We began our day with an overview on how to feed each of the animals on the farm. We talked about the importance of keeping grain dry, the differences in feeds, and learned how to care for each animal group. Then, the class broke up into groups. Each group was given a checklist, and we set out to work on tending to the animals! I promised them that our mornings won't always take so long... there is just a lot to learn on the first day! My hope is that spending our mornings with individualized time with the animals will help them feel a sense of ownership and responsibility.
After animal time, we had a quick snack and we discussed our weekly writing assignments. Because each of these students is also in the afternoon academic class, I have decided to make this year's Farm Fusion creative writing stories optional. They will have required writing assignments in other subjects, and I would rather not overwhelm them during the week! I know many of the kids are excited about these, so I will definitely still have a time where we can all share and enjoy their creativity.
We talked about the difference between realistic and abstract art today. The class created farm scenes. First, they layered colored paper to create their backgrounds. They, they used cutouts of different shapes to add chickens, sheep, barns, clouds, and even rivers. I definitely heard some complaints from a few students about not being able to draw or use markers... but in no time they were hard at work!
I explained to the class that I am constantly asked to recommend fun books for different age groups. Parents are always looking for books that will spark an interest! As they read for fun at home, they can complete a book summary/review card. Each book "report" will go into our big class Book Recommendations Binder. This will be kept at the little library here in the building, and the kids can look through it to find ideas on books they would like to read! We decided that the first goal will be 25 completed cards among the entire class. If we can complete 35 quality cards, we will have a Book Party! (I may regret the number 35.... they could surprise me and decide to fill them out sooner than expected. But, it's a small price to pay to get kids reading!) These reports are optional, and all I ask is that the students do their very best on these, which will be different for each child. Parents, please help encourage quality effort in these. Each card must be signed by a parent before its turned in. If this is successful, I plan to keep it up throughout the year!
Each student was given a copy of the book, "My Side of the Mountain." At first, there were so many questions. "Is this a true story?" "Did this really happen?" They were so excited about the idea of a kid surviving in the wilderness! The kids followed along as I read through the preface... and their questions were answered!
We will be reading (listening) some in class, and then the students will be asked to read a few chapters at home before the following class. Vocabulary assignments that correlate with the chapters have been sent home, along with a link to Quizlet activities that use the words in chapters 1-3. We will discuss these words in class, but parents can use the vocabulary activities at home to work on dictionary and alphabetical order skills, if desired.
We talked about different type of conflict in books (and movies): man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. self, and man vs. society. This year, we will be reading six novels, and each one will have a theme of "Man vs. Nature", although many different types of conflict will show up in each. Each student was given a journal which will become their "field guide" of sorts. We made dividers for four different sections: plants, animals, Earth, and survival strategies. As our characters learn about new things along their journey, we will also be learning right along with them! The kids will be jotting down notes about the birds the character sees, plants the character encounters, ways he or she survives, etc. This does not have to be long-winded! They are simply taking notes about things they learn along the way! If something seems extra interesting, they can dive in and learn more... and jot it in their notebooks. We will have time to share what they've learned with their friends. Further, they will have the opportunity to "dive deeper". If something is really fascinating to them, they can choose it for one of their research projects. They can do 2-3 of these before Christmas Break. I'll give them more information on these projects next week!
Next, the class broke into different groups. Each was given a variety of fruits and vegetables. They worked as a group to come up with their own way to sort these things. After each item had been sorted, the groups took turns sharing the reasoning behind their
decisions to the rest of the class. I explained that each of these groups used different characteristics to decide how to divide the foods. This led us into our lesson on Carolus Linnaeus and the creation of the Taxonomy, or the Classification of Living Things. The students decided that Linnaeus must have been a very organized person! The class will be visiting a website and watching a video at home to learn more about the Classification of Living Things. Next week, we will dive into the different kingdoms and seven different levels of organization.
Each student was given a copy of the book, "My Side of the Mountain." At first, there were so many questions. "Is this a true story?" "Did this really happen?" They were so excited about the idea of a kid surviving in the wilderness! The kids followed along as I read through the preface... and their questions were answered!
We will be reading (listening) some in class, and then the students will be asked to read a few chapters at home before the following class. Vocabulary assignments that correlate with the chapters have been sent home, along with a link to Quizlet activities that use the words in chapters 1-3. We will discuss these words in class, but parents can use the vocabulary activities at home to work on dictionary and alphabetical order skills, if desired.
We talked about different type of conflict in books (and movies): man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. self, and man vs. society. This year, we will be reading six novels, and each one will have a theme of "Man vs. Nature", although many different types of conflict will show up in each. Each student was given a journal which will become their "field guide" of sorts. We made dividers for four different sections: plants, animals, Earth, and survival strategies. As our characters learn about new things along their journey, we will also be learning right along with them! The kids will be jotting down notes about the birds the character sees, plants the character encounters, ways he or she survives, etc. This does not have to be long-winded! They are simply taking notes about things they learn along the way! If something seems extra interesting, they can dive in and learn more... and jot it in their notebooks. We will have time to share what they've learned with their friends. Further, they will have the opportunity to "dive deeper". If something is really fascinating to them, they can choose it for one of their research projects. They can do 2-3 of these before Christmas Break. I'll give them more information on these projects next week!
Next, the class broke into different groups. Each was given a variety of fruits and vegetables. They worked as a group to come up with their own way to sort these things. After each item had been sorted, the groups took turns sharing the reasoning behind their
decisions to the rest of the class. I explained that each of these groups used different characteristics to decide how to divide the foods. This led us into our lesson on Carolus Linnaeus and the creation of the Taxonomy, or the Classification of Living Things. The students decided that Linnaeus must have been a very organized person! The class will be visiting a website and watching a video at home to learn more about the Classification of Living Things. Next week, we will dive into the different kingdoms and seven different levels of organization.
Our world geography class began with an overview on the globe and Earth. We talked about spheres, axis, the equator, lines of latitude, lines of longitude, time zones, and more. We used the large world map on the wall to point out these things, and used the globe to demonstrate and understand the reasons for the time zones. There will be videos for them to review these concepts at home.
These kids were amazing! This is a large class, and I could not be more excited about our year together! They cranked up the "yes ma'ams", jumped in and cleaned up without asking, and were eager to learn. You should be very proud of them. I know I am!
These kids were amazing! This is a large class, and I could not be more excited about our year together! They cranked up the "yes ma'ams", jumped in and cleaned up without asking, and were eager to learn. You should be very proud of them. I know I am!
