Valentine's Day

 

     It's Valentine's Day!  This is the day of the year when people are showing love for the people they care about.  People are decorating their houses with hearts.  Many boyfriends are buying flowers and chocolate for their girlfriends.  Many couples are going on dates and are eating at fancy restaurants. There are also people who are telling their loved ones how much they appreciate them.  Students are even exchanging cards with their classmates.  It is a wonderful time of the year to acknowledge the ones you love and to be thankful for the people around you.


Vocabulary:

decorating: (v) to be currently making something look better or to be currently adding items related to a holiday

fancy: (adj) describing something that looks or is expensive

appreciate: (v) to respect and to be grateful for someone or something

exchanging: (v) to be currently giving something and receiving something in return

acknowledge: (v) to recognize

thankful: (adj) describing someone who is grateful and happy to have something


Vocabulary Exercise:
Please fill in the blank with the correct vocabulary word.

1. Sam is ___________________ Christmas gifts with Hailey.

2. I ___________________ that I can always learn more as a teacher.

3.  I am __________________ to have a loving family.

4.  Do you _____________________ the fact that you have food, clothing, and a warm home?

5.  Mom is ______________________ the house for St. Patrick's Day.

6. That is a very _____________________ table for a simple house.


Grammar Point: Present Continuous Verbs
The present continuous tense is formed by using the present tense form of the verb "to be" and the present participle (-ing) form of the verb.  Here are three examples of sentences from the paragraph above that use the present continuous:

1. People are decorating their houses with hearts.
2. Many boyfriends are buying flowers and chocolate for their girlfriends.
3.  Many couples are going on dates and are eating at fancy restaurants.

We can use the present continuous when we are talking about something that is currently happening, something that is temporary, something that is changing, or something that is happening again and again.


Grammar Activity:
Please write three sentences of your own that contain the present continuous tense.

1. ________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________

Stay Healthy, Everyone!

     As someone who was recently home sick with the Flu, I urge you to try to stay healthy!  It is certainly not fun to be stuck in bed with uncomfortable symptoms.  This time of year, germs spread inside rooms with windows closed, especially classrooms.  It is important to take good care of your body in order to try to prevent yourself from getting sick. Remember to eat healthy, to wash your hands often, and not to share food or drinks with anyone.  Many doctors also recommend getting up-to-date vaccinations, including the Flu shot.  Good luck, everyone!

Vocabulary:

urge: (v) to strongly encourage or advise

uncomfortable: (adj) describing something that is causing slight pain or unease 

symptom(s): (n) a physical side effect that a person feels

especially: (adv) used to emphasize one specific thing

prevent: (v) to stop something before it happens

recommend: (v) to suggest or advise

vaccination(s): (n) a shot or treatment that is used to prevent illness

Vocabulary Exercise:
Please fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word from above.

1.  I love all types of candy, _____________ Skittles.
2.  All students must have proof of their _____________ before beginning kindergarten.
3.  Her mom _____________ her to always dress professionally for every job interview.
4.  My _______________ include a headache and a fever.
5.  I ________________ that you go see the new movie starring Jennifer Lopez.
6.  He felt ________________ going to his ex-girlfriend's birthday party.
7.  Make sure that you brush your teeth at least twice a day to ___________ cavities.



Grammar Point: Verbs in the Present Tense
Verbs are used to describe actions, and verbs in the present tense show an action that is happening now or is a scheduled occurence.  For example, in the passage above, some verbs in the present tense include "urge", "spread", "prevent", "eat", "wash", "share", and "recommend".

Here are a few more example of a verb in the present tense used in sentences:
Brendan walks his dog every night.
Connor goes to dinner with his friends on Fridays.
Lauren helps her cousins with their homework.



Grammar Activity:
Write three sentences of your own using verbs in the present tense!
1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________

Super Bowl 51

     Did you watch Super Bowl 51 on Sunday night?  If so, you saw an exciting, historical game!  Many experts predicted that the New England Patriots would be victorious, naming the head coach of the Patriots, Bill Belichick, one of the most successful head coaches ever to coach in NFL Football.  Many were surprised when the Atlanta Falcons led the game with the winning score for the entire game.  Falcons fans were hopeful for a win, but they were shocked when the Patriots tied the game with few seconds left in the fourth quarter.  In the first Super Bowl to ever go into overtime, the New England Patriots scored a touchdown, winning the game.  This meant that Tom Brady, the quarterback of the Patriots, became the quarterback with the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history.


Vocabulary:
historical- (adj) describing something in the past
predicted- (v) past tense for the word "predict" meaning to make a guess about an event in the future
victorious- (adj) describing a winner
successful- (adj) describing one who has accomplished a goal
entire- (adj) whole or total
hopeful- (adj) describing one who believes that what is possible will be good
overtime- (n) the name for extra time in sports to break a tie


Vocabulary Exercise: Create your own sentence for each vocabulary word.  Remember to start each sentence with a capital letter and end each sentence with correct punctuation.

1. historical: _______________________________________________

2. predicted: _______________________________________________

3. victorious: ______________________________________________

4. successful: ______________________________________________

5. entire: __________________________________________________

6. hopeful: ________________________________________________

7. overtime: _______________________________________________


Grammar Point: Articles
Articles are words that are used before a noun to make it clear what the noun refers to.  The article "the" is a definite article that refers to one specific thing.  The articles "a" and "an" are indefinite articles that do not refer to a particular thing.  "A" is used before a noun that starts with a consonant.  "An" is used before a word that starts with a vowel.


Grammar Activity:
Please write 3 sentences that each include one of the three articles.