Week 28 in Review

Greetings from Room 119!  We had a lot of fun celebrating the end of Reading Month.  Don't forget to turn in your Reading Logs after the break!  We also enjoyed celebrating some great Star Students and one birthday girl!

 In math this week Mrs. Doran told us how to write money amounts using dollar and cents notation.  Ask us the story of the dollar sign and the cent sign.  We did really well with it.  We also took our 3rd Marking Period Assessment.  Coming home in Friday Folders was a sheet that let you know how we did.  Remember this is just one assessment tool that Mrs. D. uses.

 Mrs. D. also didn't meet with reading groups this week and instead read with some of us. She was impressed because those she tested just a few weeks ago had made great gains!  Please remember the value of reading at home and make it part of your daily routine.  The best way to become a better reader is to READ!

Most of us finished up our "All About Me" books and we did a great job.  Other teachers were equally impressed with our writing.  These books will be on display in the hallway and will also be housed in our Portfolio!  Thank you so much to those who sent in page protectors!  We do a lot of writing in Room 119!  We even went to "Seuss School" and had some fun trying out some rhyme.  We wrote our own creative version of Seuss's, "There's a Wocket in my Pocket".

Thursday was our All-School Read-In.  We had fun reading the day away, dressed in our comfy pajamas!  We also had our first Nana of the year come in and read to us!  Maddie S.'s Nana came in and read us a wonderful book.  We were a great audience.  Later in the day, Mrs. D. surprised us by showing us the movie "Horton Hears a Who" which is based on a Dr. Seuss book we read.  We had fun comparing the movie and the book!

As always, though it was a short week, there is much more that happened in Room 119.  To check out additional pictures, click HERE or check out the movie below.

Have a wonderful Spring Break and we'll see you in April!

Midweek News

Though it is a short week, there are some exciting events I wanted to remind you of...

Family Science Night is TONIGHT (Wednesday) at school from 6:00-8:00. The night will be put on by our very own Outdoor Center and all the learning will be based on things the students will study in school.  There will be 20 fun stations for you to learn at!  Come join in the fun!

 

 

TOMORROW NIGHT (Thursday) is Skate Night at Bonaventure!  It will be from 6:30-8:30!

 

 

TOMORROW is our READ-IN!  We will be reading (and Mrs. Doran has a surprise for us) all day tomorrow so dress comfy!  You can wear your pajamas and bring in a stuffed animal friend that can fit in  your backpack (no big friends please).

 

 

We have not been able to find one of our iPod Touches!!  If by chance it accidentally turned up at your house, can you please return it.  It has a red case.  We've also been looking around our classroom in hopes that it turns up soon!  THANKS!

 

 

And finally, although there were no homework assignments given this week, please remember to continue reading to us and having us read to you!  We're doing really well and often times after a week break (or even weekend) from school our reading becomes really rusty.  Because of this, don't forget to take a bit of time each night to read!  Mrs. D. will be reading to and listening to her four kiddos too!

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LATE BREAKING NEWS!
One more reminder.
Smelly Bookmarks are on sale TOMORROW (Thursday) morning for $1 while supplies last!

Week 27 in Review

Greetings from Room 119 where we had a busy week full of fun (and insects).  We enjoyed celebrating our stars this week (and Mrs. D. is finally including the picture from last week's star, Sophia) and we also had a birthday to celebrate!  Happy Birthday Josh!

 Mrs. Doran met with reading groups this week, but next week she will be testing many of us individually to see how we are doing.  While she is testing other students, we will be reading.  Remember the BEST way to become a better reader is simply to READ!  Make sure you're making reading part of your days at home too!

In math workshop this week, Mrs. D. assessed us in shapes.  She did this individually because she likes to get good information about what we know individually and how well we know it (by working with us she can find out a lot more than by simply giving us a test).  While she pulled students, we worked with our wonderful math moms on things like time, money and place value.  Mrs. D. also made these fun math scavenger hunts that we've really enjoyed.  Next week we'll be taking a written math assessment over things we've learned last marking period.  It is a long test so will be broken up during the week.

 In social studies, we learned a lot about the Statue of Liberty.  We read about her history and were amazed by her size.  We've also been talking about the importance of rules, at home, at school, in our communities and in our country.

And finally, in writing we have been doing a WONDERFUL job on our autobiographies.  Mrs. D. is so impressed with how well they are turning out and we should be done with them next week.  We've shared them every day which has prompted some of us to edit and revise some of our work.  Editing and revising is such an important part of writing that older writers do.  She believes that many of us are ready for this step!

Of course the highlight of the week was having our families and friends come and visit our Insect Museum.  We did a great job and Mrs. D. made a video that you can view below or click HERE to see.  She was very proud of how well we shared, both at the museum and earlier in the week when we gave our presentations to each other.

Just a reminder that next week we have a lot of fun things planned to wrap up March's Reading Month!  Mrs. D. will (try to) update our class's Facebook pages with reminders of the special days for next week:

Monday: Walking Advertisements~ Wear a poster advertising one of Michigan's great places to visit!
Tuesday: Wear a Michigan cap!  Don't have one?  Make a slogan for Michigan and attach it to a hat!
Wednesday: Wear a Michigan shirt!
Thursday: OUR ALL-SCHOOL READ-IN!  Bookmarks will be for sale this day and we can also come dressed in our pajamas (Mrs. Doran's favorite day!!).

With all the excitement this week, Mrs. D. didn't take a lot of pictures that weren't insect related so decided not to post an "extra pictures" video, but you can check out the Insect Museum Video below.

Insect Museum TOMORROW!

Just another reminder that our Insect Museum is TOMORROW, Friday the 22nd at 3:15.  We hope to see you there!  Here is a sneak peek at some of the insects you will learn about!
To watch it on YouTube, click HERE.

Mid-Week News & Important Information

 

As you have probably heard by now, the day and time of the Insect Museum had to be changed due to an author visit that was scheduled for the same afternoon (we had thought it was in the morning).  We sincerely apologize for this change at such a late date. I know how difficult it can be to organize schedules but this was beyond our control.  Thank you for your understanding.  I will of course take a lot of pictures and video for those of you unable to attend.

 

As you may have heard, I was out yesterday for doctors appointments.  The note that went home regarding Insect Museum change had an incorrect time on it.  The correct time for families to visit will be 3:15-3:45.  The reason for this is because our fifth graders will be doing a performance also that afternoon.  It is a busy time at LLE.

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at lauradoran@wlcsd.org

I also have updated the dates/times on the blog so feel free to check there.

 

 

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is Popcorn Day and Spirit Day.  Please remember to send $1 in your child's Everyday Folder tomorrow.  Also any child wearing green or LLE spirit wear will get a special treat. Thank you PTA for all you do!

 

 

And finally, Marco's Pizza Night is THIS Thursday.  Please order and let them know you're from Mrs. Doran's class!  It's a great way to support our school and we could get a free pizza party!

 

 

 

 

Week 26 in Review

Greetings from Room 119!  We had a jammed pack week and with all the happenings, Mrs. D. forgot to take a picture of our Friday star, Sophia.  She feels terrible and will be sure to add a picture of her next week (oops!).  We've enjoyed celebrating all our stars this week and writing them letters about how great they are.  They loved working at Mrs. Doran's desk and wearing the star cape!

This week we had two visitors.  We had our eyes tested by Oakland County along with grades 3 & 5. If we didn't pass the test, you will get a note in the mail.  We also had a visit from Dr. Beattie who is a dentist in our area.  She taught us about how to keep our teeth and body healthy and did some fun experiments with us.  She also gave us a book, pencil, toothbrush and some cool books that Mrs. Doran added to our tooth tote.  To check out her website, click HERE.

 Even with the special visitors this week, we got a lot of work done.  We are currently working on writing our autobiographies and they're turning out GREAT!  We've even been adding pictures with captions!  Ask us what a caption is.

 In math, we are finishing up our unit on shapes. This week we learned what symmetry is.  Some of us did a great job recalling symmetry from a project we did with our fifth grade buddies.  Mrs. D. was really proud of us.  We'll be taking a test soon on shapes.  Written assessments help us get ready for second grade.  Mrs. D. will also be giving us a third marking period math assessment soon and will use it (as well as her other observations and assessments) to mark our report cards.

Did you hear we have new visitors in room 119?  We now have crickets!  We had two escapees when Mrs. D. moved them from a carton to the habitat that we set up for them which added some excitement, but Mrs. Doran was resilient and got all of the crickets back where they belong in their habitats.  Don't forget that Insect Reports are due on Monday.  We'll be sharing them with the class early in the week and sharing them with the school and YOU on Thursday.

In social studies we are learning again about the importance of rules.  Mrs. D. read us a story about Bubble Land and we learned the importance of having rules and writing them down.  We reviewed that the rules for our country are written down in the constitution.  We had some good discussions with our buddies and with each other.

We continue to love Reader's Workshop! Many of us are becoming so much more fluent in our reading and are working on written retells of what we read.  Mrs. D. is proud of the progress we've made in just a few short weeks.  She will be testing some of us the week before the end of the card marking to make sure we are at grade level.

On Friday, we had fun celebrating Amelia's birthday.  She came with her own crown to school and we enjoyed singing with her.  She spent the day with Ollie and passed out special treats for us.  Just a reminder that our school now has a no birthday snack policy. If we have a birthday coming up, be sure to click HERE to see how we can celebrate!

 And finally, we ended the week having a special Mystery Reader.  Becky was so excited when Mrs. Doran read the last clue and she learned it was her mom!  She didn't even wait for her mom to come into the room, she ran out and jumped in her arms! Becky's mom read one of Mrs. D's favorite books and did a great job and we were a great audience!

As always, this is just a snapshot of our week.  Mrs. Doran has some extra pictures that you can view by clicking HERE or checking out the movie below.  Just a reminder that on Monday, our school is hosting a PBS Parent Night!  It's going to be great so we hope you can make it!  Click HERE for more information about the Parent Night.

Week 25 in Review

Greetings from Room 119!  We've been having a great time studying and learning about Dr. Seuss for Reading Month.  We've also worked on some fun projects based on some of his stories that we read.  Be sure to check out the video to see the extra pictures from our week!  In addition to celebrating Dr. Seuss, we also started "Star Students" which is where we pick one friend a day to celebrate.  They get to wear a "Star Student" cape, sit at Mrs. Doran's desk, be the line leader, share a special poster and get a book full of kind letters from their classmates.  Everyone will get a turn and students were chosen at random (it's too hard to pick with so many amazing first graders!).  Congratulations Stars!

In math this week we've been learning about shapes.  Ask us what polygons are (and aren't).  We also learned about 3-D or Solid shapes.  They are divided into two basic categories (Prism and Pyramid), but we learned that some have special names unique to them: cylinder, cone, cube & sphere.  Remember to take a look at our math pages so you can see our everyday work and practice those things we may be having trouble with.

 In the computer lab this week, Mrs. Doran showed us a new site (that is actually on her blog under 'links' or you can click HERE to get to it).  It is all about Dr. Seuss.  We learned a little more about him and had fun exploring his books and other fun games.

 We also had fun trying to WRITE like Dr. Seuss.  We learned that he writes in a lot of rhyme and some of his words are silly and don't make a lot of sense.  We loved making up our own silly stories and trying our hand at some Seuss writing!  Though his writing can seem silly, we also learned that in many of his books Dr. Seuss is trying to teach his readers a lesson.  We'll continue to read more of his books throughout the month of March.

 On Friday, Mrs. Doran turned out the lights and we read to the light of our glow sticks and flashlights.  It was hard for her to take too many pictures in the dark room.  She met with reading groups and is going to begin testing some of us as another marking period gets closer to coming to an end.  She's been meeting with many of us daily and other groups once or twice a week depending on our independent levels.

 We love working with our buddies and this week, Mrs. Doran read us "Horton Hears a Who" and we made little Hortons with our buddies.  This is an example of a book Dr. Seuss wrote to teach us a lesson that we need to always stick up for those that are less (or smaller) than us and that everyone counts!  We loved the book!

 We ended the week with our Mystery Reader who actually used to be a student of Mrs. Doran's!  Luke's brother, Chase (who is now a high school senior), came in and read us two books!  He did a great job and we were a wonderful audience!  We were all amazed that Chase was so tall (much taller than Mrs. Doran) and couldn't believe it when Mrs. Doran said that one day we would probably (all) be taller than her.

As always, this is just a snapshot.  Remember to check out the video below (or click HERE), visit the blog to look at upcoming events and dates and vote on the next pet to visit our blog next week!