What would You Bring with You?

About five years ago, my family and I had a house fire. We felt displaced and totally lost. We had lost many of our possessions, but thankfully no one was injured. Family, friends, and neighbors all pitched in to help us. Whether they gave us a kind or encouraging word or made us a meal, people were there to help and it truly meant a lot to all of us. At that point in time, I gained a new perspective on life. I really felt what it was like to be homeless. It a was a frightening and disturbing feeling.Surprisingly, however, I feel that that dreadful experience made me less materialistic. I now realize that things, such as televisions and computers, are just things in the grand scheme of life. Our families, friends, beliefs, and happy memories are what keep us going and moving on through life. This also brings up a question in my mind: what were the things that were dear to me that were worth saving? I remember trying to grab my mother's wedding photo album, my pictures, my bible, my animals, and my father's acoustic guitar. Those things had some sentimental value to my family and me. To this day, I always count my blessings and prioritize what is most important in my life. What is important to me are not those things that I was able to salvage from the house fire, it is my family.
Vocabulary:
displaced: move from its usual place
encouraging: helpful
possessions: things one owns
injured: harmed or hurt
frightening: scary
disturbing: upsetting
dreadful: horrible
materialistic: having to do with material things; superficial
grand: big
perspective: point of view
Activity:
Using at least 2 of the vocabulary words, write about the things that you own that are of importance to you. Why are they important to you? Why would you bring those things? Be specific.
Grammar Point: I italicized the family, friends, and neighbors to show where to place commas when you are listing items in a sentence.
Grammar Activity: Pretend that you will go shopping. Write a few sentences that contains a list of items in a sentence using commas.

Leap Year

From the time I was in high school, I have always had the desire to go to Ireland. I have seen countless photographs of the lush, emerald green landscapes and azure seascapes. Just recently, my good friend and I decided to purchase the movie Leap Year. The movie stars Matthew Goode and Amy Adams. I figured that the majority of the movie takes place in Ireland so, I would get to see some of Ireland through this movie.The movie is about this young woman, Anna, played by Amy Adams, lives in Boston, Massachusetts and is longing for her boyfriend, a cardiologist, to propose to her.However, he does not make any moves to do so. Anna's boyfriend had to attend a conference in Ireland. Being an Irish-American, Anna is informed about a tradition that exists in Ireland where every leap year, a woman can propose to her boyfriend. So, Anna sets out on a mission to propose to her boyfriend in Ireland. Unfortunately for Anna, her plans get derailed.She is stuck in some remote area in Ireland and needs to get to Dublin in time to propose to her boyfriend. She meets Declan, a handsome bar owner who is being paid to help Anna get  to Dublin. At first, the two do no get along. However, along the way, the two begin to fall for each other.  In the end, Anna does not marry her boyfriend, the cardiologist. She decides to stay with and marry Declan in Ireland. Overall, I found this movie to be very sweet and got a chance to see some scenes in Ireland.
Vocabulary:
desire: the string wanting for something
countless: too many to count
lush: a lot of growth
azure: sky blue
majority: more than half
cardiologist: heart doctor
propose: offer marriage
attend: to go to or be present at
derailed: run off the rails or ruin
overall: at the end
Activity:
Find the vocabulary words in the word search puzzle.

l	s	t	l	e	a	l	t	c	e	m	i
t	s	i	g	o	l	o	i	d	r	a	c
s	e	d	t	a	z	u	r	e	l	j	i
e	l	r	y	u	g	r	s	l	l	o	e
o	t	o	i	t	h	o	a	i	u	r	y
c	n	u	i	s	p	r	t	a	r	i	e
a	u	s	u	o	e	v	t	r	g	t	o
e	o	l	r	v	r	d	e	e	a	y	r
s	c	p	o	o	p	i	n	d	g	i	a
c	t	p	a	a	t	j	d	d	e	e	e
u	e	r	p	m	o	l	o	h	a	y	r
d	a	r	d	l	p	e	v	e	n	i	o

desire
countless
lush
azure
majority
cardiologist
propose
attend
derailed

Reference: http://www.armoredpenguin.com/wordsearch/Data/2011.04/2420/24205204.749.html
Grammar Point: Common nouns need to be capitalized. In the paragraph, I capitalized the manes of the actors in the film that I love.
Grammar Activity: Write at least three sentences containing at least 3 common nouns.

Mickey and Mantle

I really love animals. However, my uncle takes the cake when it comes to being fond of animals.The other day, my mother received a call from my uncle. To her surprise, it was not just any phone call. My uncle had called to inform us about his two new additions to the family. These new additions are actually baby squirrels. I could not believe it! Squirrels? Many questions were whirling around in my mind. How did he manage to get these squirrels? My uncle is actually a breeder; he breeds parakeets. Apparently, my uncle was out gardening and he heard a strange noise coming from the shed where he houses the birds. He set out and searched for what was making the noise.To his delight, he found two abandoned baby squirrels. Since then, my uncle has been raising the two babies. He has been feeding them a mixture of milk for puppies and baby food. They are getting bigger everyday and they are little rascals. They love to climb on whoever is holding them and love to cuddle with each other in the pouch that my uncle made for them.  Even though he is not much of a baseball fan, he decided to name the two squirrels Mickey and Mantle.
Vocabulary:
fond: to like
surprise: shock
inform: to give information about something
whirling: twirling and moving around quickly
apparently: evidently
parakeets: small birds
search: to look for
strange: unusual
abandoned: to leave alone
rascals: things that cause mischief
Activity: Unscramble the vocabulary words.
Reference:
http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/words/scramble/scramble.cgi

 

SuperKids Word Scrambler

	Scramble	Answer
1	fdon
2	ecahsr
3	salarsc
4	abeadnnod
5	sartneg
6	mirofn
7	hignwirl
8	eateprsk a
9	tpapeylrna
10	seirrusp

Grammar Point: Synonyms are words with similar meaning. Instead of using the word love, I used the word fond.
Grammar Activity: Think of a word to describe yourself. Then, think of two synonyms for that word. Use a dictionary to help you.

Northport

Have you ever had a special place that you really enjoy frequenting? Did that place bring you joy? Well, this special place for me is Northport, Long Island. It is about 40 minutes away from where I live. It has such a quaint town that is very nice to walk around. It is also by the harbor. I absolutely love walking down the pier and sit and watch the sailboats go by. It is so peaceful. In Northport, there is a very cute diner called the Shipwreck Diner. The food there is absolutely delectable. If you ever get a chance to go to that diner, try the quiche. It is fantastic. I find Northport to be so inspiring that I have written a poem about it.

As I walk down the pier, I feel the salty breeze brush against my cheeks.

I am in love.

This place, this charming place, is a place I long to see and be and makes me content.

When I am not there, my hearts sails across the sea to be there and my mind

whispers to my heart that I belong there.

Take me away, heart, to the place I want to be. To the place where I feel and can be . . .me.

Vocabulary:

frequent: visit often

quaint: charming

harbor: protected inlet for ships

pier: landing place over the water

quiche: hot, custard pie made with cheese

charming: nice

content: happy

whispers: talk quietly

belong: be a part of

inspiring: arouse a feeling

Activity: 

Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word:

1. I walked on the _________  over the water.

2.At the ______, I saw many anchored ships bobbing up and down in the water.

3. I would love to try the delicious ________ that has cheese in it.

4. Her story about helping the poor was so _______ that I would love to help as well.

5. I would love to _____ to the club in school.

6. We have been so _______ because we have been on vacation. 

7. In the library, the girl _______ or talks quietly to the person next  to her.

8. The town is so ______ , ________, and nice. 

9. All of the kids in town like to ____ the movie theater.
Grammar Point: Antonyms have opposite meanings. For example, an antonym for content is sad.
Grammar Activity: Think of a word. Make a semantic map with the antonyms for that word. Use a dictionary to help you.

Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park

This past Thursday my family and I went to the Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, Long Island. It is truly a beautiful place to visit. It was the estate of the Coe family. The Coe family purchased the property in  1913 for $750,000. The estate is now under the control of New York State. My mother's favorite part of the estate is the Camellia House. It is a greenhouse that has the original camellias purchased by William Coe. My father is quite partial to the orchid room in the main greenhouse. I really love going to the Tea House and Italian Blue Pool Garden! Evidently, the Italian Blue Pool was originally the site of the tennis court and tennis house. This I found to be interesting. I strongly recommend going to the Planting Fields Arboretum. If the weather is nice, pack your picnic basket and quilt and prepare for the most pleasant day.
Vocabulary:
arboretum: a place where many kinds of trees are grown
estate: piece of land with a residence
truly: really
purchased: buy
greenhouse: heated glass building where plants are grown
original: first
partial: favoring one over the other
evidently: apparently
recommend: suggest
pleasant: very nice
Activity:
Using at least three of the vocabulary words, write about your favorite plant or flower. What does it look like? What does the flower or plant remind you of? Draw a picture of your favorite plant or flower.
Visit this website to get some inspiration: http://www.plantingfields.org/
Grammar Point: Exclamation points are punctuation marks that show emotion. I used an exclamation point to show how much I enjoyed the tea house.
Grammar Activity: Write a sentence containing an exclamation point.

The Royal Wedding

The royal wedding of Prince William and Kate will be held on April 29th. Many people are very excited for this joyous event for the couple. It is said that the Middleton  family received a coat of arms. Their coat of arms contains three acorns, which represent the Middletons' three children, and the colors red, white, and blue for England's flag.People are curious to see what the soon-to-be princess will wear on her wedding day. After all, Kate is quite fashionable. The wedding, for those viewing it in the United States, will begin at 4am. It will be a very early wedding indeed. Interestingly enough, my neighbor's daughter will be attending the wedding. I am extremely excited for her and I hope that she has an enjoyable time. Overall, I am elated for the couple and cannot wait for the special day to arrive.
Vocabulary
royal: regal, having to do with royalty (example: king and queen)
excited: very happy
joyous: gladness
received: to get
contains: have in it
represent: to stand for
curious: eager to know
quite: really
enjoyable: nice
elated: happy
Writing Activity:
Watch part of the royal wedding on television or use the internet to help you find out information about the wedding. Write 3 to 5 sentences about the wedding. Is it interesting to you? Why? Why not?
Grammar Point:Adjectives describe nouns. For example, the elegant bride walked down the aisle. Elegant is the adjective describing the noun.
Grammar Activity: Using at least 5 adjectives, describe Kate Middleton on her wedding day.

How Embarassing!

            Embarrassing moments can truly leave a burning mark on a person. The most embarrassing moment that I had resides in my memory to this day and I can remember it as if it had occurred yesterday. It happened my freshmen year at Molloy College. I was coming from a mathematics class that I was taking and going to an English class. I was running a little late for my English class so I was in quite a rush. I remember only thinking about getting to class promptly. I was headed for Kellenberg. At that point, I was racing to the class. Then, all I remember is descending the stairs and then feeling airborne. I was falling. I slammed right into the wall and collapsed to the ground. I recall a concerned professor leaning over me asking if I was alright. I responded deliriously to her saying, “I just need to rest for a moment, thank you.”

Vocabulary:

embarrassing:   feeling self-conscious

resides: live

occurred: to happen

quite: really

rush: hurry

descending: going down

airborne: lifted up in the air

slammed: hit

collapsed: fell

deliriously: confused 

Activity:

Directions: Using the vocabulary above, fill in the blanks with the correct words.

1) The airplane became ______ once it lifted off the ground.

2) The girl fainted and _______ to the ground.

3) At the four-way intersection, two cars ____ into each other.

4) He was running late to work and had to ____ to get to work on time.

5) What happened to me was so ________ that I turned bright red.

6) She _____ resides in Brooklyn.

7) They were _______ the stairs very slowly.

8) A special event had ________ the other night at the school.

9) The woman was so tired, she _________ responded to the question.

10) Going on the ride at the amusement park was ____ exciting!
Grammar Point: Here, I italicized the quotation to show how to put quotations around a direct quote.  
Grammar Activity: Write a journal entry containing at least one direct quote using quotation marks.