The last weeks!

I really can't believe that the end of the year is so quickly approaching!  Alexis and I have witnessed so much growth during this school year.  Today we began reflecting on our year by presenting our POLs.  So far, there has been some amazing presentations.  Students were given an opportunity to share what their passionate about and how school has prepared them to deepen their understanding of their passions.  Students are also answering the question; "What is the difference between an interest and a passion?" We will be continuing our reflections from the year all the rest of the week with our POLs.

An Amazing Field Trip

I would like to once again thank all of the parents who joined us on our field trip last Thursday.  Many  of the students were claiming it was one of the best field trips they have ever been on! It is wonderful to know that there are some really good outdoor hiking spots that are relatively close to the school.  Be sure to check out our Google spreadsheet if you would like to volunteer to join us on our next two field trips.  The class has decided that for our last field trip we are going to go out to Soak City!

This week we are going to be reflecting on our year and preparing for our POLs.  Don't forget to sign up for a time slot if you have not done so already.  This semester, in order to make POLs more exciting, we are going to be having students discuss what their passions are.  Our essential questions are; What is the difference between a passion and an interest and how have the skills I have learned in 5th grade helped me with my passion?

In addition to our POLs, were are also measuring student growth with our MAPS testing.  Students will be testing in reading, language, and mathematics this week, so be sure that they get plenty of rest and adequate food before coming to school. Proper diet, sleep, and exercise are essential to the success and well-being of all students!

The Talent Show Was Amazing!

The first annual IA's Got Talent Show was a huge success!  I was so pleased at how supportive all the students were towards each other during the show.  Everyone who participated worked so hard to make our show amazing.  Keep up the good work IA, you've got talent.  I can't wait until next year's show.

This week in class we are continuing to work on our "History Comes Alive" skits.  Students are creating short "deleted scenes" from American History.  Each group of students are getting the opportunity to write a script and act out a scene that is relevant to early American History.  Some of our skits include; the Federalists vs. the Republicans, The Intolerable Acts,  American seeking support from France during the war, the Battle of Saratoga, Victory at Yorktown, and many more.  Through doing this activity, I am reminded of how much children enjoy learning through play and drama. Let's continue to play and learn!

Also as a reminder don't forget that we still need more parent volunteers to drive on our upcoming field trips.  This week we are headed out on Thursday to go to the waterfall at Rancho Penasquitos. If you would like to help us with carpooling please click on the following link Carpool. Thanks for all of your support, we couldn't do it without you!
 

IA has Talent!

I want to first of all thank all of the families who gave such generous gifts to us for Teacher Appreciation Week!  We definitely feel appreciated. : )

I'm excited to announce that this Friday the fifth grade will be hosting this year's IA's Got Talent!  It will be held on May 17th at 10:45 in the multipurpose room.  We already had tryouts last Friday and we have seen and heard some amazing performances.  We can't wait to see you there!

As the end of the year approaches, it is once again time to reflect on our growth as learners. We will be having our Presentations of Learning next month from the 4th to the 7th of June.  If you would like to sign up for a slot to observe your child, please click on the following link-POLs.

Exhibition Night was a Huge Success!

It is definitely time to celebrate all of the hard work we did for exhibition night!  I want to especially thank all of the parents who helped their children prepare for the event. I also would like to thank our guest hero, Mike Arms, who came to our class to speak last Thursday evening.

I want to give a kudos to all of the parents who made our Scholastic School Book fair happen this year.  I know that the students were excited about reading some of their new books they got there.  I received some books on my wish list as well, so once again, I thank you for your generosity in donating those books to our class. 

Exhibition Night

This week is going to be an exciting week.  This Thursday we are going to have our all-school exhibition night.  It will be on May 2nd from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.  The students have been hard at work preparing for our "Heroes Never Quit" project.  Students will be answering our essential questions; What are the attributes of a hero and how can I become one?  One of our students has already raised 200 dollars for schools in Cambodia! We are making a powerful impact through our learning at Innovations Academy!

Each student will be receive an evaluation for their participation during this event.  Since it is also a community outreach night, we need to make sure that the room has students present throughout the evening. We also would appreciate it if we had snacks brought in so Alexis and I have created a sign up sheet for parents who would like to volunteer to help out.  Please click on the following link to sign up Exhibition Night.

This week we are also going to be having our school book fair, so be sure to stop by and look at some of the available books on display.  A portion of the proceeds goes to our school.

We set sail

I would first of all like to thank all of the parents who came on our overnight field trip to the Star of India. There was no way that we could have done it with out your dedication. We had so much fun learning about the Revolutionary War while at the same carrying out the duties of a typical sailor from that time period.

I also want to thank all of the families who made it out to the Disco dance party on Saturday night.  It was so cool to see everyone out on the dance floor.  It was a fantastic way to show your school spirit.

We are still taking the STAR test this week.  In the fifth grade, students are tested for science in addition to language arts and mathematics.  Make sure that your child gets plenty of rest and eats a balanced breakfast in the morning.  Proper sleep and nutrition play a vital role in how well students perform in school.

Don't forget that next week we are having our school's exhibition night on May 2nd from 5:00 to 8:00.  All students will receive credit for their participation during this event.  Students have written their letters to their heroes, and are now working on creating poems about their heroes.  Please remember that each student will also be joining a cause that they are passionate about.  All of their actions will need to be documented in a photo essay that will be submitted for credit.

Our first overnight!

I am so excited that next week we are having our first overnight trip to the Star of India!  Please make sure that you pack what's on the packing list.  The weather on the bay can be extreme, hot one moment then bitter cold the next.  Please be sure to read all directions carefully.  All items need to be placed into plastic trash bags and labeled with your child's name. If you have misplaced your packing list, you may click on the following link packing instructions.  For all of the parents who are driving, please remember that we are going to be leaving right after lunch at 1:15. Don't forget to write your child a "time period" letter as stated in the instructions given.  An excuse will be made for the students who do not receive a letter but it will be disappointing if the students are not able to participate in the activity.  It is supposed to be a surprise so please secretly deliver the letter to me. So far I have only received two letters for the entire class!

This week we finished studying the American Revolutionary War.  Students got into groups and wrote outlines of the major events during that time.  Next week we are going to be choosing scenes to act out a particular event from that time period.  Also this week we finished our rough drafts of our formal letters to our heroes. Both final letters are due next Friday, April 19th.  Here is an example of one of the letters written by Alden Peterson.


Innovations Academy

Spring Canyon Road

San Diego, CA. 92127

April 8, 2013

Dear Frederick Douglass,

I was amazed by your work about civil rights and fighting against slavery. I can’t believe you actually jumped on a train while it was moving! The way you learned to read was amazing! You learned to read just like Mohatma Ghandi and Cesar Chavez, who also taught themselves how to read.

I have some questions I would like to ask you, how did you deal with the pain and suffering that you went through? It must have been very painful to see your Grandmother get whipped as a slave, how did you deal with your feeling after that?

What do you feel was your biggest accomplishment when you escaped slavery? What you like to be remembered for?

I think you were an amazing person to accomplish all of your goals in your lifetime and to escape slavery. You are truly a hero!

Sincerely,

Your admirer and student,

Alden Peterson

Grade 5, Innovations Academy

Spring is here!

I hope everyone had a wonderful spring break.  It is good to have everyone back.  I would like to thank all of the parents and students who made our student led conferences such a success.  I was really impressed at how much the students were able to articulate what they have been learning about.  There has been so much growth since the beginning of the year.  They class has really matured so much, especially during the past few weeks.

Speaking of maturing...

The 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th grade classes of Innovations Academy will be participating in a series of sexual education classes beginning Thursday, April 11^th.  There will be three additional classes taking place on April 18, April 25, and May 9.  These classes will be taught by an experienced professional from San Diego Youth Empowerment who has worked with Innovations Academy in the past and received excellent reviews.  

The topics he plans to cover include body changes, text messaging and sexting, appropriate touching and personal boundaries, and healthy relationships.  He will also hold a question and answer session where all questions will be screened before being read and answered.

We plan on all students participating in the classes.  If however, you would not like your child to partake in this program, please provide your child’s teacher with a note stating this desire and an additional option will be provided in place of the sexual education class. 

If you have any additional questions please talk to Bill or Alexis.  

We are going to try and complete out letters to our heroes by this Friday, April 12.  So far the students have written some great formal letters to our heroes.  I am super excited about the possibility of hearing from some of our living heroes.  As soon as we are finished with these we will be uploading them to our blogs.  In addition to the letters, our persuasive essays are also going to be posted to our blogs once final editing changes have been made.  We are becoming very great writers! Way to go fifth grade!

Also we have been continuing our study of American History.  Today we role played different characters in history to illustrate how the story of history changes depending on the perspective of who is telling the story.  We will be continuing our exploration of acting out history.  The students are very natural when it comes to acting it out! Yesterday we read a Reader's Theater play about the Declaration of Independence.  Ask your child to recite the part about, "we hold these truths to be self-evident." We have been practicing memorizing this part in class.  

Student Led Conferences

This week we are going to have our student led conferences. Students have been busily preparing for the conferences the past several days.  Each student will walk their parents through a typical day and discuss goals that were set during the first SLCs. Students will be reviewing finished work samples that they have selected from their portfolios.  Please remember that SLCs are not parent teacher conferences.  Teachers will play a minimal role during the process.  If you do have a question or concern to address, Alexis and I are available everyday before school to meet with you.  We can also set up a phone conference call for your convenience.

I can't wait to share all of the amazing work that we have done!  This week we have been having our writers' workshop celebration.  Students have been reading their final drafts of their persuasive essays to the rest of the class.  I was amazed and very moved by how much the students have grown since the beginning of the year.  Since we have finished our persuasive essays, we are going to begin working on our letters to our heroes.  The letters will be due on April 10, the week after we return from spring break.

Student Led Conferences

Next week we are going to be having our second round of student led conferences. We will be having half days Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday next week.  This will be an opportunity for us to review our goals from our first SLC, assess progress, and look at current work samples.  Students will be busy preparing for the conferences this week.  Please follow this link to sign up your child 5th grade SLC sign-up sheet.

I am still in the process of collecting money for the Star of India trip.  Please make sure to return the completed packet as soon as possible.  I also need students to return the syllabus for the hero project.  Make sure that you read the expectations with your child then sign and return the packet.  Some students have lost or misplaced their packets, so if you need to print out an additional syllabus, please click on the following link Hero Syllabus.  The signed syllabus and three correctly sited sources are due Monday, March 18th.

This week we are going to be completing our final drafts for our persuasive essays.  Students who have not finished their rough drafts will need to take them home to finish.  Since the students will be using Google documents, you can log on with your child to check their progress and give some feedback.  Today I reviewed the publishing requirements of the assignment.  Each student needs to print out two final copies.  One copy will go into their portfolio and the other will be submitted for grading.  The persuasive essays are due Friday, March 22nd.

Star of India

This week we are sending home a packet for our Star of India overnight field trip.  We are going to be attending the overnight on Monday, April 15th.  Filling out the paperwork for going does take some time to complete but please try to return the packet by this Friday, March 16th.  If you are interested in attending on the trip, please complete the packet and return it as soon as possible since there are limited spaces available.  We will be taking volunteers on a first come first serve basis.  As always, parents are needed for driving so indicate whether or not you are available to drive.  The trip is going to be a blast and it will deepen our understanding of American History.

Last Friday we handed out the syllabus for our next project.  Please make sure the paper is signed and returned.  The first assignment was to find three sources of information about their heroes and site those sources correctly.  Some parents have been confused about the due date spaces being blank but we intentionally created that way so we can be flexible and create those with the students' input.  In the past when we had arbitrary due dates, it caused much anxiety. I will be posting the upcoming due dates for each section of the project each week on my blog so stay tuned. We are going to be starting the letters to heroes and important events timelines in the next phase of the project.  Our goal is to wrap up the entire project by the next exhibition night.

In class we have been busy this week working on our persuasive essays.  Each student is about halfway done drafting their rough draft.  Last week we spent our writing time pre-writing and planning out our essay.  Hopefully next week we will be editing and working on Google documents, so you will be able to log into your child's email and see their progress on their final drafts.

Hero Project

Last week we started a new project about heroes. Our essential question for this project is; What are the attributes of a hero and how can I be one?  Each student was asked to pick a hero and begin researching their life story.  We are planning on assembling all of the information into a book that we publish as a class.  Each student is going to be asked to join a cause or find some way that they can make a heroic change in their life.

One of the activities we are currently working on is writing a persuasive essay.  Students are picking a topics that they can persuade others to make small but significant changes in their lives.  Some of the topics are; carpooling to school, riding bikes to school, eating healthy foods, playing less video games, and working on getting along with siblings.  Our final product will be a 5 paragraph essay with a formal introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph.

Now that we have finished Holes and Island of the Blue Dolphins, we have started reading our next novels in book clubs.  In order to maintain a high student interest level, we had the class decide and vote on which books to read.  The class voted on My Brother Sam is Dead  (a historical fiction about the life of a young boy during the Revolutionary war), and Anne Frank the Diary of a Young Girl (a story of a girl hiding out in Holland during Nazi occupation).

Riley's Farm

This week we had an awesome time going to Riley's farm and taking a tour of what life was like during the Revolutionary war. I really appreciate all of the parents who were available to drive to make the trip possible.  The students wrote a reflection about their experience and shared their favorite part with the class.

"We were about an  into our trip, the sun was shinning and smiling." -Max

"Sometimes they (the colonists) were hungry enough that they might have eaten their boots." -Chloe

"Before people left, Bill and Alexis started an all-out snowball fight." -D

"I was as cold as a skinny polar bear in a blizzard with no fur." -Julius

"I hope that one day we can go back in time again."- Olivia

"I now know first hand colonial life was hard."-Brandon

"Towards the end of the field trip, Bill and Alexis threw snowballs."-Alden

"It felt like we were in the 17th century." -Sam

"Riley's Farm is not a farm, it is about the Revolutionary War against the British Lobster-backs and the American colonists." -Dylan

"It was a cold in the morning, but my snow gear was on."-James

"It was really fun playing the games that the kids played back in the day." -Lilly

February is Fantastic!

This week it is important to remember that we have a holiday weekend coming up and there will be no school this Friday or the following Monday.  Also this week, the sixth grade class is promoting a "get fit week."  Each day this week, students at IA are encouraged to take on an activity that will help maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Monday is walk or run a mile day.  Tuesday is an electronic-free day (no video games or t.v.)  Wednesday is plan a healthy meal day.  Thursday is families are encourage to take a walk after school.  Friday will end the challenge with making sure we spend at least an hour playing outside.

On another note, we still are in need of permission slips and drivers to go to Riley's farm.  Please make sure to indicate on the slip whether or not you can drive.  So far we only have three parents signed up to drive.

In class we are doing some great learning. Our literary centers are finally up and running we have many cool activities where students are practicing some great language arts skills while having fun.  We are practicing cursive, reading non-fiction periodicals, analyzing Latin and Greek root words, and learning about people, places, and events in American History.  This week our focus in social studies is going to be the Declaration of Independence, and the battles that led to the victory of the revolutionary war.  Ask your child what taxation without representation means or who won the French and Indian War. Last week we worked on creating outlines of the chapter in the Cartoon History book.  Talk to your child about what they are learning, they have so much to say!

Spring is coming!

I can't believe how quickly January went by.  Time sure does fly when so much learning and growing is happening! First of all, I have a few announcements about upcoming field trips.  This week we are planning on visiting the San Diego Mira Mar landfill.  Our green team brought in a guest speaker from the landfill and our students are interested in learning more about it.  We are scheduled to go there on the 7th, this Thursday.  I apologize for such short notice, we have been working on finding a way to visit there.  According to the landfill's policy, they have met their field trip quota for the year with elementary grades. We were fortunate enough to enlist the support of Tony's eighth grade class, so we will be "piggy backing" on their field trip.  Buses will be provided so we don't need drivers.  If any parents are available to chaperon,  please contact me.
We are also planning on another field trip to Riley's Farm Revolutionary War Adventure.  This is scheduled for the 21st of February, which is a Thursday.  We will need to leave earlier than school usually starts, by 8:00 am.  We are also looking for parent drivers to make this field trip possible. The cost for the field trip is going to be $15.00.  I will be sending home a parent permission slip, so please return them as soon as possible so I can organize the driving situation.  The eighth grade class went last week and they apparently had a blast.  They got to experience all of the concepts that we are learning about in fifth grade American History.

Time for Reflection

I have to admit that last week was very exciting. Students were able to reflect on all of the great learning that has happened so far this year.  I would like to also thank all of the parents who came out to see POLs last week.  Since POLs are done, we will be returning to our regular schedule next week.

This Friday our book club summaries are going to to be due.  Students are choosing to present their reviews in fun and creative ways.  Some of the choices include but are not limited to; cartoon strips, plays, videos, a news flash, puppet shows, and written summaries posted on Amazon.  Each student is focusing on the plot, character development, and climactic moments.  

In both classes we have started our center activities.  This is an opportunity for students to rotate around the room to various work stations.  Each center lasts for  approximately 15-20 min.  This allows me time to have small group instruction while students are practicing core standards independently.  Activities will be varied to help maintain student interest.  Last week our focus was on sharpening our dictionary skills, learning our states and capitals, responding to non-fiction periodicals, and learning how to type!

In social studies we are learning about the events leading up to the revolutionary war.  I recently watched a  HBO miniseries called John Adams.  It is a historical account of the life of our 2nd president, John Adams.  I was planning on showing parts of the program to the students.  The show is rated TV-14 due to a few scenes which I will be skipping.

POLs

I hope that everyone had a relaxing three day weekend! Tomorrow we will be reflecting on the holiday by looking at the life of Dr. Martin Luther King. Also this week we will begin our POLs.  Each student will be presenting to the class what they have learned so far this year.  There are still many empty time slots, so please sign up for a time if you have not done so already.  We will need to start assigning times for students if there are still empty spaces tomorrow.  You can sign up via Alexis' blog- there is a spreadsheet posted there.

We are also continuing our exploration of fiction and non-fiction texts.  For non-fiction, we are working on summaries for the Cartoon History of the United States. Since we have finished reading Island of the Blue Dolphins and Holes, we are currently writing summaries and book reviews.  Also, last week we researched navigation tools that were used by early explorers.  Afterwards, the class made real compasses!

In preparation of his student teaching, our co-teacher, Alex, gave a wonderful lesson on the history of language.  In addition to learning about the origin of the English language, students learned how to combine prefixes, root words, and suffixes of Latin and Greek words.

Happy New Year!

I would like to first of all like thank all of the families who gave such generous gifts to me during the holiday season.  I really felt an enormous amount of appreciation!

So far this year, the class has really hit the ground running. It seems that the children have matured during winter break.  Keep up the good work parents! Thank you for all of your support, it really does make all of the difference.

This week we have begun an new program called Brainology. It is curriculum that is designed to change the "habits of mind." Recent research is showing that people tend to fall into two categories on how they view intelligence.  Some people view intelligence as fixed and others see it as malleable.  People who have a fixed view of intelligence tend to have a more difficult time completing tasks that they feel they are not "smart" in.  While people with the malleable view associate being good at something as a result of hard work.  In Brainology, we are training students to adopt the malleable view of intelligence.  We will be celebrating when we make mistakes and when we struggle!  This is where the real learning takes place. Our attitude about ourselves makes all the difference in the world.

We had a perfect example of mindsets changing yesterday when Alexis and I were tutoring Juliet and Julius   after school on their basic math facts.  Both these students at the beginning of the year had the belief that they were "not good at math." Recently their mindsets have dramatically changed and they have been working diligently on memorizing their times tables.  It was amazing to watch these two students become so excited about the math game we were playing.  

This week in Humanities, we finished making our American History timelines of pre-revolutionary events.  In language arts we started analyzing the features of non-fiction texts.  We read an article in National Geographic called "Fancy Feathers."  We looked at the difference between facts and opinions in the article. Afterwards, each student wrote a brief summary of the article.  For book clubs we have almost finished reading Holes and Island of the Blue Dolphins. Next week we will be celebrating by watching the movie Holes and comparing and contrasting it to the book.