The Big Move approaches…

As I sit here my mind wanders to a place far, far away, my new home to be exact! All the searching is over, but the journey has just begun. Who knew the process of applying for a mortgage could completely suck the life out of someone?  Bank statements, pay stubs, employment verification, home owners insurance; just to mention of few of the in- depth paper work that is required from the banks. This has been an exhausting process, we have made thousands of copies it seems and signed document upon document to no avail. As we sit in our tiny little cramped apartment, waiting to hear those few important words: “you are approved”, our patients grows thin. But soon it will happen and we will pack our accumulated possessions into boxes and relocate our little family to expanded horizons.

Vocabulary:

Searching: to look for

Journey: to go form place to place

Applying: to request

Employment: a place of work

Required: needed or wanted

Cramped: confined or small space

Accumulated: to gather or collect

Vocabulary Activity: 

Write an application letter to a bank, employer, or school telling them why you are applying for a loan, job or placement. Use at least 3 of the vocabulary words listed above as a part of you application.

Grammar point:

Adjective clauses work like multiword adjectives in the sense that they describe whatever is to the left of it. Adjective clauses usually are introduced by relative pronouns such as who, whose, whom, which, that and where.

Grammar activity:

Underline the adjective clauses in this paragraph then try to find them in your own paragraph.

Dylan Turns 0ne

What an event it is to turn one, to celebrate the first year of your existence!  As a first time parent, not only are you celebrating the joy of your son turning one…but as a survivor of the first year!

I am lucky enough to say that we sailed through the first year pretty unscathed. A few bumps and bruises here and there, but overall we are happy to say we succeeded as parents (for the first year!) And what to do for a one year old birthday party you may ask? Well invite 60 of your closest friends and family to eat and drink the night away. So much fun and so many presents with nowhere to put them, guess they will have to be opened in our new home!

Vocabulary:

Celebrate: to observe with festivities

Existence: to live or be alive

Survivor: someone who remained alive

Unscathed: not affected by something

Succeeded: to happen as desired

Lucky: to have good fortune

Vocabulary Activity: 

Look at the vocabulary words above and create new words using the existing letters from each word. Do not use any letters twice!

e.g. 1. Celebrate- tree

Grammar point:

Verbs are “doing words” or “action words”. Although many verbs may describe actions (e.g. hit, sit), some verbs describe oher meanings such as existence (e.g. be, become), mental conditions and processes (e.g. believe, think) and relationships (e.g. depend)

Grammar activity:

Look for all the verbs in this paragraph. Now see if you can define/categorize them using the grammar point above.

Victoria Bay

This is a picture of Victoria Bay, a small cove beach on the coast of South Africa on the Garden route where I grew up. The warm water washes up on the white sand beaches and coral filled rock.

If you drive up the small, windy road to the top of the hill, the views will take your breath away. Every year the whales return during mating season, and you can sit on the porch watching this spectacle of nature.

Vocabulary:

Cove: small indent on the shoreline of the ocean

Coast: land next to the sea

Season: one of the four periods of the year

Coral: hard, brightly colored marine life

Porch: exterior covered area leading to front door.

Spectacle: impressive view

Vocabulary Activity: 

Use at least two of the vocabulary words listed above and write about a place you remember going to as child.

Grammar point:

An adjective clause works like a multiword adjective. It modifies the word to the left(usually a noun.

Grammar activity:

Pick out any adjective clauses from this paragraph. Now pick out the adjective clauses form your own writing piece.

The Best/Worst experience in my life

I would have to say that the most amazing experience in my life was the birth of my son. Although the individualized experience of childbirth itself was traumatizing to say the least, the bond between mother and child is instantaneous and most gratifying.

As a mother my life has made such a dramatic switch, this is not easily described in words. Some adjectives that come to mind are as follows: amazing, exhausting, painful, exhausting (repeated due to exhaustion), gratifying, joyful, happiest moment on my life, and the list goes on.

I remember something my mother had said to me a long time ago, in one of our many conversations about children and how it would one day change my life completely. She told me that from this moment on I would never be alone again…this turned out to be very true as life is certainly different and I do feel as though I have not been alone, not even in the bathroom!

THE HAPPIEST DAY OF OUR LIVES...

This also brings me to the worst experience of my life, Childbirth. This was most definitely not something that someone can ever be fully prepared for. There is no certain outcome; there are also no definite answers to the many questions one might have. I was able to come to only one conclusion after the birth of my son, every birth plan will be different and every mother will have a different ability to tolerate pain, but the pain will be washed away by the bond and joy that is delivered that day.

Vocabulary:

Childbirth: when a woman gives birth to a baby

Traumatizing: something that is scary or upsetting

Instantaneous: immediately or at this very moment.

Gratifying: makes one happy or gives pleasure.

Conversations: dialogue between two or more people.

Conclusion: the end or final

Bond: something that binds or holds together.

Vocabulary Activity: 

Use the vocabulary words above to write full sentences of your own.

Grammar point:

Coordinating conjunctions are linking words that combine two or more independent clauses. Some examples are as follows: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS)

Grammar activity:

Write  a paragraph about the worst or best experience of your life be mindful of the conjunctions you use in  your story see if you can underline all the conjunctions you use..

Wedding Days

Preparing for a wedding can be exciting, frustrating, nerve wrecking and simply a roller coaster of emotions altogether. I remember preparing for the big day myself, mixed with many wonderful feelings and taking that roller coaster ride up and down, up and down.

Now a new preparation begins and in only a few weeks, I will walk down the aisle again. This time I will not walk down the isle as a bride, but as a Maid of Honor or MOH as it is otherwise known. As I think about the many special events that will take place that evening, the terrifying walk down the isle, the exchange of the ring and the vows, the big kiss and that last but not least, the BIG celebration that follows.

 For Helpful hints or wedding planning tips try this link

Vocabulary:

Exciting: to stir up emotions or feelings

Frustrating: feeling disappointed or dissatisfied

Emotions: feelings like joy, sorrow and hate

Preparation: getting ready for something in the future

Aisle: walkway between a long section of seats in a theatre or church.

Maid of Honor : a woman who is the attendant to the bride

MOH : acronym for Maid of Honor

Terrifying: filled with fear

Vocabulary Activity: 

An Acronym is a word formed from the initial letters or groups of letters of words in a set phrase or series of words for example MOH is the acronym for Maid of Honor as Wac from Women's Army Corps, OPEC from Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or loran from long-range navigation.

Look for 5 existing acronyms and write the acronym and definition below

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Grammar point:

The addition of the letter ly would turn the word terrifying (an adjective) into an adverb, terrifyingly. Adverbs are words that modify verbs or clauses

Grammar activity:

Pick out all of the adverbs or adverbial phrases in this paragraph and underline them , Use them in a sentence of your own.

These are the Days of Our Lives... 

Over the past several years I have had a secret guilty pleasure, watching the soap opera “Days of our lives”. I have watched this show on and off since I was a teenager back in South Africa. It was one of the only shows we got to watch on the local television Networks available to us.

Over the past decade characters have died, moved, given birth, and then mysteriously risen from the dead,  some have even been possessed by demons. The website http://www.nbc.com/days-of-our-lives/ is loaded great pictures, access to online episodes and other great information about the characters on the show.

click here for a sneak peak at an upcoming episode

Vocabulary:

Several-more than one or many

Guilty pleasure- something pleasurable that may make you feel guilty

Teenager-people in their teen years

Networks-television companies producing programs for broadcast

Decade- a period of 10 years

Mysteriously- something that cannot be explained

Possessed-influenced or controlled by something

Vocabulary Activity:  Find the hidden words in the word search

Grammar point:

When you are looking for Propper nouns in a sentence, a good hint is to look for nouns that begin with a capital letter, Pick out the Propper nouns in this passage.

Grammar activity:

Using the Propper nouns that you have picked out write a short poem about a televsion show that you watch.

Wacky Weather???

Since moving to New York in 2001, I have experienced more extreme weather patterns than I had in my entire lifetime in South Africa. The idea that the earth is changing due to Global warming does not seem so far fetched when we actually stop and take a look at our environment and the dramatic weather changes that are very apparent to most people who are paying any attention to their surroundings. To some of us it may seem that our summers are not as warm and our winters are extreme. But before I mention that our winter are harsh, I will stop and take into consideration that there has only been one mild snow storm thus far.

There are several websites available with information about climate changes and global warming. An interesting website that has information about what global warming is and what some solutions may be is http://globalwarming.com/ . The idea that we have done so much damage to our earth simply saddens me. There are many reasons why our earth is suffering and if we dont do something about it now, future generations will pay the price.

Vocabulary:

Extreme-very intense or to a high degree

Lifetime- duration of a lifetime

Global warming-disturbance in earth and oceans temperatures

Dramatic- striking difference

Surroundings- conditions or objects in the nearby environment

Consideration-careful thoughts

Websites- online links

Vocabulary Activity:  fill in the blanks

_______________is a rising concern in our society. Paying attention to our _______________ and the ________________weather changes is important to ensure we keep track of our environment. There are many great ______________ that are available online to us that have information on how we can assist our planet in recovering.

Grammar point:

Verbs are action words or state of being for example: arrive or likes. Pick out the verbs from this passage.

Grammar activity:

Using the verbs from this passage, write a paragraph  or a poem about something that you are passionate about.