What an amazing day! Ninety-eight 4th-6th grade students from all ten elementary schools participated in the 1st Annual Westside Community Schools Science Olympiad. Students had a fun-filled day exploring science concepts like density, simple machines, and measurement. In teams of two, students used their observation and estimating skills to complete four activities. Here are a few picture and video highlights from the day.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Innovation Updates, Conferences, and Contest Opportunity
Update Grade 4
The end of the quarter is here, and we are wrapping up our 3rd quarter science theme “innovation”. Grade 4 students have been exploring innovations and inventions. They are also working very hard on grade 5 math concepts using Khan and mini lessons taught by me during our EY time. Each week the kids set a personal goal on Khan. Our final goal is to have all 100 % of the grade 5 concepts mastered by the end of April. When you get a chance, ask your child about his/her Grade 5 Khan %. We finished up all of our fraction lessons last week, and will spend the month of March working on decimals. We will do the 5th Math Olympiad Contest next week. Wordly Wise units will continue during the 4th quarter. Please remind your child to complete the “Fields of Science” assignment on the EY blog if he/she is interested in attending the science event at the CCC on March 25th.
Update Grade 5/6
The grade 5/6 students have been learning about science using the innovations presented in Nova’s “Making Stuff” series . The grade 5/6 students will share keynotes outlining new learnings. The grade 5 and 6 students have also been working on lessons in Wordly Wise. I like correcting the units with the children since we spend time on the problems that might not have one right answer. This time gives the children a chance to support his/her answer and do a bit of debating. We will do the 5th Math Olympiad Contest next week. Please remind your child to complete the “Fields of Science” assignment on the EY blog if he/she is interested in attending the science event at the CCC on March 25th.
Conferences
I will split my conference time between Prairie Lane and Swanson. I plan on being at Swanson on Tuesday from 1-4:30 and PL from 5-8:00. On Wednesday, I will be at Swanson from 1:00-4:00 and will be at PL in the evening. I will try to make as many of the classroom conferences as I can. These times may not work for your family, so please send me an email if you would like to set up a time to meet, or we could also do a phone conference if you would like! jhenningsen@westside66.org
Contest Opportunity
Google is offering a doodling contest for students that connects with our theme “Innovation”
This year we’re asking K-12 students to create their doodles based on the theme “If I Could Invent One Thing to Make the World a Better Place…” To enter the competition simply download the application form, print it, doodle your version of the Google logo based off this year’s theme and submit online or by mail.The due date for submission is March 20th.
This would be something fun to check out over the weekend.
http://www.google.com/doodle4google/index.html
Thank you for all of your support!
Jenny
Nanotechnology
What’s the big deal about nanotechnology? How small is a nanometer and what kinds of objects are measured that way? You’ll find the answers to these questions and more by exploring the What Is Nano site.
Go to whatisnano.org site and learn something new about nanotechnology. When you are finished, go to this form and fill out the required information.
Young Scientist Challenge
Life is full of opportunities to seek out innovative solutions to everyday issues. The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge celebrates students in grades 5-8 who find innovative solutions for these issues.
For this week’s learning opportunity, check out the Contest Archives and see what students have done in the past. When you click on the link, the Contest Archives are on the right (from 2013 to 2008). Click on a year and then scroll down on the page to find links to 10 finalists. When you’re finished, go to the form and fill out the required information.
One last thing…the 2014 Challenge is open until April 22. You still have time to create a 1-2 minute video and submit it! There are some amazing prizes and opportunities so check it out!
Contest Archives Link: http://www.youngscientistchallenge.com/contest-archives
Link to Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1uUeC4dIN_JraT3Gu5Uk3qlwWFE-4wpR1W2jFiZ5JH94/viewform
EY Update Feb
******Science and Math Opportunities*******
Opportunity # 1
EVENT: EY Science Olympiad at CCC
Date: 4/25/14
Fee: To attend students must complete the assignment
“Fields of Science” found @
https://ey.westside66.org/tag/innovationq3/
Due date: March 3rd, 2014
I plan on going over the “Field of Science” assignment with the kids this upcoming week. Attending the Science Olympiad is not mandatory, but if your child wants to attend on the 25th of March, the assignment above is the “ticket in the door”.
Opportunity # 2
Young Scientist Challenge
Who knows…we may have a young scientist out there ready to change the world! Check this out if your child has an interest in this area.
It looks like the contest is due April 22 and there are several resources on the site including previous winners, insider tips, science lesson plans, and experiments.
Opportunity # 3
PhET
PhET is a site filled with free online physics, chemistry, biology, earth science, and math simulations. Find a simulation or two or three or four by clicking on the link below. When you leave a comment, list the name of the simulation(s) you explored and then share something new you learned. Playing the simulation might also prompt you to do a little more research on the topic. List that information as well!
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/category/new
Click on a simulation and then click Run Now! Have fun exploring!
EY Math Opportunity
We took the 4th Math Olympiad this week. We will work through strategies to solve the contest problems next week, and I will offer follow up problems that will allow the children to practice!
Sample problem from the contest:
Fields of Science
For this week’s learning opportunity, check out the fields of science website below and explore the various fields of science. Pick one that you’ve never heard of before and do a little research. When you’re finished, go to the form and fill in the required information.
Fields of Science: http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/science-definition.html
PhET
PhET is a site filled with free online physics, chemistry, biology, earth science, and math simulations. Find a simulation or two or three or four by clicking on the link below. When you leave a comment, list the name of the simulation(s) you explored and then share something new you learned. Playing the simulation might also prompt you to do a little more research on the topic. List that information as well!
NOTE: When leaving comments, only put your first name and do not leave your email.
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/category/new
Click on a simulation and then click Run Now! Have fun exploring!
Inventions Invented!
We have been turning out some amazing inventions over the past couple weeks. From Natural Powered Robo Hands to zip line drink carriers, we have broken into new frontiers in the world of invention! One of our focused invention builds was based on “junk” items found around the house. The students were asked to use at least 10 items and create a unique invention from those items. It is amazing to see what can be produced from the simplest of objects!
View “junk” invention in action: IMG_2933
The students jumped into the role of structural engineers in order to design and build the strongest bridge possible from 25 straws, tape, and paper clips. We focused on the engineering design process (an 8 step process) to find a solution to the challenge. Their design creations were all so unique and all withstood the test of weights ranging from washers to dictionaries! Here are a few examples…
SNOW DAY Bonus Learning Opportunity
Rube Goldberg adjective: doing something simple in a very complicated way that is not necessary
Have you ever heard of Rube Goldberg? This video will give you some basics and will also provide you with some examples. http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/rube-goldberg-the-father-of-inventions/
This Sesame Street video shows a Rube Goldberg machine shooting a basketball. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mTjSYzK01c
Here’s a very elaborate Rube Goldberg machine: http://www.wimp.com/gomachine/
What information can you find out about Rube Goldberg? Learn something new, share your ideas, and don’t forget to cite your sources!
Innovative Thinking and Inventions
How old do you think you need to be in order to become a CEO? What about a writer or illustrator? How much schooling do you need to be a fashion designer? What about an entrepreneur? One might think it would take 2-4 years of college and several years of experience, but at the ripe old age of 8, Maya Penn started doing all of these things!
In her TED Talk, Maya talks about her passions and interests and why she does what she does. Check out her website (which she coded herself in html) Maya’s Ideas and watch her TED Talk here: http://www.ted.com/talks/maya_penn_meet_a_young_entrepreneur_cartoonist_designer_activist.html
I watched a webinar today and learned the meaning of “flow”. Psychology professor Mihály Csíkszentmihályi coined the term and simply put, flow is a feeling of complete engagement in a creative or playful activity. You could say Maya Penn experiences ‘flow’ as she designs clothes and creates animations.
What about you? What do you like to do that creates ‘flow’ in your life? What are your passions and interests? Are you working on an invention or new idea? Do you like to write? Are you composing your own music?
Young people are capable of doing amazing things! Leave a comment and answer one or more of the above bolded questions. You can also research a young inventor by using one of the links below. Feel free to research other inventors and use other sources-just make sure to cite your source! As an added bonus, I stumbled upon a rubber band contest. Check it out and start inventing!
iKids: http://www.inventivekids.com/category/young-inventors-2/
Children of Invention: http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0768091.html
Rubber Band Contest: http://rubberbandcontest.org/