Category Archives: Uncategorized

EY updates

Henningsen Blog, Uncategorized

Hello! We area all working on our second quarter project-Superstars of History and I love to see the students researching and finding out about his/her specific time period. This week, the students will begin to research a specific event/person and begin to create the Superstar page. We will share these on the blog when complete! Continue reading for more information.

Events and Contests-There are tons and tons of events and contests for students on the EY blog. Check them out @ https://ey.westside66.org/category/other-events-contests/

Geography Bee- If your child is participating in the school be please encourage him/her to check out for resources https://ey.westside66.org/category/geobee/

For all children who love learning about our world-We have access from Nov. 10-Dec. 10 to a website which contains several resources. Scroll down to the “Books” section and look for “How to Ace the National Geographic Bee Official Study Guide,” and the “Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas: Earth’s Astonishing Animals and Where They Live.” http://www.galesites.com/trial/geobee/district66

Quiz Bowl-The EY team sponsored a quiz bowl at Underwood Hills on Nov 7th.  Each of the 10 buildings sent two teams.  The questions were quite challenging and I was prouf of the teams that attended-link to the event and pictures!

Math Contest Practice– Our first Math Olympiad contest is coming up next week.  If your child likes to work on math contest problems, check out Math Stars

The purpose of Math Stars is to challenge students beyond the classroom setting. Good problems can inspire curiosity about number relationships and geometric properties. It is hoped that in accepting the challenge of mathematical problem solving, students, their parents, and their teachers will be led to explore new mathematical horizons. Math Stars are in sets for Grades 1-8 and include commentaries for teachers. All Math Stars Newsletters are ready for classroom use and available for downloading as PDF files.  Link to newsletters

Engineering Learning Center-Mrs. Spady has put some info about engineering opportunities for children @ https://ey.westside66.org/category/parents/

Battle of the Books-The students are doing a great job with the book checks.  I am reading slides, helping with goal setting, and offering suggestions on how to improve projects. The students will have to read ten books and complete ten activities to attend the book celebration in the spring- but many of the students are almost to this point and it is mid November! Way to go readers!!!

Please email me with any question or concerns

Jenny

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quiz Bowl 2014

Uncategorized
Name the planet in our solar system that is closest to the sun.
Which city is the capital of Texas?
Convert the decimal 0.375 into a fraction in simplest form.
Name the family of musical instruments that includes the drums.
ani_thinkingcap

Do you know the answers to the questions above?  All are examples of the types of questions asked at a Quiz Bowl.  On Friday, November 7, eighty students from all 10 Westside elementary buildings participated in the WCS Elementary Quiz Bowl.  Teams of 4 went against each other in 15 minute rounds answering “toss-up” questions for 10 points and “bonus” questions for 5 points.

As teams were eliminated, students answered additional trivia questions on the Trivia Treasure Symbaloo.  Students also played trivia games like Kahoot and Heads-Up on the iPad.  In addition, students created “Trivia Quizzes” using Pic Collage.  When the QR code (generated on goqr.me) on the Pic Collage is scanned, the answers to the trivia questions are revealed.  Check out some of the student work on our wiki!  If you want to create your own Pic Collage with QR code, watch this video tutorial.

Many thanks go to all the retired WCS teachers and administrators who helped read questions.  We had amazing help from WMS and WHS students who helped keep the teams on track!  Thanks to Mr. Thomsen from ESU #3 (and retired from WCS) for all the organization and planning that went into the event!  A great time was had by all and we hope to offer another Quiz Bowl in the future!

Leave a comment if you know the answers to the questions at the beginning of this blog post and/or leave another trivia question for someone else to answer!

The Great Stunt!!

Uncategorized

 

tight rope walker

 

You are a stunt person preparing for the next great daredevil trick.  What should this trick be, and what needs to be considered as you prepare for it?

http://pblproject.com/page.aspx?pageid=PBL-Stuntman

Go to this website and explore the resources there.  Create a document or other presentation tool to describe your stunt!  Be creative but try to think of all things that must be considered when attempting a daredevil trick!  Share with your EY Coordinator when you are done, we are looking for more student work  to post on our showcase!

Writing Contest-Use your voice

Other Events & Contests, Uncategorized, ,

Screen Shot 2014-10-20 at 2.42.42 PMScreen Shot 2014-10-20 at 2.42.15 PM

Letters About Literature is a reading and writing contest for students in grades 4-12. Students are asked to read a book, poem or speech and write to that author (living or dead) about how the book affected them personally. Letters are judged on state and national levels. If you are in grades 4-12, you are eligible to enter the Letters About Literature reading and writing contest. Here are the Rules and Guidelines.

Please turn your work into your EY coordinator no later than Jan. 9th, 2015!!!

Screen Shot 2014-10-20 at 2.56.01 PM
Some books challenge your brain. Others touch your heart. Some books do both!
What book have you read lately that got you thinking about things you never thought about before? What book’s character made you shiver in fear or shake with laughter, clench your fists or want to hug your kid brother? What one, special book was so
powerful it became a part of YOU? Thinking and feeling are two sides of the same “brain” coin. Exploring how and why you respond to a
book—either through thoughts or emotions—is a key to understanding yourself.
Below is an excerpt from a winning letters from a past LAL contest.
Dear Mrs. Lowry,
. . . with each passing paragraph, each turned
page, each new chapter, I realized The Giver was different. I couldn’t understand why your characters had no recollection of animals. I didn’t understand the Ceremonies of Age. I didn’t understand what was meant by Release. Release. When I got to that part of your book, I became frightened . . . I have a younger sister. I reread the passage, hoping I had interpreted it wrongly. But your chilling words were still on the page. . . .It wasn’t until the end that I realized this book was a warning to this generation and to the next, to ten generations from now and 100 generations from then. It is up to us to make sure that our children’s children will always be able to ride a sled down a snowy hill. . . .
R. Pynn, Brooklyn, NY

 

More info for teachers and parents

Teaching Guide

http://www.read.gov/letters/

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.

On Cloud Nine

Uncategorized, ,

Cloud watching has been a favorite past time of kids for ages. Screen Shot 2014-10-15 at 5.49.48 PMWe see them floating by, some fluffy, some wispy, and others dark and stormy.

Here is a question for you-

Why don’t clouds fall from the sky?

Watch this PBS video- Why Do Clouds Stay Up.   You will find the answer to the question “Why don’t clouds fall from the sky”  and you will gather fun information about these big, fluffy piles of water vapor that live overhead.

Take this quiz after watching this video to show what you learned!

 

EY and Conferences

Uncategorized

Hello! Here are some updates from EY

Conferences:

I will be at PL on Wed from 5:45-7:45

Swanson on Thursday from 10-12

Please email if you would like to set up a phone conference.

Battle of the Books- I am doing my slides checks each time that we meet. I am excited to see the work done by the students, and I am also thrilled to see that there are so many children that have already read several books and completed activities! I attached the graphic organizer link here if you want to have a visual at home to help keep the kids organized. They all have one and they are keeping it in the EY folder.

Screen Shot 2014-10-13 at 7.49.52 AM
Screen Shot 2014-10-13 at 7.53.12 AM Snapple Facts

We learned how to use Haiku Deck a few weeks ago. It is a great way to showcase what the students have learned. The students explored Snapple facts, and conducted research to determine if the “facts” were true or false. You can ask your child to share this presentation with you-they are fun to see!

 

 

 

Each child took a Spelling bee qualifying test. The contestants will be released on Wednesday of this week. There will also be qualifying tests given in the next few weeks for the following events: Trivia Contest and  Geography Bee

Screen Shot 2014-10-13 at 7.45.18 AMI have made sure that all children can log into KHAN and know how to navigate the site. The math portion of Khan is wonderful, but there are also many other learning areas that the children can access.

Screen Shot 2014-10-13 at 7.43.28 AM

I am so in love with Wonderopolis. Please check it out.                                                        This site is so fun to explore and the children have unlimited learning all in one spot.

Enjoy the long weekend coming up! Please drop me a note with any questions and comments.

Jenny

 

 

Creative Problem Solving Seminar

Uncategorized

questionmarkQuestion:  What do you get when you bring together 90 young creative minds?Answer: A group of engaged learners demonstrating critical and creative thinking skills while collaborating, working as a team, and solving problems!

At the end of August, third through sixth grade students at all 10 elementary buildings were invited to submit a “Choose Your Own Adventure” story.  Over 100 stories were submitted and 90 students were invited to attend the Creative Problem Solving seminar at the Westside Community Conference Center.

As students came in, they were given a VIP name tag with a group name on the back.  You can read more about the group names on our wiki page.

IMG_7916

The first challenge of the day was to build the highest structure possible given 15 index cards, 2 straws, and 5 mailing labels.  The structure had to be on the yellow piece of paper taped to the table.  The challenge?  Hands could not enter the yellow area!  Students were given 2 straws, a fork, and 4 popsicle sticks to use as tools.  The result was a lot of communicating, problem solving and creative thinking!  Our judges (5 former Destination Imagination participants from WHS) measured the final height of the towers.  Check out what the kids built!

Next, the students rotated through five stations that put their communication and teamwork skills to the test.  Throughout the challenges, students were given tickets for displaying good teamwork and communication skills.  Students also earned tickets for their creative designs and solutions.  Tickets were placed in sacks for a chance to win a variety of prizes.

Here is a brief synopsis of each station:

  1. Random PVC parts are on the floor.  How fast can you construct a 3D figure using all of the parts?
  2. How accurately can you recreate a Lego structure after only looking at it for 2 minutes?  This station required students to pay attention to details and communicate effectively.
  3. How fast can you raise a hula hoop up from the ground, over someone’s head, and back to the ground?  Oh, and by the way, only using spoons!
  4. What are some alternate uses for a pool noodle?  A 5-gallon bucket?  A seat cushion? Teams scored points for original and creative ideas.
  5. How quickly can you pass a ball around the group making sure every person’s hands touch the ball?

The afternoon was spent working on an Explain Everything (app installed on all iPads) video.  Students were given a brief introduction to the app and a link to some additional resources.  Students were able to choose any topic for their video.  Some chose to explain the basics of a favorite sport and others chose brainteasers.  Most students didn’t have enough time to finish their video, but we encouraged them to use their E/I time back at school.

Overall, it was an exciting day and truly inspirational to witness the creative and innovative problem solvers of Westside Community Schools come together!

The Fall Festival

Uncategorized

FALL-FESTIVAL-PUMPKIN-HEADER-1024x791

You are in charge of the Fall Festival at your school.  What attractions will you offer to fit the theme (and keep costs reasonable), and how can you get students, parents, and the rest of the community excited about this upcoming event?

Go to this website and check out this challenge.  Be sure to use the student resources at the bottom of the page.

http://pblproject.com/page.aspx?pageid=PBL-ww-Fall-Carnival

You can create a flyer for your festival or a commercial that you record!  Use your imagination and create an exciting day for your school and community!

Share your product with your EY Coordinator!  We would really like to put some examples in our student showcase!

Build a Whole New World

Uncategorized

The mysterious door opened and none of the children were prepared for what was on the other side…

Words like these are what make fiction books so hard to put down.  We are taken to amazing new worlds that allow us to experience a journey with our minds as well as our senses.  The Author Kate Messner does just this – builds new “worlds” for her readers in the fiction stories that she writes.  Watch the video below on creating fictional worlds.  After watching, explore the “Think” and “Dig Deeper” sections.

http://ed.ted.com/on/AQtELfQR#watch

Some research has even shown that certain parts of your brain are stimulated (or woken up) when you read fictional stories.  So not only are they fun to read, but great brain food too!

Hopefully this challenge will inspire you to take up your pencil and begin your own journey of “world-building”!  Leave a comment and tell us about an author or book you’ve enjoyed reading.  Tell us about the fictional world that author created.