My Best Friend

My best friend, Brianna Pace, is the most compassionate person I have ever met in my life. She has a heart of gold, and she is always willing to help those in need. Brianna is studying to become a Speech Language Pathologist at Molloy. She also works with students who have disabilities at Center for Developmental Disabilities, which I commend her for. She always has a smile on her face no matter the struggles she may face in life. I admire her compassion for others the most. If her friends have any problems, they usually always go to her about them because she is a great listener, and she always knows how to respond with kindness. That is what I admire the most about Brianna, and I hope to acquire her great qualities.

Vocabulary:
1. compassionate (adjective): showing concern for others
2. willing (verb): ready to do something for others
3. studying (verb): spending time to acquire knowledge/ to review
4. commend (verb): praise
5. struggles (verb): strive to achieve although there may be difficulty
6. admire (verb): look at happily
7. acquire (verb): to obtain
8. qualities (noun): excellence of standard

Vocabulary Activity:
Please write each vocabulary term three times, and create a sentence on your own using the term correctly.

Example:
compassionate compassionate compassionate
Leo is a compassionate person because he always shows how much he cares about his friends and family.

1. compassionate
2. willing
3. studying
4. commend
5. struggles
6. admire
7. acquire
8. qualities

Grammar Point: NOUNS
Traditionally nouns are defined as a person, place, thing or idea. A process that has become a noun also counts. For example, the scientific method has turned into a noun because it is a process. In the paragraph there are many nouns. Some examples are Brianna Pace, Molloy, students, etc.

Nouns have head nouns, pre modifiers, and post modifiers. The head noun is the most important noun within the structure. The pre modifier comes before the head noun, and the post modifier comes after the noun, but is a group of nouns.
For example: The dog on the bed.
Head noun= dog
pre modifier= the
post modifier= on the bed

Please visit the following websites if you need assistance on nouns:
https://www.gingersoftware.com/content/grammar-rules/nouns/
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/nouns/
https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/noun-what.htm

Grammar Activity: In the paragraph below, please circle all of the nouns.

When my brother and his friends were sitting in my living room, I ordered pizza for them to eat because they were hungry from a long day of playing football in my yard. They played a couple of games and came inside to watch more football on the television. They were able to catch the Jet Game, and the Giant Game that followed. It seemed like they had a fun Sunday afternoon.

Please define what a noun is and list 4 nouns off of the top of your head. They can be anything.
A noun is _________________________________________________________________.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Pumpkin Picking

Over the weekend, I went pumpkin picking with my boyfriend, Paul. We drove to Schmitts Family Farm in Melville. We went on a hay ride, we walked through a corn maze, fed animals at a petting zoo, and picked four pumpkins. We had such a beautiful day! It was so much fun!! After a fun-filled day at the farm, we went home to carve and paint the pumpkins we picked. First, we cut a hole at the top the pumpkin to take out all of the seeds/insides. Then, once the pumpkin was empty, we carved a scary face in it using a special carving knife we bought at Stop & Shop. Paul and I had a contest of who carved the best pumpkin, posted a poll on Instagram, and let our friends decide who won. Of course, I won and had the best carved pumpkin. They both came out awesome and we had such a great Sunday!

Image provided by Google Images

Vocabulary:

1. pumpkin picking (noun): A farm that stocks a large amount of pumpkins. People usually go select pumpkins around Halloween time, as an American tradition.
2. farm (noun): an area of land that grows crops and has animals
3. corn maze (noun): a maze cut out of a corn field
4. hay ride (noun): ride in a wagon that carries hay and people
5. petting zoo (noun): zoo, which visitors can feed and pet animals
6. carve (verb): to produce an object or design
7. decide (verb): to come to a conclusion

Vocabulary Activity:
Use the correct vocabulary word from above to fill in the blanks in the sentences below.
1. At the _________, there were many animals and vegetables.
2. They made a _________ out of a corn field.
3. We drove about twenty minutes to the pumpkin patch to go _________.
4. Did you _________ which face you are going to carve into your pumpkin?
5. How are you going to _________ your pumpkin?
6. At the _________, I fed baby goats.
7. I thought the _________ was going to be a bumpy ride, but it was not.

Grammar Point:
 A verb is the key to create meaning. Verbs are the pivotal parts of clauses because they are the expressions of events or processes.

There are different types of processes of verbs: material, behavioral, mental, verbal, existential and relational.

Verbs can be known as verbs of doing or action words.

Examples of verbs:
jump, dance, sing, say, write, read, walk, run, hop, love, etc.

When creating sentences about verbs be sure to include:

• What is the process? (verb/verb group)
• Who/what are the participants (noun/noun groups) in this process?
• What are the circumstances in which this process takes place?( when/where/how)

Example: After school, Ashley cut her hair with scissors.

What is the process? Verb = cut

Who/what are the participants in this process? Ashley, her hair

What are the circumstances in which this process takes place? After school, with scissors

Please visit the following sites:
https://www.grammar-monster.com/lessons/verbs.htm
https://chompchomp.com/terms/verb.htm

Grammar Activity:
Fill in the correct verb from the word box.

dove     draw     eat     read     write  

1. I _________ into the deep end off of a diving board.
2. I can _________ a piece of cake, cookies, and a pie for dessert.
3. Did you _________ the book "Wishtree," written by Katherine Applegate?
4. An illustrators job is to _________ the pictures, and an authors job is to _________ the words in a book.

Create 4 sentences using the following verbs:
walk     run     dance     sing  
You may change the tense of the verb, and the sentence can be about anything.

1.
2.
3.
4.

Sick Day

Most people are super excited when they have a sick day! They are so excited to spend their day in bed watching movies or catching up on new shows! However, I am not one of those people. When I have to take a day off of work for a sick day I end up feeling guilty. Last night, I had an allergic reaction. I still am unsure of what the reaction was to, but my eyes were very swollen. I was able to take Benadryl before I went to sleep, and I was hoping when I woke up in time to get ready for work, the swelling would have gone down tremendously. It did not! My eyes were still swollen when I woke up, so I began to get nervous because I did not know what I was allergic to. I was home by myself because my parents had just left for a vacation to Hawaii (must be nice!!!), but I did not want to bother them or make them nervous before they got on the plane. I ended up having to take the day off from work and I took Benadryl all day long. I was able to relax, which was much needed, and I was able to catch up on some of my homework, but I did miss my day at work. I hope that I will be able to get back on track and go back to work!!

Vocabulary Terms:

1. guilty (adjective)- responsible for wrongdoing

2. allergic reaction (noun)- occurs when immune system reacts to a harmless subject or the allergen 

3. swollen (verb)- part of body becomes larger or rounder in size

4. Benadryl (noun)- an antihistamine used to treat systems of allergic reactions

5. tremendously (adverb)- to a very great extent

6. nervous (adjective)- to be nervous or anxious

Vocabulary Activity: 

Unscramble the words in the sentences. Then re-write the sentence with the correct vocabulary term. 

1. I felt tgyiul when I was not able to go to work although I did not feel well.

2. When you experience an llgareic teracnio, your eyes can swell up.

3. My ankle was wsllone after I fell off of the curb. 

4. If you are experiencing an allergic reaction you can take neydBaer to fix your symptoms. 

5. My eyes were swollen tmderneudsylo.

6. I was souvenir when I was home alone.

Grammar Point: Comma Usage

1. Use commas to separate independent clauses. 

Example: I went to the beach, and then I ate a sandwich.

2. Use commas after an introductory clause or phrase. 

Example: When I ate lunch, he called me on the phone.

3. Use a comma in between all items in a series. 

Example: (listing) I like apples, bananas, and grapes.

4. Use a comma to set off nonrestrictive clauses. 

Example: Johnny, my cousin, will be coming over.

5. Use a comma to set off appositives.

Example: The Jets, the rulers, are going to win the Super Bowl.

6. Use a comma to indicate direct address.

Example: Anthony, I do not believe you are correct.

7. Use commas to set off direct quotations.

Example: He said, "Do you think they will get married?"

8. Use commas with dates, addresses, titles and numbers.

Example: Today is Saturday, October 5, 2019.

Information found at: https://www.iue.edu/hss/writingcenter/documents/Commas.pdf

For more information about commas visit:

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/comma/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQOX3UdeAZI

Grammar Activity: 

Place commas in the correct spot using a red pen. 

1. Yesterday was Friday October 4 2019.

2. Last night Paul and I watched the Yankee game on television.

3. When you go to the grocery store please buy bread chicken and ice cream.

4. I went to the park it took 5 minutes to walk there.

5. She asked me "Do you want to ride with me?"

Create 5 of your own sentences using commas correctly.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Italian Feast

This past Sunday, I was able to attend an Italian Feast with my family. A main road called "Broadway," in Massapequa was closed from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. and many food, clothes, jewelry, and toy vendors had purchased a spot in the street to set up and sell their products/items to the many people who walk up and down the block. There was even a petting zoo with pony rides. The fair was packed! People from all different towns traveled to come to this fair because it is known for the amazing Italian food. For example, the lines of people waiting to buy sausage and peppers, and raviolis was so long. The wait was about twenty minutes. I waited on line for the sausage and peppers from A&S Pork Store; the sandwich was enormous and delicious. The raviolis my family had waited for were tiny, yet very tasty. I could not believe how many people were walking up and down the block all day long. It was very hot out, but that did not stop people from waiting on line. That only made the lines even longer because people were becoming thirsty. It was such a beautiful, sunny day outside, and enjoying the fair with my family made this experience even better!

Image provided by Google Images

Vocabulary:

1. Packed (verb)- large number of people

2. Wait (verb)- period of waiting or a delay 

3. Enormous (adjective)- very large in size

4. Tasty (adjective)- pleasant favor

5. Thirsty (adjective)- feeling to need to drink something

6. Experience (noun)- event that leaves an impression on someone or something

Vocabulary Activity: For the vocabulary activity, please refer to the worksheet below provided by Teachers Pay Teachers. You will work with a partner and you will have dice. For each vocabulary term you will take turns and roll the dice. If you roll one, define the terms. Two, draw the vocabulary term, if possible! Three, make a list of synonyms (words that have the same meaning). Four, what does the word/term remind you of? If you roll five, use the word in a sentence. Six, make a list of antonyms (words that mean the opposite). For example, if I am working with the term "packed" and I roll a 2, I can draw a picture of a place that has a lot of people.

Grammar Point: Adjectives are known as describers. They are words that describe the qualities of a noun. For example, adjectives can be opinions, size, shape, color, origin, material, and use.

Here are some examples of adjectives as seen in the post above:

1. It was such a beautiful, sunny day.

2. It's known for the amazing, Italian food.

3. The sandwich was enormous and delicious.

**The adjectives used are bolded.

Please view this site if you need more assistance with adjectives: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/adjective/

Grammar Activity: Please find adjectives to describe the words listen below and use them in a sentence.

Example: 

food: delicious, tasty

The delicious, tasty food was delivered to my house.

1. Game

2. Homework

3. School

4. Park

5. Family

The Perfect Sunday

Last Sunday was the most perfect day ever! The first thing I did after waking up was go to Broadway Gourmet in Massapequa. I got an everything bagel with cream cheese and a side of hot sauce. Then, I went to my friends house and we were watching the Jets football game on television. We sat on the most comfortable reclining chairs. They were huge, and leaned all the way back!! I was all bundled up in a blanket with pillows surrounding me. Ten minutes into the game, I was sleeping. When I woke up, we began eating macaroni from the night before. When I say macaroni, I mean pasta with red sauce!! After the game was over, the New York Giant football game was on. We were able to catch the beginning of the game, but my mom was cooking, so we wound up leaving and driving to my house to have dinner with my family. I usually do not have days like this to relax, so, I definitely enjoyed my Sunday. I enjoyed resting, watching television, and eating dinner with my family.

Image Provided by Google Images

Vocabulary:

1. television (noun)- a device that transmits images and sounds on a screen

2. bundled (verb)- rolled up (example: in a blanket)

3. surrounding (adjective)- all around something/someone

4. beginning (noun)- point in time when something starts

5. relax (verb)- to become less tense/stressed 

6. family (noun)- group consisting of common ancestors (example: parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc.)

Vocabulary Activity: Please put the correct term from the word box into the sentence that best fits.

Television     Bundled     Surrounding    Beginning     Relax     Family

1. I spend the holidays with the people closest to me. They are called my ________.

2. In the ________ of the school year, I did not know 1 + 1 = 2, but now I do!

3. I love to ________ after I come home from a long day at work.

4. I have to shut the ________ off before I go to bed because I can't sleep with the noise.

5. In the winter, I love to get ________ up under my blankets. 

6. The crowd was ________ the street dancers because they were amazing.

Grammar Point: The post written above has the grammar points of both the present and past participle tenses. The present form ends in -ing. However, I used verbs like were, was, after, etc. before the verb to imply it occurred in the past tense. The past participle tense contains verbs that end in -ed.

Try the link for better understanding!   https://www.dictionary.com/e/whats-a-participle/

Grammar Exercise: Try writing a paragraph about your perfect Sunday in five or more sentences. You will have a choice: you may either write in the present or past participle tense. Please specify at the end of your paragraph writing. :) 

Smogasburg

Over the past weekend, I traveled to Williamsburg, Brooklyn with my friend Paul. It took about 45 minutes to get there from Farmingdale, Long Island. We were super lucky because there wasn't too much traffic around 1 o'clock on Saturday afternoon! The reason we were going to Brooklyn over the weekend was because we were so intrigued about Smogasburg. Smogasburg is a large food market, which means there are different locations in New York City where vendors sell delicious, famous food. On Fridays, the event is located at The World Trade Center. On Saturdays, the event is in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and on Sundays, Smogasburg is in Prospect Park. There is an account that you can follow on Instagram called "smogsburg," and you can find out which vendors will be at specific locations. The food we ate on Saturday was delicious and it was well worth the drive! We ate beef empanadas, mozzarella sticks, ice cream sandwiches, and churros with nutella. It was some of the best food we have ever eaten. The view of the large city skyscrapers was so beautiful as we ate our numerous meals. I would absolutely travel back to any of the three locations next summer to eat all of the delicious food!!

Image provided by Google Images

 

Image provided by Google Images

Vocabulary:

1. Traveled (adj.)- have been to a place

2. Traffic (n)- many vehicles on a public highway, sometimes going slower than expected 

3. Intrigued (v)- to be curious about or interested in

4. Market (n)- an area where people purchase items (food)

5. Vendors (n)- people who are selling goods/items (food)

6. Instagram (n)- free social media platform where people can post pictures

7. Skyscrapers(n)- very tall buildings that have may stories 

Vocabulary Exercise: 

Look carefully at the jumbled words, and try your best to unscramble them.

1. syprsaekcrs  

2. eeratvld    

3. rfcifta  

4. mitgraasn   

5. dsoevnr

6. temakr

7. gdeitnriu  

Grammar Point: 

The post above contains the past simple tense. The past simple tense is defined as actions that happened at a specific time. Phrases like yesterday, last year, etc. can be used to help understand, as well as the context of the post. Verbs usually end in -ed unless they are irregular.

Please review this website for assistance with the past simple tense: https://www.english-grammar-revolution.com/past-tense-verbs.html

Writing Exercise: 

Change the verb to the past simple tense in the blanks below. Watch out for irregular verbs.

1. Yesterday, I _______ chicken and rice for dinner.  (eat) 

2. Last year, we _______ to Texas for a hockey tournament. (travel)

3. On Saturday, my mom and I _______ through the park. (walk)

4. Last Monday, my teacher _______ our papers. (grade)

Jet Game

Topic: Jet Game

On Sunday, September 8, 2019, I went to my first NFL game. The acronym NFL stands for the National Football League, which is professional American football. American football players are athletic, motivated, vigorous and strong. These professionals have the opportunity to play a sport that they love for a living. Aren't they lucky? There are 32 teams in the National Football League. I went to see the New York Jets play the Buffalo Bills at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey. I took a large bus to the stadium with my friends. It was a pretty exciting game! The stadium was packed with people and there were no empty seats! Fans were cheering on their favorite football teams and they were dressed in their supporting teams apparel. My friends and I were wearing New York Jets green T-shirts. We had tons of fun eating hamburgers, hot dogs, and french fries at the game. I enjoyed cheering loud when the Jets scored touchdowns. I thought that the Jets were going to win at first, but then the Buffalo Bills came back and they won 17-16. It was a close game. Even though the Jets did not win, I had a fun filled Sunday afternoon watching American football.

(Image provided by Ashley Mehale)

Vocabulary you may need to know:
1. acronym(noun)- an abbreviation formed by initials of letters (example: NFL)
2. professional(adj.)- a persons paid job/occupation
3. motivated(verb)- a persons reason for doing something
4. vigorous(adj.)- involves physical strength and effort
5. opportunity(noun)- possibility of doing something
6. stadium(noun)- a sports arena with seats for viewers
7. supporting(verb)- encouraging
8. touchdown(noun)- when the ball is caught behind the goal line scoring 6 points

(Image provided by Google Images)

Vocabulary Exercise: 

Fill in the blank with the correct vocabulary word.

1. When the player caught the ball and scored a _______________ the fans cheered.

2. The fans were _______________ their favorite football teams by wearing the team colors and cheering the players on.

3. The football _______________ was filled with loyal Jet fans.

4. Some people do not have the _______________  to play a sport and get paid for doing it.

5. To be a football player, players have to participate in _______________  exercise.

6. Players stay _______________ through the help of their families, coaches, teammates, and fans.

7. A _______________  football player gets paid to play football as their job.

8. An example of an _______________  is NFL. NFL stands for National Football League.

Grammar Point:

The verbs used in the paragraph written above are mostly written in the past tense. The past tense indicates that something had already happened. Some verbs are irregular verbs, and you do not have to add the ed at the end of the verb. To understand more, visit the following links:

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/english-irregular-verbs/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf2VJ6JkUs0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj8dWXOCdQU

Examples:

go-->went  (I went to my first NFL game.) **Irregular

take-->took (I took a large bus.) **Irregular

was-->were (Fans were cheering.) **Irregular

has-->had (We had tons of fun.) **Irregular

enjoy-->enjoyed (I enjoyed cheering.)

Grammar/Writing Exercise: 

Write a 4-sentence paragraph about a time you have ever been to any sport event. It could be about yourself playing in a sport game or a time you attended a game. If you have never been to a sport game, write how you imagine it would be like. Remember, your writing should be in the past tense because it already happened.