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2000 Activity List

• December 2000 - Holiday Gifts
• November 2000 - Lest We Forget
• October 2000 - Halloween Treats
• September 2000 - Take It To The Limit



• Year 2004 Activities
• Year 2001 Activities
• Year 2002 Activities
• Year 2003 Activities

December 2000 - Holidays Gifts

Vital Knowledge Software would like to extend special holiday greetings to the many teachers from throughout Canada and the United States who visit our site on a daily basis.

Using Microsoft Word to Create “Gift” Certificates

The United Nations has declared 2001 The International Year of Volunteers. It is with this declaration in mind that we have developed an activity this month that is centered on the creation of two certificates.

Shining Your Light has been designed to thank people who have volunteered their time for your students during the past year. Included with this certificate are the directions that can be used to help students create their own personalized certificates.

A Gift of Time has been created so that students can volunteer a very special gift to their parents, family members, or friends - their time. They determine what they would like to do and how much time they will give. The first certificate is a regular size. The second is designed as a postcard.

Click on the activity that you would like to access:

• Shining Your Light (Directions Included)



• A Gift of Time (Postcard Included)

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November 2000 - Lest We Forget

Plan a special ceremony to commemorate the service of our veterans. Present each one with a certificate. Use the template that we have developed or, better yet, have your students make their own. Here are directions that might be helpful! If you require further assistance, teachers_corner@vitalknowledge.com is available to help.

Microsoft Word was used to create this certificate. LEST WE FORGET is written with font Times New Roman, size 26. Presented to and From are written with Lucida Calligraphy, size 26. In appreciation of… is written using Script MT Bold, size 24. Signature and Date are written with Times New Roman, size 10.

To Insert A Picture:

• Click on Insert.
• Click on Picture.
• Click on Clip Art.
• Choose your Category by either clicking on it or searching for it.
• Choose your Picture by clicking on it.

To move your Picture where you would like on your page do the following:

• Place your mouse on top of the picture you would like to move.
• Click.
• Click on Format.
• Click on Picture.
• Click on
  Layout. Click on the layout you would prefer. (Tight was chosen for graphics in this layout.) Then click OK.
• Grab picture by clicking on it with your mouse. Place it where you would like on the page. Leave it there by clicking with your mouse one more time.

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October 2000 - Halloween Treats

Part A: Introducing the Chart

Use Microsoft Word to create a graph about Halloween Treats. One advantage of using a Word graph is that it will automatically adjust the scale as you introduce data. Another advantage is that it gives you a wide range of options as to how to present your data. A sample graph has been provided for you. The collected data is based upon the average number of treats that each student in this class received. It was created in the following manner:

Part B: Creating the Chart

• In Microsoft Word, click Object on the Insert menu, and then click the Create New tab.
• In the Object type box, click Microsoft Graph 2000 Chart, and then click OK.

You can replace each of the cells with your own data simply by clicking on the cells and then typing in your information. If you want to add more cells simply scroll across from left to right by clicking on the arrow keys.

Part C: Adapting the Chart

Take the chart that is provided and adapt it to your own class by doing the following:

• Place your cursor over top of the chart.
• Double click your mouse.
• The spreadsheet should open. Once that happens, simply replace the supplied data with the information that you collect from your own students.

Part D: Presenting the Chart

You can create different presentations for your data by doing the following:

• Place your cursor over top of the chart.
• The spreadsheet should open. Once that happens, click once on the right mouse button.
• Click on “Chart Type”.
• Clicking on different types of charts will create different graph presentations for your data.

Part E: Extending the Chart

Charts can be used in a number of different ways:

• Use them in Math classes when teaching different forms of data management.
• Use them to present information to parents about class performance.
• Encourage students to use them as a means of conveying information from surveys.

Part F: Enriching the Chart

Using the sample chart provided, have students consider the following:

• What factors might contribute to the different data that was collected for girls and boys?
• Who collected the healthiest Halloween treats – boys or girls? Explain.
• Be creative. You have decided that you will only give out treats that are either nutritious or beneficial to the goblins and ghosts that come to your door. What are some of the treats that you decide to give out?
• Conduct a school survey on the costumes that students will be wearing this year. Present your data to your classmates by using the sample graph as a model for your presentation.
• Use this chart as a model for other surveys that compare choices made by boys and girls. For example, compare sports with which each is involved, favorite television shows, or the preference for singing groups that each has. More importantly, what about career expectations? Does your data raise interesting questions that could be discussed?

If you have other ideas about how charts can be used to enrich classroom teaching, please let us know. We will make sure to post your idea in Teacher's Corner. E-mail your ideas to teachers_corner@vitalknowledge.com.

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September, 2000 - Taking It To The Limit

Introduction: Rick Gore, senior editor of the National Geographic, examines the potential of the human body with respect to the upcoming Olympics in his article, "The Unbeatable Body – Pushing the Limits?" (September, 2000). What are the limits of the human body? This would be an interesting question to examine with your students during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Subject(s): Math; Language Arts; Biology; Science; Health;

Grade Level(s): Grades 4 – 12

Technology: Word Processing – Creating Tables; World Wide Web – Research; Calculators;

Teacher Application: Tables can be very useful in presenting data to both parents and students. One very useful application of a table for teachers is for the development of a school timetable. You will find an example of a school timetable included with this document. By carefully following the accompanying directions you will be able to create your own and modify it to your specific teaching needs.

Students Objective(s): Data Management; Human Anatomy; Nutrition; Debating; Writing Process;

Tables: Listed below are a series of tables. Part A uses tables to compare gold medal performances for men. Part B uses them for a comparison of the women's gold medal performances. Take time to examine the information contained in each table. Then refer to one (or more) of the activities that follow to help you and your students apply this data to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

PART A: OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL TIMES FOR MEN

1896 ATHENS OLYMPIC GAMES

1996 ATLANTA OLYMPIC GAMES

COMPARISON OF PERFORMANCE FOR MEN

PART B: OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL TIMES FOR WOMEN

*There were no events for women until the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. The only track races held that year were the 100 and 800 metre races. Listed below are first times recorded for women in the Olympics index at the Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching.
http://www.olymex.ac.uk/cimt/data/olympics/olymindx.htm

1996 ATLANTA OLYMPIC GAMES

COMPARISON OF PERFORMANCE FOR WOMEN

Activities:

1. Using the tables, have students ...



1. calculate the difference between the initial gold medal performances and the performances at the Atlanta 1996 Games;
2. predict times for the Sydney 2000 Olympics;
3. predict times for the 2096 Olympics.


2. Have students calculate their own physical improvements by creating data for skipping (how many skips per minute), running (100 metres), jumping (standing long jump), etc. Record the data on a spreadsheet and enter data for the same events at the end of the year. Included with this document is an example of a table that you can use with your students.

Discussion:

1. Where might the 2096 Olympic Games be held? (Move students on to higher level thinking skills by considering the impact that a location like the moon might have upon outcomes. Use calculators to consider how gold medal performances would change for events, such as pole vaulting, if the Olympics were to be held in space.)
2. What events would be most dramatically affected by a change in location to somewhere in space? (This could lead to a discussion as to why the best marathon runners have been coming from countries that are at higher altitudes.)


1. Why do you think events were not held for women until 1928?
2. Do you think there will ever come a day when women will be able to perform as well as men in certain Olympic events? Why or why not?
3. Women will be competing in weight lifting for the first time at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Why do you think it has taken so long for women to be recognized in this sport?
9. What part of the body is most important in weight lift training? (It’s the legs. Refer to page 16 of the September 2000 issue of the National Geographic. As with all Olympic sports, mental focus is also crucial to success.)


1. What factors have contributed to the improvement of Olympic performances?
2. What are the contributing factors to the limitations of human athletic performances? (Are there limitations?)

World Wide Web Resources:

• Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching
  http://www.olymex.ac.uk/cimt/data/olympics/olymindx.htm
  This is a great site to go to for other statistics related to the Olympic games. The home page of this site should be bookmarked for future reference. It contains a wealth of data that will be useful for a wide variety of mathematical applications! You might want to discuss with students the reasons why the Olympics were not held in 1916, 1940 and 1944.



• National Geographic
  http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0009/feature5/index.html
  Are you interested in learning more about Richard Gore's article? Would you like to see other pictures that did not make the “hard copy”? Would you like to read “field notes” that Gore made while writing this article? If so, make sure you visit this site.

Other Resources:

• Gore, Rick. “The Unbeatable Body – Pushing the Limits”. National Geographic. (The National Geographic Society, pp. 7 – 33, September, 2000).

Student Application:

The Olympics – My Gold Medal Performance

STUDENT: ___________________________________________

GRADE: _____________________________________________

TEACHER: ___________________________________________

Teacher Application:

CLASSROOM TIMETABLE

STUDENT: ______________________________________

CLASS: __________________________________________

• To create a new table ...

• Click on the page where you want to insert your table.
• Then click on "Table".
• Click on "Insert".
• Click on "Table".
• Designate the number of rows and columns that you want.
• Click "Ok" and fill in the information that you want presented.



• To change events, simply click in the box you want to change. Delete the event that is there and add the one you want.

• To add columns ...

• Click in the one of the boxes.
• Click on "Table".
• Click on "Insert".
• Click on "Columns to the Left" or "Columns to the Right", depending on where you want to insert the column. (Follow the same procedure to add rows – "Rows Above" or "Rows Below".)

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