St. Theresa School Oakland, California

Welcome to the 5th grade! This is an exciting year of discovery, questioning and learning.

As the core teacher, I am in charge of teaching Language Arts, Social Studies, Math and Religion.

Language Arts consists of three sections:

*1. Literature- as a class we read four novels over the course of the year, focusing on literary elements such as plot, characters, setting, themes, cause and affect, vocabulary, historical significance and the use of figurative language.
Individually, the students complete eight book reports throughout the year based on different genres. for example, historical fiction, biography, non-fiction, fantasy, fables/folktales and mysteries.

*2. Wrtiting- there are a variety of methods used in the 5th grade writing curriculum.
-Write Traits- The 6 Traits Writing program is used to help shape and guide students writing through its 6 principles: Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency and Conventions.

-Creative Writing- Once a week the class will have writer?s workshop to allow students to write creatively or finish an assigned topic. Through mini lessons, the writing process (brainstorming, mind/story mapping, writing a rough draft, proof reading, peer editing and publishing) is emphasized.

-Research paper-Time is spent in class teaching how to write a research paper- taking notes, skimming, writing in an informative (expository) way and citing documents for bibliographies.

*3. Grammar-Spelling, vocabulary and grammar are addressed daily with D.O.L. and through weekely spelling tests. Time is also spent on reviewing basic grammar skills such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns, adverbs, conjunctions and sentence structure.

Social Studies

The 5th grade Social Studies curriculum focuses on early American history. Topics that are covered include:
? Geography- parts of maps. Latitude/longitude, reading maps, routes/roads, calculating distances, finding different places in the world.
? Explorers- Reasons why people began exploring, who they were, what they found, why they were important to American history
? Colonies:
South- Jamestown, Plantations, Slaves, farming, wealthy
North- Pilgrims/Puritans, Witch trials, strict way of life, trade
Middle- William Penn, Quakers, Diversity, farming and trade
? American Revolution- French and Indian War, Taxes/Acts (Sugar, Stamp, Townshend, Declaratory, Intolerable), Events (Boston Tea Party, Boston Massacre), People (Jefferson, Henry, Franklin, Washington, Revere, etc.), the Sons of liberty, women in the American Revolution, and the War itself- important battles, weapons and ways of fighting
? Forming a New Nation- the Articles of Confederation, Bill of Rights and U.S. Constitution
? The Louisiana Purchase- Lewis and Clark, Pike and the idea of manifest destiny
? The War of 1812- National Anthem- Ft. McHenry
? Civil War- causes and outcome
? Timeline Projects (Technology/Social Studies activity)

Throughout the Social Studies curriculum, it is emphasized that things happen for a reason and one event does not take place on its own; it is the cause of something that came before it. Connecting and seeing these patterns is the focus of the Social Studies curriculum.

Math

The fifth grade math curriculum focuses on understanding and working with fractions and decimals. Students will learn how to add, subtract, divide and multiply fractions and decimals. They will also learn about data and graphing, measurement, integers and depending on time, will begin work on algebra; expressions and equations. This course of study will help students develop proficiency in conceptual understanding, computational skills and problem-solving ability.

Religion

The fifth grade religion curriculum focuses on the sacraments as special gifts from God which nourish and strengthen us. We have three other components to the religion curriculum, which are service projects, family life and Safe Environment. The fifth grade service project is to volunteer at the Alameda County food bank. We go twice during the year to help them sort and box food they receive. A representative comes into our classroom to talk about why and who we are helping by volunteering. We also spend other times during the year talking about why it is important to help others and what are other ways we can do this in our lives. This is a great way for the students to be of service and see how they are helping others.
Family Life emphasizes what it means to belong to a family community within the context of the Catholic faith.
The Safe Environment for Children program is designed to help children, teachers and parents alike create a safe environment for all children.



Other curriculum subjects will be taught by different specialty teachers. Science will be taught by Ms. King. Music will be taught by Mrs. Miller and band will be taught by Mrs. Fox. Spanish will be taught by Mrs. Goodner. Art will be taught by Mr. Fortune. P.E. will be taught by Mrs. Haines.

Check out our links to find more information about the 5th Grade!

5th Grade Supply List

Welcome to the 5th grade! Because space is limited in the classroom, it is important to follow these guidelines for supplies. These quantities are the maximum needed, however as some supplies do get used up or run out, be prepared to replace them. (Things such as notebooks, and paper will need to be restocked throughout the year, and other things may be requested.) Extras may be kept at home until needed at school. Please label all supplies with the student's name. We will check through these supplies on the first day of school to be sure they adhere to the guidelines on this list.

Thank you.

Ms. Leroe-Munoz


1. 1 box of 24 blue or black medium point ballpoint pens (Erasable or not)*
2. 12 red ballpoint pens*
3. 1 box of 24 #2 pencils with erasers *
4. 1 small, manual, self-contained pencil sharpener (NOT electric)
5. I pair, pointed scissors
6. 1 large glue stick
7. 1 set of markers (no more than twelve count- NO larger. NO SHARPIES!!!)
8. I small box of crayons (1 box of 32. NO larger)
9. Lined college-ruled binder paper
10. 1 small personal stapler
11. 1 ruler with both inches and centimeters
12. 7 pocket folders- one for each subject: Language Arts, Social Studies, Religion,
Science, Math, Music/Spanish and Homework (please, no binders)
13. 7 single subject notebooks, one for each subject, plus one extra: Math, Science, Social
Studies, Language Arts, Religion and Library
14. 1 pocket dictionary
15. 2 boxes of tissues (large size)*
16. 1 container of disinfecting wipes (handy wipes)*
17. I dry-erase marker *
18. One: 1-inch binder (no larger!!) for Spanish

* Items that will be collected and distributed evenly to the class throughout the year



5th Grade Summer Reading

The book you will be reading this summer is Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. This needs to be finished by the first day of school, as we will be doing assignments with it. Please keep in mind the theme of the story, characters, and cause and affect. You will need to turn in the questions(found after this letter) on the first day of school. We will spend some time at the beginning of the year discussing these questions and themes of the story.

This summer, you will also be asked to read a book of at least 100 pages from the author list below. This book will need to be completed by the first day of school. During the year, you will have a book report once a month. Each will differ in length and type of book, but this list of authors can help you choose books for your reports. Each book read must be at least 100 pages-No Exceptions!

Alcott, Luisa May Montgomery, Lucy Maud
Avi O?Dell, Scot
Burnett, Frances Hodgson Paterson, Katherine
Carroll, Lewis Paulsen, Gary
Cather, Willa Peck, Richard
Erdich, Louise Sachar, Lewis
George, Julie Craighead Speare, Elizabeth George
Hesse, Karen Spinelli, Jerry
Konigsburg, E.L. Taylor, Mildred
L?Engle, Madeline Uchida, Yoshiko
Lewis, C.S. Yep, Lawrence
Lowry, Lois

How do you choose a book? There are some guidelines to follow. Don't choose a book you've already read on your own or in a class. During the year we will read three or four novels as a class, so do NOT choose those. They will be chosen from The Witch of Blackbird Pond, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Fighting Ground, Julie of the Wolves, Johnny Tremain, The Phantom Tollbooth, and Jacob Have I loved. If you?ve read a book and enjoyed it, check and see if the author is on the list. If the author is on the list, find another book by the same author. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me. Happy Reading!!


(Please answer these questions after you read Esperanza Rising.) This is due the first day of school!!!

Name: ___________________________________

Date: ________________

5th Grade Summer Reading Questions
(These are for Esperanza Rising ONLY)

Please answer the following questions completely. For some, a sentence will suffice, nut for most you should write more.

1. What is the title and who is the author of the book?




2. When and where does the story take place?





3. Write three or more sentences describing the main character.








4. Briefly describe the basic plot. (What happens at the beginning, middle and end?)








5. What do you think of the ending? Do you think the author wrote an appropriate ending? If the story could end differently, what changes would you make?





6. What is the biggest the challenges the main character faces?







7. Describe any aspect of the main character's life that you admire or envy.






8. Describe any aspects of the main character's life that bother you.






9. Describe any similarities between you and the main character. (How are your personalities similar? How are your lives similar?)








10. How would you rate this book on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being low, 10 being high)? Explain your rating. Please also describe the type of person you think would enjoy this book.