Hen vs. Incubator Challenge is ON!

Today may not have been a typical day, but it was a great one!  Ms. Gail had a trip planned in advance, and I was happy to take the reins on science and literature.  It just so happened that Ms. Jennifer had car trouble and Ms. Bev was ill all on one day!  It may sound daunting, but it really allowed for a flexible, Ms. Holly-led day!

In grammar, we reviewed the four types of sentences.  Then, we zeroed in on commands.  The class learned how to diagram the understood subject (you).  We will be picking up with the other three types next week. 

In writing class, we learned all about homophones.  The kids came up with tons of examples of homophones... and then, they were given the ultra-fun activity of turning their homophone list into a joke book!  There were some good ones about scared bow and arrows (quivering), dear deers, and having a report card that is "below sealevel"!

In math class, the 3A class worked on long division practice.  They worked independently and then we worked the problems out together.  This is one of those lessons that really takes a lot of practice to make "stick".  They learned that the steps of long division can be remembered by Dad (Divide), Mom (Multiply), Sister (Subtract), and Brother (Bring Down).  The 4A class had a lesson on fraction of sets.  We worked through visual representations of problems (1/4 of 24 colored pencils), manipulating them into equal groups.  Then, we moved from the manipulatives and did problems on the board and in the workbook. 

Science-  In science class today, the students put their knowledge of polymers to the test as they completed a crossword puzzle over key terms from chapter 9.  After a discussion of the material, they made observations of two substances: white glue and liquid laundry starch.  They documented their observations.  Then, we combined equal amounts of each substance and stirred.  It formed a thicker material, much like silly putty!  The longer the substance sat, the harder it became.  The class documented their observations of the new properties and came up with ideas as to why it changed!

Literature-   The class turned in their completed comprehension questions.  We read the next four chapters in "Sign of the Beaver" today.   Because I am not the literature instructor, I was jumping in towards the end of the book!  After reading four chapters with the kids, I was dying to know why Matt was in the woods alone!  Where was his family?  What is this cabin?  I asked questions and the kids were excited to fill me in!

Social Studies-  The class has been studying the 1860's through 1890's.  They are learning about the purchase of Alaska and Nebraska.  They are also learning about cattle drives, sharecropping, and the dispute between Andrew Johnson and Congress during the Reconstruction Era.  They worked on reading comprehension exercises in small groups.  Earlier in the day, I explained how these tough reading comprehension exercises really helped prepare the class for standardized testing in the spring! 

Agriculture-  We had a lot to learn in agriculture today!  We are still working our way through our goat lesson.  Although I expected baby goats by now, we had an interesting situation.  One of our does did not "take" and the other had a "false pregnancy"!  We have never had a false pregnancy before.  Basically, the goat's body had a "short circuit", causing the corpus luteum to produce progesterone as if the goat was actually pregnant.  She went through the entire pregnancy, filled her udder, and then... nothing!  I explained the the class what happened.  Unlike our Nigerian Dwarf goats, I had heard that our Saanens, from Alpine origin, are seasonal-only breeders.  They do not breed for fall kids!  Little did I know that this was more of a definite and less of a "possibly".  So, I will be driving to Hoschton, GA on Monday to pick up a Saanen buck to use... and hopefully we will have some babies in April!

As the days have become shorter, the class has learned that the hens lay less eggs.  In order to get the lavender orpingtons to lay eggs so that I can breed for more spring orpington layers, the class and I put a light on them.  The timer gives the hens 3 more hours per day of light.  It worked.  The class was thrilled to learn that the coop of three hens that were giving us NO eggs are now up to 2-3 per day.  The eggs have been collected, and labelled with the date that they were gathered.  Today, we set the eggs in the incubator AND saved one from each date to set under a broody hen.  The class made guesses as to which will have the first egg to hatch, the hen or the incubator.  They made their arguments: constant heat, not relying on electricity, etc.  Then, they made guesses as to which will have the highest success rate.  They had some great reasons for their hypothesis.  I gave them some extra information to apply, such as the introduction of bacteria in the nesting box.  For the most part, the class trusts the broody hen more than the incubator!  In 20 days, we will see!

One of our kids found a tiny birds' egg in the yard!  We discussed the difference between baby chicks, who can jump up, walk around, and drink and eat on their own the day of their birth, and other helpless baby birds who require momma bird to drop chewed food into their mouths!

Pysanky

Spelling/Handwriting-  We began the day by discussing our new spelling list.  Some of the words on the list are related to what we will be learning in our classes this week.  Some of the words are to practice certain spelling rules.  In this list, we have many words that use the letters "au" to make the "aw" sound.  We incorporated our cursive handwriting practice into spelling today, as the group wrote some of the new words in cursive.  For those who were working on cursive writing last year, they specifically worked on transitioning proper size and letter structure on regular wide ruled paper.

Writing-  In writing class today, Ms. Bev began with a review on topic sentences.  The students took turns reading their topic sentences out loud and helping each other improve upon them.  Further, the facts within a paragraph are related, giving the paragraph a common theme.  Today was a day of slowing down.  Ms. Bev used the material that the class has been working on to help illustrate what the concepts they have discussed.  On a side note, Ms. Bev unknowingly backed up the lesson that I taught a few weeks ago on respect, behavior, and being kind in class and at home.  She got onto the topic of Mother Theresa.  She explained that Mother Theresa has three rules:  Be kind, be kind, and be kind.  Ms. Bev explained that you can be kind using your words, your tone of voice, and your body.  I was so pleased to hear the kids bring up my example of how our words are like shooting arrows from a bow.  Once they are out, they cannot be taken back.  They will inflict injury or give praise and lift a person up.  They listen.  They do.

Grammar-  In grammar class today, the class completed our review of common and proper nouns, pronouns, and capitalization rules (Lesson 34 in our book).  We will be moving on to learning about the four types of sentences tomorrow in our video lesson.  Be sure to keep practicing the poem, "Ozymandius".  We will record them on Thursday of next week!

Spanish- Ms. Rose has been working with the class on articles and feminine and masculine nouns.  They have been writing, speaking, and applying these grammatical concepts in Spanish and, as a mother and a teacher, I am thrilled! 

Social Studies- Through reading, discussion, and comprehension exercised, the class has been studying the Reconstruction period.  Today, after Mr. Dennis talked about their at home reading assignment, the class worked in small groups on a vocabulary crossword puzzle from the passages.

Art- Today, I was the art teacher!  I taught the class about the Ukrainian art of pysanky.  It is a tricky process, using a series of dyes and wax application.  In a nutshell, you begin with a white egg.  Hot wax is applied with a tool called a kistka to keep the parts white that you would like to keep white.  The egg is then dyed in the lightest color for your design, for instance, yellow.  Wax must then be applied to everything in the design that you wish to remain yellow.  Then, the egg is dipped into a darker color.  This process is repeated until you end with the darkest color, which is usually the background.  It is a hard process to master!  Today, we practiced using white crayons instead of melted wax.  The class did an amazing job and really got the hang of it!  With children, the disappointment of working on an egg only to have it crack can be heartbreaking.  I prepared them for the very real possibility, and probability, that one of their eggs would not make it.  I then explained that if their egg does crack, they get to go out and throw it at a tree!  Disappointment was replaced with excitement.  Problem solved!

Next week, they will be taking the designs that they worked on in class and creating new eggs with the use of kistkas.  It's a messy process, but it is always a hit with kids and adults alike!

Happy Halloween!

Learning about transition words in writing!

Sewing his puppet costume in art.

"Slingin' & Flingin'"

Grammar-  The class has been learning about the different types of verbs.  They can easily recognize action verbs and have helping verbs memorized.  We have diagrammed each of these types.  Today, they learned about "state of being verbs".  Much to their delight, they already have them memorized!  The verbs am, is, are, was, were, be, being, and been are state of being verbs, as well as helping verbs.  The class learned to recognize this role that a verb can play.  They also reviewed first, second, and third person, as well as the different verb tenses, as we conjugated the verb "be".

Writing-  In writing class today, Ms. Bev began the class by taking a private look at their journals.  These journals are a way to get the kids into the habit of writing.  Not everyone loves journalling.  It isn't going to be everyone's favorite time of the day.  However, Ms. Bev explained to the class that each of them need to be careful not to "sling and fling".  She explained that, sometimes, we get in a hurry, or we just don't want to do something.  So, we "sling" something onto the paper and "fling" it at the teacher.  This isn't just a lesson for writing class.  This is a great lesson for EVERY class.  For LIFE.  After the chat, Ms. Bev backed up to review last week's lesson on topic sentences (or "power sentences").  The class completed a teacher driven activity power sentences, breaking them apart to see how the writer added the details.  They are working to try to turn information and facts on different topics (last week was on the Civil War) into a cohesive, flowing, paragraph. 

Math-  In math today, the 3A class worked more on multiplication.  They practiced multiplication skip counting songs, as well as a lesson on multiplication and division.  They are working hard on memorizing their multiplication tables.  It is not fun, but once they are committed to memory, it will help them out throughout life!  The 4A class went over and checked their fraction number line activity from yesterday.  They then worked with fraction number lines in the textbook, discussing it as they worked.  Finally, they had their multiplication quiz.  Ms. Jennifer is really challenging them to memorize their multiplication tables!

Science-  The science class observed the results of Tuesday's chromatography experiment.  They talked about the different colors that are found in each dye, and how the filter paper separated them!  They had an activity where they observed the strange properties of "aqua-sand".  Ask them about how it felt and what happened to it when it was taken out of the water!  After the activity and the review of the concepts from chapter 7, the class played a extremely fun review game: Science Trivial Pursuit!  They worked in teams to answer questions from science topics, and gather up all of the pieces of the pie!

Literature- Today, the class kicked off the new book, "Sign of the Beaver".  As they read aloud, I couldn't help but smile when I heard "This book is good already!"  I am absolutely loving the fact that the class enjoys reading, and enjoys studying the literature together as a group.

Social Studies- Today, one of our students brought in a special treat!  He showed the class his collection of Civil War era coins, describing each and explaining their history.  The class was amazed by them!  The class had a big review crossword puzzle, pulling from material they have learned so far.  They were able to use notes, their vocabulary index cards, and their textbook to pull information and complete the page.  It wasn't easy!  At home, they will be completing a test over the material, to be completed by Tuesday.

Agriculture-  In agriculture today, the class checked out their pea plants to see how much they have grown.  I explained to the students that, when we plowed up the summer garden to plant the cool weather plants, some tomatoes were left on the vine.  I showed them that the tomato seeds had planted themselves all over the garden!  A few of them decided that they would try to bring some home and keep them indoors, as an experiment in raising a warm weather crop indoors in the cool weather season!  The class also was also able to feel for the ligament changes in our pregnant doe versus our non-pregnant doe.  I had explained that the ligaments on the doe's back get softer as she gets closer to kidding (as in humans), but it is a different story to be able to feel the difference.  As kidding gets imminent, they will become so soft that they cannot be felt.  I can't wait!

Chromatography!

Spelling/Vocab - Today, the students were introduced to a new spelling/vocabulary list.  In this list, there are many words that use a "y" to make a short i sound.  We discussed the spelling and meaning of the words in class.

Writing-  In writing class today, Ms. Bev taught the students how to write topic sentences, or "power sentences", in expository writing.  Power sentences tell us who, what, how many, where, and when.  They learned how to take a very bland, boring, BLAH sentence, and make it wonderful!  At home, they will be using this skill to revise and edit their paragraphs on the causes of the Civil War.  This is meant to be a single paragraph... which is important, because they will be doing something with this later on! 

The 3A class worked practiced multiplication and division today.  Ms. Jennifer used cards of numbers and operation signs to play a review game with the class.  First, they were given two number cards.  Then, Ms. Jennifer would give them an operation to perform.  After their review, the class learned that they could put the skip counting numbers to song.  They learned the 3's today, which were to the tune of Jingle Bells.  They can also sing the 2's to the tune of Jesus Loves me!

4A class today began with an explanation and review of word problems.  We worked through word problems together, step by step.  The students learned that before they can even begin to worry about the answer, they have to look at what is given in the problem, as well as what the problem is asking you to solve.  Afterward, Ms. Jennifer taught a lesson on mixed fraction.  She gave them each a number line, which showed each whole numbers divided into different fractions.   They are working to label the fractions on the number line as part of their mixed fraction (mixed numeral) lesson.

Spanish- Ms. Rose helped the class review the phrases for good morning, good afternoon, and goodnight.  Then, she explained to the class that, in order to say "It is night", you do not say, "It is good night", which is what the class was trying to do!  They learned to break the phrases they have learned down into parts.  In addition, they learned about indefinite and definite articles.  They also learned the seasons, plugging in the weather terms that they covered last week into the corresponding season.  Ms. Rose explained to the class that they will be taking a review test next week, which will cover all of the material that they learned so far except the seasons that they learned today.

Science-  No, it is not science day today!  However, Ms. Gail's science lab for Thursday needed a preparation lab, because it needs to sit overnight.  So, I helped her out by conducting today's pre-science-science-lab!  To illustrate chromatography, as they have been studying at home, the class observed as I broke open pens of various colors.  The dye was mixed into cups of rubbing alcohol.  Strips of filter paper were suspended into the liquid.  The dye began to rise up the filter paper.  By Thursday, we should have some great results to discuss!

Social Studies-In social studies today, Mr. Dennis led the class through a review exercise on the battles of the Civil War 1861-1865.  Next week is the 12th week of class.  For social studies, this will mean it is time for a review test over the material they have learned so far.  For next week, the kids will need to be sure to bring their history notebooks or folders with them, as they will be able to look back through material during the test. 

Art-  Ms. Nancy picked up where she left off with the class' historical puppet project.  It was a big of a 3 ring circus in here, but a well organized one!  There were groups that were completing their paper mache, groups that were still painting the initial white base color, and some that had begun to add color to their projects.  Afterward, Ms. Nancy explained how the class would be making clothing for their puppets that was appropriate for the time period.  The students chose colors of fabric and learned to stitch them together.  This project is really coming along!

A Send-Off for the Monkeys!

Grammar- Grammar class began with a review of direct and indirect objects, adjectives, and adverbs.  Everyone seems to be doing a great job of following along with the at home video lessons.  For those who have been absent, please be sure to go back and view past videos and complete the lessons in the workbook.  It will make a difference as we add more and more concepts to the mix!  Next, the class learned about simple and complete subjects and predicates.  They have worked with simple subjects for weeks now, but the idea of a complete subject was new to a lot of the class.  We will be working on this more at home and in class next week!

Writing- After their daily reflection journal entry, Ms. Bev discussed expository writing today.  She brought in many books today on the Civil War, as well as a sign-out sheet.  If anyone would like to "check out" a book for their research paper, they can sign it out with Ms. Bev or myself.  Ms. Bev broke down the steps of writing a research paper.  At home, the class will be researching causes of the civil war.  They can use books or websites to gather their information, but must a) not copy it word for word and b) site their sources!  They will be bringing in five facts in rough draft form on Tuesday.

Math- In the 3A class, Ms. Jennifer taught concepts of division.  They have been working on multiplication and division both in class and at home.  Today, they worked together on a division sheet.  In the 4A class today, Ms. Jennifer taught about greatest common factors and least common denominators.  They worked problems on the board, discussing the process.  They have been working to find equivalent fractions for a while now.  Much of the class is used to topics that are a review from previous years.  This is the first concept that is new for most of them.  As the year progresses (and years progress), they will have more and more new material!  Hopefully, they are able to recognize that everyone is working hard, studying hard, and crunching those brains to learn new things.  Math may come easier to some than for others, but new material can be difficult for everyone!  After their lesson, Ms. Jennifer brought in a math memory/matching game for them to play.

Science-  In order to demonstrate mixtures and solutions, Ms. Gail lead the class through a cupcake recipe!  They each had a job to do.  Some cracked the eggs, some measured out ingredients, some were in charge of mixing.  They reviewed the different types of solutions and completed a worksheet in small groups.  Ms. Gail commented that they were really doing a wonderful job with the worksheet and concepts, showing me that it was pulled from a 5th-7th grade curriculum.  Great job, kids!  The class decorated their October Owl Cupcakes and ate one after lunch!

Literature- The class finished "Summer of the Monkeys" today!  They completed the book and discussed the book's theme.  They will be taking a review test over the book at home.  The students then created their own monkey projects, in celebration of a job well done!  They used construction paper for the background and the leaves on the trees, and made monkeys out of peanuts.  Like the bridge activity after finishing "The Bridge to Terabithia", this gave them a great hands-on activity as they reflected on the recently finished book.

Social Studies-  Social Studies class began with a short skit.  The setting was a parlor of a hotel in Montgomery, Alabama in March of 1861.  It illustrated the conflict between the North and the South, through characters Mary Chestnut, Clara Jansen, Varina Davis, Anne Scott, and Charles Lewis Scott.  After the skit, the class took the information learned from their at home reading, "The Human Face of War" and completed questions in small groups. 

Agriculture-  We began our unit on goats today.  Over the next few weeks, the class is going to take a close look at the origins of domesticated goats, myths and misconceptions about them, definitions pertaining to goats, goat anatomy, breeds, uses, breeding, kidding, raising, diseases and treatments, and all sorts of other topics about goats!  The class will be putting together a packet of the information that they learn, and will be doing some research at home using great online sources.  Today, we learned some basic terms: buck (not "billy goat"!), doe, wether, kid, yearling, and buckling.  The class gave some great misconceptions that people have about goats.  Often, in stories, male goats play grumpy, gruff characters.  Actually, male goats are incredibly affectionate (most of the time they are more affectionate than does!), but unfortunately, they are very stinky! 

Owls, Objects, and Ozymandius

Spelling-  Today, the class was introduced to the new spelling/vocabulary list.  This week, I provided the definitions for the class.  There are a lot of words on this list from our grammar class.  We will be learning about each of these throughout the week.  At the end of the list, I typed some helpful spelling rules for the list.  The words "propeller" and "admittance" are examples of the rule that we double the final consonant before a suffix beginning with a vowel if (1) the word has only one syllable or is accented on the last syllable AND (2) the word ends in a single consonant preceded by a vowel.  The word "offering" shows that you do NOT double the final consonant if (1) the last syllable is not accented OR (2) the word does not end in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel.

Handwriting-  The students are slowly but surely working their way through the cursive alphabet.  Today, we focused on the letter "R".  For many, the lowercase R is a letter that can end up a little sloppy.  We worked on creating good habits or correcting any habits that aren't resulting in clean neat R's.

Writing-  Today, Ms. Bev began her writing class!  She taught the class the hour purposes for writing: Narration, Description, Exposition, and Persuasion.  Ms. Bev used the book "Owl Moon" by Jane Yolen to demonstrate narrative and descriptive writing.  The class also learned about "reflections".  In an effort to make writing a routine, and to practice "reflections", the class will be keeping a journal.  They will begin by reading a daily devotional and writing a reflection in their journal.  These are not edited or corrected, but instead work to make the class comfortable with writing.

Math-  In the 3A math class today, Ms. Jennifer helped the students did a multiplication review.  They worked on a multiplication array, as well as repeated addition.  In the 4A class, they continued their lesson on adding and subtracting fractions.

Grammar-  After correcting our at-home assignment and reviewing direct objects, the students learned about indirect objects.  I explained that our grammar class is rolling down a mountain like a snowball.  It starts out small-- with knowledge about nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, etc.  As we "roll" along, we learn more and more material, but the foundation knowledge must be there for the snowball to grow!  We will continue to review early concepts and parts of speech along the way.  However, if a child is having difficulty with topics from early in the school year, be sure to work on mastering these as soon as possible so that the "grammar snowball" can grow!

Spanish-  Ms. Rose reviewed the pattern that Spanish numbers follow in class today.  They worked together to take logical steps through each set of ten.  Afterward, the class worked on a review of previously learned terms using their workbook.  They answered written questions, in Spanish, using the terms they have studied so far in class.

After lunch, I called in the students for a heart to heart.  I had to praise them on their amazing job of meeting expectations of behavior in class.  A while back, we raised the bar on respect for classmates and responsibility in academics.  All of the students agree that everything has been "rainbows and ponies and marshmallow clouds" ever since!  For the class to recognize the benefits of such an atmosphere is self-motivating.  Everything just works more smoothly and is a whole lot more fun if each student steps up to the challenge!  After patting them on the back for a job well done, I gave them a challenge.  I explained to them that this level of respect, maturity, and responsibility should stretch beyond these walls.  I discussed with them that this behavior is the same as they should be displaying at home, with parents and siblings.  So often, students show a different (not so great) side at home.  I challenged each of them to think of one area that they need to improve the most.  It could be the way they treat a sibling.  It could be showing disrespect to a parent.  It could be a bad attitude toward schoolwork.  Each student chose their own goal, which they wrote onto paper.  I explained that a goal is more likely to be successful if they write it down!  This is a personal challenge.  It will not be discussed in class.  However, I will discuss their challenge again next week and prompt them to think, and write, about their progress.

Social Studies-The class learned about the Gettysburg Address today.  They read the speech and answered reading comprehension questions.  Mr. Dennis has been working with the children on highlighting the key concepts in a passage.  They are really catching on!  Finally, they worked on a Gettysburg Address crossword puzzle.  There are so many great new vocabulary words in this two minute speech!

Art- Ms. Nancy had a planned absence today, and I was able to fill in!  In grammar class, we are studying the poem, Ozymandius.  In art, we took the words from the poem that described the statue, writing each on the board.  We wrote words that were used to describe the "shattered visage", the pedestal, and the "trunkless legs".  After dissecting the poem, the students created the statue from clay.  These mini-statues will be displayed in our poem recitation videos!