Category Archives: Uncategorized

2016 Science Olympiad Ticket

Uncategorized

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A common experience most everyone shares is folding a paper airplane.  But what is the “perfect design” and do you have what it takes to build Westside’s furthest flying paper airplane?

Calling all 3rd and 4th graders at Westside Community Schools…

  1.  Fold 2 different paper airplanes.  Use the resources below or come up with your own designs.  Take a picture of your 2 completed paper airplanes.
  2. Collect data on your 2 airplanes.  Fly each one 3 times and record the distance flown in centimeters.  Find the average distance of each airplane.  Take a picture of your data.
  3. Take a 10 second video (or less) of your furthest flying airplane.  In your video, include your first name, the name of your airplane, and of course video of the airplane flying.
  4. Send the 2 pictures and video to the EY Coordinator at your building by April 12.  Only 40 students will be invited to attend the Science Olympiad on April 28 so make sure to turn in your best work!

Airplane Resource 1:  https://blog.adafruit.com/2014/11/25/how-to-fold-the-worlds-best-paper-airplane-arttuesday/

Airplane Resource 2:  http://www.amazingpaperairplanes.com/Basic_Dart-old.html

Airplane Resource 3:  http://www.funpaperairplanes.com

 

#16: Biography Study

Reading Enrichment, Uncategorized

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A biography is the story of a real person’s life, whether they are alive today, from centuries past, famous, forgotten heroes, or a unique group of people.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your language arts mini spark recording page: #16: Biography Study

2. Check out the this website. It contains biographies of many people. You will find world leaders,inventors, scientists and many more. Click on 3 of the names. What topics do the pages introduce?

3. Choose someone you have not heard of before and read that person’s biography. On your recording page, add the person’s name and 3 of the most interesting facts you learned.

4. Create a mini-quiz (5 questions or less) about your subject and add it to your recording sheet. Include an answer key.

5.  Repeat this process for 5 different people.

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

Check out the Who was Making History Badge or the Who was Badge at the EY website

#15: Rebus Puzzles

Reading Enrichment, Uncategorized

A REBUS is a picture representation of a name, work, or common phrase. Look at the puzzle in the read box.  Since the word HEAD is over the word HEELS, the answer to the puzzle would be HEAD OVER HEELS!

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your language arts mini spark recording page: #15: Rebus Puzzles

2. Number your recording page from 1-8.  At the rebus quiz page, examine the puzzle, record your guess, and then check your work. Add a star if you got it correct and add in the right answer if needed.

3. Read this teaching page that explains some strategies so you can learn more about how the position of the words will help you solve the puzzle. On your recording sheet make a section for each of these topics:

  • Positioning
  • Try it out 1
  • Highlighting,
  • Font Properties
  • Try it out 2
  • Homophones,
  • Repetition
  • Try it out 3
  • Context and Clues

4. As you read each section on the page, write examples and hint on your recording page.

****NOTE: There are 3 “try it out” sections on this teaching page. For each “try it out”click the link to find a puzzle, record your guesses/thoughts, and then check the answer.

5. Go to this website where you will find 18 rebus puzzles. Number your recording page from 1-18, Choose ten to solve. Record your guess  next to the correct number. When have a guess written down, click the box to check your work. Put a star on your page or write in the correct answer if needed.

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

#15: Juliette Gordon Low

Full STEAM Ahead, Uncategorized

Inventor, Juliette Gordon Low, or as her friends called her, “Daisy,” was like the superhero of Girl Scouts, zooming around with courage, confidence, and character! In 1912, she waved her magic wand and created Girl Scouts of the USA, where girls could gather to unleash their amazing powers in STEAM—science, technology, engineering, arts, and math! Just like a science experiment gone right, she turned her dream of girls teaming up to celebrate their strengths into a fantastic reality!

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your science mini spark recording page: #15: Juliette Gordon Low

2. Watch this video to learn about Ms. Low. take notes on your recording sheet.

3. Print this information sheet.

4. Read all of the pages carefully.

5. Work on the folding project. You will need to study the patent drawing page to find the steps.

6. Take a picture of your product and add it to your recording page.

7. Did you know? Juliette Low also has a Design Patent? It may look familiar to you. It is the inspiration for many trademarks utilized by Girl Scouts of America. Study this image. Do some research to find out what a design patent is. Record your findings on your recording page.

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

Check out the Kids Invent Stuff Badge the Problem Solving Invention Badge at the EY website.

Breaking Barriers Essay Contest for Grades 4 – 8

Uncategorized

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The Breaking Barriers Essay Contest is a chance for students in grades 4 – 8 to share their personal stories and show how they use Jackie Robinson’s values to face their own barriers.  There are prizes for the winners!!!

Visit this link:  http://www.scholastic.com/breakingbarriers/kids/  for more details.

If you have any questions, please ask your classroom teacher, or your school’s EY teacher.

Deadline for entry is March 14th, 2016-Check in the spring for a new contest

Westside Community Schools does not sponsor or endorse the organization or activity described here.  The sharing of this information is provided as a community service.

#13: BOTB Reading Goals

Reading Enrichment, Uncategorized

The Battle of the Books is a quiz-bowl competition where students work on teams to read books from this year’s list.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your language arts mini spark recording page: #13: BOTB Reading Goals

2. Check out the reading lists for elementary and middle school. If the list has not been updated, email your EY teacher so they can be changed.

3. How many books do you want to read this year?  Add a list of the book titles that you are going to read to your recording sheet.

4. Everytime you finish a book, add a picture of the book to your recording sheet.

5. When you meet your goal, share your language arts mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Check out the BOTB badges at the EY Website

Do Space

Other Events & Contests, Uncategorized

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Have you been to the new Do Space in Omaha?  I haven’t, but I just signed up for a FREE workshop on January 10th to create a glowing hoodie sweatshirt!  I’m so excited!

Check out the website and the calendar of events below.  If you end up going to Do Space, post a comment about your experience.  Better yet, take a picture of what you created and send it to the EY coordinator at your building!

Click here for the website

Click here for the Do Space calendar

Westside Community Schools does not sponsor or endorse the organization or activity described here.  The sharing of this information is provided as a community service.

#11: Video Game Math Problems

Math Mini Sparks, Uncategorized
I have 120 minions (btw…minions can fly).  Each minion has 50 health.   The archer tower does a big damage on the minion.  The minion loses 38 health.  How much health does the minion have left?

My boys love their video games!  Minecraft, Clash of Clans, Where’s My Water…I can’t keep up with all of them.  One way I don’t go crazy with all the gaming is that I have them write math story problems that go along with the game.  Check out these problems my son Trevor wrote about Clash of Clans:                                                                                                                Image taken from https://www.flickr.com/photos/85217387@N04/8638068371ClashofClans

  1. An army camp can hold 50 spaces.  If a giant takes up 5 spaces, how many giants can fit in that army camp?
  2. I am attacking with 75 barbarians.  I place down 40 barbarians.  How many barbarians do I have left?
  3. I have 20 dark elixir.  If I attack and gain 90 dark elixir, how much dark elixir do I have now?
  4. One of my valkyries hit 2 dark elixir drills.  One drill had 100 dark elixir and the other had 59.  If I already had 1,350 dark elixir, how much do I have now?
  5. I have 10,000 gold and I spend 2,000 gold on walls.  If one wall costs 100 gold, how many walls can I get?
  6. I have 120 minions (btw…minions can fly).  Each minion has 50 health.   The archer tower does a big damage on the minion.  The minion loses 38 health.  How much health does the minion have left?
  7. I have 30,292 gold.  Overnight, somebody attacks me and gains 9,929 gold (that means I lose 9,929 gold).  How much gold do I have now?
  8. I have 1,347 trophies.  In the battle, I gain 25 more.  How many trophies do I have now?
  9. When a clan has 1,962 trophies.  Round this number to the nearest hundred.
  10. In my army camp, I can hold 200 spaces.  A giant level 4 takes up 6 spaces.  I have 2 wallbreakers that each take 2 spaces.  How much space do I have left in my army camp?
  11. A wallbreaker breaks 4 walls at a time.  If there are 6 wallbreakers, how many walls will be blown up?
  12. My clan castle can hold 30 spaces.  TiTi, a clan member, donates 5 lv 5 barbarians.  They take up 5 spaces in all in my clan castle.  How many spaces do I have now?

Spark your math thinking!

  1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #11: Video Game Math Problems
  2. On your recording page, write 12 creative math story problems to go along with a video game that you like to play.  Make an answer key for your problems as well.
  3.  On our recording page, write the step by step directions for three of your hardest problems.
  4. Answer 5 of the Clash of Clans story problems from above.  Write the number of the problem, show your math and include your answer.
  5. Share your math mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

#10: Benefits of Fire

Full STEAM Ahead, Learning Opportunities, Uncategorized

Why would anyone want to start a forest fire on purpose? In this STEAM mini spark you will find out the answer to this question along with many more ideas about this topic.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page: #10: Benefits of Fire

2. Find the answers to these questions using the sources below.

  • How can you conduct a controlled burn/prescribed burn?
  • What types of scientists/professionals work in this field?
  • What components of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) are important to the controlled burn process?

Research Links: While reading/watching each resource, record information that is new to you, is interesting, or sounds important.  

National Geographic article, Controlled Burning.

Firefighter from Florida interview question 1, “How has a place like Florida been shaped by fire?”

Firefighter from Florida interview question 2 “What does it mean to do a prescribed fire or controlled burn?”

Fontenelle Forest Website page, Prescribed Fires

Smokey Bear Website page, Benefits of Fires

National Geographic article, The Ecological Benefits of Fire

3. Record your answers to the 3 questions on your recording sheet.

4. When you are finished researching and answering the 3 questions, display your learning somehow.  Push yourself to try a new app or a new way of showing your learning.  Here are some examples:

  • Write a letter Fontenelle Forest
  • If you could interview a restoration biologist, what questions would you ask?
  • Make an infographic with terms, images, and details about the topic.

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

Check out the Natural Disaster Reporter badge at the EY website.

Early Enrichment #6: Alternative Endings

Early Enrichment, Uncategorized

 

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Have you ever wished a story ended differently in a book?

I know I have!

Maybe it was missing more action, a happy ending, or a hook that makes you want to read more.

Try your hand in being an author, and write an ending for a story. You can use a book that you have read before, or checkout the ideas at this website.

http://www.stuartstories.com/activities/finishme.html

Comment below how you would end the stories!