Messages From the SMARTLibrary
Comfort, Caring and Challenges For Your Family
Greetings,
Checkout this week's challenge. Email photos of your work to jennifer.wheeler@mead354.org.
Have you met your typing goal?
You can work on your typing goals over the summer. If you have questions now or this summer about, typing, your username, or your passcode, email jennifer.wheeler@mead354.org.
Here is a list of typing goals by grade level:
First Grade: Typing Club
Learn the home row by completing lessons 1-16 without looking at your hands when
Second: Typing Club
Master the home row by finishing lessons up to lesson 51. This is a BIG goal!
Third: Typing.com
Complete the beginning level of Typing.com
Fourth: Typing.com
Complete the beginning level and more of Typing.com
Make an individual goal.
Want something new? Try the choice board. When you have four in a row, let me know and I will get a prize to you!
Go on a Virtual Field Trip!
San Diego Zoo The San Diego Zoo has a website just for kids with amazing videos, activities, and games. Enjoy the tour!
Yellowstone National Park Virtual Field Trip Mud Volcano, Mammoth Hot Springs, and so much more. Tour Yellowstone National Park!
MARS!!! Explore the surface of Mars on the Curiosity Rover. 360 Mode offers a digital view!
Animal Cameras Live Cams at the San Diego Zoo Monterey Bay Aquarium live cams Panda Cam at Zoo Atlanta 6 Animal Cams at Houston Zoo Georgia Aquarium has Jellyfish, Beluga Whales, and more
Virtual Farm Tour This Canadian site FarmFood 360 offers 11 Virtual Tours of farms from minks, pigs, and cows, to apples and eggs.
U.S. Space and Rocket Museum in Huntsville, See the Saturn 5 Rocket on YouTube and more on this tour thanks to a real father/son outing.
Discovery Education Virtual Field Trips A few of the field trip topics include Polar Bears and the Tundra Social Emotional Skills STEM manufacturing
The Louvre Travel to Paris, France to see amazing works of art at The Louvre with this virtual field trip.
The Great Wall of China This Virtual Tour of the Great Wall of China is beautiful and makes history come to life.
Challenge #9 Create Ephemera Artwork From Nature
Ephemeral (lasting for a short time)
Watch the video showcasing Andy Goldsworthy’s work. Create something from nature. It can be done alone or with your family.
Send a photo to Mrs. Wheeler if you like.
Challenge #8 Family Fun Coding Event LIVE!
Check out this week's Envelop Variables worksheet or build your own cardboard computer and "program" it using printable Unplugged Blocks. Join Hadi, creator of code.org live on camera next week Wednesday at 10:00
If you’d like a chance to share your code creations on next week’s episode, make sure to share the modified apps or the cardboard computer you created! Ask your parents to post your project on Twitter using #CodeBreak (or email it to us at codebreaktech@code.org) or send it to jennifer.wheeler@meade354.org.
This week’s Code Break
Don’t forget to add Code Break to your calendar on Wednesday at 10:00. Mrs. Wheeler will be there!
Click below for your Monday Morning Movie.
Challenge #7 Create a Spinning Wheel
Background: A brain break is a short 3–5 minute activity that usually gets your blood pumping. Even when you’re stuck inside all day, you can still get a little exercise—and have fun while doing it. Your brain break can consist of a mini-dance party, some jumping jacks, or a Go Noodle video.
Materials Needed: cardboard, scissors, colored paper or markers, toothpicks or pushpins, fidget spinner or paper clip
Considerations: As you begin designing your spinning wheel, consider these questions:
• How many options will you include on your wheel?
• What is the probability that you land on each option?
• If you like one option more than another, how can you increase the probability of landing on that option?
• How could you design your spinning wheel to easily change out the options?
• How else might you use a spinning wheel to make decisions?
Goal:
1. Watch the videos on this playlist or this student-created tutorial for ideas on making your own spinning wheel: bit.ly/wheelplaylist. bit.ly/tutorialSW.
2. Gather your materials.
3. Build your spinning wheel.
4. Test it out!
Modifications for Younger Learners: Give learners a template for a spinning wheel. Have them represent their choices with pictures and suggest that an older sibling or guardian adds text labels for the learner
bit.ly/templateSW
Challenge #6 Create an optical illusion.
Email your drawings as video or photos to jennifer.wheeler@mead354.org.
Considerations: As you plan your optical illusion, consider these questions:
Typing Leader Board
Our 1st Grade goal was to complete lessons 1-16 while earning five stars on each lesson before the end of the year. Masterful Mikio blasted through the first grade goal and is close hitting the second grade goal! It looks like most of our typists forgot they needed 5 stars before they go on to the next level. Hey kids, can you go back and get all the stars! Our 2nd Grade goal was to master the home row by finishing lessons up to 51 before the end of the year. This is a BIG goal. Savvy Sophia blasted through that goal and is on lesson 79. WOW! We have many who are doing great work but they need to go back and find their missing stars! Beat that Ninja! He is tough so you all need to be tenacious! See if you can go back and get all those stars. These 3rd grade students completed beginning typing and met this year’s goal early: Eve, Laine, Chalyce, Samson, Mercy, Zoey, Jaiden, Audra, Rosabella, Lexi, LouCylle, Landon Haylie also completed intermediate Queen Bee: Taleah aced typing Intermediate and Advanced Hey third graders make sure you login with Google so I can list your name on the leader board for typing excellence! 4th Graders: I created accounts for all of you in typing.com. The third graders have a huge head start. Can you catch them? Elizabeth, Logan, Ellie have already met the third grade goal. Wow these are some terrific typists!
Challenge #5 Redesign Common Spaces
Your Challenge: Redesign common spaces to meet social-distancing guidelines.
Background: With the current social-distancing guidelines requiring us to wear masks and stay six feet away from each other, it can be challenging to stay connected. Common spaces like movie theaters, stores, coffee shops, classrooms, and restaurants aren’t being used right now so we can slow the spread of the virus. What if we could use them? How would they need to change?
- Considerations: As you start designing, consider these questions:
- What can you include to help people stay connected even when they can’t be right next to each other?
- What are the most important parts of social interaction?
- How does body language and facial expression contribute to feeling connected to each other? How do you incorporate this element of human interaction?
1. Pick a common space (e.g., movie theater, coffee shop, cafeteria) used to hang out or connect with friends and family.
2. Use an online design program, like Homestyler.com or Planner5D.com, or paper and pencil to design your space. Graph paper helps you draw straight lines and scale drawings.
3. Label your design with the features that meet social-distancing guidelines or create a video presentation of your design.
4. Email Mrs. Wheeler your plan or get your parents' permission to share your plan with the world and tag #thinkerspacechallenge.
Modifications for Younger Learners: Have students sketch a map of their bedroom or house. Slightly older students can turn a familiar space into their dream space. Have students draw on paper, in Google Drawings, or a program like homestyler.com or planner5d.comThis versatile tool helps teachers build a digital community
Parent Resources:
Help parents establish a learning space for their kids
Monday Morning Movie
Challenge for the week of April 27
April 20 Challenge: Get a Library Card
It is quick and easy. You will get the card immediately. You can access Tumblebooks (audiobooks with games and activities)
April 20: Make a Pig Pen Cipher
1. Use a pigpen cipher to decode the secret message in this picture, which will reveal your next challenge.
2. When you’ve finished the second challenge, post a picture and share it with the rest of the world to solve. Use #thinkerspacechallenge.
Background: A cipher is a special code used to disguise a message. The pigpen cipher replaces each letter with a symbol, which is part of a larger grid. The Freemasons used this type of cipher frequently to record and protect the history of their organization, which is why it is commonly known as the Freemason’s cipher.
Materials Needed: Paper, pencil
Considerations: As you make a cipher, consider these questions:
• How would you use a code to send a secret message?
• What other grids or geometric shapes could you use to create a pigpen cipher?
• How would you stealthily communicate the cipher to help the recipient decipher the message?
This lesson from Creative Learning
Week of April 13: Make a Face Mask
Background: Hospitals across the world are low on protective gear, like face masks and shields. People, just like you, are designing and making these items for healthcare professionals to use. (My research has not revealed that health care workers need masks in Spokane, yet)
Your Challenge: Use materials found in your house to design a protective face mask or shield. Send Mrs Wheeler a photo.
Materials Needed: A variety of household items like: rubber bands; elastic bands; double-sided tape; foam strips; felt; sheet protectors or plastic report covers; any kind of hard plastic sheeting for face shields; vacuum bags; cloth diapers; cotton; dish towels; pillowcases; napkins; screen (extra from a screen door); duct tape; fabric, etc.
Considerations: As you design the mask or shield, consider these questions:
1. Will the mask protect the wearer from germs in the air?2. Is it comfortable?
3. Does the mask create a seal to prevent particles from getting inside?
4. Is it easy to replicate (or make over and over again)?
If someone finds a place where we can send them, email me at jennifer.wheeler@mead354.org.
Individual Coding Challenge:
Monday Morning Movie
1. It must be in focus
2. It must be appropriate for all ages including a kindergarteners and grandmas
3. Your parent must send it to jennifer.wheeler@mead354.org
Some photos posted by parents to Dojo or posted on FB might be included too.
There is Still Time to Make a Family Media Plan
Logging into Google Accounts
One way to connect to students is in Google Classroom through a student's Google Account. These accounts can be reached at home using the following steps :
Go to Google.com
- Click sign in.
- Type in your username@mead354.org where it asks for an email.
- Type in your password (It is the same password used to log into your Chromebook.)
- Hello ID may come up. No worries. type the username again without@mead354.org and then the password.
Younger students brought cards home on Monday. If a student needs a username or passcode, email Mrs. Wheeler. at jennifer.wheeler@mead354.org. This movie video, created by Stephanie Feist, demonstrates how to login.
This link will connect to Google Classroom.
Fourth and Fifth Grade Electives
Bookmaking
3D Printing
Tai Chi
Photography
Yearbook
Watercolor
Drawing
Email jennifer.wheeler@mead354.org if you want to finish your last week of electives.