four topics so that you can add 3-5 more details for each one.
  6. Share your math mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

#3: Eiffel Tower Math

Math Mini Sparks

The Eiffel Tower is named after a man named Gustave Eiffel, but he didn’t actually create it. Instead, two of his top engineers, Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier, designed the tower. The names of 72 different artists, engineers, and mathematicians who helped with the design are carved into the tower so that everyone can remember them!

Spark your math thinking!

1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #3: Eiffel Tower Math

2. Read this article about the Eiffel Tower. Record 3 math details about this structure on your recording page.

3. Watch the Geometry of the Eiffel Tower.  Record 3 details from the video on your recording sheet.

4. Answer one of these these questions on your recording page.  Reminder for your teacher that answer key can be found in the math mini spark folder.

  • Describe the significance of the Eiffel Tower’s height and how it compares to football fields.
  •  Who was Gustave Eiffel, and what was his profession before designing the Eiffel Tower?
  • Explain what a truss is and how it functions in supporting structures like bridges.
  •  What are the two types of forces mentioned that act on the truss, and how do they differ?
  • What is meant by “static equilibrium,” and why is it important for the stability of a well-designed bridge?

5. Global Math Stories combine math, history, and cultural stories. Check out the information about the Eiffel Tower. Answer 2 of these questions on your math recording page.  Reminder for your teacher that answer key can be found in the math mini spark folder.

  1. The tower has 1,665 steps in total. If you were allowed to climb all the way from the bottom to the top, how long do you think it would take you? Explain your reasoning.
  2. Every repainting of the tower requires 50-60 tons of paint. Find the mean and median of the amount of paint that has been used during these applications: 52, 60, 58, 54, 59, 52, 60, 51, and 55 tons.
  3. Imagine the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower are standing side by side with the sun shining on them. The Statue of Liberty is 93 meters tall, and its shadow is 10.7 meters long. If the Eiffel Tower is 330 meters tall, how long will its shadow be?

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

You can use step 5 as the first story for the Global Math Stories Badge that can be found on the EY badge page.

#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.