August 31, 2021
Fall 2021 Issue 2
Weekly activities and lessons to keep your child thinking and progressing throughout the school year.
“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.”
The McManus Files
Fall 2021 Issue 2

I hope the start of your school year has been smooth. This is a difficult time of the year with all the transitions and new beginnings and I'm looking forward to settling into a new routine. I hope you have fun with these learning activities.

Please share this flyer with your friends and encourage them to join our mailing list by following the links on this page.

Mr. McManus :-)
Inquiry Quest

All About
Waves are a mysterious phenomenon that surrounds us more than we imagine.

Here are a few things you probably didn't know about waves.


• Waves appear in many forms and shapes, and they have their own properties and behave differently from each other.

• Waves are everywhere: they are a part of our daily lives, in and out of the water.

• Sound is a type of wave that travels through the air.

• Waves, or more precisely microwaves, can also help cook your food.

• Waves do not transport matter - they transport energy. And that's why surfers can ride ocean ripples.

• The largest wave ever recorded by humans measured 1,720 feet. It was triggered by an earthquake that hit Alaska's Lituya Bay on July 9, 1958.

There are many different types of waves. What can you learn about waves? How many different types of waves can you find? For example... What are radio waves and microwaves? There are many different types of waves all performing a function. How are they different and the same? What other objects use waves to transport energy? How are waves used in the physical world.

Check out this awesome video about waves from Generation Genius. I learned so much by watching it. After you have watched the video, continue to build your background knowledge by reading this interesting article about the properties of waves.

When you are ready, do a deeper dive and research a topic related to waves that interested you. Don't forget to share your findings!
If you feel your child might benefit from a group or individual tutoring program to close the gap created during summer vacation and to prepare them for the next phase of their education, please contact McManus Tutoring.

Programs are structured so that students learn independence, accountability, and self-possession and they develop a repeatable structure that can be used to build success in the future.

McManus Tutoring has all Summer 2021 issues of The McManus Files posted in the library.

You can visit the site by clicking the link mcmanustutoring.com
or simply scanning the QR Code
.
3 Writing Prompts

These prompts and questions will help jump-start your daily writing. Just as it's important to read for at least 30 minutes each day, you should also write for 30 minutes a day. Don't worry about your organization or spelling, just write!


"The bell rang three times and suddenly..."



"I always hate it when my little brother..."



"My birthday was always my favorite day of the year until one year..."
Great Read of the Week
We Dream of Space
by Erin Estrada Kelly
I could not put this book down. If you like science or want to inspire a young reader interested in science, this is the book for you. The author transports the readers to 1986 and introduces them to the unforgettable Cash, Fitch, and Bird Nelson Thomas in a pitch-perfect novel about family, friendship, science, and exploration. Told bt the children from three alternating points of view, We Dream of Space is an unforgettable educational and a heartwarming story centered around a time of national tragedy. Historical fiction fans will appreciate the escape to 1986. I know I did.
Problem of the Week

Solve the problem and complete
Parts A & B

Sinking Ship 
SOS! Fifteen people are trapped aboard a ship that is going to sink in exactly twenty minutes. Their only chance for survival is the five person life raft stowed on their vessel. To make matters worse, the waters around the ship are teeming with sharks, so swimming to safety is out of the question. A round-trip to the nearest island takes nine minutes. How many people can get off the ship before it sinks? 

Show your work using pictures, numbers or symbols.



Part A: What is your answer to the problem? 

Part B: Explain your thinking in complete sentences. How did you come up with your final answer?
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