My father (84 years old) speaks of the horse-drawn wagon that carried ice to his parent's icebox in his youth. In the corner of my living room, I have an ice box replica that my father built . Chances are you will have some students who may pull a memory from something their grandparents or great grandparents have shared with them. This ice business makes for one fascinating read!
|
English/Language Arts
Explore time in writing - tenses
One of the things every author controls is the passage of time in their writing. An author can explode a moment into dozens of pages, or collapse a decade - or century - into a single phrase or sentence. An author can, as Pringle does in this Minute, discuss the past in the present tense, a choice that brings an era to life for young readers. Talk with your students about the use of tense in writing. Brainstorm a list of choices available for each writer, and the effects those choices have on the reader. Challenge them rewrite a piece from from their journal in a different tense and reflect on how that change affects the reader’s comprehension and engagement.
Social Studies
Explore the ebb and flow of industry
The ice industry is only one example of an industry that was nonexistent until someone created a need, peaked, and then fell as technology replaced the method of fulfilling demand. Have your students brainstorm to think of other industries that have come and gone in the course of human history. What industries have enjoyed a fairly even amount of demand relative to population size? Are some industries geographically dependent? Culturally dependent? Lack of technology manufacturing tools dependent? Practice gathering information and then drawing conclusions.
STEM
Explore cooling, refrigeration and insulation
The ability to cool things down goes beyond food storage. Buildings also need efficient ways to exchange heat. Let your students explore the possibilities of efficient cooling. What materials make the best insulators? Challenge them to design a science experiment to test out their hypotheses. How do refrigerators and air conditioners work? What is freon and why should we care? What is the most efficient way to cool with the least environmental impact?
Art
Explore ice sculpture
Ice is a medium unlike any other when it comes to creating! Have your students explore the intricacies of ice sculptures. How is it done? Can they be purchased locally? How long do they last? Do your students know that they can actually stay in ice hotels? Take a look at some of these from around the world and discuss how the medium affects the design and artistic choices.
FCS/Nutrition
Explore food safety
This Minute is a great starting point for a discussion about the importance of storing food at temperatures that keep it safe. What is the required temperature for freezing food? Can everything be frozen (take a look at this Minute for a refresher)? How long do things last in the freezer - is there still a shelf life?
Research Skills
Explore reliable history sites on the web
There are lots of history sites on the free web, but not all of them are created equal! Use this topic - the business of ice - to do some history searching and compare the quality of the information you find. What make a site easy to navigate? What creates challenges that make you want to leave and try something else? Are the best results the first results? Have students generate a list of quality history sites after they develop a criteria set for evaluation.
Explore time in writing - tenses
One of the things every author controls is the passage of time in their writing. An author can explode a moment into dozens of pages, or collapse a decade - or century - into a single phrase or sentence. An author can, as Pringle does in this Minute, discuss the past in the present tense, a choice that brings an era to life for young readers. Talk with your students about the use of tense in writing. Brainstorm a list of choices available for each writer, and the effects those choices have on the reader. Challenge them rewrite a piece from from their journal in a different tense and reflect on how that change affects the reader’s comprehension and engagement.
Social Studies
Explore the ebb and flow of industry
The ice industry is only one example of an industry that was nonexistent until someone created a need, peaked, and then fell as technology replaced the method of fulfilling demand. Have your students brainstorm to think of other industries that have come and gone in the course of human history. What industries have enjoyed a fairly even amount of demand relative to population size? Are some industries geographically dependent? Culturally dependent? Lack of technology manufacturing tools dependent? Practice gathering information and then drawing conclusions.
STEM
Explore cooling, refrigeration and insulation
The ability to cool things down goes beyond food storage. Buildings also need efficient ways to exchange heat. Let your students explore the possibilities of efficient cooling. What materials make the best insulators? Challenge them to design a science experiment to test out their hypotheses. How do refrigerators and air conditioners work? What is freon and why should we care? What is the most efficient way to cool with the least environmental impact?
Art
Explore ice sculpture
Ice is a medium unlike any other when it comes to creating! Have your students explore the intricacies of ice sculptures. How is it done? Can they be purchased locally? How long do they last? Do your students know that they can actually stay in ice hotels? Take a look at some of these from around the world and discuss how the medium affects the design and artistic choices.
FCS/Nutrition
Explore food safety
This Minute is a great starting point for a discussion about the importance of storing food at temperatures that keep it safe. What is the required temperature for freezing food? Can everything be frozen (take a look at this Minute for a refresher)? How long do things last in the freezer - is there still a shelf life?
Research Skills
Explore reliable history sites on the web
There are lots of history sites on the free web, but not all of them are created equal! Use this topic - the business of ice - to do some history searching and compare the quality of the information you find. What make a site easy to navigate? What creates challenges that make you want to leave and try something else? Are the best results the first results? Have students generate a list of quality history sites after they develop a criteria set for evaluation.
© Karen Sterling, 2018 - May be used for educational purposes without written permission