Activity extra: End of school 2005

June Joys

While this puzzler for primary and intermediate students has definite requirements -- the specified letter must appear somewhere within the answer which must relate to the topic -- no one method is best for finding answers, and any one of a large number of responses is equally correct. Whether they brainstorm with others, use their own knowledge, or check print and computer-based resources, students will be practicing good research strategies.

When students have completed the puzzler, let them list all their different answers to create a word find or crossword puzzle for other classes. Adding that activity will require them to find appropriate clues providing another opportunity to improve research skills.

J Vacations. Find a great place to visit with the letter "J".

U Birds. Name a bird with the letter "U."

N Flowers. Find a flower with the letter "N."

E Outdoor games. Name a game with the letter "E."

J Reading outdoors. Choose an author or a title you like containing the letter "J."

O Barbecuing and eating outdoors. Name a food with the letter "O" that is cooked on a barbecue or often eaten outdoors.

Y Summer days. Find a word with the letter "Y" that describes summer days or hot weather.

S Camping. Name an item with the letter "S" that you take on a camping trip.

Possible answers:

  • Juneau, Alaska, Jamestown National Historic Site, Virginia
  • blUebird, nUthatch
  • carNation, hyaciNth
  • tEnnis, jump ropE
  • Jumanji, Ezra Jack Keats
  • hOt dogs, cOrn on the cob
  • steamY, sunnY
  • Sleeping bags, diShes


First published in June 1997, pp. 15-16

Previous issues, 2004-2005

Spring 2005: Making math matter

Does the math department know how to find the media center? Not according to many of you who complain that you never see math teachers there except for personal purposes. By accepting their assertion that there is no connection between their curriculum and your resources, you keep them and their students from learning important concepts included in the national mathematics standards and undoubtedly incorporated in your state's standards as well.

These teachers were never required to do extensive research when pursuing their degrees and therefore did not become comfortable with libraries. However, if you look at the textbooks in use, you will find that in addition to the familiar problems at the end of each chapter, project activities are frequently suggested.

Jay Lipper, math teacher at Morristown High School, Morristown, N.J., brought to the media center a copy of a research project suggested in the D.C. Heath textbook he uses with his Algebra II classes. Designed so students discover the historical roots of the discipline, it suggested that groups of four pursue the contributions of the following civilizations and countries:

  1. Egypt
  2. Greece
  3. India
  4. Arabia
  5. China
  6. Persia
  7. Germany
  8. Babylon
The groups had to explore four topics relating to their assigned area: the type of mathematics used, the role of variables and symbols employed, the mathematical terminology of the time, and the real-life purpose to which they applied mathematics.

To further assist the teacher, the project description recommended a specific role for each group member. The historian's job was to investigate the first topic. The researcher was to work with the historian, concentrating on the second aspect. The secretary was to do visuals to be used when the group made its oral presentation. The reporter had to organize the report and make the presentation.

While the textbook's suggestions represent what appears to be a logical division of tasks, some adjustments were necessary. Two of the topics for research are not assigned to any of the four group members. The reporter has nothing to do while others are busily working. Classes of 32 (4 students in a group, 8 groups) seem unusually large. If there are that many, the reporter can work on the real-life purpose served by the mathematics, and the researcher or historian can deal with creating the glossary. If fewer students are in the class, the task of reporter and secretary can be combined in one person.

The process

As always, students arrived in the media center confident of their ability to use the Internet to find what they needed. Although they were eager to begin, the library media specialist pointed out the print material, both reference and circulating, that she had pulled to speed their search. She suggested they check both the history of mathematics and the history of the country (for all but Germany) in a general encyclopedia, indicating that several were available online to identify key ideas and, in some cases, people.

The handout of "Helpful Websites," listed below, got most groups started, although many preferred to do their own searches. Only when they explored irrelevant sites were they directed to the list.

Students were reminded at various points to focus on the assignment requirements. Too often they would select for inclusion an incredible range of extraneous information. Questions as to whether certain facts could be connected to algebra or were a part of geometry or trigonometry were referred to Mr. Lipper. Particularly in the early history, the various disciplines overlap. The teacher, as content specialist, is the best arbiter in this situation.

Wrap up

Three sessions were devoted to research. The more conscientious students also found time to come to the media center during study periods. Others simply continued the process at home.

The results were highly positive from the teacher's point of view as his class had a better grasp of how mathematics has evolved, and he could then move them toward seeing how its evolution continues. In addition to what they had learned about math, students had a chance to practice search skills in a new context. The library media specialist was particularly pleased. Not only had everyone involved gained from their time spent researching, but an old myth had been laid to rest.

Helpful web sites



First published in April 2000, p. 3


Earlier issues

Winter 2005: The Ides of March

"Beware the Ides of March" is such a common phrase that even students who have barely heard of William Shakespeare or Julius Caesar know it. egin the activity by asking them to explain what they think it means. Talk about "ide" as a common suffix, and then let them search dictionaries, encyclopedias, and quotation books for answers to the clues.

Those who complete the task quickly can find out about the source of the quotation, the reason for the assassination, and the way the Roman calendar identified dates. At the conclusion, they can report to the class on the results of their research. Students will not only have polished basic research skills but will also have learned a bit about history.

Questions

Use the dictionary and other reference sources to find these "ide" words.
  1. - - - - - IDE: the chemical name for table salt is sodium _____________
  2. - - - IDE: the opposite of multiply
  3. - - IDE she marries the groom
  4. - IDE broad
  5. - IDE ebb and neap are type of this
  6. - - IDE "______ goeth before destruction"; also a group of lions
  7. - - - IDE the opposite of outside
  8. - - IDE to lead
  9. - - - IDE determine or resolve
  10. - - IDE the way you move on skates
  11. - - IDE a type of trombone with a u-shaped bend
  12. - - - IDE along with mock, a synonym of ridicule
  13. - - - - IDE a particle accelerator causes particles to do this with the nucleus of an atom
  14. - - - - IDE to supply or furnish
  15. - - - - - IDE a 2/3 vote of Congress will do this to a presidential veto
Some definitions from The World Book Dictionary (Doubleday)

Answers

  2. chlor IDE
  3. div IDE
  4. br IDE
  5. w IDE
  6. t IDE
  7. pr IDE
  8. ins IDE
  9. gu IDE
  10. dec IDE
  11. gl IDE
  12. sl IDE
  13. der IDE
  14. coll IDE
  15. prov IDE
  16. over IDE
This first appeared in March 1992

End of year 2004: During his presidency Rather than have students look up rote facts about the presidents, challenge them to engage in a multi-step exploration of great world events that occurred during various presidencies. While they must locate factual information which is either right or wrong to complete their responses, they are also required to make choices and assessments based on what captures their interest. Divide students into groups with each group working on one question, then reporting its findings to the class. A time line can be a helpful visual in putting the events and presidents into chronological order.

Questions:

  1. James Monroe was president when this Russian circled the southernmost continent. Find out about other explorations of this area.
  2. Dwight D. Eisenhower was president when the first successful climb to the world's highest mountain was made. Name other notable climbs.
  3. George H.W. Bush was president when an earthquake hit this Middle Eastern country. How bad was it? Find out more about famous earthquakes and what causes them.
  4. Chester A. Arthur was president when this volcanic island erupted. Where is it located? What happened?
  5. Gerald Ford was president when a combined British and French company began passenger service on this new type of airplane. What was special about it? Draw or describe it.
  6. Abraham Lincoln was president when this British monarch was crowned and eventually became known for _______________________.
  7. Lyndon B. Johnson was president when the World Health Organization set up a vaccination program to eliminate this deadly disease related to cowpox. Why was it important? How successful was the program?
  8. George Washington was in the first year of his presidency when this Canadian explorer mapped the river named for him. Where in Canada is it? What else did he accomplish?
  9. William Howard Taft was president when this ship sank. What happened?
  10. The future 32nd President contracted this crippling disease when _______________ was president. The Sabin vaccine which is used to prevent it was first given to children during the term of ______________.

Answers:

  1. January 1821--Fabian von Bellingshausen of the Russian Imperial Navy circled Antarctica. One took place in 1911 when Roald Amundsen's expedition reached the South Pole.
  2. In May 1953 Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, his Sherpa guide, reached the peak of Mt. Everest. In 1956, a Swiss group climbed it twice.
  3. June 21, 1990--earthquake in Iran, 35,000+ killed 100,000 hurt. In 1755 one hit Lisbon, killing 60,000. They are caused by the movements of plates which change the geography of continents.
  4. In 1883, Krakatoa located in Indonesia caused a 120-foot-high tidal wave, killing 36,000 people.
  5. In January 1976, the Concorde, a supersonic plane which flies faster than the speed of sound, went into service.
  6. Victoria was crowned in 1837, ruling until her death in 1901. Her reign, called the Victorian Age, defined both fashion and culture, and she ruled over the greatest extension of Britain's power.
  7. In 1967, WHO began the effort to wipe out smallpox, a highly contagious disease that once killed millions and frequently disfigured survivors. It was eliminated in 1980.
  8. In 1789, Andres Mackenzie discovered the longest river in Canada, located in what is now the Northwest Territories between Great Slave Lake and the Beaufort Sea. Four years later he crossed the Rockies to reach the Pacific.
  9. The Titanic sank in April 1912 after hitting an iceberg, killing 1,503 people.
  10. In August 1921 Franklin D. Roosevelt contracted polio when Warren G. Harding was president. John F. Kennedy was president in 1961.


Fall 2004: Speaking of elections

The barrage of media coverage ensures that even the youngest are aware of presidential elections, but without the vocabulary they miss many things they would otherwise understand. Use this activity to help students in primary through junior high acquire the terminology that permeates the process. (Limit first to third graders to terms with asterisks and simple discussions and activities.) Finding the definitions is only the first step. To learn what the words actually mean, students should use them. Create a variety of projects that put the information into action. Possibilities include:
  • Preparing a bulletin board showing the events leading from the announcement of a plan to run for president to the inauguration with sidebars describing related concepts such as the role of the media.
  • Mounting a vocabulary bulletin board with clips from newspapers highlighting key words and phrases defined alongside.
  • Preparing a "person-on-the-street" interview using all the new terms.
Although dictionaries and encyclopedias are recommended in the directions, books about elections should be checked as well. Have students add words to the list based on their research. Display appropriate fiction titles as well as biographies of the presidents to add to their understanding.

First appeared November 1996

School begins 2004: Summer memories

Use this activity in your orientation for students in grades four through ten to recall summer's delights and send students all over the media center for answers. Ask them to explain where and how they looked. You want them to realize that many answers are possible with numerous ways to get there. Add that these possibilities will exist as they do research throughout the year. Answers will vary. Some questions take little or no research; others take time.
  • Heat: Find record high temperatures in places around the world.
  • Cooling off: How many water sports can you find?
  • Vacations: Find a great place to visit in North America. How many miles is it from where we live?
  • Baseball: Who do you think is the greatest baseball player? Why?
  • Picnics: Pack a healthy lunch. What?s in it? What one junk food would you include?
  • Outdoor musical events: How many string instruments can you find?
  • Seashore: What are the three most fascinating looking seashells? Describe them.
  • Camping: What would you bring for a camping trip?
  • Hurricanes: What were the names of some deadly ones? Where did they make landfall?
  • ?Going buggy?: What are some insects that are around only in summer? Which ones ?bug? you?
  • Reading time: What did you read and like?
  • Summer months: Find some events that occurred during the months of June, July or August.


First appeared in The School Librarian's Workshop in September 1994