May 15th, 2023
Elementary School Resource
Objectives:
In this activity:
- Students will design a school wide beautification program.
- Students will apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment.
- Students will examine related career options in fields of horticulture and technology.
- Students will apply mathematical concepts related to the project (graphing data, analyzing data, creating and using a budget.)
Activity:
- Students brainstorm answers to the question “How do human decisions and activities have an impact upon the physical and living environment?”
- Students survey the school ground property and identify areas in need of beautification.
- Students write a letter of request to the board of education, seeking permission to participate in a beautification project; they explain that they will provide all plans for approval before initiation of any work.
- Students write letters to a landscape architect, surveyor, and horticulturist, requesting their presence as guest speakers. They will be asked to present information on landscape design, plant selection, and design implementation.
- Students take notes on different approaches to design and implementation provided during the speakers’ visitations.
- Students research various plants, their applicability to the area, and their costs.
- Students design and measure planting areas and identify the types and number of the plants on the basis of research.
- Students prepare a budget and inventory of needed supplies and materials.
- Students draw blueprints for the beautification areas.
- Students create a graphic presentation of the proposed beautification project, including all blueprints, budgets, and needed supplies. Students make presentation to school board (or school council), seeking final approval.
- Students execute the beautification design, cultivating the area and planting all seeds, bulbs, and plants.
- Students graph growth patterns and maintain a landscaper’s log.
- Students maintain the garden.
- Students discuss the various aspects of the project.
Related NY State Academic Standards: W.5.7, W.6.7, W.7.7 & more!
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May 8th, 2023
Elementary School Resource
Objective:
In this activity, students will participate in the national “Take Your Child to Work Day.”
Activity:
- “Take Your Child to Work Day” (TYCWD) describes a structure for learning before, during, and after the job-shadowing day.
- Teacher identifies the students taking part in TYCWD approximately one to two weeks before the date.
- Teacher invites these students to a pre-TYCWD meeting. At this meeting, students complete a life skills inventory sheet.
- Teacher shows a video about workplace skills and behavior. Students list skills used in video excerpts and/or role-play, showing workplace scenarios.
- On the day of the shadowing, students observe skills being used on the job and list them on the graphic organizer form.
- Students schedule and conduct an interview at the work site and take notes.
- Teacher holds a post-TYCWD meeting. In small groups or in pairs, students discuss their job-shadowing experience before whole group sharing.
- Students write thank-you notes, using the thank-you note graphic organizer.
Related NY State Academic Standards: W.3.7, SL.3.3, W.4.2.d, and more!
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May 1st, 2023
Elementary School Resource
This four minute video from History.com’s archives focuses on the real reason Mexicans celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
Related NY State Academic Standards: SS.3.TCC.4, SS.3.MOV.5.b, SS.3.MOV.5.b.2, and more!
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April 24th, 2023
Elementary School Resource
This simulation will allow students to brush up on their multiplication, division, and factoring skills with this exciting game. No calculators allowed!
Using the simulation, students will:
- Explain how the multiplication tables help understand multiply, factor and divide.
- Increase accuracy in multiplying, factoring and dividing.
Related NY State Academic Standards: 3.NBT.3, 4.OA.2, 4.OA.4, and more!
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April 17th, 2023
Elementary School Resource
This site contains two methods for writing I AM poems. These poems are good icebreakers for the beginning of the year.
Related NY State Academic Standards: ELA2.E.SW2C and ELA2.I.SW2C!
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April 10th, 2023
Elementary School Resource
In this activity, students will:
- discuss glaciers and how they change the land;
- do an activity that illustrates how glaciers change the land, and
- make a class list of what causes changes to our planet’s structure.
Related NY State Academic Standards: S.2.ESS.2.1, S.4.ESS.2.1, MST4.E.PS2, and more!
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April 3rd, 2023
Elementary School Resource
This site provides information about how plants grow that can be used by students independently or in small groups. Each “case” involves students in thinking about different aspects of plants such as plant structure, life cycle, reproduction. Questions are provided to focus student investigation into each topic related to plants. Additional links provide lessons and activities that students can do at home.
Related NY State Academic Standards: S.4.LS.1.1 and MST4.E.LE.3.1!
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March 27th, 2023
Elementary School Resource
In this activity, students will follow the steps to create a rain stick. The rain stick is a musical instrument from South America. Traditionally, rain sticks are made from the wood skeleton of a cactus. First, the thorns are pulled off and pushed back through the soft flesh of the cactus. Then the cactus is left in the sun to dry–with the thorns on the inside. Later, the hollow cactus is filled with small pebbles, and the ends are sealed with pieces of wood.
Related NY State Academic Standards: ARTS.M.E.2.1.B!
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March 20th, 2023
Elementary School Resource
This activity demonstrates how to create a spinning “blimp” using paper.
Related NY State Academic Standards: S.K-2.ETS.1.3, S.3-5.ETS.1.1, MST1.E.ED.1.4, and more!
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March 13th, 2023
Elementary School Resource
This web-based resource is an interactive web page that demonstrates the definition of a line segment. The page presents two points and a line that links them. As the points are dragged, the line moves accordingly. (See also the tutorials for line and ray.)
The page can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. After use in the classroom, student can access it again from any web browser at home or in the library with no login required.
Related NY State Academic Standards: 4.G.1, 6.G.3, and MST3.4.G.2!
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