New Student!

Yesterday a new student joined our class. This student is a little girl who had just recently moved into the school district from a nearby area. She came to see the school on Monday with her family in order to get her comfortable, but did not start school until Tuesday morning. This was a big shock for her as well as the rest of the class. When she arrived in the morning she was very timid and nervous. Meanwhile, all of the children in the classroom were chatty and excited to meet her. The teacher and I were also extremely nervous. We had so much to do now! We are in the middle of many projects and our goal was to complete them all by the winter holiday break. We didn't know what we would do with her! We started off slowly by setting up all of her notebooks and folders. Then we had all of the children introduce her to the class. They took turns explaining different aspects of the classroom, and how it worked. By the end of the day we had given her a full tour of the building. We also explained how a normal day goes within our classroom. At this point we are just flying by the seat of our pants and taking it day by day!

Vocabulary

1. recently (adverb)- happening shortly in the past.

2. school district (noun)- specific areas of a town that all go to one school.

3. timid (adjective)- shy

4. chatty (adjective)- talkative

5. aspects (noun)- certain part, or section.

6. flying by the seat of our pants (idiom)- to do something without experience or ability.

Activity

1. The students were all very ________ at lunchtime.

2. The _________ is very large compared to other districts.

3. The puppy was very ________ and would not go up to people.

4. One ________ of successful teaching is classroom management.

5. The party was last weekend, it happened _________.

6. When the girls did not know what to do at the new school, they were ____________.

Grammar

This paragraph contains a great deal of nouns. Nouns are defined as people, places, or things. Some examples in this paragraph are; teacher, children, class, girl, school, and building.

Write your own paragraph describing your experience being the new student in class. Use as many nouns as possible!

Great Day!

This past weekend my friends and I went into New York City. We decided to take the trip in rather than exchanging Christmas gifts this year. Christmas gifts are fun to exchange but it is not worth the hassle of deciding what to get everyone or spending all of that money! So instead we went out to lunch! The restaurant we chose to go to was in the Greenwich village area of the city. The name of it was Sweetiepie. It was a child-themed restaurant with colorful paintings, fun straws, and mocktails. Mocktails are fun, colorful drinks that do not have any alcohol in them so children can drink them. The entrees were all foods that children typically enjoy. Some of the choices were macaroni and cheese, sliders, pancakes, and chicken nuggets. All of the choices sounds great so my friends and I had a difficult time making our decision! The food came out very quickly and we were all happy with our choices, it was delicious. After we all finished our meal we decided we were going to get dessert. The restaurant makes their own ice cream so we couldn't refuse! My friend Stephanie and I both got a trio of ice cream cones while some got cups of ice creams and others got milkshakes! The whole experience was wonderful and I would recommend Sweetiepie to anyone!

Vocabulary

1. exchange- to give and receive something with another person.

2. Greenwich Village- section of New York City in lower Manhattan.

3. entree- dish served as the main course of a meal.

4. sliders- mini hamburgers served as a meal.

5. refuse- to decline.

6. trio- a group of three.

Activity

1. There are many different sections of New York City, one part is called ____________.

2. I _________ to go outside because it is so cold!

3. The _________ of girls that I saw walking down the block were actually triplets.

4. I love to _________ gifts with my family during the Christmas season!

5. I can not __________ pizza because it is so good!
6. After the appetizer comes the __________.

Grammar

This paragraph is all written using the past tense of verbs. One clue that this event happened in the past is that it begins with the phrase "this past weekend". Some of the past tense verbs that were used are had, decided, came, finished, and chose. Write a paragraph describing an activity you did over the weekend! Include as many past tense verbs as possible! Have fun!

The Holiday Season!

The holiday season is in full effect! Every year is seems like the winter holidays come earlier and earlier! All of the malls are packed with busy shoppers attempting to get everyone a gift! Every house in my neighborhood is beautifully decorated with special decorations. Many of the houses have colored lights, white lights or a combination of both. There are also houses with inflatable characters in front like Santa, or Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer! Some other houses in my neighborhood are adorned with Hanukkah decorations. There are Menorahs in windows, and dreidel lights on their trees! Even the school that I work at is decorated! We have two Christmas trees beautifully decorated in the lobbies and also a Menorah shining in the front window. The best part of the school I work at are the Christmas carols in the morning. Every morning a different instrument from the band or orchestra is chosen to perform. The students who play these instruments stand in the lobby and serenade all of the students with seasonal songs! Everyone gets very excited when the children play and large groups of children gather around to listen! The holidays are quickly approaching! I can't wait for Christmas especially!
Vocabulary
1. mall- large building containing retail stores to shop in.
2. neighborhood- the area around my house.
3. Hanukkah- Jewish festival lasting eight days.
4. Menorah- a symbol of Hanukkah containing nine candles that are lit nightly during the holiday.
5. Christmas carols- joyful songs about Christmas.
6. instrument- an apparatus that produces musical sounds.
7. orchestra- a group of people who play string instruments.
Activity
1. My _____________ is beautifully decorated for the holidays!
2. The ___________ contains violins, cellos, and violas.
3. Every morning students play ____________ with their instruments.
4. The __________ is lit every night during the celebration of Hanukkah.
5. My favorite store at the _________ is Urban Outfitters.
6. The _________ that I used to play is the clarinet.
7. ___________ is a Jewish festival that lasts eight days.
Grammar Point
An adjective is a word that describes a noun. There are many adjectives in this paragraph including special, colored, white, large, and two. Try to use as many adjectives as you can to write a story about what you do for the holidays!

Mommy For a Weekend!

About two months ago I was asked to babysit for a family friend. I usually babysit for this family but they were asking for much more! They wanted to go away for their anniversary and asked if I would watch their kids for four days! I agreed because I couldn't pass up the money. I got to the house on Thursday and left on Sunday afternoon. The children I babysat were all boys who are 5, 2, and 3...AKA a tough crowd! When I arrived I only had the two little ones because the older boy was at school. We ran some errands, had lunch, and then went to feed the ducks at the local park. My plan was to keep them as busy as possible! When the older boy finally returned home from school we played some games, had dinner, and finally went off to bed. Thursday was a breeze and I was hoping the rest of the weekend would go just as smoothly but I wasn't so sure! As it turns out I woke up with two of them in my bed because the little one had thrown up in his bed! UGH! I was determined to improve the day so we had a nice pancake breakfast and sent the two older ones to school while the little one slept off his sickness. Luckily by the afternoon he was back to old self so we decided to go over to a friends' house for dinner. Saturday brought more bad news, it was pouring rain! We made the best of it, watched some movies, had lunch, and went over to their grandparents' house. The day went pretty smoothly! Sunday was not so bad either and it was even better that their grandparents took over two hours early!!! After this experience it will be a long time until I have children of my own!





Vocabulary

1. babysit- to take care of someone else's children while they are away.

2. anniversary- a day that celebrates a past celebration on the same day every year.

3. tough crowd- American saying that means it is a hard group of people to control.

4. errands- a short trip in order to perform a specific task, for example; going to the post office or the supermarket.

5. was a breeze- American saying meaning it was an easy task to complete.

6. pouring rain- American saying that means it was raining very hard.

7. experience- living through an event, can be positive or negative.

Activity

1. Everything in the yard was soaking wet because it was __________all day!

2. I had to run so many ________ after school, I had to go to the mall, the grocery store, and the doctor.

3. The boys did not behave, they were a _________!

4. The spelling activity __________, everyone finished it so quickly!

5. The _________ of my parents' wedding comes around once a year.

6. I had such a great __________when I went to Disney World for a week.

7. When parents go away they usually hire someone to _________their children.
Grammar Point

Notice the sequence of the story. It uses days of the week to organize the story from start to finish. Try to write your own story using days of the week!

St.Maarten!

Have you ever wanted to go on vacation to a beautiful, warm island with breathtaking beaches? Well if that's what you're looking for then you should go to St.Maarten! St.Maarten is just a short trip away, located in the Caribbean. There is so much to do in St.Maarten, you can shop in duty-free stores and you can also participate in water sports like swimming, boating, and snorkeling!


The island is also very culturally diverse, the area is divided into a French side and a side owned by the Netherland Antilles, the Dutch. On the French side there is great food, entertainment, and beautiful beaches! The Dutch side also has fantastic beaches along with many opportunities for fun! When I went to St.Maarten one of our favorite places to visit was the Westin resort. At the Westin there is a beautiful pool and beach but the best part of the resort is the casino. The Dawn Beach casino has a great deal of roulette and blackjack tables as well as many slot machines to gamble on.

Another great thing to do in St.Maarten is to rent a boat for the day. When you rent a boat you have the opportunity to explore many different beaches of the island. You can also visit smaller islands in the surrounding area that you may not be able to reach by car. St.Maarten is filled with many other great things to do but the only way to find out is to go! The island is known as the "friendly island" but there is much more to look forward to!

The World Series!

The World Series is in full swing as the New York Yankees try to bring the title home! So far, the Yankees have won three games and the Philadelphia Phillies have only won two games. The first game was played at Yankee Stadium where CC Sabathia failed to lead the team to a win. The Phillies defeated the Yankees 6-1 which was a huge upset. The second game was a turnaround for our hometown heroes where they won 3-1. On Halloween night the Yankees took home another win on the Phillies home turf of Citizens Bank Park with a score of 8-5. The fourth game was a nail-biter as the Yankees took the victory in the ninth inning. The Yankees only needed to win one more game which was played last night but failed to deliver a victory! They fell to the Phillies by a score of 8-6. The Yankees will try once again to win the series tomorrow night when it comes back home to the Bronx! If the Yankees can win tomorrow night it will be their 27th World Series title! Let's all keep our fingers crossed!

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=nyy

Vocabulary

1. New York Yankees- Major League baseball team from New York

2. Philadelphia Phillies- Major League baseball team from Philadelphia

3. CC Sabathia- Pitcher for the New York Yankees

4. Hometown hero- someone who does something exceptional in your community

5. Citizens Bank Park- home stadium of the Philadelphia Phillies

6. Nail-biter- phrase used for an intense situation where people are nervous

7. Bronx- a borough of New York City where Yankee Stadium is

8. Keep our fingers crossed- phrase used to hope for good luck

Activity

1. _____________ is one of the New York Yankee pitchers.

2. Everyone in New York is going to ____________ and hope for a World Series win!

3. The game was so close, it was a real ___________!

4. The Philadelphia Phillies play their home games at ___________.

5. The New York Mets is one New York baseball team and the other is ______________.

6. __________ is one of the five boroughs of New York.

7. Most New Yorkers are rooting against the ___________!

8. If the Yankees can pull through with a victory they will be known as our ___________.

Grammar Point

Did you notice that this paragraph was written in sequential order? That means that there was a beginning, middle and end. There were also signal words to let you know what happened at these specific times. Some of these words were first, second, third, last, etc. These words help you to understand the order or sequence of events! Try to write your own paragraph using sequential order and sequence words! Good luck!

As the holiday of Halloween quickly approaches children are getting very excited. The school where I work has a policy where only second graders are allowed to wear costumes to school. Although my third grade students are not allowed to wear costumes there is still chatter about Halloween. All day long I hear about costumes, trick-or-treating, ghosts, witches, jack-o-lanterns, and of course candy. Surprisingly there is one thing I never knew about Halloween. This new concept is called "Ghosting" and this is how it works!
The first thing you need to get is a bag of candy. You also need to print out a "ghosting letter" (I will give you the link!). The ghosting letter explains the rules of "ghosting". When you are ready to begin you need to first fill a brown paper bag with candy. The bag also needs two "ghosting letters" and two copies of a picture of a ghost. The next step is to choose a friend to "ghost" and wait until it is dark outside. Finally, when it is dark (and with the help of your parents) you go to your friend's house. You quickly and quietly get out of the car, run up to your friend's house and put the bag of "ghosting" material on the front step. Before anyone hears or sees you ring the doorbell and run, also known to children as "ding, dong, ditch". Then run back to the car so no one sees you! When your friend answers the door they will be happily surprised by what they find!
Now it is your friend's job to keep the chain going! Part of their job is to take the ghost picture out of the bag and promptly put it in their window. This picture symbolizes that they have been "ghosted" and no one can "ghost" them again! The next part is to assemble a bag to "ghost" someone else. As long as no one breaks the chain all of your friends, neighbors, and classmates will be "Ghosted"! This is a safe and fun way to spread Halloween excitement! Happy "Ghosting"!

Vocabulary

1. policy- (noun) a rule that a school or group needs to follow.


2. chatter- (noun) foolish talk that children do together.


3. trick-0r-treating- (noun) Halloween tradition where students go door to door ringing the doorbell and collecting candy from their neighbors.


4. jack-o-lantern- (noun) a pumpkin that is hollowed out and cut to resemble a scary face. A candle is then placed inside to be seen at night time.

5. copies-(noun) plural for copy- a reproduction of something already made.

6. symbolizes-(verb)- a picture that represents or stands for something.

7. assemble- (verb)- to put together.

8. breaks the chain- a saying that means to keep a tradition going.

9. neighbor- (noun) people who live near on your block or near you.

Vocabulary Exercise
1. As long as no one __________ everyone will get "ghosted".
2. When you buy new furniture sometimes you need to _________ it.
3. The American flag __________ our country.
4. My next door ___________ is named Sally.
5. Many children choose to go ____________ on Halloween!
6. I went to the pumpkin patch so I could carve a _____________ for Halloween!
7. The teacher made _______ of the worksheet to give the students.
8. You could hear the __________of the children talking from the other room.
9. The school _________ says that only second graders are allowed to dress up for Halloween.

Grammar

In this paragraph there are many commas. One way a comma is used in English is when there are a list of items. The comma tells you that you should take a short pause in between each item of the list. Practice saying this example: costumes, trick-or-treating, ghosts, witches, jack-o-lanterns and of course candy!
Make sure that you take a brief pause between items. When you have mastered this skill try to write your own paragraph containing lists. Use commas between each list so the reader knows that they need to pause! Good luck!

Jury Duty

Yesterday I took part in jury duty. Jury duty is an obligation of citizens of the United States who are over the age of eighteen, a resident of the specific county in which you are called for duty, and able to speak and communicate in English. When you are called for jury duty you are expected to go. This responsibility should be taken seriously and if you do not attend then you will be fined by the state.
Many people think that jury duty is a real pain in the neck because you have to miss work for at least a day if not more. Other people can’t bear to go to jury duty because they feel that it is a waste of valuable time. When you go to jury duty you are placed in a large room with many other people from all walks of life. In this room you wait, and wait, and wait and WAIT! It feels like an eternity! Finally they begin calling people’s names. If your name gets called then you are now a prospective juror for a case. (A juror is someone who, along with other citizens, is called to listen to and decide on a legal case.) The next part of the process is to be questioned by the judge and the lawyers for both the defendant and the plaintiff in the case. These questions can range from very personal questions about your family to impersonal questions regarding the law. After the questioning session the lawyers and judge decide who they would like on the jury. If you are chosen then you are expected to show up at court until the case is closed. If you are not chosen then you are usually free to go. Although many people think that jury duty is a waste of time it is actually a very important responsibility of a United States citizen. It is our civic duty to take part in the government of our country as well as our state.

Vocabulary
1. Citizen- (noun)- an inhabitant of a city, state, or country.
2. Jury- (noun)- group of people whose goal is to determine a verdict in a court case.
3. Communicate-(verb)- to give or interchange thoughts
4. “pain in the neck”- (adj)-to be annoying or troublesome
5. Prospective- (adj)- likely or potential
6. Plaintiff- (noun)- person who brings suit in court

Exercises
1. There are usually twelve people on a _______________.
2. The _____________ sued the defendant in court for five thousand dollars.
3. Some people feel that wasting their day at court is a real _________________.
4. The ____________ jury candidates were questioned by the lawyers.
5. ____________ of the United States who are over eighteen are expected to take part in jury duty.
6. How would you like to ___________ your message?

Grammar

I discussed how jury duty is one civic duty of a United States citizen. There are also many other civic duties. Please research another civic duty of a United States citizen and write a paragraph. The paragraph should include what the civic duty is and why it is important to fulfill this obligation.

Crossfit

People in the United States are very concerned with staying in shape. There are many different kinds of gym memberships that someone in our area can get. Some people decide to get personally trained while other people attempt to strength train on their own. Many women join a local gym like New York Sports Club and simply take cardio, spin, and step classes. There are at least fifteen gyms in our area but I choose to take part in a fitness training program called Crossfit. Crossfit is a system of varied, high intensity workouts. These workouts include body weight activities such as push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, box jumps and running. The workouts also include the use of barbells, kettle bells, and weighted vests. This program seems to work for people because all of the workouts can be modified so that people feel comfortable completing them. People also enjoy this type of fitness regimen because it is something different every day, every day is a challenge. Other people enjoy this workout because it is a timed workout which therefore creates competition. As a result, when people attend a workout they are there to either break their own personal record or to simply beat the times of the people at the workout with them.

Check it out!

http://www.crossfittherock.com/

Vocabulary
1. Concerned- past tense verb. To interest or engage.
2. Strength train- noun. Fitness routine to gain muscular strength.
3. New York Sports Club- noun. Popular gym in the New York area.

4. Cardio-adjective. A type of exercise that focuses on helping to improve the condition of your heart.
5. Crossfit- noun. Strength and conditioning workout program.
6. Kettlebells-noun. A cast iron weight with a handle.
7. Modified- verb. To change the form or quality of.
8. Regimen- noun. A regulated course.

Cloze
1. A popular gym in the New York area is _____________________.
2. People swing ______________ in order to make their back muscles stronger.
3. Men and women like to keep a strict workout ____________to keep them focused.
4. Some people choose to ________________ while others choose to do cardio workouts.
5. _____________ workouts involve running or fitness classes.
6. Americans are very ___________ with fitness.
7. When a workout is too difficult people will do an easier workout which is called a ___________ modified.
8. ____________ is a new fitness training program that I participate in.

Grammar
Plurals using –s and –es
There are many plurals within this paragraph (classes, vests, workouts, gyms, activities, barbells, creates). When a word ends in s, x, z, ch, or sh then you add –es to make it plural. When a word ends in –y such as activity then you change the –y to an -i and add –es. The word would then become activities, referring to the plural, more than one activity. For most other words you can just add –s.

Today in class the students were read a book called Have You Filled a Bucket Today?. The concept behind this book is to help teach students how to make each other feel good about who they are. The idea is that everyone carries an invisible bucket around with them wherever they go. This bucket holds are feelings inside it. When someone’s bucket is empty then that person is sad but when someone’s bucket is full they are happy! Some ways to fill peoples’ buckets are to give them compliments, help someone, or smile at someone. People that do nice things like this are called “Bucket Fillers”. There are also people called “Bucket Dippers”. These people are people who make fun, bully, or say mean things. The goal of the classroom now is to be a “Bucket Filler” not a “Bucket Dipper”.

Vocabulary:
Concept- an idea.
Invisible- not able to be seen, hidden.
Empty- containing nothing.
Compliment- expression of praise or good wishes.
Bucket Filler- someone who is nice to the people around them and says nice things to them.
Bucket Dipper- a bully or someone who is mean to the people around them.

Cloze:
1) The ghost could not be seen in the haunted house, he was ___________________.
2) A __________________ is someone who is always helpful and nice to the people around them.
3) The _______________ trash can had nothing in it.
4) The _______________ of bucket filling is to make people feel good about themselves.
5) The boy gave the girl a ________________ because she was being a good listener.
6) A _________________ is someone who is a bully.