November Homework Links

November Homework Resources

1) Here are some sources for the history of fall celebrations. This article, from CNN, looks at festivals that honor the departed and the change of season all around the world. Check out the links in the article to learn more about some of the celebrations mentioned. Also consult the article on Hallowe'en from the 1926 Encyclopedia Britannica and the Current Encyclopedia Britannica (if you want to compare!). There are two links on Dias De Lo Muertos from NatGeoKids and the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian's Virtual Museum include an interactive ofrenda as well as many links to learn more.

2) The Minnesota Historical Society has many resources for learning about the area. Some sites cost money to visit, but others are free. 

Here are some free places to visit in the Twin Cities:

• The recently-opened Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery has exhibitions about "the Great Migration" in Minnesota, as well as African American veterans. 
• Up and down Lake St. in Minneapolis, there are plaques on the sidewalk that make up a Museum in the Street. Take a walk and see what you can learn!
• The East Side Freedom Library houses the Hmong Archives in St. Paul.
• Walk around the park near Minnehaha Falls and Pike Island. This is a bdote, a place where rivers meet. The Bdote Memory Map site provides information places in the area that are significant to Dakota history.

These places have a cost to visit:

• The Hennepin County History Museum has exhibits about housing, land, and the lives of people in Hennepin Country.
• The Somali Museum of Minnesota is located near the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis.
• The Mill City Museum has exhibits about the history of flour industry in Minneapolis.

3) Here is a Biography poem template for writing about yourself and your identity. You can also think about how you feel in your inside-self, and how you present in your outside-self.

Line 1: (Your name) 
Line 2: (Four ways you would describe yourself)
Line 3: Relative of....(put your loved ones here)
Line 4: One who loves... (insert people or ideas you care about) 
Line 5: Who feels...
Line 6: Who needs... 
Line 7: Who gives... 
Line 8: Who fears... 
Line 9: Who would like to see... 
Line 10: Resident of (the place you live) 
Line 11: (Another name to describe yourself)

Shingobee Class Constitution 2018

Ratified in a signing ceremony on October 16, 2018:

SHINGOBEE CLASSROOM CONSTITUTION 2018-2019

We, the students and teachers of Shingobee classroom, strive to make the ideal workspace.

We are respectful to the environment, each other, all animals and ourselves. We are safe, and have the freedom to speak, and to learn. We are responsible to listen to each other and to do our work. We are inclusive and welcoming. We do not assume about other people and accept others for who they are.

Our classroom should look like a safe place for everyone, including students, guides, gerbils and bunnies. Our classroom should be neat and tidy at all periods of the day. Our classroom should feel like a respectful place for people to focus on their work. It should also feel like a safe place where we can trust our classmates and feel safe around each other. Our classroom should sound like a working community. It should be quiet enough to hear notebook pages flipping and pencils scribbling.

We believe in peace, curiosity, calmness, learning, and respecting differences. We encourage challenges. We should feel safe to say what we want to say without getting laughed at or judged. We treat people equally. Other people’s success helps us strive further. Respect isn't what we do just in the moment, it’s how we treat each other all the time. No one should feel discriminated against because of their race, gender, religion, sexuality, or outward appearance.   

Evolution Links

This fall, we will be studying the evolution of life on Earth, with a focus on the most familiar kingdom: animals! We will compare the different body functions of animals, and learn about human evolution. Use the following links for research and exploration!

Paleobiodiversity Explorer: Take a look at where fossils have been found!
https://paleobiodb.org/navigator/

NOVA Evolution Lab: Use this game to build phylogenetic trees and learn about evolution!

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/labs/lab/evolution/

Smithsonian Institution Human Origins: Videos and articles on research, evidence, and characteristics of human evolution. http://humanorigins.si.edu/

DK Find Out: Human ancestors. Basic pictures and information in an encyclopedia style.

https://www.dkfindout.com/us/history/stone-age/human-ancestors/

Becoming Human: Website with interactive timeline, activities, and news about human evolution. Check out the Building Bodies and Chromosome Connection activities! http://www.becominghuman.org/

Tree of Life Explorer: Explore relationships by clicking on different species in this interactive tree of life.

https://www.evogeneao.com/explore/tree-of-life-explorer

National Geographic Human Evolution 101: Read an article about the basics.

news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/human-evolution-101/

eLucy: Compare the bones of one of our most famous fossil relatives, "Lucy" the Australopithecus, with modern humans and chimpanzees.

eLucy

Riddle of the Bones: explore different fossil bones and compare them to see how paleoanthropologists do their work! The same site also has an interactive timeline of human evolution, as well as different evolution activities.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/humans/riddle/

Spring Classroom update

Dear Shingobee Families, 

We hope the beautiful spring weather finds you well and that you have been able to enjoy some family time outside. The end of the year is quickly approaching and the students are busy working on projects and planning outings. Currently, we are doing a classroom-wide engineering study. Students are focusing on a subfield of their choice: environmental engineering, structural engineering, and coding. We are looking for recycled materials for prototypes, so if you have toilet paper tubes, bottle caps, and other items lying around, please send them our way!

This Friday, we are planning to spend half of the day at the Como Woodlands learning about nature and sharing some community time outside of the classroom. We plan to leave GRS by 11:15 and walk to the woodland to have lunch and recess and then spend the rest of the afternoon exploring and sharing some of our work with each other. Please send a bag lunch with your student as well as a water bottle and sunscreen. We will be back to school by 2:45 for the end of the day. 

Next week is Spirit Week at GRS! We have talked as a community about what each day will be, but please help your child remember what to wear if they would like to participate in this school-wide event. This is meant to be a community-building event but participation is voluntary. Please do not let our students bring props or wear masks. 

Monday, 7/7 - PJ Day (students visiting the Science museum should bring a change of clothes)

Tuesday 7/8 - Rainbow Day (wear all one color or wear all of the colors)

Wednesday 7/9- Wacky Wednesday

Thursday 7/10 - Book Character Day 

Friday 7/11 - Formal Friday - In Shingobee we are going to have a Roaring 20's party so children can dress for that decade if they like! 

Upcoming dates to put on the calendar:

• June 1st - Upper Elementary Work Share, 2-3pm. Please come to see some of the amazing work in which your children have been engaged!
• June 6th - Como Pool Day, more details to come
• June 8th - Half Day and last day of school (hard to believe!)

Finally, last but not least, Spring allergy season has depleted our tissue supply! We would greatly appreciate more donations of tissue boxes. 

Warmly (and happy for the warm weather!)

Amanda and Alaina

The Humongous Fungus, and other large organisms on Earth!

Fungi are full of surprises! Check out these videos to learn about all of the things that fungi can do. Some can even glow in the dark!