Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Playing with Pronouns

I can't believe what happened today! My sister called me and said that a package was delivered to our house. I was very excited because I bought something for her that was supposed to be delivered today! The delivery man took the package from his truck and brought it to my family's front door.  The delivery man gave my sister a form to sign and he took the paper and left.
My sister's boyfriend carried the package into the house and accidentally dropped it on his foot!
On the phone she said, "Ian was in so much pain we had to drive to the hospital!" In the hospital they met with a doctor who looked familiar to them. I told her, "We know her, that's our neighbor's wife!" We laughed and I asked her to check the name on the package. She stopped and giggled.  I was very nervous because I thought she knew the gift was for her.  I asked, "Why are you laughing?" She answered, "the delivery man made a mistake! This package is for our neighbor's wife!" I thought to myself, then where was my package? Where was her gift?

Grammar Point
A pronoun is a word that substitutes for a noun.  Pronouns are used in place of a noun that has already been used.  For example, "Mary has a pen. Mary's pen is blue." can use a pronoun in the second sentence and the idea will still be the same: "Mary has a pen. Her pen is blue." The three types of pronouns used are subject, object, and possessive. Personal pronouns substitute the nouns that are subjects. For example the subject for "Mary has a pen." is Mary. The pronoun to use for Mary is "she". Object pronouns substitute nouns that are objects.  In "Mary has a pen." pen is the object of the sentence. The pronoun to use for pen is "it". Possessive pronouns substitute nouns that have possession of something. For example, in the question "Who belongs to the pen?" Since the pen is Mary's, the answer would be, "It is her pen."

Below is a list of pronouns. Fill in the blanks with the correct pronouns based on the type of pronoun described in the parenthesis.

1. (Subject Pronoun) _______ found a dog. 2. (Subject) _________ is a young dog. 3. Do (subject) 

_____ know who is belongs to? 4. Suddenly, a man is running toward (object) ___________. 5. 

(Subject) __________ claims 6. (object describing dog)  ____________ belongs to 7.(possessive) ________. 


Where is the Gift?
Based on the story above, answer the following questions using the correct pronoun.

1. Who called me? __________ called me.
2. Where did the delivery man place the package?  _____ placed it at _____ door.
3. Who's signature is on the form? _______ signature is on the form.
4. Who carried the package into the house? _______ carried the package.
5. Who's toe did the package fall on? The package fell on _____ toe.
6. Who knew the doctor at the hospital? ______ knew the doctor.
7.  Who did the package belong to? The package belonged to ________.


Put Your Pronouns to the Test!

Directions: Choose one of the games found on the website: http://www.eslgamesplus.com/subject-object-pronouns-game/ . Write each sentence using the correct pronoun.  At the end of each sentence state what type of pronoun your choice is.

Answer to activity above: 
1. I found a dog. *
2. It is a young dog. 
3. Do you know who is belongs to? 
4. Suddenly, a man is running toward me.*
5. He claims 
6. it belongs to
7. him.
* both pronouns must be the same person. For example, if #1 is She, #4 must be the object pronoun for "she" also. In this case, #4 would be "her".


Friday, November 4, 2016

My Favorite Noun

What is your favorite noun?  My favorite noun is the beach. It is a place where land meets the sea.  Long Islanders are lucky because the beach surrounds the ends of the island.  On the South Shore, the waves of the Atlantic Ocean crash on the beach.  On the North Shore, the beach meets with the calm Long Island Sound.  My favorite beach to go to is Dolphin Beach in Hampton Bays.  When I go to the beach I bring a towel, sunglasses, and of course, sunscreen to protect my skin from the sun's hot rays.  I love swimming in the blue waves and riding them into shore. Sometimes, I bring out a paddle board and take it far into the ocean and look for fish.  I am very lucky to live close to the beach, I can walk to it from my house! What is your favorite noun?
Image result for long island beach pictures
Grammar Questions:

1. What is a noun? ______________________________
2. Why is "beach" a noun? _________________________
3. Based on your answer to Question 1, name one of your favorite nouns: ____________________

Grammar Point
A noun is a person, place, or thing.  "Beach" is a noun because it is a place.  There are two types of nouns: common nouns and proper nouns.  A common noun is a general word to describe a person, place, or thing.  Examples of common nouns are: boy, store, candy. A proper noun is the specific name of a noun.  Examples of this are: John (name of a person), Stop and Shop (name of a place), Snickers bar (name of a candy).  Take the bolded words from the reading and write them in the correct categories below.


Common Noun:






Proper Noun:





Nouns are Everywhere



Directions: Label three common nouns and three proper nouns.  Make sure that one of your proper nouns is a place.  Create one sentence about each noun you chose.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Sing Some Jazzy Prepositions
"Fly Me to the Moon"
By: Frank Sinatra
Image result for frank sinatra
Step 1: Highlight the link below and click "Open URL"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hxibHJOE5E
Step 2: Reread the lyrics.  Pay attention to the bolded words- they are prepositions.

Fly me to the moon.
Let me play among the stars.
Let me see what spring is like,
On a-Jupiter and Mars.
In other words, hold my hand.
In other words, baby, kiss me.
Fill my heart with song.
And let me sing forever more.
You are all I long for,
All I worship and adore.
In other words, please be true.
In other words, I love you.
Fill my heart with song.
Let me sing forever more.
You are all I long for,
All I worship and adore.
In other words, please be true.
In other words, in other words,
I love you.

Prepositional Vocabulary
to: shows direction
among: surrounded by, in company of
like: being similar to
with: possessing something
for: indicate a goal

Grammar Point: Prepositions
Did you notice what the bolded words do to the sentences? Prepositions like these connect connect the noun in the sentence to the verb in the sentence.  
For example, fly me to the moon. Where are you flying? To the Moon.
Notice- If the sentence was: fly me around the moon, the sentence would have a different meaning.
Use all of these prepositional vocabulary terms to create your own sentences.

Fix the Song Title
Directions: Choose the most accurate preposition for the song title to make sense.
HINT: Use this Youtube video for extra assistance: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=-X87MHu8rhQ

1. "Turn the Beat around/along " - Gloria Estefan
2. "Somewhere over/under the Rainbow"- Howard Arlen 

3. "Island on/in The Sun"- Weezer 

4. "In/Of My Life"- The Beatles 

5. "Crazy in/into Love"- Beyonce 

6. "Living on/up A Prayer"- Bon Jovi

7. "Boulevard by/of Broken Dreams"- Green Day

8. "Dreaming since/of You"- Selena

9. "Come Away from/with Me"- Norah Jones

10. "Through/Under the Sea"- Disney's The Little Mermaid

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

My Trip to the Pumpkin Patch


It is my favorite season, autumn! Do you like seeing the colorful foliage in the trees? Do you think apple picking is fun? Although I love to go pick apples at an orchard, my favorite part of fall is going to the pumpkin patch! The first thing I do is walk away from the crowd of chaotic people to an area with plenty of orange pumpkins. There are a variety of them at the patch; some are gigantic while others are petite. Some are plump while others are slender. My favorites are round but some can be square. I love looking for the perfect pumpkin!

Vocabulary
colorful:(adj) someone or something possessing many colors
chaotic:(adj) the state of complete confusion
orange: (adj) a color
gigantic: (adj) a very large size
petite:(adj) a small build
plump:(adj) a full rounded shape
slender:(adj) something or someone that is thin
round:(adj)  shaped like a circle
square: (adj)shaped like a square
perfect:(adj)having desirable elements

Adjective Activity
Adjectives are words that describe a noun. In the paragraph above, most of the adjectives describe pumpkins. This time, it's your turn to describe something! Think of your favorite fall activity and describe it using at least 5 adjectives.

Mad-Libs Activity
A: Brainstorm and write down adjectives:
1. description adjective ______________
2. same adjective as #1________________
3. color adjective__________________
4. size adjective__________________
5. temperature adjective_________________
6. smell adjective_______________
7. taste adjective________________
8. taste adjective__________________
9. flavor adjective___________________
10. state of being adjective___________

B: Fill in the adjectives in the correct spaces.
C: Read and enjoy your work!
There are many 1.__________ pumpkins to pick. My 2.___________ would be a(n) 3.__________ pumpkin. Among all of those pumpkins, I'm more partial to 4. ____________ones.  Once I pick the pumpkin I explore the rest of the pumpkin patch.  

I see the patch sells 5._____________ corn on the cob. It smells so 6._____________. It tastes even better too! The 7._____________ flavor makes me want to grow my own corn!

How can I leave without getting a cup of 8.______________ apple cider? The 9.______________ flavor of cinnamon makes it taste like autumn in a cup.  I don't think there is anything better than a fresh-pressed cider.  

Overall today has been a(n) 10.______________ day at the pumpkin patch!

Monday, October 3, 2016

Think Like a Chef!
Here is my bruschetta recipe for you to try!

Bruschetta
2 cups of tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 cup of basil
salt and pepper to taste

Bread
1 loaf of seedless Italian bread

Directions: 
Phase 1
Chop the bread into small pieces.
Put the bread slices on a piece of aluminum foil.
Place the foil in the toaster oven until the slices are golden brown.
Take the toasted slices and lay each of them on a plate.
Phase 2
Slice the tomatoes and garlic.
When finished, place the tomatoes and garlic into a bowl.
Measure the red wine vinegar and olive oil and place the measurements into the same bowl as the tomatoes and garlic.
Take the basil and mince it to tiny shavings.
Add a small amount of the minced basil to the bowl.
Whisk the ingredients together so the juices are blend well.
Mix salt and/or pepper to taste.
Use a teaspoon to scoop the bruschetta onto the toasted slices.
Take the leftover chopped basil and spread it around the plate.
Phase 3
Enjoy!



Verbs, Verbs, Verbs!
Directions: The bolded verbs are found in the crossword puzzle.  Pick the verb that matched the definition best.  Remember: verbs tell the action of the noun, in this case the noun is the chef!  Helpful Hint!-- rereading the recipe will help you choose the best match. Good luck!


Grammar Point
A sentence is not complete without using at least one verb in it.  Verbs tell what the noun is doing.  Even if the noun is doing nothing, the verb tells us that!  This entry shows us how important verbs are for instructions like food recipes.  Meals are made correctly by taking the ingredient (noun) and preparing it the way the verb tells us to (cut, slice, mix, blend, etc.).  For the next activity, I want you to create your own recipe using at least 3 of the bolded words the in my recipe AND at least 2 new verbs used in cooking.  Good luck!



Thursday, September 29, 2016


You Say Tomato, I Say Tomato

One of the reasons I will miss the summer is that I won't have any more home-grown tomatoes.  Every May my Dad plants tomato seeds in a large, bulky plant pot.  After endless days of watering the soil green starts to green sprouts begin to emerge from the brown dirt.  By July the tomato plants grow to sky-high levels and we need to enclose them in tomato cages.  Tomato cages surround the plant to help them stay straight so they don't droop or break down.  Even in the end of September, my family and I collect numerous cherry tomatoes from our plants daily.  We use every tomato that comes from our plants.  We make tomato sauce, even in scorching summer, and we freeze the sauce so we can make warm meals like baked ziti and lasagna during the chilly winters.  A delicious, new recipe I recently learned to make is bruschetta.  The best part about all of these homemade recipes is the home-grown ingredient they are made with! Yum!


Grammar Point
Synonyms are words or phrases that share very similar meanings. For example, "shut the door" and "close the door" have the same meaning because the words shut and close are synonyms. Create synonyms for the bolded keywords. Use words that come before and after the keywords to help you.
bulky (adj): 
emerge (v): 
enclose (v): 
surround (v): 
droop (v): 
numerous (adj):
scorching (adj): 
chilly (adj): 
delicious (adj): 



Were You on the Right Track?
bulky (adj): taking up much space
emerge (v): to come into view
enclose (v): to be closed off by something
surround (v): to be all around
droop (v): to bend 
numerous (adj): many
scorching (adj): very hot
chilly (adj): uncomfortably cold
delicious (adj): highly pleasant to taste

Activity 2
Substitute the keywords with your synonyms.

One of the reasons I will miss the summer is that I won't have any more home-grown tomatoes.  Every May my Dad plants tomato seeds in a large, _________ plant pot.  After endless days of watering the soil green starts to green sprouts begin to ___________ from the brown dirt.  By July the tomato plants grow to sky-high levels and we need to _________________ them in tomato cages.  Tomato cages _______________ the plant to help them stay straight so they don't __________ or break.  Even in the end of September, my family and I collect __________ cherry tomatoes from our plants daily.  We use every tomato that comes from our plants.  We make tomato sauce, even in ______________ summer, and we freeze the sauce so we can make warm meals like baked ziti and lasagna during the _______ winters.  A _____________, new recipe I recently learned to make is bruschetta.  The best part about all of these homemade recipes is the home-grown ingredient they are made with! Yum!


Wednesday, September 14, 2016


My Trip to the Dog Park
Have you ever been to a dog park? They are so much fun! You see many furry four-legged friends and lots of two-legged companions too.  This is a great place for dogs to make friends and for their owners to meet like-minded, dog-loving people.  If you decide to visit a dog park make sure you watch where you're stepping and avoid puddles and piles on the ground.  Most importantly, make sure you keep any treats out of sight and smell or else you may be the most popular doggie-friend at the park!

Vocabulary:
 companion: a person or animal who spends a lot of time with another person or animal
avoid: keep away from
popular: liked by many people
owner: having something in possession
importantly: showing serious meaning
furry: covered with fur
ground: surface of the Earth

Grammar Point
Punctuations tells us how the narrator is presenting an idea. If the narrator is asking a question a question mark (?) will be placed at the end of the sentence. If the narrator is making a statement or making a command a period (.) will be placed at the end of the sentence. If the narrator is shouting or yelling, an exclamation mark (!) will be placed at the end of the sentence. Create one sentence for each vocabulary word and use the three punctuations at the end of the sentences.

Let's See What we Know!
Fill in the crossword puzzle with the vocabulary words above.