Franklin Discovery Engage

If you have not listened to Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk, Do schools kill creativity?, it is well worth the 16 minutes it takes. https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity#t-157891 One of the main points of his talk is that it is hard to conceive of what the future will hold for our children. Can we even imagine what the year 2065 will look like? To prepare our students to meet this vast unknown, Robinson makes the case that educators must nurture (rather than undermine) creativity.   At Franklin Discovery Academy, we continually strive to cultivate creativity. In STEM Rec, our guiding principles are as follows: Why do we exist? -To ignite a passion for learning How do we behave? -We love, support and challenge our students What do we do? -We create a rich, engaging and positive learning community How will we succeed? -We believe in our students BUT…....we need your help.   Our makerspace is a wonderful way to...

STEM Rec Challenges September 25 - 29 Science Students will learn about the force of buoyancy. We’ll experiment with techniques to maximize buoyancy by making clay boats. Standard: Students will understand the relationship between the force applied to an object and resulting motion of the object. Math Students will practice their basic math skills with a math game. Each students will receive a certain number of cards and from their cards will pick one number as the “goal number”. They must then use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to the reach the goal number they have chosen. Literacy This week in literacy we are looking to recruit any kids who are brave and willing to go on a magical quest. We have three different tasks students will need to complete before receiving their wands and becoming powerful Spell Masters. Objective: To help students see the different ways they can practice spelling Social Studies The road home from the Troja...

Makerspace Now Open We are excited to announce that the Makerspace is now open in STEM Rec. The introduction of the Makerspace included a discussion of the Engineering Design Process. Ask - What is the problem?  Imagine - What are the possibilities? What is the best solution? Plan - Is the plan possible? Where should I start? What materials are needed? Create   - Can a model be made? Does it meet the goal? Improve - Does it work? What will make it better? Communicate - Are changes needed? What do others think? Is the problem solved? Students were then challenged to design and build a boat that could float for one minute using the materials available. Students had a great time and learned a lot!

My name is Micki Allred. I am the new elementary music teacher this year at  Franklin Discovery!  I graduated from the University of Utah in 2001 with a Masters Degree in Music.  I then went on teach Music in the Duchesne County School District for 12 years. I am excited to be at  Franklin Discovery  and have the opportunity to share my love for music. The Music courses I offer this year at Franklin Discovery will be sequential, comprehensive, and sustained as defined in the State and National Core Arts Standards for Music Education. Here are a list of the classes I will be teaching during the first block. Music at the Core  (1 st  and 2 nd  grade)  - Students will experience music through movement, singing, listening, creating, and playing instruments.  This class will also follow the State and National Core guidelines for Elementary Music. Group Piano  - Students will learn how to read and play music on the pi...

The first full block of the school year is turning out to be very busy!  Thank you to everyone who has donated supplies and recyclables. This block several third through sixth grade students are participating in a unit called Roller Coaster Science.  The classes are divided into small groups and every week or so each group receives a new challenge.  The students are finishing up their first challenges this week, so check back to see pictures and data the students have collected. In addition to Roller Coaster Science, students are also working through the NASA BEST program in a class called Star Wars Space Science.  This class is available for all first through sixth graders.  We are exploring the world of Star Wars while also exploring NASA's current space program.  There are 10 challenges the classes can work through.  This week students are creating on and testing a satellite. First and second grade students are working on their math, problem-sol...

STEM Rec Challenges September 18 - 22 Science Continuing with our water theme, students will learn why water and oil don’t mix. We’ll talk about what hydrophobicity means and demonstrate that water won't cross a hydrophobic barrier. Standard:  Matter is made up of atoms and molecules. Math Math will offer a  challenge called “Zombie Escape”.  Students must answer math questions correctly within a limited amount of time and complete a fitness challenge before the ‘zombie’ gets them.  If students answer incorrectly, a new question will be given and must be solved or the ‘zombie’ wins.  The goal is to complete enough challenges to escape the room. Wellness Calories Count!  Students will be outside performing activities that teach students about calories by getting them moving. Social Studies The Minotaur was said to be housed in the ultimate maze-The Labyrinth.  Can Theseus defeat the minotaur and navigate the Labyrinth (a...

WELLNESS 101 Welcome to the new school year!! Below is a short outline of what's going on the first term in Wellness (aka Physical Education or Physical Wellness).  There is a reason I chose PE and wellness over english and social studies… Forgive the straightforward and ‘small word’ format of these class descriptions.  I know that it doesn't sound all that intelligent, but after 7 years in the military, over 7 years of competitive collegiate athletics, and being the father of 5 children,  ​I ​ learned this one very powerful and important concept… KEEP IT SIMPLE!! All classes will begin with a small workout (workout will  ​ include but not limited to different variations of exercises = crunches, arm circles, push ups, burpees, jumping jacks, etc.). All classes will include topic discussion on a personal self-care topics (ex. Honesty, Respect, Integrity, Responsibility, etc.) Please ensure  ​students  come to their Wellness Class  app...

This block of math and engineering classes is going to be full of creating and discovering! 1/2 Grade: Math in Outer Space We've introduced the solar system this week, and I'm excited to help the kids expand their number sense through modeling and some fun space games! This block will focus on learning both about space and expanding number sense and fluency in addition and subtraction. We might even throw in some Star Wars problems to keep it fun! In addition, we'll learn some of the engineering principles behind rockets and space travel.  3/4 Grade: Theme Park Creation Have you ever wanted to make your own Disneyland, Lagoon, or Six Flags? There are a lot of mathematical, engineering, and business decisions that need to be made! The kids will apply concepts of multiplication and division in the context of economics, as well as model some of their own creations.  So far, the kids have been coming up with concepts for their parks, ...

STEM Rec Challenges September 11 - 15 Science Outline: This month at the science table students will be exploring some of the amazing properties of water starting with surface tension. We'll discuss the strength of hydrogen bonds and perform a few experiments to highlight water's unique surface tension. Standard:  Matter is made up of atoms and molecules. Math In math we are going to learn about probability by playing clear the board. Each student will get two dice, ten cubes, and a paper that has the numbers 2-12 on it. Students will put a cube under a number to predict which numbers they think they will roll the most often. Each time they roll a number that has a cube on it they will take a cube off. Literacy This week students will use the indoor play structure for a Star Scavenger Hunt!! Students will first practice proper usage of a dictionary and then have to find words and their definition within the play structure. After all the words are found, ...

It's the beginning of a new year, and it's time to give a summary of what's going on in Social Studies at the start of an A term.  (OK, OK, it's not really the start of the year, but it's close enough, I think!)  I have 5 classes this term: Civil War and Beginning Greece for the kids in Grades 1 and 2, Rome for the kids in Grades 3 and 4, and Greece for those in 5 and 6.  My 5th class is for kids in 4th through 6th grade, and it's based on ancient Egypt. In both Greece and beginning Greece, kids will learn about ancient Greece.  We'll learn how the ancient Greeks lived, and wrote, and fought, and even died.  Expect your kids to come home knowing how ancient Greeks fought this week, and be able to write their name in Greek next week! In the Civil War, we'll learn how and why our men (and women) fought for what they considered their country.  We'll also learn about battle specifics and how those changed thought in both the North and the South.  Exp...

Updates from Literacy Engage These past few weeks have been a whirlwind in the Literacy classroom as kids learned rules and routines and got a taste of the things that they will be doing if they take Literacy Engage classes. When we get back from Labor Day holiday, we will be starting on the first block of the school year. The name of the game in Literacy is help kids learn to love reading and writing, and I have a schedule full of classes to do just that! Here's a sneak peek of all the awesome things that literacy students will be doing in the upcoming Engage block: Don't Let Mo Willems Drive the Bus! This class is designed for 1st and 2nd grade students and features the kid-favorite author Mo Willems. Our author study will begin with the Pigeon books and will include activities to help kids learn prosody and support the reading skills that they are learning in Foundations. We will be singing, reading, dancing, writing, and...throwing tantrums! Our study will then move...

When it comes time for your family to explore the  top charter schools in Vineyard, Utah ,  you often start out with more questions than answers. How do you narrow down your choices, eliminate the schools that don’t suit your needs, and ultimately choose the best school? It seems overwhelming at first, but don’t worry! We’ve assembled this quick 3-part resource to guide you in your search. What Is a Charter School? A charter school must gain approval from their state, but operates independently from the local school board. Since charter schools are funded with public money, they must allow open enrollment. This means any child may attend as long as there’s a space available. As a public school, charter schools are free to attend. A charter school is often smaller in size than a local public school. It may require more parental involvement and may not have the resources to offer the same extracurricular programs offered by a large public school. Some charter schools fo...

When you’re thinking about where to send your child to school, you might actually have more options than you think. One of these options that you should not overlook is charter school. Here are just a few of the reasons to consider a charter school for your child’s best education. Flexibility One of a charter school’s most compelling features is the increased flexibility they provide. The neighborhood school might not be the best fit for everyone, and with the many different learning styles, it’s likely not going to serve all of the neighborhood kids well. A charter school could be a good alternative in this case because learning structures can be more flexible to fit each individual child’s learning needs. Innovative Charter schools are often more likely to foster and promote early innovation. Charter schools are easier to adopt reforms because they’re not connected to the local district school board, making it easier for children to be involved in projects and innovative l...