"10 Weeks of Summer" - Week #5

Posted Date: 6/29/25 (2:00 PM)

Week #5

The 4th of July is a great time for middle schoolers to celebrate American history and culture. Encourage family activities like watching fireworks, attending parades, or learning about the significance of the holiday to foster pride and civic engagement.

Have a great week!

Dr. Lori Katz, MVMS Principal

Build a Solar Oven

Materials: Pizza box, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, black construction paper, tape, and a thermometer.

Steps: Line the inside of a pizza box with aluminum foil and black paper, then cover the top with plastic wrap to create a solar oven. Place a thermometer inside and experiment by cooking simple items like s’mores or melting chocolate!

Image Credit: NASA Kids

Directions

Focus on….Math and ELA

Connect the Dots to Math and ELA

Math Component: Measure the temperature inside the solar oven at different times of day, then graph the changes. You could also measure the time it takes for certain foods to cook and calculate the rate of heating in the oven.

Writing Component: Write a report on the experiment. Include a hypothesis about how well the solar oven will work, steps to build it, and the results of your cooking experiments. Reflect on whether your solar oven performed as expected.

Motivational Incentive

Upload a photo of your solar oven here for a chance to win a pizza party for your class in August!

MV Reads: News from the Library

Audiobooks are a great way to read on the go. Combine reading with other activities such as walking the dog or doing the dishes. Audiobooks are available for all ages with great voices and sound effects. You can check out audiobooks for free with your public library card. No need to spend any money. Try listening to the audio version of a book you enjoyed in school, a chapter a night right before bedtime can be very relaxing. Listed below are some great audiobooks for middle school readers. This blog is by a former children’s librarian. She has a great website that is worth checking out!

Middle School Audio Books