Mixing It Up!

In grammar today, the class learned about subjects and verbs.  We will be learning to diagram sentences shortly, and the first things we need to be able to point out are subjects and verbs.  We also reviewed capitalization rules and practiced our proofreading marks.  We will be working on a video lesson at home tomorrow.  They seem to be working well!

Today was a testing day in math.  Each class took a test over the material learned so far.  Ms. Jennifer is grading these and will have them back for us next week!  We will be increasing the number of video lessons for math class.  This will help parents and students have a more cohesive math experience!

It was an action packed day in science class today!  Ms. Gail lead the class through a lesson on reactions.  The class had six different known substances.  They created mixtures of each combination to observe and document the results.  Some combinations reacted by creating precipitate.  The learned about precipitation in chemical mixtures.  Some of the combinations bubbled, which is always exciting!  They all did a wonderful job of recording their results in table form.  For next week, make sure to wear clothes that can get messy!

The children did such a great job completing their literature assignments at home!  Ms. Gail went through the pages with them, discussing important concepts.  Then, they read chapter 8 in A Bridge To Terabithia.  Because we are reading above grade level, and because good literature often delves into difficult topics and concepts, we spent some time explaining why the author uses improper English, as well as some bad language that we would never use.  Characters in books do not always act appropriately.  They do not always act or speak as we do.  The students understood this, and accepted it with maturity!  As someone trained in teaching sensitive subject matter, I truly appreciated Gail's responsible discussion.  Children rise to meet the expectations set for them!

Social Studies- Mr. Dennis brought in a skit today for the kids.  The play was about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.  The students have been studying this material for so long, and it was great to see them using it in a fun way! 

Agricultural Education-  Today was a split lesson in ag class.  First, we learned about chicken embryo development.  Our eggs are in the incubator!  The students learned the timeline for chicken eggs.  At day 18, we will take out the egg turner and increase the humidity.  This is called "lock down".  Then, three days later, the eggs should hatch!  The class learned terms such as pipping and zipping, humidity, and candling.  In two weeks, we will be candling the eggs to see the chicks growing inside!  The maran eggs are very dark, so it can be hard to see through the shell.  Hopefully by that point the embryos will be big enough for us to see movement! 

The second half of the lesson was on the Food Guide Pyramid, legumes, and Georgia peanuts!  The class learned that peanuts are not a nut, and that they grow under the ground.  It is one thing to hear about plant growth, but it is quite another to see it!  I took the class across the street for a quick demonstration on pulling peanuts.  Although it was a little bit wet outside, it was worth the excitement of seeing those peanuts come right up out of the ground!

Have a safe and fabulous Labor Day weekend!  We will see you on Tuesday!