Saturday with Cassidy

Cassidy is Ryder's younger sister. She is three years old and she loves to have fun! I spent the day with her this past Saturday. When I walked into the kitchen she was sitting underneath the table playing a game on her ipad. Cassidy saw me and got out from underneath the table. She ran throughout the house until she decided to sit on the couch in front of the tv. We watched tv for about a half hour. Next, Cassidy wanted to color her a coloring book. Cassidy and I walked through the house, past the kitchen, and up the stairs to her bedroom. We looked under her bed and found coloring books and crayons. After we found them we walked back down the stairs and sat across from Ryder at the kitchen table. We colored for about an hour until I went home. I had such an enjoyable day with Cassidy.

Vocabulary

underneath (preposition) - below or under something

ipad (noun) - a touch screen tablet made by Apple

throughout (preposition) - in every part of something

decide (verb) - to make a choice about something

half hour (noun) - 30 minutes

across (preposition) - from one side to the other of something

enjoyable (adjective) - giving delight or pleasure

Vocabulary Exercise

Word-Scramble: Use the definitions to help you unscramble the vocabulary words.

1. from one side to the other of something _______ (crasos)

2. giving delight or pleasure _________ (njeyaleob)

3. below or under something ________ (enathnured)

4. in every part of something (ohourtuhgt)

5. a touch screen tablet made by Apple ________ (pdia)

6. 30 minutes _______ (lahforuh)

7. to make a choice about something ________ (eidedc)

Grammar Point

Prepositions show direction, location, time, or introduce an object. Prepositions are usually followed by an object such as a noun or pronoun. For example, I wrote, "When I walked into the kitchen she was sitting underneath the table playing a game on her ipad." The preposition "underneath" shows Cassidy's location. Other examples of prepositions are:

above

across

below

inside

on top of

through

Grammar Exercise:

Which prepositions do you see in my paragraph? Write three sentences using prepositions.

Watch this video if you want to learn more about prepositions!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfExXGMX2JM

All About Ryder

My boyfriend has 4 nieces and nephews. His oldest nephew is named Ryder. Ryder is 6 and a half years old. He was born at a hospital on Long Island and lives on Long Island. Ryder is currently in the first grade. He has a younger sister named Cassidy and a younger brother named Oliver. Ryder is an admirable big brother! He loves playing with his siblings. Ryder enjoys building with Legos. He also likes to play with superhero action figures. Ryder is a marvelous reader! He enjoys reading fiction books about animals and superhero comic books. Ryder is a pleasant child and I love spending time with him!

Vocabulary
niece (noun) - a daughter of a person's brother or sister
nephew (noun) - a son of a person's brother or sister
admirable (adjective) - excellent or great
marvelous (adjective) - excellent or great
fiction (noun) - a made-up or imagined story
pleasant (adjective) - enjoyable

Vocabulary Exercise
Use the vocabulary words above to complete the story.

Lynn loves her family so much. She has a _________ named Jessica and a _________ named Mark. One day, Lynn, Jessica, and Mark went to the bookstore. They looked in the __________ book section at the bookstore. The bookstore had a ____________ selection of books to choose from. After they chose their books they went to the register. The cashier was polite and _________, she did her job with a smile on her face. Lynn, Jessica, and Mark had a ___________ trip to the bookstore.

Grammar Point
State of being verbs are verbs that do not express action. State of being verbs link the subject to a noun or adjectives in the predicate. For example, I wrote, "Ryder is a marvelous reader!" The verb "is" is part of the verb "be." The word "marvelous" is a predicate adjective that describes the type of reader that Ryder is. Other examples of state of being verbs are:
be
am
are
is
was
were

Grammar Exercise:
Which state of being verbs do you see in my paragraph? Write three sentences using state of being verbs.

Watch this video if you want to learn more about state of being verbs!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ3b8BX08Zc

My 21st Birthday Party

I thought the night before my 21st birthday would be similar to most Friday nights. My boyfriend and I usually eat dinner at a sushi restaurant in my town, yum! We arrived at the restaurant and walked toward our usual seats at the sushi bar. Suddenly I heard a group of people scream, "SURPRISE!" Wow, I was so surprised to see my brother, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends sitting at a long table in the restaurant. Whoa, I couldn't believe everyone kept such a gigantic secret from me! I had tons of fun eating at my favorite restaurant with my favorite people to celebrate my birthday.

Vocabulary
similar (adjective) - almost the same as something or someone
arrive (verb) - to come to a place
toward (preposition) - in the direction of something or someone
usual (adjective) - normal or regular
suddenly (adverb) - very quickly and in an unexpected way
surprise (noun) - used as an interjection
gigantic (adjective) - extremely large
ton (noun) - a large amount

Vocabulary Exercise 
Fill in the missing letters to form a vocabulary word that matches the hint.
1. t _ _ _ _ d (I am in the direction of something or someone)
2. _ _ _ _ _ _ ic (I am extremely large)
3. s _ _ _ _ _ _ e (I am used as an interjection)
4. s _ _ _ _ ar (I am almost the same as something or someone)
5. s _ _ _ _ _ ly (I am very quickly and in an unexpected way)
6. t _ _ (I am a large amount)
7. u _ _ _ l (I am normal or regular)
8. a _ _ _ _ e (I am the word for when you come to a place)

Grammar Point
Interjections are words used to show strong feeling or sudden emotion. They are used in sentences to show emotions such as surprise, joy, excitement, or enthusiasm. For example, I wrote, "Whoa, I couldn't believe everyone kept such a gigantic secret from me!" I used the word "whoa" as an interjection in my sentence to show that I was surprised.

Grammar Exercise: 
Which interjections do you see in my paragraph? Write three sentences using interjections.

Watch this video if you want to learn more about interjections!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkAX7Vk3JEw

My Favorite Foods

I love to eat many different types of foods.  I often eat Italian food at home because my family's country of origin is Italy. We like to eat pasta, eggplant parmesan, and manicotti. But, my favorite food that my dad actually makes from scratch is tacos. I put taco meat, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, and taco sauce on my tacos. I love tacos! Another food that I love to eat is sushi. My boyfriend and I get sushi for dinner at least once a week. Chinese food is one of my other favorite types of foods. I usually get chicken and broccoli from Chinese food restaurants. As you can see, I love to eat many different types of foods!

Vocabulary

many (adjective) - a large number of things or people

often (adverb) - many times

country of origin (noun) - the country that a person or people come from

actually (adverb) - used to stress that a statement is true

from scratch (noun) - with ingredients you have prepared yourself

at least (noun) - not less than a specified amount

usually (adverb) - what happens most of the time

Vocabulaery Exercise
Match the vocabulary word with the correct definition.

1. many                                         a. with ingredients you have prepared yourself

2. often                                          b. not less than a specified amount

3. country of origin                       c. the country that a person or people come from

4. actually                                     d. what happens most of the time

5. from scratch                              e. many times

6. at least                                       f. a large number of things or people

7. usually                                       g. used to stress that a statement is true

Grammar Point
Common nouns are words used to name general items and places rather than specific ones. Two examples of common nouns that I used are "food" and "home." Common nouns are also general names that are not given names or official titles. For example, the name "Jane Smith" is a proper noun because it is a given name. If you were to refer to Jane as "Professor Smith" this is also a proper noun because it is Jane's official title. But, if you were to refer to Jane as "teacher" you would be using a common noun. Common nouns are usually not capitalized unless they are part of an official title or beginning a sentence.

Grammar Exercise:
Which common nouns do you see in my paragraph? Write three sentences using common nouns.

Watch this video if you want to learn more about common nouns!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyZO9ZwJatA

My Family

I live on Long Island with my mom, my dad, and my younger brother. My mom is loving, responsible, and optimistic. She always points out the positive points in a situation if I am focused on the negative aspects. My dad is diligent, outgoing, and amusing. He loves having a good time and making people laugh. My brother is intelligent, reliable, and cool-headed. I can always count on my brother to be there for me when I need help. My family has tons of great qualities!

Vocabulary
responsible (adjective) - able to be trusted to do what is right or to do the things that need to be done
optimistic (adjective) - expecting good things to happen
focus (verb) - to direct your attention or effort at something specific
aspect (noun) - a part of something
diligent (adjective) - doing hard work carefully
outgoing (adjective) - someone who is friendly and likes being with and talking to other people
amusing (adjective) - funny or enjoyable
intelligent (adjective) -  having or showing the ability to easily learn or understand things
reliable (adjective) - able to be trusted to do what is needed
cool-headed (adjective) - able to think and act in a calm way

Vocabulary Exercise
Create a sentence using each vocabulary word. Don't forget to start with an uppercase letter and end with the appropriate punctuation mark.
1. responsible _____________________________________________________________
2. optimistic _______________________________________________________________
3. focus __________________________________________________________________
4. aspect _________________________________________________________________
5. diligent _________________________________________________________________
6. outgoing _______________________________________________________________
7. amusing ________________________________________________________________
8. intelligent _______________________________________________________________
9. reliable _________________________________________________________________
10. cool-headed ___________________________________________________________

Grammar Point
An adjective is a part of speech that describes a noun or pronoun. For example, I explained that, "My mom is loving, responsible, and optimistic." The words "loving", "responsible", and "optimistic" are adjectives because they describe my mom.

Grammar Exercise:
Which adjectives do you see in my paragraph? Write three sentences using adjectives to describe nouns.

Watch this video if you want to learn more about adjectives!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkuuZEey_bs

My Pets

My favorite type of pets are dogs. When I was younger, I had a cocker spaniel named Buster. He was blonde. Buster enjoyed running around in the backyard and playing with his toys. Buster passed away when he was fourteen years old. I did not have a pet for about eight years after Buster died. Then, I adopted Sherman. Sherman is a shih tzu. He is black and white. Sherman enjoys sleeping and playing with his toys. He also likes to go on walks. Sherman is currently nine years old. I love having dogs as pets!

Vocabulary
type (noun) - a specific group of things or people

pet (noun) - an animal (such as a dog or cat) that people take care of at their home

younger (adjective) - in an early stage of life

cocker spaniel (noun) - a type of small dog that has that has long ears and long fur

blonde (adjective) - light yellow hair on a person or fur on an animal

enjoy (verb) - to have fun or like doing something

backyard (noun) - an area in back of a house

passed away (expression) (phrasal verb) - when a person or animal has died

shih tzu (noun) - a type of small dog that has soft fur and short legs

also (adverb) - in addition

Vocabulary Exercise

Find the 10 vocabulary words in the word search. Good luck!

P Q O P E E P H B F J I Z Y N 
O A V O S D E L H V I V O Z O 
P Z S E W L N X Z P Y U G B P 
I E P S E W Q O N E N N D A A 
B Y T B E C P A L G C N Y C P 
T X J O H D I D E B R Y Q K O 
P W C Q V U A R O Z H K Z Y D 
R X W P F X J W Q O Q A Q A E 
C O C K E R S P A N I E L R F 
I Q N L E A Z M V Y O S Y D H 
V V V S L J X I E W T F O S W 
C E T U Z T H I H S E E J D R 
J W Q U M N X L D X Z V N S L 
X P W Q Q D L Q S T G M E O H 
O B U A K A L S O Q V Q N Q X

Grammar Point

Personal pronouns are words that are used as substitutes for common and proper nouns when the actual name of the noun has already been used in writing or in a conversation. For example, I explained that, "When I was younger, I had a cocker spaniel named Buster." Then, I told you, "He was blonde." I used the word "he" as a substitute for the noun "Buster." Examples of other personal pronouns are:

I

me

we

us

you

she

her

he

him

it

they

them

Grammar Exercise:

Which personal pronouns do you see in my paragraph? Write three sentences using personal pronouns.

Watch this video if you want to learn more about personal pronouns!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf7UgGyvDCA

This is Us

One of my favorite television shows is This Is Us. This Is Us is a drama about three siblings and their lives. The program also goes back in time and shows the audience the lives of the sibling's parents. The siblings' parents are Jack and Rebecca. The parents were expecting triplets. But, one of the three children died during childbirth. Then, Jack and Rebecca adopted a baby at the hospital that did not have a home. That baby is their son named Randall.  The sibling's names are Kate, Kevin, and Randall. Kate currently lives in Los Angeles, California and has a boyfriend named Toby. Randall lives in New Jersey with his wife Beth, their two daughters named Annie and Tess, and his biological father named William. Kevin previously lived in Los Angeles but recently moved to New York. This is Us is currently in it's first season and it is one of my favorite television shows!

Vocabulary
favorite (noun) - a person or thing that someone likes more than other things
drama (noun) - a television show, play, movie, or radio show that is about a serious topic
sibling (noun) - a brother or sister
audience (noun) - the people who watch, read, or listen to something
triplet (noun) - one of three babies that are born at the same time to the same mother
adopt (verb) - to legally take care of someone else's child
currently (adverb) - happening now
biological (adjective) - related through birth
previously (adverb) - happened in the past
recently (adverb) - happened not long ago

Vocabulary Exercise
Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word.
1. I am _________ working as a teacher's assistant.
2. My _______ is 21 years old.
3. Her __________ mother lives in another country.
4. The ________ clapped when the play ended.
5. His friend wants to _____ a child that needs a home.
6. The television show Scandal is a _____.
7. He went to Florida ________, he just got home last week.
8. My friend is a _______, she is one of three girls.
9. My brother's ________ sport is basketball.
10. We __________ lived in Queens, now we live on Long Island.

Grammar Point
Proper nouns name specific one-of-a-kind people, places, animals, things, and ideas. Proper nouns always begin with capital letters, regardless of where they are placed in a sentence.

Grammar Exercise:
Which proper nouns do you see in my paragraph? Write three sentences using proper nouns.

Watch this video if you want to learn more about proper nouns!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfkHRgqCn0M