Persuasion, Predicates, Produce, & (Owl) Pellets!

Grammar-  In grammar today, the class reviewed the four different kinds of verbs.  They practiced the chant for helping verbs, and then pointed them out in various sentences.  After taking time to discuss each type, the class worked on recognizing the different types, using clues from the sentence around it.  For instance, "is" can be a state of being verb, helping verb, or a linking verb, depending on how it is used.  We discussed their answers, and diagrammed sentences that involved each type.  Sentences with linking verbs contained predicate adjectives or predicate nominatives, sentences with action verbs contained direct objects (and sometimes indirect objects), and sentences with helping verbs contained other verbs.  It was a great comprehensive review.

Math- Today was a day of fractions in the 3B class and decimals in the 4B class!  Ms. Jennifer had each class working through review problems on the board and discussing issues that the children were having with the concepts. 

Writing-  In writing today, the 3B class continued to work on recognizing facts and opinions.  We looked through magazines, pointing out sentences of each type.  Then, we wrote them onto a chart.  At the end of class, we chose a movie.  I argued points to support my opinion that it was a terrible movie, while they came up with facts to support their opinion that it was great.  For homework, the class will be finding a persuasive article, and completing the page, "Persuasion Is All Around You".

The 4B class shared their findings from the "Persuasion Is All Around You" activity.  There were some great articles and advertisements, all trying to persuade the reader.  After they shared their findings, we discussed the different strategies that authors use to persuade their readers.  They make their main point, they bring up experts and other important people that support their side of the argument, and they use logic, numbers, facts, and data to make their point.  Further, the authors work to appeal to the audience's emotions.  The class was able to point this out in many of their example articles.  The authors also try to make themselves seem trustworthy and believable.  They may use studies and information to make their argument seem very convincing, and they build a sense of urgency for their causes.   We gave examples of each of these strategies, discussing their effectiveness.  At home, the class will be reading a persuasive article and evaluating its use of the strategies that they learned today.

Science-  In science class, Ms. Gail began with a review of the material covered in their at home assignments.  The children gave answers and made corrections.  Then, the big activity began; the class dissected owl pellets!  Ms. Gail gave each student a handout that showed different bones that they may find in their owl pellet.  As they pulled their pellet apart, they identified and cataloged their findings.  Then, they glued them onto a card.  I remember loving this activity as a child!  It was great to see the excitement among the students as they found skulls, ribs, and all sorts of other bones!

Literature-  The class discussed the answers to the comprehension questions from the past week.  They agreed that the text of "The Secret Garden" can be difficult to follow.  To help them get an idea of the accents and dialect, Ms. Gail brought in a clip from an audio version of the book.  I think this, as well as Ms. Gail's read-a-loud, will definitely help them understand what they are reading at home.

Social Studies-  For social studies today, the class used their reading on reform to complete a set of multiple choice questions.  They worked in pairs to complete their work.  Even though they were able to use their books and handouts, it wasn't easy!  At the end, they were able to combine with other groups to compare answers, looking up any that were inconsistent.  We will be grading them in class on Tuesday.

Agriculture- The first part of class was spent working on our agriculture song.  There are some tricky parts to sing, and I taught the class about syncopation.  By working with them to "stomp" the accents to the lines, the kids were able to make it work.  They drew a dot or star above the words that are accented to help them as they sing. 

After making progress with our music, we headed outdoors.  The kids and I made our way to the garden, which is ready to be tilled under in preparation for the warm weather garden.  We needed to pull up the carrots, so the kids lined up and all had a section of the row to pull.  There were carrots EVERYWHERE!  After the carrots were harvested, we moved over to the other plants that were petering out.  Some were still good.  The kids pulled them up, cleaned them, and placed them in our bag.  Instead of leaving the other plants to be tilled under, the class pulled them up and gave them to the goats and chickens.  It was a beautiful day!

Facts, Fractions, and Sentence Fragments

The kids' "Secret Garden" opener projects have sprouted!

Spelling-  After our big two week review, we are back to learning new words.  This week's list consists of words from our current social studies topic, the Progressive Era, our recent biology lessons, and vocabulary words from the first few chapters of The Secret Garden.  There are many "rule breaking" words in this list.  Many of them have an "e" at the end that does not cause the preceding vowel to make a long sound.  For instance, the words desolate, suffrage, and cartilage look as if they would have a long vowel sound in their final consonant.  The class will be studying this list at home, and we will be working on a crossword puzzle later in the week.

Grammar- Today the class learned some new concepts!  Last week, they learned that two smaller sentences can be combined together by a comma and a conjunction to form a longer, compound sentence.  Today, they took that idea a step further.  They learned what happens if that connection (or "splice") isn't strong enough to hold the two smaller sentences together!  They learned about comma splices and run-on sentences.  Further, they learned that there is another acceptable way to join the sentences together; you can join them with a semicolon.  The students will be working on diagramming compound sentences that use both methods.

Writing- Today, the students presented their completed stories!  There are still some final revisions that need to be made, but we were able to read them out loud and give the eager audience conclusions to the many story lines!   I truly believe that reading them aloud after completing each section helped to keep the students motivated to continue developing their plots.  Their peer audience also provided a tangible reason to add adjectives, adverbs, and transition words. 

We are moving on to opinion and persuasive writing.  To prepare, we reviewed last week's lesson on fact and opinion.  We also discussed the purpose of persuasive writing.  At home, they will be finding a persuasive article of their own.  It can be from a newspaper, a book or movie review, a magazine article, etc.  They will be answering some questions on the article, as well as bringing it in for further discussion. 

Math- The 4B math class worked on dividing numbers that contained decimals.  They have been working with decimals for a few weeks now, and are doing a fabulous job adding, subtracting, multiplying, and now dividing.  The 3B math class was introduced to fractions today.  Ms. Jennifer taught the concept by allowing the students to color in different fractions.  Then, they learned to write the fraction for each image.

Spanish- Today was test day in Spanish class.  They have been working for weeks on the Spanish names for family members.  Today, they put what they learned to the test.  Instead of simply testing them on rote memorization, Ms. Rose used questions such as "Abuelo es __________ de mi mama.  This incorporated the vocabulary that they have learned with the articles and pronouns that they know.  It also required the students to truly think about what each word means, not just regurgitate the definition.

Social Studies- Mr. Dennis began by reviewing the material from Friday and Monday.  The students have been learning about the Progressive Era, and muckrakers.  They read about the Progressive Movement and reformers of the time period.  Using the text that they were given last week, as well as the material that they printed from home, they worked in small groups to complete a crossword puzzle.  On Thursday, this lesson will continue, so be sure to review the reading, if needed!

Art- Today's art class was spent working diligently on their stitching projects.  The kids' patience is amazing, and these birds are looking great!

Test Prep- The class has been working through the Language Arts section, at home.  In class, we are going over each missed problem, discussing it in detail.  Today, we tackled issues such as:

• If there is a passage, then the answers to questions in that section will be found, or will pertain to, that passage.  (For instance, the opposite of the word "poor" may be "rich", but not if it is referring to a snake's "poor eyesight".)
• If you are having trouble discerning the genre of writing, figure out what its purpose is.  Is it to entertain the reader?  To inform them?  
• Sometimes, the answer is obvious because the other answers are just plain wrong!
• Take your time and read all of the directions.
• Read the questions carefully.
• Don't be tricked into thinking that command sentences (imperative sentences) are fragments just because the subject is an understood "you".
• Sometimes, the answers to the questions are ALL correct, but it is asking you for the BEST answer.

Birds of a Feather...

Spelling-  We have been working on a big review lesson for the past week and a half.  The students have had to recall vocabulary words from all 24 lists, matching them with their meanings.  Although some were easy to remember, there were others that stumped them.  They placed stars beside all of the words that they need to work on at home.  This will be their customized review list for Friday and Monday's at home lesson.

Math-  Today was my last day to fill in for Ms. Jennifer, who is in the Philippines.  We reviewed adding, subtracting, and multiplying numbers that include decimals.  The trickiest part of this lesson was for the kids to remember to "line up" the decimals to add or subtract, but not to multiply.  I explained why, by showing them what happens when you multiply a number that includes a fractions (for example, 4.24) by another number with a decimal (.5).  They were able to see the reason behind counting how many decimal places to place the decimal in your answer.

Writing-  In writing class, we discussed the differences between statements of fact and those of opinion.  It is sometimes difficult to point out an opinion as an opinion when you agree with it!  We also reviewed the difference between fictional and non-fictional writing which was a difficult concept in Tuesday's standardized test prep class.  The students were given different magazines.  They had to find a sentence that stated a fact and one that gave an opinion.  The kids shared these with the class.  Then, they each found an article that was non-fiction and one that was fiction.  By reading and discussing these out loud, it helped drive the concept home!  We will be recognizing each one of these in online activities over the next couple days.  We will also be using fact and opinion as we learn how to write persuasive papers.

Science- Today's topic:  Birds.  Ms. Gail taught about the different types of birds, their characteristics, and their adaptations.  To demonstrate the insulating properties of feathers, the class passed around a baggie of ice.  They held the baggie in their bare hands, feeling the intense cold. Then, they held a baggie of feathers under the baggie of ice.  The cold was kept from their hands by the layer of feathers.  The class then headed over to the tables to look at different types of feathers, and even a bird skull.  They used what they have learned about bird features to finally determine that the skull was that of an owl.  They "flapped" an owl feather, which made no noise against the air.  Then, they flapped a hawk feather.  The hawk feather was much louder.  The classed determined that the owl, being a nocturnal predator, must rely on silence.  The hawk, however, has more need for speed.  The hawk's speed makes the silence less important!  THEN, the class discussed the effects that oil spills have on wildlife, namely birds.  They took feathers that had been soiled with oil (to simulate an oil spill) and made observations.  Then, they washed them off in soapy water (Dawn).  They felt the difference of the nice clean feathers.  Once they dried, they fluffed right back up! 

The kids will be completing their lesson on birds at home, as they finish the sheets that they did not complete in class.

Literature-  In literature class, Ms. Gail had each student come up and share their projects for "Where the Red Fern Grows".  There were some amazing papers on the ethical issues of fur trapping, posters and models of humane animal traps, and excellent papers on different Cherokee legends.  Afterward, the class made their way outdoors for an opening lesson for "The Secret Garden".  Ms. Gail helped the students to plant flower seeds, which will line the window of our "reading room".  As we make our way through the book, these seeds should sprout and grow!  Finally, the class began reading their new book.  They read the first three chapters today, and will read chapters 4-9 before next week's class.

Social Studies- Mr. Dennis taught the class about the growth of industry, the Muckrakers, and the Reform Act.  They read and discussed workplace safety, as well as the struggles for racial and gender equality.  They are adding terms such as suffrage, reform, and muckraker to their vocabulary.  These will pop up on next week's spelling & vocab list!  At home, they will be reading more on their period of time, as well as watching a few videos on the Progressive Era.

Agriculture-  Today, the students were given their parts for the big agricultural promotion video project! I must say, they sounded GREAT!  We will be practicing the vocals for a while.. and then we will film video as we continue our lessons with the goats, chickens, garden, and more!

Field Trip to the GA Capitol & Atlanta History Center

Catching the Mistakes

Spelling-  Today, we continued our BIG review over the spelling and vocabulary words that we have learned so far.  I explained to the students that, one day, when they are about to graduate from school, they may take a big test (SAT).  On it, there are some very big vocabulary words.  I had teachers throughout highschool who referred to hard words as "SAT words".  I don't see why we can't start learning words like that right now!

Grammar- In grammar class, we did a review on adverbs.  The class reviewed adverbs that tell how, when, where, how often, and to what extent.  We worked with adverbs that describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.  We also diagrammed examples of each.  To further drive home the lesson, we played the game  "Funglish".  One student is given a noun.  He or she has to choose adjectives that describe the noun, placing them onto a board under the adverb that tells "to what extent".  The class had a blast guessing the words!

Math-  The two classes merged today for one big lesson in decimals!  Since the 3B book and the 4B book are both learning about decimals (specifically money in the 3B book), it worked out well to combine them.  They learned to multiply single digit numbers by numbers that contained decimals.  They learned to count how many decimal places are in the equation to know where to place it in the answer.

Writing-  In writing class, I read each student's story out loud.  The kids have been so excited to hear the development of each one!  After these were fresh in their minds, they used their plot development graphic organizers to write their "resolution" paragraphs.  These were edited by the end of the day, handed back, and will be typed up to share!

Spanish-  Each student had to take turns showing Ms. Rose their knowledge of Spanish family members.  They did a wonderful job with the words that they have been studying!  On Tuesday, they will have a test over the material.  Today, they finished up their family tree posters, which look wonderful!  After they dry, we will hang them around the room!

Social Studies- In social studies, Mr. Dennis taught the class about the growth of American cities up to 1910.  They discussed the reasons for the rapid growth following the Civil War.  Further, they learned the terms "urban" and "rural".  Using a map and chart, the class completed a close activity which reflected what they studied in class.

Art-  In art class, Ms. Nancy taught the class different stitches that they could use as they fill in the parts of their Tropical Bird project.  They are still working on these... and they are looking great!

Standardized Test Prep- Today was a success!  We began preparing for standardized testing in May.  I started out with an explanation of the test, and why we take it.  For those coming from a public school setting, I wanted to explain our reason for testing.  It helps the parents to see if their kids understand what was taught this year, and it helps them to plan their lessons for the following year.  I explained that, when you homeschool, you may cover topics in science or social studies or other subjects that aren't covered on the test that year.  That does not mean that you fail!  It just means that you learned different material than what was covered on the test.  The kids also learned some test taking strategies.  For some kids, this is could be their first time with testing!  They learned that it is a timed test, they to color in the circle completely, and not to begin until the proctor instructs them to do so.  We talked about the process of elimination, and what to do if they aren't sure of an answer.  Finally, the class began with the Language Arts practice section.  I told them all that it is actually GREAT if they miss something right now.  Why?  Because then we just CAUGHT something and can learn it!  Today, many of them had a difficult time discerning fiction from non-fiction.  In reading a narrative passage, they decided that it was non-fiction because it "could have been true".  We spent time discussing the differences between fiction, non-fiction, fables, biographies, and autobiographies.  They also reviewed similes, metaphors, hyperboles, and personification.  We will work more on this at home, discussing it all further on Tuesday!