10/1/18

This sunny day began with some time outdoors.  The class has really gotten into the groove feeding and caring for their different animal groups.  We are trying to use this time to learn not only about animals and responsibility, but on working as a team, compromising, and sharing.  Each day they get better and better at these important skills!  Once inside, we talked about different things going on right now on the farm.  We talked about the new feathers that are coming in on the chickens.  I showed them one of the blue copper maran hens, and they were able to see the difference between the older feathers and the brighter new ones!  The class is anxiously waiting to find out if Annabelle, the angora (rabbit) doe is pregnant or not!  If she begins to pull fur in the next few days, then she should kindle (give birth) in the next few days.  We talked about how the does' fur loosens due to hormones in late pregnancy.  They are then able to pull the fur to build a warm, fluffy nest!  We are all crossing our fingers that there will be little kits here after fall break, but I did make sure the class understands that a doe's first kindling may not always go smoothly, and not to get their hopes up too high!  Life on a farm: hope for the best but expect the worst! 

The class had a quick snack and then shared their Farm Fusion stories.  I stopped them every so often to point out wonderful things that I was hearing in their writing.  I pointed out descriptive words and phrases that were used to help their reader get a clear picture of the things in their stories.  I also pointed out ways to transition from sentence to sentence to make things flow more smoothly.  Of course, I also had to brag on beautiful handwriting, hard work, and rough/final drafts.  These kids are doing a great job, and it is my hope that I will take them forward in their writing throughout the year!

Next, we put on our paint shirts and started a new art project!  The class worked with acrylic paints to create backgrounds today.  Next class, we will add details to these... and then the next part is a surprise!

After lunch, we cracked open our field guides.  Most students are really getting into these!  They\ shared things they found, descriptions they wrote, and pictures they included.  They added so many great things from the chapters that they read!  The kids worked in groups, sharing what they had added with friends.  They added to them, using our big animal, plant, and general encyclopedias.  In order to use the encyclopedias, we needed a lesson on how to use an index.  We talked about alphabetical order, and the students did an awesome job locating different topics in the books!  Keep up the good work at home... it really pays off!

After a vocabulary review from last week's chapters in Northern Lights, the class worked on some new grammar cards to add to their rings.  They added one for common nouns, proper nouns, and verbs.  Although we will not be talking about verbs until we come back from the break, I wanted them to go ahead and start working on learning the definition at home over the next two weeks.  We talked a lot about common and proper nouns... and then we headed outside.  The class made two lines for a common/proper noun relay race!  The took turns running cards to the correct boxes.  It helped them practice noun sorting, but also "got their wiggles out"!  We then headed inside to go through the boxes and discuss any incorrect cards.  I was SO happy to see major progress with this concept today!

In science, we talked about each students' imaginary animal that they created.  There were some seriously creative ones!  At home, we are going to be adding any details that were missing, and making sure they have names.  Next time we are in class, we will be classifying all of these fantastic creatures!  The kids learned a little bit about Latin today, as well!  We talked about "binomial nomenclature" today.  Mainly, I wanted this group to understand that most big words are made up of a "secret code".  Once you know the "code", you can figure out what the words mean!  We talked about how the prefix "bi-" means "two".  We then discusses the two-name system of scientific names for living things.  We added a section to our science notebooks that will help them remember what we talked about in class.  At home, the class will be learning different mnemonics that will help them remember the different levels of organization.  They can write down their favorite one or make up their own!  We'll be working with these in class, so be sure to bring them in!

I took up the questions that the students wrote about North America, and we will be playing a game with them after the break.  The kids were each given a different North American country and they will be working on a mini-poster!  Although I did give them a handout about their country, I hope they are able to go to the library, find videos, check out websites, and learn all they can so they will feel confident about their country presentation!  We will be hanging these up to display in the room.  Ask your kids to point out the seven continents and the four (or five, as some say) oceans.  They should also be able to tell you the locations of the different countries in North America.  So far, I am so impressed with their retention and enthusiasm as we study the globe!

Have a great fall break, and I will see you again on the 15th!