Post on 18-Jun-2020
The Lucky Issue Doral Academy Elementary April 2012
Volume III, Issue IV
The Dragons’ Tale reporters would like to
wish you all the best during FCAT week!
Congratulations to the students who took
the SATs last week!
How to Be Like
Albert Einstein
By: Marcos Rodriguez
Hello, future scientists!
You may not have heard, but
Albert Einstein would have
turned 133 years old on March 14th
. For this special
event, I came up with some genius tips to show you
how to be a little like Albert Einstein.
1. What’s not working?
It’s amazing that people don’t focus on
what’s not working. Maybe this is the reason why we
tend to move too quickly to find a solution. The first thing
you need to do is ask yourself: “What’s not working?”
2. How can I…?
Once you’ve taken a good look at what’s not working, it’s
easy to find the solution. You have to ask yourself “How
Can I…” and challenge yourself to focus on your goal.
So, grab a paper and pencil and use your brain to
come up with ideas to change the world, inspire
yourself, and remember:
“Imagination is more important than knowledge."
– Albert Einstein
FCAT Tips By: Dolores Vaccaro Biernat
Are you getting ready for the math and
reading FCAT? Here are some tips to help you
get a great score.
• Double check. Do the test two times if possible. So
if you get one wrong the first time you did it, when
you double check you may understand the article
or question better and get the answer correct.
• Underline! Your teacher has probably told you this
before, and they’re correct. Underlining helps you
prove that you found the right answer.
• Connect to the story. Find out what type of story
that is (Fiction, Non-fiction, fantasy, etc.) and make
connections to things you already know.
• Read Carefully! You also need to make sure you
don’t skim read. If a sentence reads ‘Emily really
doesn’t like pasta’, if you skim read, you may read,
‘Emily really does like pasta’. Be sure to reread the
article, especially if you get a poem. Poems are
very hard to comprehend if you don’t read them
well.
• Show your Work in Math! Solve all the problems
carefully and show your work. Also be sure to read
the questions carefully and underline key words.
That’s all you need to know to get a good score on
the FCAT. Remember, DOUBLE CHECK!!! It’s the best
way to pass the test. Good Luck!!!!
By: Melanie Beceiro
• Four-Leaf Clover According to legend, each leaflet represents something: the first is for hope, the second is for faith, the third is for love, and the fourth is for luck.
• Horseshoe If held upright, this lucky charm keeps all the good luck in and the bad luck out.
• Pennies
If you find a penny on the ground heads up, you can make a wish before you pick it up. If you find one tails up, turn it over so someone else can make a wish.
• Knock on Wood It was believed that good luck lived in trees, and that by knocking on anything made from wood, we could call upon this good luck for protection against misfortune.
• Rainbows Everyone knows that at the end of a rainbow there’s a pot of gold. Our pot of gold is an awesome FCAT score!
• Rabbit’s foot
The belief that a rabbit's foot is lucky stretches back as far as 600 B.C.
The Lucky Issue Doral Academy Elementary April 2012
Volume III, Issue IV
The Lucky Coin By Patricia Duarte
“Here you go” my mom said as she passed me a present. The tag read ‘to Patty from Mom. Happy Birthday!’. I tore open the present and shrieked with delight. It was the new laptop I had been wanting my entire life! I hugged her and thanked her for my present. “Thank you for coming!” my mom said as our guests began to leave. As soon as the last guest walked out the door, she glanced at her watch. “Nine thirty already! You should go to bed. We have to wake up early tomorrow.”
We stomped up the stairs sleepily. When I entered my room, there was a present wrapped in leprechaun green paper on my bed. The tag read” To: Patricia From: ? Confused, I opened it. Sitting in the box, was a pure gold coin the size of your hands when you cup them. Along with the coin, there was a paper in the box. “Ýou can use this coin for good luck on anything you want” I read aloud. I couldn’t believe it! Carefully, I put the coin and paper back in the box and lay it on my nightstand.
The next morning was the day of the FCAT. My mom told me to relax, but I was still really nervous. When I entered my class, I noticed the seats were rearranged and far apart. Shakily, I slid into my seat as the teacher passed out the packets. The questions were harder than I expected, and I was stressed out. “I really wish I brought my lucky coin” I thought. I slid my hand into my pocket and felt something hard. When I took my hand out, the lucky coin was in my palm. “I wish I understood the questions better” I whispered. All of a sudden, the words flew through my head. Next thing I knew I was already half way done. When I finished, the teacher picked up my packet. It was finally over!
A few months later, the FCAT results were in. I shrieked when I found out I had gotten the highest possible score. When I came home that day, I found something on my bed. It was a little leprechaun toy with a coin in its hand and a note that said ‘Congratulations!’ From that day on, every year on the FCAT, I would always remember the day my lucky coin helped me on my very first FCAT.
Reptiles are the second least populated
species class of animals in the world. The animal
group of reptiles consists of some of the most
dangerous and famous animals in the animal
kingdom. These animals are: crocodilians, tuataras,
lizards, snakes, turtles, and the now extinct
dinosaurs. Reptiles are known as the animal
kingdom’s survivors.
The saltwater crocodile has climbed its way to
the top of the animal kingdom ranking in as the
number ONE most dangerous animal on the planet,
as well as my favorite reptile (and
animal not including dinosaurs). These
extremely large beasts are 30 feet
long and weigh one ton.
Surprisingly these reptiles have
been known to prey on GREAT WHITE SHARKS.
Another dangerous animal is the mighty
anaconda, the world’s heaviest snake. Anacondas
live in the Amazon and they prey on all sorts of
creatures such as jaguars, fish, baby caimans, and
much more. These snakes are constrictors meaning
they squeeze their prey to death.
Komodo dragons are very dangerous lizards
and their bite can be venomous and fatal.
They are the world’s largest lizard being
10 feet long.
Even some of the lazy turtles can be
dangerous! The alligator snapping turtle is an ugly
brute of a turtle that lures in its prey with its
tongue. The tuatara may look like a lizard but
believe me they’re not. They are a group of reptiles
that survived the famous meteor that hit Earth 65
billion years ago.
The Lucky Issue Doral Academy Elementary April 2012
Volume III, Issue IV
Here We Go! FCAT Saturday School By: Melanie Simon
Excited about finding out about FCAT Saturday
School, my palms were soaked with sweat yet I was
still able to dial Mrs. Gordillo’s number and gather all
the details. Our faithful leader of the newspaper club,
Mrs. Gordillo, is also the head of the third grade FCAT
Saturday School program. Once I heard her voice, I
began our phone conference immediately.
Melanie: How has FCAT Saturday changed from the
previous years?
Mrs.Gordillo: This year, FCAT Saturday is called “Here
We Go!” Each lesson fun games and activities that
will get the students exited about learning. We are still
practicing for FCAT but it is way more fun this year!
Melanie: Who created the Here We Go FCAT
Saturday lessons?
Mrs.Gordillo: Mrs. Wheeler did the math lessons for 5th
grade, Mrs Hiramine did 4th grade and I did 3rd grade.
Mrs. Menendez also helped us by putting together
the reading lessons.
Melanie: How did you come up with the name “Here
we Go!”?
Mrs.Gordillo: Are you ready for this? It is so cool! “Here”
is for Hiramine, “We” is for Wheeler, and “Go” is for
Gordillo!
Melanie: How were the teachers chosen? Why did
you choose them?
Mrs.Gordillo: I didn’t choose the teachers. Mrs. Cuesta
and Mrs. Simon asked the teachers to sign up if they
were interested in helping with Saturday school.
Melanie: What are the peer tutors?
Mrs.Gordillo: Peer tutors are students from the
advanced classes that were chosen by their teachers
to help the students during the lessons.
Melanie: What is the difference between the 4 session
group and the 7 session group?
Mrs.Gordillo: Both sessions are covering the same
material. However, the students in the 4 session group
are going at a faster pace and completing the
classes in less time.
Melanie: Final question. What is the best part of FCAT
Saturday?
Mrs.Gordillo: For me, the best part is seeing how exited
my students are to come to school on Saturdays and
how much fun we have in class while learning.
Here We Go!!!
Melanie: Thank you Mrs. Gordillo.
The sweat on my palms vanished as I hung up the
phone. I was so relived at that moment. I had
survived my first interview…over the phone.
Laughing about Spring!
by: Sebastian Murguia
When do monkeys fall from the sky?
During Ape-ril showers!
. Can February March? No, but April May!
. Why do birds fly south in the winter?
Because it is too far to walk!!
. Where do you plant kids?
Kinder ”garden”
. What do you call a sunny day?
A Sunday
.
What type of tree can grow fingers?
A palm tree
. What did the flower say to
the flower growing beside him?
Move over, bud
. Why didn’t the tree play checkers?
Because he was a CHESSnut tree.
. Why did the bumble bee put
honey under his pillow?
He wanted to have sweet dreams.
. What is the richest kind of air?
A billionAIRe
The Lucky Issue Doral Academy Elementary April 2012
Volume III, Issue IV
. What is Earth Day?What is Earth Day?What is Earth Day?What is Earth Day? by: Ashley Arbelaez
Every year, America and over 100 different
countries join together in the celebration of
Earth Day on April 22nd. Earth Day is the
largest, most celebrated environmental
event worldwide. On Earth Day, we
appreciate nature and learn ways to protect
our environment.
How you can be part of Earth day?How you can be part of Earth day?How you can be part of Earth day?How you can be part of Earth day? 1. You can ride your bike, roller skates, scooter
or walk instead of riding in a car.
.
2. Do your part to reduce waste by choosing
reusable products instead of disposables.
.
3. Recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, glass and
aluminum cans. If there isn't a recycling
program at your school or community, ask
about starting one.
.
4. Save electricity by turning off lights when you
leave a room, and using only as much light as
you need. And remember to turn off your
television, video player, stereo and computer
when you're not using them.
.
5. You should also save water by turning off the
faucet while you brush your teeth, taking
quick showers, shampooing your dog, and
washing your car. You should turn off the
water until you actually need to rinse. .
6. Plant more trees! Trees take carbon dioxide
away from the air and convert it into nice,
clean, and fresh oxygen that we need for our
bodies to function. Without trees we
would not be able to breathe.
.
7. Encourage others! Share information about
recycling and energy conservation with your
friends, neighbors and family members.
.
8. After spending the day at the beach don’t just
pick up your own trash, you can also pick up
trash from other litterbugs too and help clean
the environment!
.
9. Use reusable shopping bags instead of paper
or plastic ones.
.
10. Use solar panels! If not then you can keep the
lights off during the day and open the shades
to use the natural light from the sun!
.
These are 10 ways to help the environment These are 10 ways to help the environment These are 10 ways to help the environment These are 10 ways to help the environment
not only on Earth Day but every day! not only on Earth Day but every day! not only on Earth Day but every day! not only on Earth Day but every day! ☺☺☺☺
.
The Lucky Issue Doral Academy Elementary April 2012
Volume III, Issue IV
The Eco Hero!
By: Michelle Do
There was a boy named
Kevin, and he would always
pollute. He threw everything
on the ground, whether it was
his plastic wrappers, plastic bottles, or even his
homework. He was known to be the "POLLUTING
GUY" around his neighborhood. And everybody
thought that he had to change. His parents and his
WHOLE family would always try to think of a way to
stop Kevin from polluting, but he would never EVER
change. One day, everything changed. On one special
and magical day he was went from being the
"POLLUTING GUY" to the "ECO HERO".
That day Kevin threw 3 pieces of paper on the
ground of the parking lot and his mom told him to
pick it up. He refused to. The police officer nearby
that was enjoying his coffee, stood up and said,
"You're the polluting guy, right? Now pick up that
paper." "Why should I? You're not the boss of me!"
replied Kevin. "That's it Kevin, you'll have to learn
the hard way" replies the officer with a big sigh that
somewhat also sounded like a chuckle.
Earlier that morning after Kevin left for school
the police officer and his parents had a talk. They
came up with a plan. This was the plan that changed
Kevin's whole life.
On his way to school Kevin noticed that there
was trash everywhere. This seemed weird, because
his neighborhood was known to be the cleanest
neighborhood in town. In fact, they even changed the
name from "Red Road " to "Green Road". Kevin was
at school and everything seemed peculiar. In math
class, they made a graph showing how Green Road
has been cleaning pollution for the past 4 years. Then
in Reading, they read a book about pollution and it's
bad effects. In Social Studies they learned about the
history of recycling and in Science they had a 3 hour
lesson about global warming. Kevin really didn't care,
but when he stepped out of school he saw a whole
bunch of papers flying everywhere, it made him
think. The next day when he stepped out of school the
neighborhood looked even worse. He saw the same
thing for the rest of the week and every day he that
stepped out of the school door everything looked
WORSE, AND WORSE, AND WORSE!
On Monday, Kevin woke up two hours earlier,
but no one knew why. He ran down the neighborhood
from here to there to there to here. Two hours later,
BABAM! The whole neighborhood was CLEANER
than EVER! Kevin had recycled
the plastics with plastic, the glass
with glass, the papers with paper,
and the aluminum with aluminums.
That’s when everyone at
Green Road saw him and
called him the "Eco Hero".
Kevin went from being a
boy who would always
pollute, to the boy in the
neighborhood that ALWAYS
recycles! Yep, he sure learned a valuable lesson!
What does Earth Day mean to you? Write an
acrostic poem to show others how you feel
about the EARTH!
The Lucky Issue Doral Academy Elementary April 2012
Volume III, Issue IV
Go Green Tips By: Andrea Guerrero
• While you’re brushing your teeth turn off the
water until you need to rinse. .
• Ask your parents to carpool. Find neighbors
that go to your school and go to school in one
car. Carpooling will save gas, reduce pollution
and make the ride to school more fun. .
• When not using a light or appliance, turn it
off. Also turn the lights off when you leave
a room. .
• Plant a tree in your backyard. .
• Always throw garbage in a trash
can. If you see something on the
floor, please take time to pick it up. .
• Ease up on the video games because playing
video games all day on your computer or
game systems uses a LOT of energy. .
• REDUCE! REUSE! RECYCLE!
Create your
own t-shirt
design for
Earth Day
2012!