English/Language Arts
Explore lead sentences - leading with a question
If you have been reading Minutes throughout the school year - and we really hope you have - you have seen this suggestion multiple times. If you have pointed out these question leads and worked with them before, think about stepping it up a notch. Go through and list the Minutes that have started with a question and have students determine what content area the Minute aligns with most closely. Does it feel like these are mostly used in science Minutes? Social Studies? Biographical Minutes? Are some authors more likely to use them than others? If so, does that tell you something about style? Have students try out question leads by rewriting an encyclopedia article with some voice (and a question).
STEM
Explore the science of sound
Notice how Author Cobb designs an informal experiment for students to test their hearing. Do you have some televisions kicking around your school? I know we have some in storage. Ask the custodian to pull one out for you and have students check their hearing and create a class graph. Discuss other experiments they can design to check hearing. Explore the decibel scale and do some comparisons. Look at the anatomy of an ear, and explore the movement of sound. Ask students if they have ever tried measuring the distance away of a thunderstorm by measuring the time between the lightning and thunder.
Music
Explore ear health
Use this Minute to get your students thinking about noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). According to research shared by the Hearing Health Foundation, professional musicians are nearly four times more likely to suffering NIHL than the general public. Educate them about the risks and how they can avoid overly loud noises.
Research Skills
Explore NatGeo Playlists
Finding good information on YouTube can be daunting. An estimated three hundred hours of video is uploaded every minute! National Geographic Kids curates playlists for a wide variety of subjects. Check out this playlist on sound. Using curated playlists from reputable professionals can save young researchers (all researchers) loads of time. Check out NatGeo Playlists.
Explore lead sentences - leading with a question
If you have been reading Minutes throughout the school year - and we really hope you have - you have seen this suggestion multiple times. If you have pointed out these question leads and worked with them before, think about stepping it up a notch. Go through and list the Minutes that have started with a question and have students determine what content area the Minute aligns with most closely. Does it feel like these are mostly used in science Minutes? Social Studies? Biographical Minutes? Are some authors more likely to use them than others? If so, does that tell you something about style? Have students try out question leads by rewriting an encyclopedia article with some voice (and a question).
STEM
Explore the science of sound
Notice how Author Cobb designs an informal experiment for students to test their hearing. Do you have some televisions kicking around your school? I know we have some in storage. Ask the custodian to pull one out for you and have students check their hearing and create a class graph. Discuss other experiments they can design to check hearing. Explore the decibel scale and do some comparisons. Look at the anatomy of an ear, and explore the movement of sound. Ask students if they have ever tried measuring the distance away of a thunderstorm by measuring the time between the lightning and thunder.
Music
Explore ear health
Use this Minute to get your students thinking about noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). According to research shared by the Hearing Health Foundation, professional musicians are nearly four times more likely to suffering NIHL than the general public. Educate them about the risks and how they can avoid overly loud noises.
Research Skills
Explore NatGeo Playlists
Finding good information on YouTube can be daunting. An estimated three hundred hours of video is uploaded every minute! National Geographic Kids curates playlists for a wide variety of subjects. Check out this playlist on sound. Using curated playlists from reputable professionals can save young researchers (all researchers) loads of time. Check out NatGeo Playlists.
© Karen Sterling, 2018 - May be used for educational purposes without written permission