Molecules, Math Hunts, and Marans

Spelling/Vocab- The class did a review over their words and definitions.  As I began a new method of weekly spelling and vocabulary lists that integrate vocabulary words from each subject, I was hoping that it would allow for a good use of time.  If students are working on different spelling rules and special cases in spelling... then they might as well be learning the words that they are actually using in their classes!  These lists have worked as a weekly preview for the kids.  Tuesday morning, we go over our new lists.  These are new words for them, and I am able to let them "peek" at the material they will be learning in science, social studies, vocabulary, grammar, agriculture, and even math!

Handwriting- In handwriting today, all of the students learned or relearned the correct formation of the cursive letters "U" and "B".  The capital B can be a little tricky, so my beginning cursive class and I made up a dance!  We also drew cursive B's on each others' backs to work on form.  We will be working on practicing these letters at home, and also creating another border sheet to hang up and share with the class!

Grammar- The class continued their review of common and proper nouns.  Although capitalization rules are something the students already knew, always remembering to put them into practice can be difficult!  I am going to work on constantly correcting capitalization in all of my classes.  Consistency will hopefully help these rules to stick!

Math-  Ms. Jennifer taught our 3A group about rounding today.  The students were given place value cards and needed to put them in order to equal the value given.  The students also took turns drawing names and asking each other questions about rounding.  They each took turns choosing names and asking questions... Keeping it fun!  In the 4A class, Ms. Jennifer gave a lesson on division. The 4A students had already studied division, so Ms. Jennifer was able to take what they know, and take it from there!  She demonstrated division of large numbers, such as 10,000, by chopping 0's off of the end.  After their lecture, the students hit the yard for a Math Scavenger Hunt.  The students found clues.  Some of the clues required them to go find Ms. Jennifer in order to answer a math question.  Then, she gave them the next clue.  Unfortunately, there ended up being an issue where the clues were all snatched up by one person... but it had great potential!

Science-  Ms. Gail and I were so impressed with the class' retention of their reading from yesterday!  They began class by showing off their chemistry knowledge with a review game.  Then, each student showed off their amazing element projects!  We learned a lot about the elements that were chosen.  Each and every one of them did such an awesome job! After we hung their projects, Ms. Gail lead the class through the experiment #2 in their lab books.  They made molecules using marshmallows and toothpicks.  They made oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, methane, and methanol molecules.  It was a little sticky, but worth it!  They children had to document the activity in their lab books.  This will help them learn to work through experiments in a slower, more deliberate way. 

Literature-  Ms. Gail used our book "A Bridge To Terabithia" to teach the class about similes.  There are plenty in this book!  They read chapter 5 together, discussing it in detail.  I absolutely loved sitting in the next room, listening to the giggles at the funny parts, and the quiet focus of little minds.  Kids of ALL AGES love to be read to, especially be a dynamic reader!

Social Studies- Mr. Dennis taught the students more about abolitionists and the Underground Railroad.  They talked about specific people that helped the slaves to escape slavery and become free!  They reviewed the Webquest activity, talking about the paths they chose.  Then, the kids worked on crossword for different abolitionists.  It was fun to watch them realize they didn't have the same crossword puzzle as their neighbor!

Agricultural Education- What a day!  The class really learned a lot today about farming, animals, and how its not always picture perfect!  At the beginning of the day, we had a visitor coming in to let me know that our goats had gotten out and one had hurt her foot!  She was checked out and ended up being alright, but just the act of talking to the kids about farming as a real life farming situation unfolded was pretty eye opening!  Things happen all the time... and you don't always know how to deal with it.  As with life, and all education, we learn as much as we can, but there are always situations that arise to make us realize that there is much more that we do not yet know.

The class learned about the different coops at our farm.  We even saw a chicken actively lay an egg!  We have a breeding coop for lavender orpingtons (where Goliath, the world's meanest rooster lives!), and we have a coop of blue copper and splash marans.  The students learned that breeding our maran chickens involves math!  When you breed a splash maran to a blue copper maran, there is a 50% chance the egg will give up a splash maran chick and a 50% chance that it will be a blue copper maran chick.  When you breed two blue copper marans, you will get 50% blue copper marans, 25% splash copper marans and 25% black copper marans.  We are hoping for more splash marans, so we chose our 2 splash hens and 1 blue copper maran hen to breed with our gorgeous blue copper maran rooster. 

The children were able to meet our goats, two of which still needed a name.  Well, it only took one look and the class named them:  Bluebell and !  Problem solved!  The students were able to see the goats' developing udders.  Hopefully, their babies will be born in September, and we will be able to do a milking demonstration!

After visiting the animals, we picked sunflowers, taking note of the gorgeous pattern of the seeds.  I explained that math can be found in nature!  There is a sequence of numbers called the Fibonacci sequence.  This sequence can be found in flower petals, leaves, and other places in nature!  This sequence is connected to something called the Golden Mean.  The Golden Mean is responsible for determining certain spirals in nature, including the spiral seed formation of the sunflower!  I will post information about the Fibonacci sequence for anyone interested in learning more.