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 :)

TAKING THE STAGE

As part of our history unit on the American Revolution, our class is gearing up for a  production of an original play, "The British Are Coming!" by Ms. Hannah Elizabeth Haney, about the rising tension between the king and the colonies leading up to the Revolutionary War. This play is a fun opportunity for students to showcase their talents, from singing and dancing to designing costumes and scenery, and even leadership jobs backstage. Stay tuned for audition dates and more information! 

BOOKWORMS IN 5A

This week, we will be starting Accelerated Reader, which is a fantastic reading program designed to get students excited about what they read.  Each student took a pre-test this week to find out their individual strengths and weaknesses as a reader, and received a list of books that other students at the same level have enjoyed. Students will have thirty minutes each day to read a book at their level, and after they finish their book, they take a quiz about the book they just read testing their comprehension to receive a certain number of ‘bookworm points’. The class has agreed this week on a goal of 1,000 combined AR points as a class by the end of the semester—if they achieve this, I will throw a pizza party for the whole class the week before winter break!