Winter Blues

With the weather forecast showing another blizzard on the way, now more than ever I am missing the summer.  They say the nor’easter is going to dump about 18 inches of snow across our region of the country, but all I want is sunshine.  The summer is, by far, my favorite season.  When I was younger my friends and I used to go to the beach whenever we had the opportunity.  As we’ve gotten older we don’t go as often, but I make up for it by lounging by my mom’s pool.  She lives nearby so almost every weekend I bring my dog to her house so he can swim and I can sunbathe.  Not only is the weather more enjoyable in the summer, but so is the food.  My fiancé and I barbeque almost every night.  More often than not, our friends will join us and they each bring something to eat.  After dinner we sit in the backyard around the fire pit until we run out of wood to burn.  For now, I will have to settle for the fireplace instead.

VOCABULARY:

Forecast  (n.)  prediction

Blizzard  (n.) winter storm that brings lots of snow and high winds

Nor’easter  (n.) winter storm that brings cold weather and usually rain or snow

Lounge (v.)  lay around; relax

Sunbathe  (v.)  lay in the sunshine

Barbeque  (v.)  cook food on an outdoor grill

Fire pit (n.)  large outdoor container for burning fires

Fireplace (n.)  indoor area for burning fires; bottom of the chimney

VOCABULARY ACTIVITY

Explain (in your own words) the difference between the following pairs of words:

1. Blizzard and nor’easter

2. Lounge and sunbathe

3. Fire pit and fireplace

Describe or explain the following words in your own way:

                1. Forecast

                2. Barbeque

GRAMMAR POINT

Pronouns are words that are used in place of a full noun.  (Example: My dad went to the store. He bought groceries.  “He” is the pronoun used in place of “my dad”)  Common subject pronouns are I, you, he, she, it, we and they.  Common object pronouns are me, you, her, him, it, us, you and them.  (Note that you, and it can be both a subject pronoun and/or an object pronoun.) 

GRAMMAR ACTIVITY

List all the pronouns in the above text and who or what each refers to.

Vamos a Mexico!

My best friend recently announced that she and her fiancé will be tying the knot in Mexico this coming October.  She had been anxiously awaiting the proposal because they have spoken about getting married several times.  Of course, all of our girlfriends happily accepted her request that we tag along as her bridesmaids.  I’ve never been to Mexico before, aside from a day trip from Los Angeles to Tijuana, so I am especially excited.  I immediately googled the resort and was pleasantly surprised at the amount of amenities included.  Surprisingly enough, even one full-day excursion is included.  I wouldn’t be even slightly opposed to going ziplining while we are there because it is an opportunity that rarely presents itself.  We are definitely going to make an adventure out of this wedding!

VOCABULARY

1.  tie the knot  (v.)  to get married

2.  proposal  (n.)  request of marriage

3.  tag along  (v.)  to come with

4.  googled (v.-past tense)  to search the internet

5.  amenity  (n.)  extras

6.  excursion  (n.)  outing

7.  zipline  (v.) slide downward while hanging from a wire or cord

VOCABULARY ACTIVITY

Complete the crossword puzzle with the vocabulary words.

GRAMMAR POINT: 

Just the way the adjectives modify nouns, adverbs modify verbs.  Adverbs describe verbs or how they happen.  The adverbs in the text above are indicated in italics.

GRAMMAR ACTIVITY: 

Find all the adverbs in the text and write down the verb that is being modified.  Be sure to consider the entire sentence as some adverbs may not appear as close to the verb as you would expect.

What I Do and What I Did

WHAT I DO:  Every Monday I wake up at 6:30 am.  I trudge downstairs and turn on the coffee pot.  Then I go back upstairs, brush my chompers, and get in the shower.  When I’m done with my shower I put on makeup and get dressed.  I drive to work and eat breakfast at my desk.  I come home for lunch every day at noon because I live nearby.  When I finish my lunch I go back to work until 4:00 pm.  At 4:00 pm I go down the road and take a pilates class, and then I go home for supper.  After dinner, I do some homework or study a little, and then I watch the tube before I go to bed.

WHAT I DID: Yesterday was Monday so I woke up at 6:30 am.  I trudged downstairs and turned on the coffee pot.  Then I went back upstairs, brushed my chompers, and got in the shower.  When I was done with my shower I put on makeup and got dressed.  I drove to work and ate breakfast at my desk.  I came home at noon for lunch as I do every day because I live nearby.  When I finished my lunch I went back to work until 4:00 pm.  At 4:00 pm I went down the road and took a pilates class, and then I went home for supper.  After dinner, I did some homework and studied a little, and then I watched the tube before I went to bed.

VOCABULARY:

Trudge:                (v.) walk with heavy feet

Chompers:          (n.) teeth

Noon:                   (n.) 12:00 p.m.

Pilates:                 (n.) type of exercise

Supper:                (n.) dinner

Tube:                    (n.) t.v.

VOCABULARY EXERCISE:

Write one original sentence for each vocabulary word.

GRAMMAR POINT:

Maintaining tense is important in order to be understood correctly.  The first paragraph above is in the present simple tense.  It describes what I do every Monday; things I do regularly.  The second paragraph is in the past simple tense.  It describes actions that I did yesterday that have been completed. 

GRAMMAR ACTIVITY:

Create a chart using two columns. In one column, write all the present tense verbs from the first paragraph.  In the other column, write the past versions of those verbs from the second paragraph.  

We're Going to the Zoo- How About You?

   My friend told me yesterday that he ventured to the Bronx Zoo for his birthday.  I haven’t been there in at least fifteen years.  I think the last time was when my two twin cousins turned four years old and the family went for their birthday.  It has been too long and I’d like to go back.  I have always been an animal enthusiast and enjoyed field trips to places where we could observe and interact with animals.  One time, while watching a Bird’s of Prey show at the zoo, I volunteered to be part of the show because I wanted to try something new.  They had me wear a special glove so a hawk with sharp talons could land on it.  I never knew how big hawks were- they’re intimidating!  I went back to my seat before they brought out the vulture.  It was even bigger than the hawk.  Its wingspan was eight feet across.  Luckily, they said it recently ate, otherwise I would’ve had to pray it didn’t eat me!

VOCABULARY:

Venture:              (v.) to go

Enthusiast:         (n.) someone who is enjoys and is interested in something

Observe:             (v.) to watch/ look at

Interact:               (v.) to have contact with

Prey:                     (n.) animal being hunted for food

Volunteer:          (v.) to offer services for free

Hawk:                   (n.) type of bird that eats meat

Talon:                   (n.) strong, clawed foot of a bird of prey

Intimidate:         (v.) to scare/ make uneasy

Vulture:               (n.) large bird that eats meat (larger than a hawk)\

VOCABULARY ACTIVITY:

Find each vocabulary word in the word search below.

D I W T T E I J E Y G R E L I

B Q K M Q N Y U R A I M J X E

X J C K G T V H U N K W I V A

V A V X C H O P T W Y G R C W

Q I L H J U K I N S I E V K W

T E Z T S S M S E B S D C E D

T Z O H C I B R V B U H L K T

N A A T D A U T O I B V E W J

J W L A D S R I I T R B F B D

K S T O K T G E V U L T U R E

O E S Z N B M W T S L B N B Z

P D N P W X W U A N R G R F U

R F E U Z D K N U U I H P N A

E O Z A U U R E E T N U L O V

Y A C G U G Y F I L B Z Z A C

GRAMMAR POINT:

Homophones are words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings and may be spelled differently.  (The word “homophone” comes from the Greek word “homos” which means “same,” and “phone” which means “sound.”) The homophones in the text above are written in italics. 

(to, two, too, there, their, they’re, where, wear, prey, pray, knew, new, eight, ate)

GRAMMAR ACTIVITY:

Write one sentence for each group of homophones.  Example (I went to the store to buy two balloons but they were too expensive.)

Laughter is Nature's Best Medicine

    When I think about all the movies I’ve seen throughout my life, I realize that the ones I like best are all comedies.  At the top of the list, not necessarily in any order, are Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Forrest Gump, Austin Powers, Mean Girls, and Old School.  

    If I had to pick a favorite, it would be between Robin Hood and Forrest Gump.  It’s hard to decide which I like better.  I have seen both so many times that I could practically recite them verbatim if I played them on mute.  Robin Hood: Men in Tights is supposed to be a spoof on the classic tale of Robin Hood, so if you know how the story goes you can predict what will happen in the movie.  Alternatively, you have to watch Forrest Gump as it unfolds and cannot predict the ending as easily.

    

    Old School is probably the most ridiculous out of the bunch.  It is also the only one rated R.  The rest are rated PG-13 because their content is for a less mature audience.  Austin Powers is, in my opinion, the cheesiest of them all, but I enjoy that type of humor.  Austin Powers is actually a trilogy.  I think the second one is better than the first, and the third is the worst.  Mean Girls delivers a valuable moral and is the most relatable to today’s youth.

VOCABULARY

Recite:  (v.)  say/speak from memory

Verbatim: (adj./adv.)  word for word

Mute: (adj.)  without sounds

Spoof: (n.)  joke version

Tale: (n.)  story

Predict: (v.)  guess

Alternatively: (adv.)  differently

Cheesy: (adj.)  silly

Trilogy:  (n.)  has 3 parts

VOCABULARY ACTIVITY

Write one ANTONYM (opposite) for each vocabulary word.

GRAMMAR POINT

When we write or speak about more than one thing, we use certain words to compare them to one another.  Comparatives compare two things.  (For example: I am taller than you. “Taller” is the comparative).  Superlatives compare 3 or more things. (For example: Jane is the tallest child in the class.  “Tallest” is the superlative).  

GRAMMAR ACTIVITY

List all the comparatives and superlatives that you can find in the text above.

The Best Part of Super Bowl Sunday

  With Super bowl Sunday coming up, I can't help but be excited.  I'm not as concerned with the game as I am with the food.  I know that we'll be munching on all of our favorite comfort foods at my friend Ashley's shindig.  I'll be bringing buffalo chicken wings, and Jessie will be making macaroni and cheese.  Ashley said she'll be making nachos with all different kinds of toppings.  I'm sure that Joe will concoct his famous chili because it's his favorite.  I'm hoping for many other treats, too.  I've been dieting for two weeks just so I can pig out while we watch the game.  I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

VOCABULARY:
Super bowl:  (n.) last game of American football season where the two top teams compete to win
concerned:  (adj.)  worried about; thinking about
munch on:  (v.) eat
shindig:  (n.) party
topping:  (n.) small extra pieces of food added on top of the base food
concoct:  (v.) make; put together
pig out:  (v.) eat a lot

VOCABULARY EXERCISE:
Write the vocabulary word that is best described by each word or description below.

1. gathering of friends  _________________
2. chew  _________________
3. overeat  _________________
4. sport competition  ______________________
5. interested  _________________
6. small bits not usually eaten alone  _________________
7. create  __________________

GRAMMAR POINT:
In English, contractions are words that are formed by combining two words by omitting certain letters and replacing them with an apostrophe ( ' ) to create the same meaning.  For example, "I'm" is the contraction of "I am."

GRAMMAR ACTIVITY:
Locate the contraction in the text for each of the two-word combinations below.

1. Can not __________________
2. I am   __________________
3. We will   __________________
4. I will   __________________
5. She will   __________________
6. It is   __________________
7. I have   __________________

Oh the Places You'll Go

One of the things I consider myself most fortunate for is my ability to travel and the experiences I've had while traveling.  When I was young I would get excited to travel just about anywhere.  I remember being quite inquisitive about the bus the first time that my father took me on public transportation even though we were only headed to the mechanic to pick up his car.  The train elicited similar feelings from me the first time I rode it into Manhattan.  When I was six I was excited to go to Detroit, although the majority of that excitement may have been attributed to going on an airplane for the first time.  In fact, I experienced two new modes of transportation on this trip, the second being a sailboat which consequently resulted in another new experience for me: sea-sickness.  My trip to California at eight years old was exponentially more exciting than Michigan had been because I got to visit Disneyland and Sea World.  At ten years old I was transported to Bermuda by the largest vessel I had boarded to that point, The Celebrity Zenith (a cruise ship).  I was introduced to tropical species of fish and water that was clear to the bottom no matter how deep it was; something I had never experienced at Jones Beach.  Studying abroad in Spain in college introduced me to a myriad of new cultures and experiences I had never imagined.  My most recent adventure took place in a Volkswagon Eos alongside my older sister and multiple empty coffee cups.  This trip across eleven states from New York to California was, perhaps, the most special of them all as we got to know this country which we call home, as well as each other.

Do you like to travel?  If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?  Would you go somewhere nearby or somewhere far away?  Why?

Vocabulary List:

inquisitive:   (adj.) curious
elicit:   (n.)  bring forth; bring out;
majority:   (n.)  most
attribute:   (v.)  because of; due to
consequently:   (adv.)  as a result
exponentially:   (adv.)  much more
vessel:   (n.)  boat; form of transportation
myriad:   (n.)  many; variety
board:   (v.)  to get on
multiple:   (adj.)  more than one
perhaps:   (adv.)  maybe; possibly

Vocabulary Exercise:
Fill in the blank with the vocabulary word that best completes the sentence.

1.  The store sells a ______ of different products.
2.  Our flight was delayed so we had to wait three hours to ______ the plane.
3.  The young child was very ________ about all the new animals he saw at the zoo.
4.  In the desert it is very dry the _______ of the time.
5.  She jumped over the fence and _______ broke her ankle.
6.  When the students did not do well on the exam the teacher thought ______ they did not study.
7.  The smell of baking cookies always ______ good memories of being home for the holidays.
8.  The size of the flames grew ______ when they added gasoline to the fire.
9.  I have _____ sweaters, but they are all different colors.
10.  The _____ hit an iceberg and sank to the ocean floor.

Grammar Point:
Adjectives are describing words.  They help the reader to imagine, or picture, what the author is writing about.  Write 5 sentences about where you would choose to travel using as many adjectives as possible so that your reader can picture what you are describing.

http://www.voki.com/site/create