We're Off and Running!

We had a successful first week at Inman Hybrid!

During our morning Language Arts session, the Chicken Group continued reviewing long and short vowel sounds.  We worked on beginning blends, as well.  Although this is a review and is easy for everyone, it is beneficial to work on recognizing blends with speed.  In class, we used blend cards in speed games.  This helps the students in confidence and fluidity in reading.  The faster they can look at and say wĭ or fē, the faster they will be able to recognize these blends when reading.  The class also recalled the rule- when there is one vowel in a word, it usually says its short sound.  Again, although things are easy at the moment, it is better to step them in slow than overwhelm them (and parents) in the beginning!

The Guinea Group reviewed spelling list #1 today.  They then used the words to create a spelling-crossword using letter tiles.  Over the next two days, they will be working at home to further commit them to memory.  Parents will assess List 1 on Monday, and we will begin List 2 in class on Tuesday.



Vocabulary lessons began today for both the Chicken Group and Guinea Group!  The classes will be working on the first set of vocabulary words for the next couple weeks.  These words, as well as vocabulary words in other subjects and their daily handwriting lessons, will be integrated into writing along the way!

Mr. Jim continued the class discussion on maps, globes, and our planet today.  The class did a great job recalling the information from the at-home assignment!  It is our hope that they will gain a strong grasp of overall world geography before diving into history.  

The class began some creative writing today.  Each student was given a writing notebook.  In it, they wrote down things they would do if they could fly!  The class came up with some great ideas, and enjoyed writing them down to share!

In grammar class, we will be reviewing parts of speech.  The Cow Group learned about verbs today.  We also touched on the pronoun "I" and how it is always capitalized.  Although the definition of a verb contains action verbs, helping verbs, linking verbs, and state of being verbs, we focused today on action verbs.  The class made action verb posters, cutting out pictures from magazines that displayed an action.  They labeled each one, and we hung them up to display.  The Guinea Group is working on singular and plural common and proper nouns.  They also used magazines to create noun posters for display.  We will be memorizing different definitions of the parts of speech next week.  As we learn a new definition, we will create "grammar flash cards" to make at-home grammar practice simple and hopefully more fun!

At the end of the day, each student was given their farm boots.  The boots will stay at the barn, keeping their regular shoes free of farm-ness, and helping to maintain biosecurity on our farm.  After their boots were labelled and on their feet, they learned about guineas and their role on the farm.  Further, they learned about keets, which are baby guineas.  Unlike chicks, which take 3 weeks to incubate, it takes 4 weeks for guinea keets to hatch.  The class met a few one week old keets!  The students also helped me locate a hidden guinea nest, which was across the pasture on the other side of the fence.  I explained the behavioral differences between chickens and guineas, and how I cannot take the eggs without replacing them with fake eggs or the guineas will relocate their nest!  I have more guinea eggs in the incubator, so the class will be able to see new keets in upcoming weeks.

At-home assignments will be posted on the Homework Hideout site.  Next Friday, we will be meeting at the barn for our field trip, right down the road, to Minter's Farm's annual Inman Farm Heritage Days.  We will meet at 9:15!