Monday, December 10, 2018
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
12/3/18
Some Highlights of Today:
*beautiful weather
*different ways to make the long e sound review
*lesson on different types of hay
*learning the difference between hay and straw
*mastering the helping verb list
*South America presentations
*discussing the use of onomatopoeias in The Mystery of the Amazon Rainforest
*vocabulary review
*viewing and discussing the results of our petri dish experiment
*finalizing our pasta ornaments and painting our next project
*visit from a Costa Rican zebra tarantula, also known as the striped-knee tarantula!
Thursday, November 29, 2018
11/26/18
Brr!!It was chilly today, but we got out and spent some time in the fresh air! The class chose their new animals to care for over the next few weeks, and even though it was cold, they did a great job tackling a new task!
Our Farm Fusion lesson was on guineas. We had just wrapped up a turkey lesson, and guineas have a lot of similarities to turkeys. They both have no feathers on their heads, and they both have 28 day incubation periods. We talked about some of the big differences, though! Their personalities are completely different (especially the poults and keets!), and they originated from entirely different continents. We talked about their African roots and read an African folktale, "Guinea Fowl and Rabbit Get Justice". Like most folktales, this story was one passed down through the generations and teaches life lessons. We discussed the important lessons that it was trying to teach, and they will have an opportunity to work on their own (if they choose)!
We added a little bit of phonics to our guinea lesson today. Because "guinea" makes a long e sound with an ea, and "keet" makes a long e sound with ee, we talked about the tricky long e sound and how it can be made with ey, ie, y, ea, ee, or just e. We made a chart on the board, and the kids discussed different examples that we could add to each column. Hopefully, it will help with their at-home spelling and reading lessons!
Next, we worked on making snowflake ornaments out of pasta! The kids first took time to work on some designs with different types of pasta. Then, they glued the pieces together and laid them to dry on wax paper. We will paint these next week!
Our Mystery in the Amazon Rainforest book has given the kids so much to talk about! They were all a buzz during our discussion, and they were SO excited to share all that they had added to their field guides! They had information on tarantulas, piranhas, blue morpho butterflies, chicle trees, and much more! In our book, the characters are searching for a legendary jeweled necklace that was stolen in the Amazon. I thought it would be fun for the kids to make their own necklaces that they could wear as they read!
A few of the students went above and beyond with their "Diving Deeper" research! They researched the Incan Civilization and took turns sharing their findings with the class. As we learn about the countries in South America, I wanted to give the kids a chance to be the teacher! They drew a slip of paper from a bag. On the paper was the name of a country or location in South America. They will be working on creating their own lesson on their country! They can get creative and present it to the class in any way they'd like.... They are the teacher!
Finally, it was science time! To wrap up our bacteria lessons, the kids and I worked on a petri dish experiment. We swabbed the indoor doorknob for Dish A and the outside doorknob for Dish B. Then, the kids wiped down the knobs with disinfectant wipes. We swabbed each one again for Dish C and Dish D. At home, the class will be writing their hypothesis and adding them to their science notebook. We'll see what grows next week!
Monday, November 12, 2018
11/12/18
Yuck! Today was our first nasty, rainy day of the school year here on the farm. I handled all of
the soggy animal care before class began, so the kids didn't have to go out in that mess!
As the rain steadily poured, we were nice and toasty inside! We began our day with a turkey review. The kids did an amazing job with their creative writing assignment, and I was pleased to see so many using the terms that they used last w
The turkey paper quilling projects were amazing! They completed the feathers and feet today, and they were able to take these home. I am very impressed with the skill and the determination that the kids showed with this. When I presented this, I explained that I had other plans just in case this was too tedious. Not one student opted for the easier version!
It was far too wet outside for any playtime, so we had an indoor picnic for lunch followed by some board game time! They really enjoyed picking out a game and hitting the floor with friends. We'll keep the games in class for any icky days.
Everyone did an awesome job with their sheet on linking verbs and action verbs. We went over each question together, making any changes necessary. Keep studying your grammar cards! We will be adding more and more... and routine practice will make it a piece of cake! So far, we have completed three of the four types of verbs: action, state of being, and linking. After Thanksgiving Break we will focus on helping verbs for a few weeks.
The rain really puts a damper on "getting our wiggles out", so we had to stop for an impromptu dance party! First, we turned the Chicken Dance into the Turkey Dance. Then, we just cranked up some music and jumped, danced, and twirled! There is no way on Earth kids can stay cooped up for that long AND stay focused. It's good to get up and move!
At home, the kids read the first five chapters of the new book, Mystery in the Amazon Rainforest. They had so much to add to their field guides, and they were SO proud to show them off to each other! We sat in a big circle and talked about anacondas, tarantulas, sloths, orchids, bamboo, the Amazon River, and more. I feel like they have really started to get into the groove with these, and I am so impressed with how excited they are to read and share with each other everything they've learned. We talked about the chapters and reviewed the vocabulary words. They broke into groups for a matching exercise. Most students really knew these words... but a few seemed like they hadn't worked with them very much at home. Review games are always more fun if they are prepared!
Some students opted to do the Diving Deeper research assignment. They learned about the rainforest and presented their findings to the class. There is just something captivating about the rainforest! It captures the kids' imaginations!
Next, we integrated our reading topic with our grammar lesson. Each student was given three strips of paper, each a different color. On the pink strip, they chose a noun from their recent field guide entries. They could choose any of the animals, plants or places from the chapters. Then, they chose a "describing word" that described the noun. They wrote this word on their green strip. Finally, they had to choose a linking verb to link the two together. Hopefully this tangible activity will help them remember the role that linking verbs play in sentences!
The class did a great job with their South American maps. Today, we only focused on Brazil (the setting of our chapter book), Uruguay, and Paraguay. We talked about how the Paraguay River divides the country into east and west, which was a great opportunity to practice the "Never Eat Soggy Waffles" pneumonic. They will be studying some information on these countries and we will move on to others once we return.
Bacteria was our topic today in science. The kids learned the differences between viruses and bacteria, and they also added some new flaps to their interactive notebooks. We talked about the three main shapes for bacteria. They learned about how certain types use flagella to move around.
To give an example right here from the farm, I explained that coccidia is a very common bacteria that is present most everywhere. The term "coccidia" is a broad term. There are different types of coccidia that can affect different species of animals. (So, a canine coccidia will not affect poultry, etc.) Most of the time, healthy animals can fight off a moderate coccidia load. However, young animals that have weak immune systems cannot. I explained that baby chicks that have not been exposed to a coop of existing chickens (or even in contact with used waterers or feeders) can become ill and die within 3-4 days of exposure. Pre-treatment is simple and effective way of protecting many species. If you have poultry at home and you frequently lose chicks once setting them out with the rest of the flock, you may want to pre-treat with DiMethox or Corid ahead of time!
the soggy animal care before class began, so the kids didn't have to go out in that mess!
As the rain steadily poured, we were nice and toasty inside! We began our day with a turkey review. The kids did an amazing job with their creative writing assignment, and I was pleased to see so many using the terms that they used last w
The turkey paper quilling projects were amazing! They completed the feathers and feet today, and they were able to take these home. I am very impressed with the skill and the determination that the kids showed with this. When I presented this, I explained that I had other plans just in case this was too tedious. Not one student opted for the easier version!
It was far too wet outside for any playtime, so we had an indoor picnic for lunch followed by some board game time! They really enjoyed picking out a game and hitting the floor with friends. We'll keep the games in class for any icky days. Everyone did an awesome job with their sheet on linking verbs and action verbs. We went over each question together, making any changes necessary. Keep studying your grammar cards! We will be adding more and more... and routine practice will make it a piece of cake! So far, we have completed three of the four types of verbs: action, state of being, and linking. After Thanksgiving Break we will focus on helping verbs for a few weeks.
The rain really puts a damper on "getting our wiggles out", so we had to stop for an impromptu dance party! First, we turned the Chicken Dance into the Turkey Dance. Then, we just cranked up some music and jumped, danced, and twirled! There is no way on Earth kids can stay cooped up for that long AND stay focused. It's good to get up and move!
At home, the kids read the first five chapters of the new book, Mystery in the Amazon Rainforest. They had so much to add to their field guides, and they were SO proud to show them off to each other! We sat in a big circle and talked about anacondas, tarantulas, sloths, orchids, bamboo, the Amazon River, and more. I feel like they have really started to get into the groove with these, and I am so impressed with how excited they are to read and share with each other everything they've learned. We talked about the chapters and reviewed the vocabulary words. They broke into groups for a matching exercise. Most students really knew these words... but a few seemed like they hadn't worked with them very much at home. Review games are always more fun if they are prepared!
Some students opted to do the Diving Deeper research assignment. They learned about the rainforest and presented their findings to the class. There is just something captivating about the rainforest! It captures the kids' imaginations!
Next, we integrated our reading topic with our grammar lesson. Each student was given three strips of paper, each a different color. On the pink strip, they chose a noun from their recent field guide entries. They could choose any of the animals, plants or places from the chapters. Then, they chose a "describing word" that described the noun. They wrote this word on their green strip. Finally, they had to choose a linking verb to link the two together. Hopefully this tangible activity will help them remember the role that linking verbs play in sentences!The class did a great job with their South American maps. Today, we only focused on Brazil (the setting of our chapter book), Uruguay, and Paraguay. We talked about how the Paraguay River divides the country into east and west, which was a great opportunity to practice the "Never Eat Soggy Waffles" pneumonic. They will be studying some information on these countries and we will move on to others once we return.
Bacteria was our topic today in science. The kids learned the differences between viruses and bacteria, and they also added some new flaps to their interactive notebooks. We talked about the three main shapes for bacteria. They learned about how certain types use flagella to move around.
To give an example right here from the farm, I explained that coccidia is a very common bacteria that is present most everywhere. The term "coccidia" is a broad term. There are different types of coccidia that can affect different species of animals. (So, a canine coccidia will not affect poultry, etc.) Most of the time, healthy animals can fight off a moderate coccidia load. However, young animals that have weak immune systems cannot. I explained that baby chicks that have not been exposed to a coop of existing chickens (or even in contact with used waterers or feeders) can become ill and die within 3-4 days of exposure. Pre-treatment is simple and effective way of protecting many species. If you have poultry at home and you frequently lose chicks once setting them out with the rest of the flock, you may want to pre-treat with DiMethox or Corid ahead of time!
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