All About Bears

What do you really know about Black Bears? In the novel, Hatchet, Brian was faced with a Black Bear in the middle of the woods.  What would you do if you were faced with one? 

Do you know the following? 

How much do they weigh?

How long do they live? 

How fast do they run? 

How tall are they? 

What color are they? 

Model Airplanes

As one of the hand-on projects for the first section of the book Hatchet, Chapters 1 to 4;  students made model airplanes.  An airplane is an important part of the story, as Brian was traveling on a Cessna 406 to visit his father in the Canadian oil fields.  The pilot had a heart attack while flying the plane, therefore Brian had to figure out how to fly and land the plane.  

Hatchet

We are currently reading the novel Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen.  

Please see link for the plot overview: 

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/hatchet/summary.html

Fifth Grade Weekly Newsletter #8

Fifth Grade Weekly Newsletter #8

October 19 to 22, 2009

 

Hello Fifth Grade Families!

 

The first quarter ends this Friday, October 23^rd.  Conferences have been scheduled; if you have not turned in your confirmation slip, please do so as soon as possible. Report cards will be distributed during conference week. 

 

 Please note the following:

 

 

1. The fifth grade will be doing our song prayer on Wednesday, November 11^th.  The students chose the song, Your Grace is Enough by Matt Maher.  Please use this link to practice the song: http://www.spiritandsong.com/compositions/66136.  Music sheets were also given to some students to do accompaniment to the song.

 

2. We started reading the novel, Hatchet.  There will be a hands-on project for the first four chapters of the book, as well as a quiz. (Students will get a handout)

 

 

A week in review:

Reading: Hatchet, first four chapters

 

Religion: New Memory Prayer due October 21, 2009; Chapter 3 – Living the Beatitudes

 

Math: Multiplying with one-digit number, Multiply with Zeros, Problem Solving – Estimated or Exact Answers, Mental Math: Multiply Multiples of 10, 100, and 1,000, Multiply by multiples of 10. Quiz on Thursday. 

 

Language Arts: Unit 4– Vocabulary, Pronouns, Spelling – homophones – vocabulary and spelling tests on Friday 

 

Social Studies: Chapter 2 – Native Americans – packet, starting Arkansas

 

Ms. Ronquillo’s Contact Information:

e-mail:         kronquillo@sfsta.org                 blog: stafifthgrade.blogspot.com

 

   

Fifth Grade Weekly Newsletter #7

Fifth Grade Weekly Newsletter #7

October 13 to 16, 2009

 

Hello Fifth Grade Families!

 

I hope you and your family had a great four-day weekend! Please remember the tomorrow, October 14, 2009 is picture day!

 

 Please note the following:

 

1. Thank you Mrs. Ni, Mrs. Neri, and Mrs. Beck for volunteering to be our room parents.  I appreciate the help!

 

2. The fifth grade will be doing our song prayer on Thursday, November 5^th.  The students chose the song, Your Grace is Enough by Matt Maher.  Please use this link to practice the song: http://www.spiritandsong.com/compositions/66136.  Music sheets were also given to some students to do accompaniment to the song.

 

3. Online Resources for Wind in the Willows:

http://www.online-literature.com/grahame/windwillows/ - online copy of the book

http://www.archive.org/details/wind_in_the_willows_solo - audio recording of the book

Next book we are reading is Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.

 

A week in review:

Reading: The Wind and the Willows – finishing the book; next novel we will be reading is Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, Final Test on Wind and the Willows on Tuesday, October 20^th. 

 

Religion: New Memory Prayer due October 21, 2009; concluding Chapter 2 – test on Chapter 2 this Friday,

 

Math: write and evaluate expressions, write and solve equations, variables and functions, problem solving –use an equation

 

Language Arts: Unit 3– Vocabulary – test date Thursday, October 8, 2009, Friday, October 9^th is a school holiday.   Spelling Test – consonant digraphs, will also be on that day.  Finishing Nouns – final test is Wednesday

 

Social Studies: Unit 1 – The Ancient Americas test date Wednesday, October 14, 2009, Alaska due this Thursday, Chapter 2 – Native Americans – packet

 

Ms. Ronquillo’s Contact Information:

e-mail:         kronquillo@sfsta.org                 blog: stafifthgrade.blogspot.com 

Fifth Grade Weekly Newsletter #6

Fifth Grade Weekly Newsletter #6

October 5 to 9, 2009

 

Hello Fifth Grade Families!

 

Students have no school on Friday and Monday.  Have a restful and enjoyable four-day weekend!

 

 Please note the following:

 

1.     If you would like to be a room parent for the fifth grade class, please let me know.  We do not have any volunteers at this time.   

 

2.    The fifth grade will soon do our song prayer during morning assembly, the students chose the song, Your Grace is Enough by Matt Maher.  Please use this link to practice the song: http://www.spiritandsong.com/compositions/66136.  Music sheets were also given to some students to do accompaniment to the song.

 

3.    Online Resources for Wind in the Willows:

http://www.online-literature.com/grahame/windwillows/ - online copy of the book

http://www.archive.org/details/wind_in_the_willows_solo - audio recording of the book

 

A week in review:

Reading: The Wind and the Willows – finishing the book; next novel we will be reading is Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

 

Religion: New Memory Prayer due October 21, 2009; concluding Chapter 2

 

Math: write and evaluate expressions, write and solve equations, variables and functions, problem solving –use an equation

 

Language Arts: Unit 3– Vocabulary – test date Thursday, October 8, 2009, Friday, October 9^th is a school holiday.   Spelling Test – consonant digraphs, will also be on that day.  Finishing Nouns – final test is Wednesday

 

Social Studies: Unit 1 – The Ancient Americas test date Wednesday, October 14, 2009, Alaska due this Thursday, Chapter 2 – Native Americans – packet

 

Ms. Ronquillo’s Contact Information:

e-mail:         kronquillo@sfsta.org                 blog: stafifthgrade.blogspot.com

 

   

New Seats

Students switched seats on September 30, 2009.  We also cleaned out desk.  We will change seats at the end of every month.  

Journals

Journal Guidelines are as follows:

1. You should have a journal entry for each day of school.  

2.  Take your journal home on Thursdays; choose a piece for Ms. Ronquillo to read.  Edit this piece and be ready to turn it in by Friday afternoon before dismissal. 

3.  Your chosen piece will be grade based on the following: 

• It should be at least 10 sentences long
• Grammar and spelling are corrected
• Completed (the story has an ending) 

Fifth Grade Weekly Newsletter #5

Fifth Grade Weekly Newsletter #5

September 28 to October 2

 

Hello Fifth Grade Families!

 

We have finished the IOWA testing and moved on to the Cognitive Abilities Test, this is to see how well students solve problems in words, numbers, and shapes.  We will finish testing by Wednesday this week.  Regular schedules resume this week. 

 

 Please note the following:

1. PE is back on Tuesday and Thursday.  Please remember to label all pieces of clothing. 

 

2. If you would like to be a room parent for the fifth grade class, please let me know.  Thank you very much for your time and involvement! Duties will include organizing special events for the class such as parties or celebrations. 

 

3. The fifth grade will soon do our song prayer during morning assembly, the students chose the song, Your Grace is Enough by Matt Maher.  Please use this link to practice the song: http://www.spiritandsong.com/compositions/66136.  Music sheets were also given to some students to do accompaniment to the song.

 

4. The end of the month is approaching, which means we are switching seats.  Also, it will be a good time to clean out old papers from binders and folders.  We will be cleaning desk this Wednesday.  It would also be a good idea to clean out your child’s backpack at home.

 

5. Online Resources for Wind in the Willows:

http://www.online-literature.com/grahame/windwillows/ - online copy of the book

http://www.archive.org/details/wind_in_the_willows_solo - audio recording of the book

 

A week in review:

Reading: The Wind and the Willows – Chapters 8 to 12, responses, quotations, study guides 

 

Religion: memory prayer due September 30^th, Paschal Ministry, the Beatitudes, First Friday Mass

 

Math: add decimals, subtract decimals, problem strategy – work backward, expression and equation, write and evaluate expression – Math Quiz on Friday 

 

Language Arts: Unit 3– Vocabulary – test date Thursday, October 8, 2009, Friday, October 9^th is a school holiday.   Spelling Test will also be on that day.  Finishing Nouns – final test is this Friday.  

 

Social Studies: Unit 1 – The Ancient Americas, flip book project due Thursday, October 1^st, map of Alabama is due this Wednesday, working on Alaska. 

 

Ms. Ronquillo’s Contact Information:

e-mail:         kronquillo@sfsta.org                 blog: stafifthgrade.blogspot.com 

Table Points

Students have been earning table points since the start of school.  Table points are given when everyone in the table is ready.  Table points may also be taken away when students are not following directions. 

They are given tickets at the end of each week.  Our auction starts next week! I hope you have been saving your tickets, fifth graders! 

IOWA Tests

• Vocabulary
• Word Analysis
• Listening
• Reading (2 parts)
• Language: Spelling, Capitalization, Punctuation, Usage and Expression
• Mathematics: Concepts and Estimation, Problem Solving and Data Interpretation, Computation
• Social Studies
• Science
• Sources of Information: Maps and Diagrams, Reference Materials

The fifth grade will also take the Cognitive Abilities Test. 

We test from about 8:20 AM to 10:15 AM.  We take breaks in between! 

Please remember to get plenty of rest and eat a healthy breakfast.  

Your Grace is Enough

Here is the link for the song, Your Grace is Enough by Matt Maher.  This is our song prayer. Hopefully some students can play the music for us.  Students - please listen and practice the song. Thanks! 

http://www.spiritandsong.com/compositions/66136

Walt Disney Family Museum

On Monday, September 21, 2009, the fifth grade class along with the sixth graders went to a study trip to the Walt Disney Family Museum.  Thank you very much to Mrs. MacDonnell who arranged the trip for us.  It was an amazing place.  It was a privilege for us to be one of the fist schools to be go through the museum.  

The museum in located in The Presidio of San Francisco.  It turned out to be a beautiful day and even our Muni ride was adventurous! 

A personal thank you to all our chaperones: Mr. Yuen, Mr. Fong, Mrs. Gee, Mrs. Yu, Mr. Kuznetsov, Mrs. Garrido, Mrs. Kim, Mrs. Ni, Mr. Liu, and Mrs. Mar.  Also, thank you to Mrs. Tam for meeting us there to take pictures and taking jackets back to school! 

Overall, it was a great experience! 

Fifth Grade Weekly Newsletter #4

Fifth Grade Weekly Newsletter

September 21 to 25, 2009

 

Hello Fifth Grade Families!

 

The students began IOWA testing today. We will be testing all of this week and also part of next week.  Students should have limited amount of homework while we are testing.  Please remember that it is important to get enough sleep and eat a healthy breakfast. 

 

Thank you the chaperones in our fieldtrip!

 

Please note the following:

1. Tomorrow is PE day from 1:00 to 1:30 PM.  There is no PE on Thursday. 

 

2. Progress reports are going home tomorrow, Tuesday, September 22, 2009. 

 

3.  Please check out yourhomowork.com, assignments are already posted.  Mrs. Powers homework assignments are also posted in yourhomework.com

 

4. Online Resources for Wind in the Willows:

http://www.online-literature.com/grahame/windwillows/ - online copy of the book

http://www.archive.org/details/wind_in_the_willows_solo - audio recording of the book

 

A week in review:

Reading: The Wind and the Willows – Chapters 8 to 10, responses, quotations, study guides 

 

Religion: memory prayers, the Beatitudes   

 

Math: adding whole numbers, subtract whole numbers, problem solving strategy

 

Language Arts: Unit 2 – Vocabulary – test date Friday, September 25^, 2009, also spelling test schwa sounds

 

Social Studies: Unit 1 – The Ancient Americas, two-column note-taking, flip book project

 

Ms. Ronquillo’s Contact Information:

e-mail:       kronquillo@sfsta.org

blog:               stafifthgrade.blogspot.com

 

Fifth Grade Newsletter #3

Fifth Grade Weekly Newsletter

September 14 to 18, 2009

 

Hello Fifth Grade Families!

 

Thank you to everyone who attended back to school night.  If you were not able to attend or would like to set up an appointment to talk to me, please e-mail, send a note, or phone the school.  If you have some chocolate money, please send them to school right away.  Thank you very much for your generous support to our school. 

 

Please note the following:

1. The fieldtrip to the Walt Disney History Museum is changed to Monday, September 21, 2009 from about 8:20 AM to 1:30 PM including travel time.  Bring a snack and a lunch for the trip. Also, remember to wear comfortable shoes and layered clothing as the weather is unpredictable.  Please see fieldtrip form.

 

2. Next week we start the IOWA testing, please make sure your child gets plenty of rest and a good healthy breakfast.  All testing will take place in the mornings. Additionally, due to IOWA testing, we only have one PE day.  That would be on Tuesday, September 22, 2009.  There is no PE on Thursday, September 24, 2009. 

 

3. Please note that students will have Science homework each night they have Science class.  Science class is every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.  Homework is due the next day it is assigned.      

 

4. Online Resources for Wind in the Willows:

http://www.online-literature.com/grahame/windwillows/ - online copy of the book

http://www.archive.org/details/wind_in_the_willows_solo - audio recording of the book

 

A week in review:

Reading: The Wind and the Willows – Chapters 6 to 10, responses, quotations, study guides 

 

Religion: Sacraments; family page (see handout for the family), prayers 

 

Math: Compare and Order Decimals and Whole Numbers, Negative Numbers and the Number Line,

Problem Solving Application – Use a Table – Chapter Test this Thursday, Start Chapter 2 – Lesson 1 – Adding Whole Numbers; please remember to continue practicing basic math facts

 

Language Arts: Unit 2 – Vocabulary – test date Friday, September 25^, 2009, nouns  - quiz this Friday

 

Social Studies: Unit 1 – The Ancient Americas, two-column note-taking, vocabulary, group project

 

Ms. Ronquillo’s Contact Information:

e-mail:       kronquillo@sfsta.org

blog:               stafifthgrade.blogspot.com 

Fifth Grade Newsletter #2

Fifth Grade Weekly Newsletter

September 8 to 11, 2009

 

Hello Fifth Grade Families!

 

I hope you and your family had a great three-day weekend! This Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 7:00 PM is Back to School Night. I’m looking forward to meeting all of you.  I hope that you were able to sell those chocolates over the weekend.  Thank you very much for your support on this fundraising effort.  Money raised will be used to purchased new textbooks for our school.  Your generosity is very much appreciated. 

 

Please note the following:

1. As stated in last week’s newsletter, corrected work will be sent home every Friday. We ran out of time last Friday and I wasn’t able to send them home, there should be some corrected work sent home today.  Corrected papers will either have a number grade or just a check.  Papers with just a check are papers that are either checked together in class or just checked for completion. 
2. We are going on a fieldtrip on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 from about 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM (this includes travel time) at the Walt Disney History Museum in the Presidio.  Thank you Mrs. MacDonnell for arranging this visit.  More information will follow within the week.  Chaperones will be chosen by first come, first serve basis. 
3. Vocabulary and Spelling: After reevaluating the programs, we will have a separate vocabulary and spelling list.  Week 1 – learn new vocabulary words- just the 12; students will be tested Friday of Week 2.  Week 2 – List of Spelling Words, test on Friday of that week. This means that Spelling Words will be given every other week. We start this week.
4. Please encourage your child to ask questions in class if he/she is not clear about lessons and assignments.  If you notice that your child is having difficulty with any of his/her homework, please let me know.  I am available for extra help after school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays if students have questions or needs clarifications on the lessons.  Please encourage your child to seek help as needed. 
5. I will be showing President Obama’s speech to the students.  Please contact me if you do not want your child to see this. 

 

A week in review:

Reading: The Wind and the Willows – Chapters 3 to 6; responses, quotations, study guides 

Religion: Sacraments; family page (see handout for the family)

Math: Guess and Check Strategy, Quick Check and Test Prep, Place Value and Decimals, Compare and Order Decimals, Round Decimals – Quiz on Friday, and Chapter Test – Thursday, September 17, 2009 (changed from last week’s date)

Language Arts: vocabulary, nouns, Spelling List #1 /u/ short vowels

Social Studies: Unit 1 – The Ancient Americas, two-column note-taking

 

Ms. Ronquillo’s Contact Information:

e-mail:       kronquillo@sfsta.org

blog:               stafifthgrade.blogspot.com

 

   

Wind in the Willows

Introduction

Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932) spent much of his childhood on the banks of theThames River in the English countryside, the setting for this story.  Grahame based The Wind in the Willows on letters he wrote to his son Alistair with the intent of teaching his son important lessons to improve his behavior.   As was typical of writers of childrenís books at this time, Grahame created a fantasy based on the adventures of four animal friends:  Rat, Mole, Badger, and Toad. They, as well as the other animal characters, are anthropomorphic animal characters:  they dress like humans; they live in their homes like humans; they speak like humans; they express feelings like humans; and they behave like humans.  Intertwined in this mix of animal characters are a few humans who apparently coexist with the human- like animals when necessary.  The story’s exciting plot and country setting, the engaging characters, and the author’s descriptive literary style combine to make this classic a popular book that appeals equally to adults and children.  The Wind in the Willows, first published in England in 1908, has never been out of print and is considered to be one of the best-loved books in English literature.  There are numerous editions of The Wind in the Willows, some of which are abridged and/or adapted.

Fifth Grade Weekly Newsletter #1

Hello Fifth Grade Families!

 

Welcome to fifth grade.  I hope that you and your family are easing back to the routine of things as we begin the new school year. 

 

Last week, we started to get to know each other as students completed back to school assignments.  Students also started sharing about themselves by bringing items that represented who they are.  We will continue presentations this week. 

 

Please note the following:

 

1. PE days are Tuesdays and Thursdays; and the first day is tomorrow. Students will change out of their regular uniform and change back after PE class.  It is important that students label every piece of their clothing. 
2. Students will most likely have math homework every night (except Fridays) and it’s due the next day.  Each homework assignment is worth five points.  Five points will be given if the student attempted all the problems and made necessary corrections as we correct the assignment in class.
3. Students write in their journal every day in the morning.  On Thursday night, students will bring their journal home and choose one to edit or add (They should already have four entries by then).  This particular piece will be read and graded on Friday.  Journal guidelines will be provided in the student’s notebook.
4. Corrected work will be sent home every Friday. Please review.  If you have any questions about any of the corrected work or assignments, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

A week in review:

Reading: The Wind in the Willows

Religion: Creation; First Friday Mass at 8:30 AM

Math: Comparing Numbers, Rounding, Problem Solving Strategy, Millions and Billions, Rounding Larger Numbers, Problem Solving Strategy; quiz on Thursday and Chapter Test on Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Language Arts: vocabulary, nouns

Social Studies: Unit 1 – The Ancient Americas

 

Ms. Ronquillo’s Contact Information:

e-mail:            kronquillo@sfsta.org

blog:               stafifthgrade.blogspot.com 

The View From Our Classroom

It's a beautiful day in the Richmond District! The sun is out.  That's the view from our classroom and that's the ocean in the horizon.  

Classroom Jobs

Thank you for the classroom helpers this week! Each student will have an opportunity to have a job throughout the year.  

Rules and Consequences

For our classroom to run well, we need to follow the rules.  If rules are broken, there are consequences.   When students show positive behavior, they will be rewarded. 

Establish The Need For Rules

The students worked in groups to come up with a game using only a pair of dice and 15 index cards.  Each group is to come up with a game, name it, play it, and explain to the class how to play it.  They were given 20 minutes.  The groups came up with the following: 

Table 1: Lost and Found

Table 2: Multi-Boobie Trap 

Table 3: Alien Race

Table 4: Drop the Dice 

Table 5: Fire Dice

Table 6: Lights, Camera, Action 

This led to the discussion of our classroom rules.  The fifth grade class rules are as follows:

Be Safe

Be Respectful

Be Responsible 

Getting to know "ME"

An example of the assignment: 

Part I:

Bring items to the classroom that represent who you are.  You must at least have five items and no more than ten.  Please do not bring items that are too valuable and/or cannot part with for about a month.  You may take pictures of items that you are not able to bring to class.  (Ms. Ronquillo will give you an example).

 

Part II:

Write about it.  Include all the items and explain why each one is important to you. 

 

Part III:

Presentation: explain the items you brought to class.

 

Due date: Friday, August 28, 2009.  

First Day of School!

I would like to welcome everyone back to STA.  It was great to meet all of the fifth graders today! We had a great first day.  Although we had a short day (11:00 AM dismissal), we were able to get to know each by playing a guessing game.    I've noticed that the fifth graders are hard workers, so please keep it up.  I'm looking forward to an awesome year! 

Summer Reading

I hope that you are enjoying the books for summer reading.  Please be reminded that the two book reports are due on the first day of school, Monday, August 24, 2009.  The creative project is due on Friday, September 4, 2009. Remember, do not wait until the last minute to finish your assignments! Happy Reading. 

One-Eyed Cat by Paula Fox

Howl's Moving Castle by Diane Wayne Jones

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

The Star Fisher by Lawrence Yep

Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt

The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth

The Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen

Link for the book report form:

http://www.abcteach.com/free/b/bookreport_fun_nolines1a.pdf

Supply List

1 REAM (500 SHEETS) OF 8 ½” x 11” WHITE PRINTER/COMPUTER PAPER

EXPANDING FILE FOLDERS (binder form)

(Please purchase a sturdy one that will last the year.)

2 PACKS OF BINDER PAPER (wide ruled)

6 ONE SUBJECT NOTEBOOK

4 NO. 2 PENCILS

1 SHARPENER

1 ERASER

2 RED PENCILS OR RED BALL POINT PENS (no felt tip, please)

2 BALL POINT PENS, BLUE OR BLACK

(erasable pens are recommended, NO LIQUID PAPER)

1 PENCIL CASE

1 BOX OF 24 CRAYONS (no more than 24)

1 SET OF NONTOXIC MARKERS

1 SET OF COLORED PENCILS

2 GLUE STICKS

1 PAIR OF SCHOOL/CHILD SCISSORS

1 SET OF WATERCOLORS

1 12-INCH RULER (both inches and centimeters)

1 PROTRACTOR *

1 COMPASS *

1 SMALL PAPERBACK DICTIONARY (preferably American Heritage or Merriam-Webster)

1 SMALL PAPERBACK THESAURUS

2 LARGE BOXES OF TISSUE (250 count or larger)

1 BOX OF BABY WIPES

1 CLOROX WIPES

 

 

* Students will not need these supplies until the 3rd/4th quarter.

Welcome to Fifth Grade!

Hello Fifth Graders and Families! 

I am very excited for our new year together.  I hope you had a great summer and ready to embark in your new journey.  

I had an adventurous summer!  I went on a walking pilgrimage to Camino de Santiago starting from St. Jean Pied de Port in France and ending in Santiago de Compostela in Spain; totaling 500 miles! It has been a very challenging journey, but certainly very fulfilling.  

I'm looking forward in meeting all of you.