|
|
Weekly activities and lessons to keep your child thinking and progressing, so they are prepared for the upcoming school year. |
|
“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary."
|
|
 |
The McManus Files
Issue III
I hope you had a fun and safe Fourth of July. In Issue III, you will find many different activities to keep you thinking and learning. There are some challenging math puzzles, five new writing prompts, and a new reading and a writing strategy. I think you will like the Current Events activity as well as the Inquiry Quest.
The books I've recommended are outstanding! I enjoyed reading them so much, and I'm excited to share them with you.
Have fun! Please share this flyer with your friends and encourage them to join our mailing list by following the links on this page.
Mr. McManus :-)
|
Hurricane Elsa, the first hurricane of the season, is predicted to hit Florida sometime this week. Research hurricanes and the science behind their formation.
List the physical processes that must happen for a hurricane to occur and what stops them from forming.
Other questions I'm wondering about...
Is it true that hurricanes are getting bigger and happening more often? Why?
How are they named and how many hurricanes were there last year?
What are some of the biggest and most devastating hurricanes in history? When did they occur and how much damage did they cause?
What is the difference between a hurricane and a typhoon?
Remember, good researchers collect information and form their opinions from multiple reliable sources. Before you begin writing, read and take notes from at least three different sources.
|
One strategy to generate a great story idea is to make a list of special places. These could be a your grandma's house, a vacation house, your secret spot... Basically, anywhere with special memories will tell a good story.
After you have your list, draw a bird's eye view map of your special places. This is not an art activity - just make a rough sketch.
Now, on your map, place an "X" everywhere there is a special memory. These "X"es are places not with buried treasure, but buried stories.
Select your favorite buried story and tell it first orally and then in writing.
|
|
|
|
5 Daily Writing Prompts...
|
These prompts and questions will help jumpstart 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!
|
"I knew she would be a good friend because..."
Would you rather go on a picnic in your favorite park our out to your favorite restaurant for dinner with your family?
"The river rushed from the cave as I swam to..."
My favorite movie is_______ because.....
"The clue said the country started with the letter 'M,' so it had to be...."
|
Reading Strategy
Reminder
|
When reading fiction remember to look for clues that will help you (the reader) better understand the book's theme and the author's message.
One reading strategy to identify:
Words of the Wiser
When an older or wiser character gives the main character advice. Can you think of a moment when a character gives a jewel-like piece of advice to the main character? It’s usually an older character; think of wise characters like Dumbledore from Harry Potter, Gandalf from The Hobbit, or Yoda from Star Wars.
The reader should stop and ask:
What is the lesson and how will it affect the character’s life?
The advice could help our main character with a problem or a decision perhaps, and can give the reader clues about main themes of the novel, internal conflicts and a character’s relationship to the plot.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Circus Mirandus
by Cassie Beasley
|
Micah Tuttle's grandfather has a secret. When he was a child, he visited a magical circus, the Circus Mirandus, which changed his life forever. There, he met a magician who promised him a miracle - a miracle that has yet to materialize. Circus Mirandus is a fabulous read for kids who like fantasy. It is full of fresh wonders, humor and sympathetic characters. Hogwarts with Harry Potter, the Circus Mirandus is a place readers will immediately want to explore and, possibly, take up residence! It's a fabulous book with surprises inside of every tent. |
|
|
|
|
Problem of the Week
Solve the problem and complete Parts A & B
Arrange the digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 into three groups. Make one group two digits, one group three digits, and one group four digits. When you multiply the first group of two digits by the second group of three digits you get the four digit number as your answer. For example, 39 X 186 = 7254
There are six other possible combinations. How many can you find?
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?
|
|
|
|
Write the numbers in the correct box so that each line of the cross adds up to the given total.
1) -6, -4, 1, 2, 3, 5 to equal 3
2) -6, -5, 2, 3, 4, 7 to equal 0
3) 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8 to equal 1.8
4) 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8 to equal 2
|
|
|
|
|
A magic square is a brain-teasing number puzzle where all the numbers in each row, column, and diagonal line must add up to the same total. Kick it up a notch with this extra-challenging magic square puzzle that features decimals! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Great Read of the Week
Daughter of the Pirate King
by Tricia Levenseller
|
At last... we now have a lady Jack Sparrow on our hands! Daughter of the Pirate King kidnapped my interest from the first chapter and never let it go! It's a wonderful series starter with a deeply entangled romance, a fearsome heroine not to be trifled with, a clever hero, and a plot twist that makes a rollercoaster seem stable. With a cunning plot, robust writing, and complicated characters, this book is for any fan of Pirates of the Caribbean, fierce heroines, slow-burning romances, and adventures that can turn sour in the space of a gasp. Not for fans of complacent heroines, soothing plots, or those who don't speak sarcasm.
|
|
|
|
|
|
This project is quite a challenge in gravity and balance, but the results are awesome! Tap into your engineering skills and figure out how to balance the letters of your name in a way that’s pleasing to the eye, but also stable enough to stay in place. Get multiple pieces of thick paper. Then, using one piece of 8x11 for each letter, write your name in block letters. Try to make the letters fill the entire sheet. Color and decorate the letters in ways that are special and represent you. Carefully cut out the letters and begin constructing your sculpture. If you use tape to construct your sculpture, try to only put tape in places where it cannot be seen. |
|
|
|
Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve
Need a quick nature blast? Visit Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve. Located in the hills overlooking Redwood City off Edgewood Blvd. and just off Highway 280. The park's location, makes these trails, views, and beautiful displays of nature readily accessible.This gem of a park is the perfect hike to recharge your outdoor batteries. The grasslands of Edgewood Park are famous for their magnificent displays of wildflowers each spring, and the Park's 467 acres of woodlands and grasslands makes for wonderful hiking and sightseeing. Go in the evening and count the deer. Last time I went, I counted 28.
|
|
|
|
Juneteenth — a combination of the words June and nineteenth — is one of the oldest known holidays commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. It was on June 19, 1865, that the nation's last enslaved people — a group in Texas — learned that slavery had been outlawed and that they were free. The events leading to what many call "America's true Independence Day" began with the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863.
Follow these links to learn more about this important holiday.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
