Cue the Banjo's....We're Going to the Farm

Let me shout it from the rooftops...I cannot wait for Spring Break!!! We've got one more week and believe me when I say the Hoppers are in need of some time off. It has been one long winter! Don't get me wrong...I love my kids and teaching, but I have been on edge this week. I am on meds that give me headaches and make me irritable. I am trying soooo hard to be the teacher I normally am, but it's rather difficult right now. I just don't feel in control of myself. I just keep swimming and tell myself that this too shall pass.


After Spring Break, we will dive into all things Farm. I LOVE doing a farm unit! There are so many wonderful activities, songs, and books that I get totally consumed in it. We begin the unit with Oviparous Animals and then just go from there. I've added some chick and egg worksheets, but I thought why create a separate post, so they are included here. You will see that books and activities are not really "farm" per se that is because I am easily side tracked...IE- we start talking about pigs and the next thing you know we do a mini unit on The 3 Little Pigs.


I'm not sure what is going on with Scribd...the pictures don't look very good on here, but I did go through and click on them, they seem to be fine once you go to Scribd.


I hope you find things that you can use! Maybe this post will get me to 200 followers...A*MAZING!
 Enjoy!
Shannon


All documents contain fonts that are copyright DJ Inkers. Virtually all documents contain graphics that are copyright DJ Inkers. They are used with permission. Please visit http://www.djinkers.com/, for wonderful clipart and fonts.


Books we read
I normally find pictures to post here; however, I do the farm unit for almost an entire month...there are just too many books to find all the pictures! I am going to list them out, and I am positive that I will forget many! Forgive me :-) Also, upon further inspection of my book list, it seems as though I am a tad heavy on the pigs...I may need to adjust this at some point.

• Mrs. Wishy Washy
• Big Red Barn
• Charlotte's Web (we are going to read this throughout April)
• Junie B. Jones has a Peep in her Pocket
• Click, Clack Moo: Cows That Type
• Chicken Little
• Rosie's Walk
• The Little Red Hen
• The Three Little Pigs
• Alaska's Three Pigs
• Three Cajun Pigs
• The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig
• The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
• Barnyard Banter
• The Three Billy Goats Gruff
• Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore!
• Pigs Make Me Sneeze
• All the books in the Weekly Reader Series: Animals that Live on the Farm
• Farm Animals
• Inside a Barn in the Country
• All the farm books in the DK Series: See How They Grow
• Olivia
• Pigs in the Mud in the Middle of the Rud
• One Stuck Duck
• Sheep in a Jeep
• Tops and Bottoms
• Farmer Duck
• Barnyard Hullabaloo
• A Seed is Sleepy
• Growing Vegetable Soup

The Literacy Goods

Blends and Digraph Farm Sort


Little Red Hen Sight Word Scramble Worksheet

For the Spin, Read, and Write, I give each student a paperclip and a sharpened pencil to use as their spinner. It saves a ton of time versus the paper fastener and paperclip.
Spin, Read, Write -ig Word Family Game

3 Little Pigs Vowel Matching

Look at the Farm !

This is our Farm Journal. Every few days at the beginning of the unit, we focus on something specific on a farm. Students then write what they know about on the corresponding page.
Farm Jounal

Animals on the farm

Eggs-cellent Words Worksheet

The template for the Sight Word Uno Game came from Kelly's Kindergarten. Love her games!http://kellyskindergarten.com/Games/GamestoMake/games_to_make.htm
Sight Word Farm Uno Color Version

The Math Goods
Tops and Bottoms Numbers


To play Roll, Count, and Color: students use 2 dice or Dice in Dice (we are going to use the Dice in Dice).

They roll, count, and then color one of the corresponding eggs.
Roll, Count, and Color Hen & Eggs

Farm Patterns

The Charlotte's Web Counting by 2's is similar to the President's Day strips we made in February. Students color, cut, and glue the pieces to a sentence strip. We use these as we sing Jack Hartmann's Counting by 2's.

Charlottes Web Counting by 2's

Spin and Graph Farm Spinner

Farm Spin and Tally Sheet

Hatching Chicks

Hello all!

I will be the first to admit, hatching chicks isn't on the top of my strengths list; however, I have had quite a few questions and comments about how others can hatching chicks in their own classrooms. Here is some information for everyone :)

*We go through the University of Illinois Extension for our eggs, feed, and new teacher training for our unit. They also coordinate when and where we drop our little friends off at. If you aren't having the best of luck calling the local 4-H, I would check with the state universities. I know many universities have the unit as part of their agricultural extension.

*It is about 21 days for the eggs to hatch. What makes this difficult is that we must pick up the eggs when the Extension Center tells us to. This year our pick up date is tomorrow, March 14. We have our Spring Break the last week of March...the problem- the final week before they start to hatch you need to take the eggs out of the turner and closely monitor the humidity level. Luckily, we have 2 teachers that are willing to go in and do this over break. Every year they seem to change the pick up and drop off dates, so make sure you have all the information!

Resources...
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/eggs/
http://lancaster.unl.edu/4h/embryology/

Good Luck!
Shannon

Let's all do the Chicken Jive!

I am laying here...day 4 of being sick. I've got bronchitis and a sinus infection, ugh! I can't seem to sleep today, primarily because I can't breathe, but whatevs. 


Without a doubt one of the most exciting and stressful times in my classroom has to be our Chick unit. My first year of doing chicks was to say the least not successful. I really wasn't into it and it turned out that my incubator had a flaw...a crack in the bottom. The last several years, I have been determined to build this unit and get excited for it. I love doing the unit, but as it turns out, I am not a good hen. :-) Last year was my most successful hatch, I believe I had four or five. My chicks were cute, but they were not quite "right".  While most chicks huddle together, mine scattered apart in the brooder. Two of them had something wrong with their bottoms. I loved those chicks, but I knew that once they got to the farm....things would not go well for them. 

The time is here once again. I am no quitter....eventually, I will have a good hatch!! I will let you all know how it goes :-). Here is part of my Farm unit. Thanks for reading! 


Enjoy!
Shannon

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All documents contain fonts that are copyright DJ Inkers. Virtually all documents contain graphics that are copyright DJ Inkers. They are used with permission. Please visit http://www.djinkers.com/, for wonderful clipart and fonts.


Books we read...
    


I also have the cutest little book that I got from a retiring teacher my first year. I believe it is called 7 Eggs. It ends with each student getting a chocolate egg...their reactions when they make the connection is priceless!


There are actually a ton of books we read because it is really more of an Oviparous Animals unit.


Various Activities
This is a sort for the flannel board. We will complete this as a whole group.
Oviparous and Viviparous Sort


Here is the student edition of the sort. I have students take an 11x18 piece of construction paper and fold it in half. Then students draw a black line down the center. They color, cut, sort, and glue.
Oviparous and Viviparous Sort Student Copy


A silly little easy reader. I know they are corny but my kids love 'em :-)The Little Chicks Book

Egg Rhymes is a simple matching game. There is also a worksheet for students to complete when they have completed the center.
Egg Rhymes

My little "hoppers" love the idea of alien words and this activity really gives them the practice they need with NWF.Earth Words vs Alien Words Chick Sort

Students use these cards for simple matching, ABC order, concentration, or Go Fish. I let them choose how to use them best.Chick Upper to Lower Case Matching Cards

A syllable sort. 1-4 syllable words.
Chicken and Eggs Syllable Sort

I always try to include counters for the kiddos that need them. There are 3 levels. The highest level corresponds with the final counter sheet. For extra help for the struggling students I give them two half sheets of construction paper (like blue and yellow). They put the first number of counters on the blue and the second number of counters on the yellow, and then they add them up. I have found that it really helps them out!Adding Eggs Color Code

I love using Dr. Jean's Country Countdown to practice counting backwards. Here is a worksheet that also helps students with the concept.Chick Countdown Worksheet

We use these number chickens when we dance to Jack Hartmann's Chicken Count. It is one of the funniest things you can watch your kids do...strut like chickens!
Number Chickens


This is a little game we play using plasic eggs. I number six eggs and put one item in each (a bell, a penny or two, a cotton ball, a marble, and a chocolate egg), but you could use whatever you want. Students shake the egg and discuss with their table mates. Then they write their predictions, then we open them.
What's in the egg



That's all for now. I will try to post some pictures as I go through the unit.