Social Studies
Explore US History - the War of 1812
Read this Minute to spend a few more explaining this war to your students. You know, the one between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. It will be on the test. Some test. Somewhere. And there were pirates. Read the Minute.
Explore British history - the Napoleonic Wars
Kids have heard of Napoleon. They hear adults refer to the Uncle who struggles with a Napoleon complex. They recognize his picture. The short guy with his hand buried in his jacket. Beyond the basic factoid they remember from a game show, most students do not have a clue. Spend some time exploring this small man who occupies a tall space in history.
Explore military strategy - a strong Navy
There’s something just a tiny bit brilliant about the British military strategy that Author Adkins reveals in this Minute. Commandeering a Navy by designating detained trade ship crews as deserters and sending them off to fight your war is nothing short of genius. Flesh out the ideas presented in this Minute and get your kids talking about whether or not this was a good idea. What were the pros and the cons? How did this affect the ultimate outcome?
Explore US Presidents - James Madison
After Washington, Adams and Jefferson, most of us have a gap until we stumble onto number 16, Lincoln. Use this Minute to help students explore the Madison presidency. As a Founding Father, aka Father of the Constitution, member of the Constitutional Convention, sponsor of the Bill of Rights, Congressman and Secretary of State to Thomas Jefferson, Madison has an esteemed political history that students will enjoy exploring -especially when they discover his vivacious and very popular wife, Dolley.
STEM
Explore designs - building for speed
Take a closer look at Captain Thomas Boyle's answer to the Royal Navy’s bullying tactics. What is the difference between a traditional man o’ war ship and the schooner engineered for speed? Take a closer look at the difference between boat designs. What do you need to change the effect the speed?
Explore measurement - the nautical mile
Author Adkins shares a terrific graphic at the end of his Minute that speaks to the idea of nautical miles. Listen to this audio to help your students understand the difference between a mile, a nautical mile and a kilometer. How are they different? What is the origin? Why don’t we use the same scale to measure things in the world?
Explore mathematics - calculating risk
This Minute indicates the increase of the cost of insurance that elevated due to the increased risk for voyager ships. Take this opportunity to talk to your students about the math involved in calculating risk - and the reason a parent might ask them to earn enough to pay for their own car insurance someday!
Research Skills
Explore Google hacks - Using Google as a conversion tool
Time to share another Google hack! Did you know that Google search engine acts as a converter for just about anything? Just type in nautical mile to mile, or knot to mph, or pound to dollar or Fahrenheit to Celsius or just about anything to anything. Google responds with a nice conversion tool where you put in one number and get an immediate response with the conversion. Try it out - it will change your life!
Explore US History - the War of 1812
Read this Minute to spend a few more explaining this war to your students. You know, the one between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. It will be on the test. Some test. Somewhere. And there were pirates. Read the Minute.
Explore British history - the Napoleonic Wars
Kids have heard of Napoleon. They hear adults refer to the Uncle who struggles with a Napoleon complex. They recognize his picture. The short guy with his hand buried in his jacket. Beyond the basic factoid they remember from a game show, most students do not have a clue. Spend some time exploring this small man who occupies a tall space in history.
Explore military strategy - a strong Navy
There’s something just a tiny bit brilliant about the British military strategy that Author Adkins reveals in this Minute. Commandeering a Navy by designating detained trade ship crews as deserters and sending them off to fight your war is nothing short of genius. Flesh out the ideas presented in this Minute and get your kids talking about whether or not this was a good idea. What were the pros and the cons? How did this affect the ultimate outcome?
Explore US Presidents - James Madison
After Washington, Adams and Jefferson, most of us have a gap until we stumble onto number 16, Lincoln. Use this Minute to help students explore the Madison presidency. As a Founding Father, aka Father of the Constitution, member of the Constitutional Convention, sponsor of the Bill of Rights, Congressman and Secretary of State to Thomas Jefferson, Madison has an esteemed political history that students will enjoy exploring -especially when they discover his vivacious and very popular wife, Dolley.
STEM
Explore designs - building for speed
Take a closer look at Captain Thomas Boyle's answer to the Royal Navy’s bullying tactics. What is the difference between a traditional man o’ war ship and the schooner engineered for speed? Take a closer look at the difference between boat designs. What do you need to change the effect the speed?
Explore measurement - the nautical mile
Author Adkins shares a terrific graphic at the end of his Minute that speaks to the idea of nautical miles. Listen to this audio to help your students understand the difference between a mile, a nautical mile and a kilometer. How are they different? What is the origin? Why don’t we use the same scale to measure things in the world?
Explore mathematics - calculating risk
This Minute indicates the increase of the cost of insurance that elevated due to the increased risk for voyager ships. Take this opportunity to talk to your students about the math involved in calculating risk - and the reason a parent might ask them to earn enough to pay for their own car insurance someday!
Research Skills
Explore Google hacks - Using Google as a conversion tool
Time to share another Google hack! Did you know that Google search engine acts as a converter for just about anything? Just type in nautical mile to mile, or knot to mph, or pound to dollar or Fahrenheit to Celsius or just about anything to anything. Google responds with a nice conversion tool where you put in one number and get an immediate response with the conversion. Try it out - it will change your life!
© Karen Sterling, 2018 - May be used for educational purposes without written permission