The Mall

There are so many reasons why a person might want to go to the mall. The first reason would be because a person need to go shopping at the mall. When the seasons change people need to purchase new clothing that is appropriate for the weather. In the summer it is appropriate to wear a bathing suit. However, in the winter it is not appropriate because you might freeze. Also, at the mall there are a variety of stores. There are stores for every type of item you may need to purchase. For example, there are stores that sell shoes, jewelry, accessories, jackets, and bathing suits. No matter what you need to buy you can always find the correct store at the mall. My favorite type of stores in the mall are department stores because they always have the most options. They sell almost everything all in one place because they are very large. Another reason why this type of store is my favorite is because they almost always have huge sales and let me use a coupon to save extra money. The mall is a great place to meet up with friends because it has many restaurants to eat at, movie theaters to watch movies at, and even games to play. No matter the weather the mall is a great place to visit because it is warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and dry when it is raining.

Vocabulary:
Shopping- (verb) To visit a store with the purpose of buying goods.
Appropriate- (adjective) Makes sense for a specific time or situation.
Variety- (noun) Many options to choose from.
Item- (noun) A thing.
Department Store- (noun) A large store that sells a variety of items organized in separate departments.
Sale- (noun) When items are sold a cheaper price than the original price.
Coupon- (noun) A card, ticket, or piece of paper that allows a person to receive a discount or pay a lower price than the original price.

Vocabulary Activity: 


Grammar Point: 
Nouns are words or phrases that is the name of something (as a person, place, or thing) and that is used in a sentence especially as subject. For examples I said, "When the seasons change people need to purchase new clothing." The noun, clothing told you what people purchase when the seasons change.

Grammar Activity: 
Create three sentences using nouns.

My Favorite Food

My favorite food is sushi, I love it so much that if I could eat it every single day I would. Sushi was created in Japan during the 8th century. However, sushi has become popular all over the world. Sushi is made from fish, seaweed, and fermented rice. My favorite sushi roll is the California Roll, ironically enough this specific sushi roll was created in the United States of America and not in Japan. Some people do not find sushi appetizing because it is comprised of raw fish. The raw fish does not stop me from eating this delicious food at least once a week. Sushi is unique because it is ate with chopsticks not a fork or knife.

Vocabulary:
Century: (noun) a period of 100 years.
Fermented: (verb) to go through a chemical change that changes the make up of the product.
Ironically: (adjective) using words that mean the opposite of what you really think especially in order to be funny.
Appetizing: (adjective) having a good smell or appearance that makes people want to eat.
: (verb)  to be made up of something.
Raw: (adjective) not cooked
Chopsticks: (noun) A pair of thin sticks that are used especially by people in Asia to pick up and eat food

Vocabulary Activity:



Grammar Point: 
A verb is a word that is used to describe an action. For example eat, call and jump are all verbs because they are describing an action.

Grammar Activity: 

Directions: For each sentence below, circle the verb in each sentence.

1. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb.

2. The spaceship launched from a base in Florida.

3. Sarah named her new kitten Fluffy.

4. I photographed my entire trip to Paris.

6. I drove up the coast last weekend.

7. I ate sushi for dinner last night.

Ruby

Last year the Arons family grew when we purchased our new puppy, Ruby. When we first brought Ruby home she was minuscule because she only weighed two pounds. We all walked around my house cautiously because we were afraid that we would step on her! Ruby is a feisty and rambunctious dog because she loves to run all over my house and play with her many toys. In the short time that Ruby has been a member of our family she has truly captured all of our hearts. When Ruby was a puppy she went to obedience school to learn how to do tricks such as rolling over, siting, and staying. My family and I discovered that Ruby loves playing in the snow. During the enormous  storm last month she ran around my backyard playing in the snow.

Ruby the day we brought her home. 

Vocabulary:
Minuscule: (adjective) very small.
Cautiously: (adjective) careful about avoiding danger.
Feisty: (adjective) very lively and aggressive.
Rambunctious: (adjective) uncontrolled in a way that is playful or full of energy.
Captured: (noun) the act of getting control of something.
Obedience: (noun) the act of following commands.
Enormous: (adjective) huge.


Vocabulary Activity:
Choose the best choice for each of the following multiple choice questions.
1. Which picture most clearly represents the word minuscule?
A.        B. 
           


2. Which synonym most clearly represents the word cautiously?
A. Recklessly
B. Carefully


3. What word means the opposite of the word enormous?
A. Tiny
B. Huge

Grammar Point:

In the paragraph above I used a bunch adjectives to describe my dog Ruby. For example I said, "When we first brought Ruby home she was minuscule because she only weighed two pounds." However, if I wanted to say the opposite, that Ruby was huge I could have used an antonym, or a word that means the opposite. For example, I could have said, "Ruby was so enormous" if I wanted to use an antonym.

Grammar Activity:
Fill in the blank with the antonym of the word in the parenthesis.
1. I couldn't stay away (asleep) ____________________ during the movie.
2. The plane will (leave) __________________at 4pm.
3. I ate my ice cream the (slowest) _____________________.
4. Jessie collected the (least) _________________ amount of seashells.
5. My team is (disappointed) _______________________that we won the fist basketball game of the season.
6. The lion is a (tame) _________________________ animal.
7. My dad helped me (break) ____________________ my favorite toy.







Paris

During President's Week I had the opportunity to visit Paris. Paris is located in France in the continent of Europe. I went on this amazing trip with my boyfriend, Mike. On this trip Mike and I saw the most famous attractions of the Eiffel Tower, The Notre Dame, The Arc De Triumph, The Palace of Versailles, and the Louvre. Our favorite part of the trip was when we ate lunch in the Eiffel Tower, the food we were served there was by far the most scrumptious meals that we had ever ate. Every night we were in Paris we stared at the Eiffel Tower because the glistening lights were mesmerizing. The city of Paris has such a long and illustrious history that everywhere you look are constantly surrounded by it. One of the most popular historic destinations to visit in Paris is the Palace of Versailles. The Palace used to be the home of the French monarchy during the 1600 and 1700s. The Palace is very fancy and filled with expensive furnishes. Our favorite part of the Palace was the Hall Of Mirrors. 

In front of the Eiffel Tower at night while it was glistening.

Vocabulary:
Opportunity: (noun) an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done
Continent: (noun) one of the main landmasses of the globe (Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia, and Antarctica).
Scrumptious: (adjective) very pleasant to taste
Glistening: (verb) to shine with light reflected off a surface
Mesmerizing: (verb) to interest or amaze someone so much that nothing else is seen or noticed
Illustrious: (adjective) admired and respected very much because a lot was achieved 
Monarchy: (noun) a country that is ruled by a king or a queen

Vocabulary Activity: 
Directions: Write a story using at least six of the vocabulary words.
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________


Grammar Point:
In the paragraph above I used a bunch adjectives to describe my trip to Paris. For example I said, "the food we were served there was by far the most scrumptious meals that we had ever ate." However, I could have also used the word delicious instead of scrumptious because they mean the same thing. Words that have the same meaning are called synonyms.
Examples:
Big and huge
Little and small 

                                                
Grammar Activity:
Directions: Write a synonym for the word listed below.
1. Happy _________________________
2. Boat_________________________
3. Warm________________________
4. Cold _________________________
5. Begin ________________________


 

The Beach

The beach is definitely my happy place. Once the summer hits you can most certainty find me at the beach. Once I get to the beach I set up my chair and my umbrella and I begin reading a good book. There is no feeling in the world more perfect to me than feeling the sand on my toes. My love affair with the beach began when I was a child. My grandparents live right across the street from the beach and for as long as I can remember my summers have been spent soaking up the sun rays at Rockaway Beach in Queens, NY. My mom, grandpa, brother, and I would have a contest to see who could collect the most seashells in an afternoon. I love the beach so much that I just can't wait until the summer to visit the beach. I plan my winter vacations around going to a warm climate so I can spend time at the beach all year long. My longing for lazy afternoons at the beach has brought me to visit fifteen countries. Every time I visit a beach for the first time I take a seashell or a rock as a memento to remember the place and to keep my tradition of seashell hunting with my family alive.

Vocabulary: 

Affair: (noun) work or activities done for a purpose.

Contest: (verb) to try to win something.

Climate: (noun)  a region with particular weather patterns or conditions.

Longing: (noun) a strong desire for something or someone.

Lazy: (adjective) not having much activity.

Memento: (noun) something that is kept as a reminder of a person, place, or thing.

Tradition: (noun) a way of thinking, behaving, or doing something that has been used by the people in a particular group, family, society, etc., for a long time.

Vocabulary Activity:
Fill in the missing letters to form a vocabulary word that matches the hint.
A_ _ a _ _ (activities)
C_ _ _ _ _ t _ (the specific weather conditions for an area)
_ o _ t _ _ _ _ (trying to win something)
T _ _ _ _ _ _ i _ n (a way of thinking or doing that is used by a particular family)
L _ _ y (not doing much activity)
_ e _ _ n _ _ (a reminder of a place or a thing)
_ o _ _ g _ _ _ (a strong desire)

Grammar Point:
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of or refers to a noun. A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. To cut down on repetitiveness, I can change the sentence Janet has to study in order for Janet to get the job that Janet wants, to: Janet has to study in order for her to get the job that she wants.

Grammar Activity:
Directions: Replace the noun with a pronoun.
Example: Oscar went swimming. He went swimming.
1. Mary is an excellent teacher. _____________________________
2. The computer is expensive. _______________________________
3. Peter and Tom are students at this school. _________________________
4. The apples taste very good. ____________________________________
5. Jane and I went to the beach. ___________________________________
                                             
                                                             
                                                                                                 

My Favorite Vacation



Disney World is one of my favorite vacations to go on. Every time I enter Disney World, I instantly feel full of joy and happiness. There is no coincidence that it is called "The Happiest Place on Earth". Disney World has four amusement parks: Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot. Disney World is full of major attractions, such as: Space Mountain, "It's A Small World", and Dumbo the Flying Elephant. Also, there are tons of characters to meet, take your picture with, and even get their autograph. People from all over the world travel to Disney World in the hopes of seeing the famous Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. Disney World has something for everyone, no matter how old you are. The most popular place to take your photo is at Magic Kingdom in front of of Cinderella's Castle. This serves as the icon for the amusement park. Every night at the Disney World parks there is a parade that shows Disney characters on floats acting out famous scenes from movies and television. The amusement parks are so large that it takes multiple days to see them all. I love Disney World so much that I have been there six times and every time I go I fall in love with it more and more because there is just so much to see.


Me in front of the famous icon, Cinderella's Castle at Magic Kingdom. 

Vocabulary: 
Instantly: (adverb) without delay.
Coincidence: (noun) the process of when an event happens without planning.
Amusement Park: (noun) a place that has many games and rides (such as roller coasters and merry-go-rounds) for entertainment.
Attractions: (noun) something interesting or enjoyable that people want to visit, see, or do.
Autograph: (noun) the signature of a famous person.
Icon: (noun) a widely known symbol.
Parade/ Floats (noun): a public celebration of a special day or event that usually includes many people and groups  moving down a street by marching or riding in cars or on special vehicles (called floats)

Vocabulary Activity:
Fill in the blank with the correct vocabulary word.
1. On warm summer days I like to visit the _______________________ because I love roller coasters.
2. On the 4th of July the band marches in the ________________ while the mayor rides on a _______________ down Main Street.
3. On my last vacation I went on a tour that highlighted all the ____________________ in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
4. My friend and I wore the same sweater by __________________.
5. Once I saw the puppy I was _____________________ in love.
6. While driving I saw the McDonalds golden arches their famous _______________.

Grammar Point:
A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea. However, a proper noun gets more specific. It gives us the actual name of the person, place, thing, or idea.  The actual names of people are proper nouns. So are the names of states, streets, rivers, oceans, countries, companies, institutions, churches, and more.


Grammar Activity: 
List the proper nouns you see in my paragraph and write three sentences that use proper nouns.





 If you want more information on proper nouns check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdgbtaRRuKQ

What Is Groundhog Day?

Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada. This holiday dates back to the 1800's in Pennsylvania when German settlers used a sacred animal to predict the weather for the upcoming seasons. According to tradition, if the groundhog sees its shadow on Groundhog Day, it will hide in its burrow to hibernate for six weeks more of winter. If the groundhog does not see its shadow, it will leave its burrow, showing the end of winter and an early start to spring.There are groundhog day celebrations all across the country but the largest and most famous is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The official groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil has made a prediction for the last 115 years. 


Showing what happens if the groundhog sees or does not see its shadow. 

Vocabulary: 
Groundhog (noun): a small, furry North American animal that lives in the ground. 

Settlers (noun): a person who goes and lives in a new place that does not have a lot of people already living there. 

Sacred (adjective): very valued, important, relating to religion. 

Predict (verb): to say something that might happen in the future. 

Burrow (noun): a hole or a tunnel underground that small animals live in to keep them safe. 

Hibernate (verb): when an animal spends the winter sleeping or hiding. 

Vocabulary Activity: 
Directions: Write a sentence for each vocabulary word. 
1.Groundhog_____________________________________________________
2.Settlers________________________________________________________
3.Sacred:________________________________________________________
4.Predict_________________________________________________________
5.Burrow_________________________________________________________
6. Hibernate_______________________________________________________

Grammar Point: 
An adjective is a word that tells you about a noun. For example, in the paragraphs above the words largest and sacred are adjectives. 
 

Grammar Activity: Write three sentences using adjectives to describe a noun. Underline the adjectives you used in your sentences. 

For more information check out this website;https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/collections/teaching-content/groundhog-day-15-fun-teaching-resources-1/