WEEK OF JANUARY 28th-February 1st

 Dear Parents,
I still need two drivers, if possible?
Here are the drivers I have thus far:
Ian W. (4 students)
Angie H. (4)
Kelly G. (5)
Julie C. (3)
Virginia (5)
Patti L.(6)
Kelly G. (5)
Margaret pending approval
Please arrive at 9:15 a.m. if you are driving. Thanks!
We have 34 students so we are short 1 car, but I need a sub because parents have to cancel frequently because of illness. Let me know!
Make sure your child brings a lunch and arrives on time.

See you Friday!
Go 49ers ;-)
Mr. Sweet

HOMEWORK WEDNESDAY
Reading 20 min.
Math Finish Ch. 16 L4 Circle/Pie Graphs
American History Test tomorrow!
Newspaper Project Due Friday


HOMEWORK THURSDAY
Reading 20 min.
Newspaper Project Due Friday
Study Vocab/Spelling/DLR
Field Trip Bring Lunch



Dear Parents and Students,
* This week our class is continuing the story, The Fighting Ground. Our reading skill is being able to understand and differentiate between Fact and Opinion. Our vocabulary is listed on the Spelling Blog at: http://mrsweetspelling.blogspot.com. Students will look up the 15 words in class, but should study them at home for the assessment on Friday.
* In writing our class will begin a 5-paragraph essay about how they hope to change the world, which is inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. and what we have learned from him.
* In Math we are learning about Charts/Graphs and Statistics in Chapter 16.
* Congratulations to Kye Hurley and Lauren Jacque who won the class spelling bee! They will be competing in the school-wide spelling bee this Thursday.
* This Thursday we will have our American Revolution Test on Chapter 8. The study guide, as always, was posted a week before the test (last Thursday) Please have your child study a little bit each night. There will be little homework to focus on this and the Newspaper Book Project, which is due on Friday.
* Also, I am short two drivers for the trip on Friday. Is anybody available to drive?
Have a great week!
Mr. Sweet

HOMEWORK MONDAY
Reading-Optional
Math-Finish HM CH 16 L1 + L2
Do Study Guide in history on sidebar of blog
Memorize:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"
Finish Newspaper Book Project (Due Friday)

HOMEWORK TUESDAY
Reading-20min.
Math-Finish HM CH 16 L3
Do Study Guide in history on sidebar of blog
Memorize:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"
Finish Newspaper Book Project (Due Friday)

WEEK OF JANUARY 23-26

Dear Parents and Students,
* This week our class will continue to read Fighting Ground and work on the skill of sequence of events in RTI time.
* We will have a Spelling Bee this Friday and you can find the words from the sidebar, or at:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/18-Nkbr0MBLHwTyn2BZV_Qn0LAzJuyFb_ANwpJ8kv-kQ/edit
The two winners will represent our class in the school-wide spelling bee on Friday, January 31st in Mrs. McNeilly's class.
* I am sending home the field trip form on Tuesday afternoon so please sign up if you would like to drive on the field trip on Friday, February 1st when we go to the UCSC life lab.
(My students' favorite trip last year)
* Our spelling and vocabulary will come from Fighting Ground, History and MLK
* I will not be giving as much homework the next two weeks to give students a chance to finish their Newspaper Project. Please make sure your child types the project...(Many parents like to do projects for kids!)
* In History we are finishing up our Unit of Study on Chapter 8. This week we are learning about the 2nd Continental Congress, Bunker Hill, George Washington and the Olive Branch Petition. Our test will be next Thursday, January 31st.
* In Math we are working on a challenging concept: Dividing by two-digit numbers using estimation as a short cut.

HOMEWORK TUESDAY
Read 20 minutes
Math Finish p. 137 in HM
History-Finish p.83 in Wkbk
Sign and Return Field Trip Form (Bring $4 to pay for trip)
Book Project
Learn the Words and Meanings of #11-20

HOMEWORK WEDNESDAY
Read 20 minutes
Math Finish p. 141+Saxon L63 evens
Sign and Return Field Trip Form (Bring $4 to pay for trip)
Book Project
Learn the Words and Meanings of #11-20

HOMEWORK THURSDAY
Reading 25 minutes
Math-Finish Saxon Pre-Test 12a
Finish History Wkbk p. 84+85
Study Vocab/DLR/Spelling Words
Take Home Newspaper Project Large Colored Paper
Continue Newspaper Project

January 14th-18th

CLASS UPDATE

Welcome back everybody! I hope you all had a wonderful break. I enjoyed rest, home projects, family, snowboarding, many celebrations and band performances.
I wanted to thank all of you who donated to my class gift. Wow! Thanks to you all, I have saved up enough to get a really nice Martin acoustic guitar that I will use with the Wild Rovers, my Irish Band. My other guitar was badly damaged at a recent performance.
Here is a brief overview of our learning this week in Room 12:
Reading-Our RTI groups have started reading The Fighting Ground, a book about the American Revolution and a young boy who fights for the Continentals. This week our reading skill is sequence of events.
Math-We are learning how to divide fractions. See the review lesson on the right. "Leave it, change it, flip it, solve it, reduce it!"
MLK-This week and next week we are watching the "I have a Dream" speech and discussing this amazing man and how he transformed this country.
New Computers! We have 4 new computers in the class and will be using them for online learning adventures called Webquests.
History-This week we start our Unit with the French and Indian war followed by the Boston Massacre and the Tea Party.
BOOK PROJECT-This is due on February 1st.

HOMEWORK MONDAY
Read A.R. 25 minutes
Math-Finish L60odds and Ch. 11 Lesson 2-HM
History-p.77-79 in wkbk
Book Project Due: February 1st

HOMEWORK TUESDAY
Read A.R. 25 minutes
Math-Finish L61 evens and Ch. 11 Lesson 3-HM(front only) See lesson review
Book Project Due: February 1st(See link on the right if your child lost the paper)
Finish History Wkbk page #80

HOMEWORK WEDNESDAY
Read A.R. 25 minutes
Math-Finish L62 odds and Ch. 11 Lesson 4-HM(front only) See lesson review
Book Project Due: February 1st(See link on the right if your child lost the paper)
Vocab/Spelling-Study the first ten vocab word meanings + Correct Spelling P.T.
Finish History Wkbk page #80

HOMEWORK THURSDAY
Read A.R. 25 minutes
Math-Finish Saxon Pre-Test
Book Project Due: February 1st(See link on the right if your child lost the paper)
Vocab/Spelling-Study the first ten vocab word meanings + Correct Spelling P.T.
Finish History Wkbk page #81+82

THE LAST WEEK OF THE YEAR!

Update
We have a lot of exciting things taking place in Room 12 this week.

• Our 5th graders will be Reading the last American Revolution story from HM entitled: James Forten in Team Time. There will be no Spelling Words other than the 10 holiday words from last week.
• Poetry-We are putting the finishing touches on our final drafts of poems: Cinquains, Diamantes, Free Verse, Couplets, Acrostics and our Haikus. Each student is practicing their memorization and recital skills of their two poems... (Winter Theme from a famous Poet and their Free-Verse Poem) On Wednesday we will be having our poetry recital at 9:00 a.m.
  Can I get a parent helper to bring either hot chocolate, or apple cider?
• Math-We will continue with Saxon and finish the first half of the book
• Holidays-Our class will learn about the numerous holidays being celebrated during the winter times and their historical context.
• On Thursday the class will have a little White Elephant Gift Exchange at 12:55-2:10 with Christmas Carols. Please purchase a small gift under $20 for both boys and girls. If there any parents who want to bring treats, let me know.
• Science-Our class will take our Water Unit Assessment on Thursday.
• Harvest Food Drive-Let's keep it going! Wow, we have already filled one barrel so let's do one more ;-)
• Our class will get Progress Reports on Tuesday. Check them over, sign and return them.
• No school on Friday! 

HOMEWORK MONDAY
Reading-Read AR 25 min.
Math-Finish L53
Study for Science Test on Thursday
Study Spelling Words from last week
Tell your parents 2 facts that you learned about Hanukkah
Practice Reciting of Poems (Memorize, Pacing, Volume, Posture, Eye Contact)
White Elephant Gift (less than $20 )

HOMEWORK TUESDAY
Practice for Poetry Recital
Dress Fancy
Tell your Parents two facts you learned about Kwanzaa
White Elephant Gift
Finish Math Lesson L55odds
Reading-Optional

HOMEWORK WEDNESDAY
Math L56evens
Study for Science/Holiday Tests
Bring White Elephant Gift
Reading-20min.
Check over Progress Report

December 10-14th

Class Update
* This is the season of giving and I'd love it if our class can truly get into this Harvest Food Drive. We are so blessed to have food and a shelter and I hope we can all make a small difference to give food to the less fortunate. I highly encourage you to give your children the opportunity to use some of their money to sacrificially donate to this cause by buying some food on your next trip to the grocery store.We CAN make a difference together!
* This week our class will be reading Katie's Trunk, a story from our HM Anthology about the American Revolution and the Patriots and the Tories/Loyalists.
* Room 12 will continue to write some amazing poetry this week when we learn how to write Cinquains and Acrostic poems. In addition, we will be practicing our two poems for the recital.
* In Science we are a little behind so we will power through our Water Unit this week.
* A BIG THANKS to Stacy Mueller and Sheila Hurley for donating money for 2 1/2 G5 iMac computers! We should have these all set up by the time we return from break.

See you at school!
Mr. Sweet


HOMEWORK MONDAY
Reading - 25 minutes
Math-FInish Saxon L50odds
Science-Finish L1 wkbk pages 92-99 + Multiple Choice page
Bring Food for Harvest Food Drive!
Choose a book for the Newspaper Project by Friday (See paper I sent home)

HOMEWORK TUESDAY
Reading - 25 minutes
Math- Finish L51 evens
Writing-Finish Final Drafts of 3 Acrostic Poems done in class. Paper was passed out
(Name, Nature, Winter)
Science-Finish wkbk pages 102-107 L2+Multiple Choice Paper
BRING FOOD!
Choose a Book for Newspaper Book Project

HOMEWORK WEDNESDAY
Reading - 25 minutes
Math- Finish L52 both odds and evens
Spelling-Do ELA Spelling wkbk pages:
BRING FOOD!
Choose a Book for Newspaper Book Project


HOMEWORK THURSDAY
Reading - 25 minutes
Math- Finish Pre-Test 10a
Spelling-Do ELA Spelling wkbk pages:
Writing-Finish Final Draft of 2 Cinquains
Rehearse Recital Poems/Memorize
BRING FOOD!
Choose a Book for Newspaper Book Project

WEEK OF DECEMBER 3-7th

HOMEWORK MONDAY
Reading-25 min. A.R.
Math-Correct and Return Spiral Review #13 + Saxon Math L46evens+Ch.14-L5
Finish Final Draft of Written portion of Colony Exhibit
Study Spelling Words

HOMEWORK TUESDAY
Reading-20 min. A.R.
Math-p.81 Fraction Review
Finish Final Draft of Art + Chart portion of Colony Exhibit (Due Wednesday)
Study Spelling Words

HOMEWORK WEDNESDAY
Reading-20 min. A.R.
Math-Pre-Test 8a
Finish Final Draft of Art + Chart portion of Colony Exhibit +  Captions/Headings/Labels etc.
Writing Finish Final Draft of Free Verse poem neatly on Final Draft Paper

HOMEWORK THURSDAY

HOMEWORK THURSDAY
Reading-20 min. A.R. (Optional)
Math-Spiral Review #12
Writing Finish Rough Drafts of Couplet Poem (Nature Theme+Free Choice Theme)
At least 10-lines (5 rhyming)
If not selected in class, choose a Poem for the Recital
with a Winter Theme







Dear Parents,
This week our class has a lot going on!

•  In reading we are starting a new unit in HM with stories about the American Revolution. This week's story is all about Paul Revere along with our spelling words.
• In writing we are doing Poetry. Specifically, we are writing free verse poems with a winter theme. In addition, we will do Acrostics and Couplets this week. Finally, we will look up and choose a famous poem to memorize for the recital.
• In Math we are still reviewing dividing and multiplying decimals because they are struggling.
• In American History we are finishing up our Colony Exhibits this week, which consist of a written, art and chart component. 
• Feel free to do any Math Extra Credit. There is no due date, just turn them in on Fridays when finished.
• In Science we will be starting a new unit of study on Water and the Water Cycle.

That's it for now!
Have a great week,
Mr. Sweet

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 26-30th

EXTRA CREDIT!!!

HOMEWORK MONDAY
Reading - A.R. 20 minutes + Summary
Math - Ch. 13 L4 (p. 115) + Saxon L42 odds
Spelling/Vocab-Learn the 10 words for the week
Fill out/Return Colony Exhibit Contract
Return signed Report Card Envelope

HOMEWORK TUESDAY
Reading - A.R. 20 minutes + Summary
Writing-Finish Both Diamante Poems (Front and back of paper)
Math - Ch. 14 L3 (p.125+126) + Saxon L43 evens
Spelling/Vocab-Learn the 10 words for the week

HOMEWORK WEDNESDAY
Reading - A.R. 20 minutes + Summary (Read Sign of the Beaver if RTI assigned as HW)
Math - Ch. 14 L4 (p.127) + Saxon L45odds
Spelling/Vocab-Learn the 10 words for the week
Check out Extra Credit Math Problems

HOMEWORK THURSDAY
Reading - A.R. 20 minutes  (Read Sign of the Beaver to study for test)
Writing-Finish Final Draft of Diamante with colorful drawings
Math -Do an extra credit math page: your choice
Spelling/Vocab-Learn the 10 words for the week




CLASS UPDATE
Welcome back! That was a restful 5-day break.
* In reading we are finishing up Sign of the Beaver this week. Our 10 Spelling Vocabulary words come from this book. At home students will be able to read any AR book and do their summaries.
* In Writing we will be starting an exciting Poetry Unit, which will culminate in a Poetry Recital Cafe the last week of school before the break.
* In Math we will finish up Chapter 13 and 14 (Multiplying and Dividing Decimals)
* In American History we are doing Museum Exhibits about one of the many original colonies. This will be mostly an in-class project, but the final drafts will be done at home, which are due on Tuesday, December 18th.

More to come!
Mr. Sweet

THANKSGIVING WEEK

HOMEWORK MONDAY
Finish through Chapter 18 in Sign of the Beaver
Thanksgiving Feast Dish
Report Cards go home Tuesday
Study Spelling and Vocab

WEEK of November 13-16th

HOMEWORK TUESDAY
Reading-Read 20 min. + Summary
Math - Finish L39 evens + Ch. 10 L2 p. 89
Review Spelling Mistakes-Rewrite 3 times in cursive
(Spelling Test on Tuesday of next week)
Field Trip on Friday at 7:55 a.m. (Drivers be here at 7:45am)
Finish p. 37-45 in History Wkbk (Due Friday) Most of the students finished in class
CHOOSE 3 Dishes for Thanksgiving Feast

HOMEWORK WEDNESDAY
Reading-Read 20 min. + Summary
Math - Finish Saxon Pre-Test 6b + Ch. 10 L3in HM
Finish p. 37-45 in History Wkbk (Due Friday) Most of the students finished in class
CHOOSE 3 Dishes for Thanksgiving Feast

HOMEWORK THURSDAY
Read 20 minutes
NO MATH!
BRING $ if your child wants to eat at In n Out Burger on the field trip
Otherwise, bring a lunch
CHOOSE 3 Dishes for Thanksgiving Feast (Only 15 students have done this out of 33)


FIELD TRIP DRIVERS
Teacher: Mr. Sweet

2. Chaperone: Kelly Finneran

3. Chaperone:Peter Gaeckle

4. Chaperone:Lisa Zahraie

5. Chaperone:Ian Wiinikka

6. Chaperone:Patti Long

7. Chaperone:Margaret Ames

8. Chaperone:JJ Hamlyn (Michelle Chapa if he doesn't drive)

9. Chaperone:Chris David

10. Bus Driver or Chaperone:Melisa Sena

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 5-9

HOMEWORK MONDAY
Reading - Read 20min. + Summary
Math-Finish Ch. 9-Lesson 4 + Saxon L35odds (LOTS OF MATH...YAY!)
Our class wasted A LOT of time, which equaled more HW
BOOKS FOR BELIZE-Donate books to a poor
school in Belize to create a school library
Study Spelling/Vocab (We'll go over meanings in class)
READ SHEET AND VOTE!


HOMEWORK TUESDAY
Reading - Read 20min. + Summary
Math-Finish HM Review + Saxon L36evens
BOOKS FOR BELIZE-Donate books to a poor
school in Belize to create a school library
Study Spelling/Vocab (We'll go over meanings in class)
Finish p. 238-240 in HM Spelling Wkbk Pages Due Friday

HOMEWORK WEDNESDAY
Reading - Read 20min. + Summary
Math-Finish HM Review 
BOOKS FOR BELIZE-
Study Spelling/Vocab (We'll go over meanings in class)
Finish p. 238-240 in HM Spelling Wkbk Pages Due Friday


HOMEWORK THURSDAY
Reading - Read 30 min. LAST DAY FOR AR!
Finish Ch. 10 in Sign of the Beaver
Math-Finish Saxon L 38odds
BOOKS FOR BELIZE-
Study Spelling/Vocab (We'll go over meanings in class)
Finish p. 238-240 in HM Spelling Wkbk Pages Due Friday

Help Armenia Government School in Belize start a library.  Bring in good K-8th grade appropriate fiction and non fiction titles to the donation box in the library.  The books must be in very good to excellent condition.  Mr. Martin will be living in Belize and working at Armenia School from January to June of 2013 and will help get the library started.