HIGHLIGHT REEL

Wow! It's hard to believe that the year is already winding down. It has flown by, and it is so fun to watch these soon-to-be sixth graders grow and learn. Here are a few thoughts and reflections from the students on favorite moments and lessons they have learned this year. Enjoy!

This year, I grew more confident in my writing abilities and made a lot more friends. I learned that I sometimes struggle with math, but Ms. Bleitz and my classmates are always willing to help! This year was so fun! ~Maddie

I liked when Ms. Bleitz made us laugh. Once, she led an assembly, and one of the teachers off to the side gestured for her to tell us to sit down. She thought they were telling HER to sit down! She laughed harder at herself than anyone else did!~ Jacob

I had so much fun playing a soldier in "The British Are Coming!" That was my first time in a play, and I loved it! I wasn't one of the main parts, but Ms. Bleitz says that every part is important, no matter how small it seems, and the whole process was so much fun.~Samantha

I will never forget talking to Bill Nye about the solar system. He was so cool and funny and passionate---but he sounds much different in real life than on TV! We sang his theme song to him, and he was super impressed. ~Hannah

This year, I learned that I am the way I am for a reason. I learned that it's okay to be different, and that those differences only point to passions and talents and gifts that I can use for my whole life. I learned that it's okay to mess up as long as you learn from it, and that laughter is always, always possible. I will never forget this year. ~Arvin

DOWN ON THE FARM

I am excited to announce our last field trip of the year! We have been discussing agriculture in our current social studies unit, and next Tuesday, we have a unique opportunity to go back in time by visiting a farm that has been around since the 1830s. Victory Acres Farm is an incredible little working farm right here in the heart of Upland owned by a local family that works to provide organic food to people in town. They have generously offered to host us for the day and give us a tour of their farm---everything from indoor greenhouses to a whole barn full of farm animals!

 

Schedules and permission slips were sent out today. Please have the permission slips (and parent volunteer forms) back to me by Friday so that your student can participate in what is sure to be a fun day!

The website for Victory Acres for more information about who they are and what they do:

http://www.victoryacres.org/about-victory-acres

Remember, permission slips are due by Friday. As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns!

BOOK BUDDIES

Picking out their books and getting excited for our first day of Reading Buddies!

This week kicks off what I see as one of the most valuable opportunities that comes with being a fifth grade at Buckham Elementary. Every Monday and Thursday,  we travel just down the hall to Ms. Rathbun's second grade class to spend time with our Reading Buddies. Each student is paired with a second grader, and they spend an hour reading with their partner, discussing what they read and learning from one another. 

Ms. Rathbun and I work together to match our students with similar tastes and interests, and each duo gets to pick a book (approved by one of the teachers). They have a choice whether to read out loud together or read silently and fill out a discussion sheet afterwards. They also keep a reading log keeping track of time spent reading, thoughts, questions and insights to present to the rest of the class when they finish. 

Let me tell you, if you haven't already guessed, I love this program! It is so, so fun to watch my students take on a leadership role and begin relationships with younger students--some were a little nervous or uncertain going into it, but they all did so well and I am so proud of them! It was a great first day. Stay tuned for more details about Reading Buddies and fun reading events throughout the year!

BILL NYE: THE SCIENCE GUY

BILL! BILL! BILL! BILL! BILL!

Bill Nye, the science guy. 

We have an exciting opportunity coming up in classroom 5A on Friday! Bill Nye the Science Guy is more or less a household name in our class, and we have the incredible opportunity to SKYPE WITH HIM and ask him questions! Your student should have 2-3 questions he or she wants to ask written on a note card by the end of the day Thursday, at which point, I will collect them to keep for Friday morning. Parents and guardians are more than welcome to come join the fun as well!

IT'S BOOK DAY!!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

No, it's not a holiday. It's not Christmas or Thanksgiving or Halloween

Not the first day of school

Not the last day of school

Not even someone's birthday

But it IS BOOK FAIR DAY/WEEK!!!

This is how Jocy feels about the annual Scholastic book fair. Look at that smile, folks!

Today was the first day of the Scholastic book fair, and we had so much fun looking around as a class for old favorites and must-reads this afternoon. Remind your student to bring their money and their lists, because the best part? The book fair will be around ALL WEEK, so the kids will have ample opportunity to purchase their new favorite book... or finish it sitting on the floor among the stacks :)

FUTURE AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

Our classroom is brimming with all kinds of talents. Everyone has their own particular gifts, and we make it a point in our classroom to celebrate each student and the unique gifts and talents they bring to our classroom. This week we completed a writing prompt about a day at the beach (wishful thinking, anyone?). Students were given a prompt--a sentence fragment--and had ten minutes to write the beginnings of a story. Students then read their story out loud to the class, and students voted on their top 3 stories---the three they would most want to keep reading. 

The prompt: Someone is walking along the beach when something washes onto shore--something she never would have expected. What does she find? Why is it important? How does it affect him/her?

Guess who made most of the lists and has agreed to share her story on our very own class blog?  Ladies and gentlemen...HERE'S ADRIANA!!! 

PS---We can't wait to hear the rest of the story, Adriana :)  

Michelle walked along the beach shore, hair tousled by the wing and getting more tangled by the minute. It was a perfect day---the sun was shining, there was a slight breeze, and the water lapped pleasantly at her feet. She stepped lightly on the damp sand, lost in her own thoughts yet halfheartedly scanning the beach for sea shells. Suddenly, she felt something stub her toe in the wet sand. She tripped and caught herself and stooped to find what had tripped her. It was a small book, leather bound, pages clinging together and slightly slimy from its stint in the water. It smelled vaguely of campfire smoke. The spine was battered but intact, with small silver lettering that read My Diary 1990-    . There was no name on the front cover, but when Michelle finally did pry it open, careful not to tear the fragile pages, a small photograph fell out. She picked it up and gaped, astonished---it was her!

OUT OF THIS WORLD

Hello, my intelligent, insightful, inquisitive students!

Tomorrow, we are kicking off our brand new unit on astronomy with a quick review of the planets and solar system. Though many of you have the planets down and can probably recite them in your sleep, review is always good and a new perspective is even better. I particularly like this video because, aside from being Schoolhouse Rock, it is a valuable reminder that this universe is SO much bigger than we realize. We have been studying the solar system for years, and we're still learning more about it! 

So what I want you to do tonight to prepare for tomorrow's discussion is to watch this video (Be warned, I DARE you to not get it stuck in your head).  Answer the three questions I have for you and bring your note card to class tomorrow with answers, as well as any other thoughts, reactions and questions you may have about astronomy and this great universe we live in.

Here are the questions I want you to answer on your note card:

1. What characteristics did this video highlight for each planet? How did they accomplish this?

2. What did you notice about how Janet interacted with each planet? Why do you think this is?

3. This video ends with the acknowledgement that, despite how well we think we know the planets, the universe is constantly expanding and scientists are always discovering new things. So here's the big question--what do YOU think is out there? Aliens? Other planets, universes, solar systems?  What do you think that means for us?

Looking forwards to our discussion tomorrow!
Ms. Bleitz