Stop! And Enjoy Life

       The past couple of weeks for me have been extremely busy. Between my job and my school work, I hardly have anytime to do things that I enjoy. This weekend and next will be comprised of lesson planning and paper writing. The one draw back of being a teacher is having to do work at home and now that the semester is coming to an end I have lots of assignments to complete. Christmas is right around the corner and I still haven't had the time to decorate my house. I think my house may be the only one on the black that hasn't put up their lights yet. In the midst of all my work, I seem to have forgotten how to enjoy the holidays. Instead, decorating the house, buying Christmas gifts, and sending Christmas cards are just more items to add to my To Do List.
       Life sometimes gets so hectic that we aren't able to enjoy the little things. I would love to go into the city and see the Christmas tree and the windows at Macy's, but I just don't think I'm going to have time. I would prefer to lay on my couch and watch Christmas movies all day instead of writing lesson plans and papers. I think about how busy people are and how it is a shame that things we should enjoy like Christmas shopping and decorating becomes a chore. I can honestly say that I will be the happiest person when this semester is over and I am on my winter vacation. I can't wait to spend time with my friends and family and not have to worry about work.

Vocabulary Words:

1. Comprised

2. Semester

3. Assignments

4. Midst

5. Hectic

6. Prefer

7. Shame

8. Chore

 

Definitions:

1. Comprised: to include or contain

2. Semester: half of a regular academic year

3. Assignments: a task, work to do for school

4. Midst: to be in the middle of

5. Hectic: busy

6. Prefer: to like one thing over another

7. Shame: to be disgraced or embarrassed

8. Chore: a job, or task

 

 

Vocabulary Cloze Exercise:

1. The retirement party ____________________ of co-workers, family, and friends.
2. I am almost finished with the fall ___________________.
3. Our ____________________ are due on December 19th.
4. I found my lucky sock in the __________________ of all my clothes.
5. The holidays are usually a _________________ time for people.
6. I _________________ chocolate ice cream over vanilla.
7. It is a _______________ you can't come to the party.
8. My one ___________________ at home is to wash the dishes.

Grammar Point: Conjunctions
A conjunction is a word that connects other words or groups of words. In the sentence Bob and Dan are friends the conjunction and connects two nouns and in the sentence He will drive or fly, the conjunction or connects two verbs. In the sentence It is early but we can go, the conjunction but connects two groups of words. Coordinating conjunctions are conjunctions which connect two equal parts of a sentence. Coordinating conjunctions are: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So. A mnemonic device to remember the coordinating conjunctions is FANBOYS. Subordinating conjunctions connect two parts of a sentence that are not equal. Subordinating conjunctions are: After, Although, As, When, While, Until, Because, Before, If, Since. A mnemonic device to remember the subordinating conjunctions is AAAWWUBBIS.

Click here for a song about conjunctions

 

Grammar Activity

Click on the following link for a worksheet to practice conjunctions.

Conjunction Worksheet

Directions: Combine each pair of sentences with the conjunction in parenthesis to make a new sentence.

Baby Shower

       Today was my friend's baby shower. She lives in North Carolina now so I haven't seen her since she became pregnant. She looked magnificent! I had such a great time with my friends. The shower was so well planned. At each place setting was a cookie that said, "It's a boy" and a day planner. Then, there was a BINGO game to fill in with gifts we thought she was going to receive, an unscramble the words paper, a paper where we had to guess flavors of baby food, and a paper with baby pictures of the mother and father-to-be and we had to guess how old they were in the pictures. I was terrible at the game where we had to guess the ages of the baby pictures. I thought they were much older than they really were. I also did not do well guessing the flavors of baby food. However, I did do well unscrambling the words. Some of the words were difficult such as Braxton Hicks and midnight feedings. She received a plethora of gifts. I don’t know how she is going to transport all of her gifts back to her home in North Carolina. In the invitation was a poem that suggested guests do not bring a card, but instead bring a book and write a note to the baby and parents-to-be in the book. I thought this was a marvelous idea.

Vocabulary Words:

1. Pregnant

2. Magnificent

3. Place setting

4. Braxton Hicks

5. Plethora

6. Transport

7. Marvelous

Definitions:

1. Pregnant: When a woman has a baby developing in her body

2. Magnificent: beautiful or wonderful

3. Place setting: a plate, silverware, and a glass on a table for a meal

4. Braxton Hicks: contractions, or false labor contractions

5. Plethora: many

6. Transport: to move from one place to another

7. Marvelous: great, wonderful

Vocabulary Cloze Exercise:
1. My friend is __________________ and is expecting a baby boy.
2. The view from the Empire State Building was _____________________.
3. I put a ____________ ____________ where each person will sit at the table.
4. My friend thought she was going into labor, but it was just ________________ _______________.
5. The store had a __________________ of books to choose from.
6. I used a truck to _________________ my belongings from New York to my new home in Florida.
7. The Queen of England looked _____________________ in her gown.
 

Grammar Point: Articles

An article is a kind of adjective which is always used with and gives some information about a noun. There are only two articles a and the, but they are used very often and are important for using English accurately. The word a (which becomes an when the next word begins with a vowel) is called the indefinite article because the noun it goes with is indefinite or general. The word the is known as the definite article and indicates a specific thing. Whenever you see an article, you will find a noun with it. 

Grammar Activity

1. Which is not correct?
a. the monkey
b. a apple
c. a clock
d. the ball

2. Which is not correct?
a. an elephant
b. a bat
c. the dog
d. a cats

3. Which is not correct?
a. the tie
b. an hat
c. a shirt
d. the pajamas

4. Which is not correct?
a. I see a cat.
b. I see the cat.
c. I see her cat.
d. I see cat.

Click here for a worksheet on articles

Change Isn't So Easy

       Recently, there has been a lot of change in my life. Some change I am happy about and I am willing to accept. However, I am having a difficult time dealing with some other changes in my life. I have come to the realization that I do not like change. I feel as though the change that I am not willing to accept is now effecting my mood. I have been grappling between accepting the changes and moving on or trying to prevent the changes from occurring. The worst part is, the changes I'm not willing to accept are not life shattering. I decided to go on the Internet to look for advice for dealing with change in your life. I came across a website that explains that when you put an issue under a microscope, it is not worth having. It made me start to think that I might be worrying over something very trivial. The part on this website that really effected me was that we only get one chance at life. Why let this silly issue make my life less enjoyable? I always think of situations in the past that seemed like such a big deal at the time and now they seem so small. I hope that this change I am not willing to accept is going to be something I look back on and it will seem so silly. For the time being, I think I am going to have to accept the things I cannot change.

Vocabulary Words:

1. Mood

2. Grappling

3. Prevent

4. Microscope

5. Trivial

6. Situations

Definitions:

1. Mood: your emotions or feelings

2. Grappling: to be in a struggle

3. Prevent: to stop

4. Microscope: an instrument used to make small things look larger

5. Trivial: not important

6. Situations: events

 

Vocabulary Cloze Exercise:
1. After fighting with his brother, Larry was in a bad _____________.
2. He was _____________ with a boy twice his size.
3. In order to _____________ fires, you should never leave a burning candle unattended.
4. We use a ______________ to look at tiny organisms.
5. The fight between the teenage girls was _____________.
6. I have been put in many awkward _________________.

 Grammar Point: Subject and Predicate

A complete sentence always has a subject and a predicate. The subject is the noun (person, place, or thing). The predicate is a fancy word for verb. The verb is an action word. For example, in the sentence, The big butterfly flew into the jar of jelly, The big butterfly is the subject and flew into a jar of jelly is the predicate. If the sentence read, Flew into a jar of jelly, this sentence would not be complete. It is missing the subject.

Click here to learn more about subjects and predicates

Grammar Activity

Silly Sentences: Read the silly sentences. Underline the subject and circle the predicate in the sentence.

1. My teacher flew over the beach.

2. A grizzly bear played soccer in the park.

3. The slimy worm drove the car down the street.

4. My adorable cat went to the movies.

Long Island Medium

       I am fascinated by mediums. A medium is someone who communicates with people who have passed away. I would like to go to a medium. The idea of writing about mediums came to me after watching the show, Long Island Medium. The show is about a woman from Hicksville, NY who can communicate with the deceased. There are many people who are skeptics and do not believe that she is for real. However, I believe she can truly communicate with people who have passed away. There are countless things that she tells people that no one besides the person who passed away would know.
       Most of the time, people see mediums because they have unanswered questions or they would like to have closure. I would love for my grandpa to see the Long Island Medium. My grandmother passed away about five years ago and ever since my grandpa has had no desire to live. He feels incomplete without my grandma and would do anything to be with her again. I would love for my grandpa to have some closure and be able to hear words from my grandma. I feel as though my grandma's messages would give my grandpa comfort and maybe he would be more at peace with my grandmother's passing. I think it would greatly help my grandpa if he was able to talk with the Long Island Medium.

Vocabulary Words:

1.Fascinated

2. Medium

3. Deceased

4. Skeptic

5. Closure

6. Desire

Definitions:

1. Fascinated: to be interested or to have curiosity about something

2. Medium: a person who relays messages from people who have passed away to the living

3. Deceased: no longer living, dead

4. Skeptic: a person who doubts something, they have questions about how real something is

5. Closure: bringing to an end

6. Desire: to want

Vocabulary Cloze Exercise:

C L O S U R E Y L P K T T H E L K N M O U S K E P T I C C B D E T A N I C S A F V D V F D O P D O B D E C E A S E D F R P L F T V S P W P X K Q G A I B Z C T M O Q D R P Z K F S O G N E M E D I U M W

FASCINATED MEDIUM DECEASED SKEPTIC CLOSURE DESIRE

 

Grammar Point: Prepositions
A preposition describes a relationship between other words in a sentence. A preposition usually indicates place, time, and movement in the sentence. For example, in the sentence The book is on the table. On is the preposition and it lets the reader know where the book is. In the sentence, She read the book during class. During is the preposition and lets the reader know when the girl read the book. In the sentence, We're moving toward the door. Toward is the preposition and it expresses movement.

Click here for a list of prepositions

 

Grammar Activity
Students will receive a worksheet in which there is a list of the following prepositions: under, on, next to, behind, in front of, and in. Then, there will be a picture of a dog on a table and the student needs to fill in the following sentence with the correct preposition: The dog is _________ the table. Then, there is a picture of a dog in a box and the student needs to fill in the following sentence with the correct preposition: The dog is ____________ the box. There are four other pictures and the student needs to fill in the following sentence with the correct preposition: The dog is __________ the table. The student fills in the sentences depending on where the dog is in the picture in relation to the table. Below is a link to the worksheet:
http://www.eslkidslab.com/worksheets/set3/home/prepositionsheet.pdf 

How Common Is Your Name?

       Have you ever wondered if there are other people who have your same first and last name? I certainly never thought I would find so many people with the same first and last name as me. My boyfriend is currently in law school and he became friends with a student with the last name Wolf. It turns out that this student has a cousin named Vanessa Wolf, which is also my name. I thought it was such a crazy coincidence that there is a girl with the same first and last name as me. A week later, my boyfriend bought me a massage. The lady at the massage place asked him if I had ever been there and decided to look up my name in the computer. She rattled off over a dozen people who have been to that massage place with the same first and last name as me. He made a comment that Vanessa and Wolf are not very common names, but she highly disagreed. I then decided to Google my name. I was astounded at how many people have my name. It is fun to see what the people look like or do for a living. I then took it a step further and Googled my first, middle, and last name. There are people out there with the same first, middle, and last name as me! I never thought my name was that common, but apparently it is. According to the following website:  http://www.babycenter.com/popularBabyNames.htm?year=1987 Vanessa is number 44 on the list of Popular Baby Names for 1987 (the year I was born).

Click here to find out popular names in 1987

 

 

Vocabulary Words:

1. Wondered

2. Coincidence

3. Rattled

4. Dozen

5. Google

6. Astounded

7. Apparently

Definitions:

1. Wondered: to think

2. Coincidence: chance or luck

3. Rattled: to talk rapidly

4. Dozen: twelve

5. Google: to search for something on the Internet

6. Astounded: amazed or shocked

7. Apparently: being able to see or realize

Vocabulary Cloze Exercise:
1. The girl _________________ if she was going to get everything on her Christmas list.

2. It was not a ________________ that they were both at the library.

3. The teacher _______________ off the names of her students.

4. There are a ________________ eggs in the carton.

5. I used _______________ to search for a nearby toy store.

6. The mother was __________________ when the baby began to walk.

7. _________________, the whole block does not have their electricity.

Grammar Point: End Punctuation
A punctuation mark is bossy; it tells you what to do. Each punctuation mark has a job. A period goes at the end of a sentence and tells you to stop when you are reading. It’s the end of a thought. For example, My cat is black. He sleeps on my bed. He is very lazy. A question mark goes at the end of a sentence and tells you that it’s a question. It also tells you that you should raise your voice toward the end. Example: What is your name? Where do you live? An exclamation point tells you to say it with excitement or to yell it. Example: We won the game! Stop! Look!

Grammar Activity
Students will read through an excerpt from Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. They will circle the periods, underline the question marks, and highlight the exclamation points. Then, they will read each sentence with expression and how the sentence should be read according to the punctuation mark.



There's No Such Thing As Coincidences

       Today marks my grandma's fifth anniversary in heaven.We have many fond memories of my grandma, but we always remember my grandma's love for hummingbirds. My grandma and grandpa lived in Florida, but owned a house in the mountains of Georgia. They would go to Georgia during the summer months because Florida was too hot. My grandparents had a hummingbird feeder at their house in Georgia. My grandma would fill the feeder with sugar water and watch the hummingbirds through the glass sliding door. When we would visit, we would all watch the hummingbirds flutter around the feeder. It was a special treat to see these birds because we would not see them in New York or Florida. The hummingbird not only reminds us of my grandma because she liked them, but also because my grandma was sweet, graceful, and delicate just like a hummingbird.
        Hummingbirds are very special to my family because they remind us of our grandma, who we miss very much. My sister and her fiancé bought a hummingbird feeder and set it up in their backyard. They had it up for a few months and never saw a hummingbird. However, on September 8th, my sister was having her engagement party in the backyard of her house. While setting up, she said a hummingbird flew right in front of her face and then flew away. We know that it was my grandma sending her love on such a special day for my sister. My parents then told us that they had seen a hummingbird the week before, which was only the second time they saw a hummingbird in New York. My mom told us that there is no such thing as coincidences and that our grandma was letting us know that she was watching over us.

 

 

Vocabulary Words:

1. Anniversary
2. Fond
3. Hummingbird
4. Flutter
5. Graceful
6. Delicate
7. Coincidence

Definitions:
1. Anniversary: when something important happens on a date and then the date reoccurs every year
2. Fond: to like something
3. Hummingbird: a very small bird with a long, thin nose and small wings that move so fast that it makes a humming sound
4. Flutter: to wave or flap
5. Graceful: being elegant or beautiful
6. Delicate: fragile, or easily damaged
7. Coincidence: accident or luck

Vocabulary Cloze Exercise:
1. The couple celebrated their wedding _______________________ at a nice restaurant.
2. I am very _______________ of candy.
3. I saw a ________________ drinking sugar water.
4. The bird _________________ it's wings.
5. The ballerina dancer was very _________________.
6. I bought a __________________, glass vase.
7. It was not a _________________ that I ran into him at the store.

Grammar Point:Plural Noun Forms
The plural form of most nouns is created simply by adding the letter s. For example, more than one apple is apples. Words that end in -ch, x, s or s-like sounds, however, will require an -es for the plural. For example, More than one witch is witches. There are several nouns that have irregular plural forms. For example, more than one child is children and more than one mouse is mice. With words that end in a consonant and a y, you'll need to change the y to an i and add es. For example, more than one baby is babies. Plurals of words that end in -f or -fe usually change the f sound to a v sound and add s or -es. For example, more than one knife is knives.

Click here to learn more about the plural noun form

Grammar Activity

Directions: Change the nouns from the singular form to the plural form.

 

1. One life... two ________________

 

2. One story... two ______________

 

3. One man... two _______________

 

4. One box... two _______________

 

5. One store... two ______________

End of Watch

       Up until this past week, I hadn't been to the movies in a very long time. The last movie I remember seeing was Jack and Jill, which came out in November 2011. This past Tuesday I saw a movie called, End of Watch. Then, this past Friday, I saw a movie called Taken 2. In my blog I am going to only talk about End of Watch because I thought it was a phenomenal movie. The movie was about two cops who patrol the streets of South Central, Los Angeles. They make many brave arrests, which gets them much recognition within the police force. Unfortunately, some of the arrests and calls that they respond to involve a dangerous drug cartel. In the midst of trying to keep the streets of South Central safe, the cops end up becoming the drug cartel's enemies. I thought this movie was outstanding! It was not only suspenseful, but it was also very funny. I would recommend anyone to go and see it.

 

Vocabulary Words:

1. Phenomenal

2. Patrol

3. Arrest

4. Recognition

5. Cartel

6. Enemies

7. Suspenseful

Definitions:

1. Phenomenal: extraordinary, excellent
2. Patrol: to pass along a road or area in order to keep it safe
3. Arrest: to catch someone and usually put into handcuffs
4. Recognition: to recognize, notice, or acknowledge someone or something
5. Cartel: a group that controls a large sale of something
6. Enemies: someone who doesn't like you
7. Suspenseful: having anxiety because you do not know what will come next

Vocabulary Cloze Exercise:

S S O D C H F P O R P H E N O M E N A L F A I I C A R T E L P W P B M X W P U T Q W O P L E U O N N X T B N I T N S F R Q Y N F A R R E S T P A T R O L I F T D J Z C L J U P Y Z W Q N G D C W R Q C U

PHENOMENAL PATROL ARREST CARTEL ENEMIES

Grammar Point: Commas

Commas are often difficult to understand. There are numerous ways commas are used. One way in which you use commas is when you are listing more than two items. For example, I like to eat candy, cookies, and ice cream. You also use a comma to separate two adjectives when the word and can be inserted between them. For example, He is a strong, healthy man. Another time you use a comma is when you use words such as therefore and however when they are used as interrupters. For example, I would, therefore, like a response. You also use a comma after prepositional phrases.

 

Click here to learn more about commas

 

Grammar Activity

Directions: Insert commas into the following sentences.

 

1. Joe Chris and Ronald went to the store.

 

2. After I eat dinner I have my dessert.

 

3. If you do your homework you will get a prize.

 

4. I like to play tennis softball and lacrosse.