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!

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!

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!

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.