Harry Potter

 

I love Harry Potter.  The series which came out over ten years ago was written by J.K. Rowling.  The books are brilliantly written, and capture the attention of readers of all ages.  My father and I have both read all seven books in the series.  I also own all seven books.  Although I wish I bought the hardcover version of all of them.  I have some in hard cover and some in soft cover.  The problem is that my students love these books, and the soft cover books are not holding up very well.

When I tell you that my students love these books, I really mean they LOVE these books.  I was thinking about this the other day because I have a bunch of students in my class reading the books.  The series is more than ten years old, and they are devouring these books.  Since J.K. Rowling introduced Harry Potter to the world, there have been plenty of other popular books that have come out.  However, none of them have had the staying power like the Harry Potter series.

The excitement the students have for the Harry Potter books is contagious.  They love discussing the books, and it makes other students want to read them.  I love that the books have influenced my students to become readers.  They read for enjoyment which will help them become lifelong readers.

Vocabulary

series (n.) - things arranged one after the other

attention (n.) - notice

bunch (n.) - a group

introduced (v.) - presented for the first time

contagious (adv.) - spread easily; infectious

influenced (v.) - to sway someone; power causing someone to think or act in a certain way

devouring (v.) - to eat up greedily

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ACROSS2. group 3. things arranged one after the other 6. presented for the first time

DOWN1. notice 4. eat up greedily 5. spread easily

Grammar Point
I have used some adverbs in my writing.  An adverb is a word that describes a verb.  For example: I run quickly.  In the example run is the verb and quickly is the adverb describing how I run.  See if you can find the adverbs in my writing. 

Practice: Try using adverbs in your writing to help create a better picture for your reader.

Pat Down

Who knew that body lotion could lead to a pat-down at the airport?

The morning of my flight from San Diego back to New York, I chose to use the complimentary body lotion at the hotel.  I normally use an all-natural, organic lotion, but I had run out.  Since I don't like having dry skin, I used the hotel's lotion.  Little did I know that this would lead to a pat down at the airport.

My husband and I arrived at the airport, and everything was going smoothly until I went through the scanner.  The scanner beeped.  I had taken off my belt, shoes, watch etc.  I wondered what could be the cause of the beep.  Well, the TSA agent brought me over to a booth and swabbed my hand.  It turns out that it tested positive for a chemical called glycerin.  I guess this chemical is sometimes found in explosives.  I couldn't believe it.  

Because I tested positive for this substance, they told me that I had to go through a pat-down.  I had nothing to hide, so I agreed.  The female agent did a pat down, then they swabbed her hands.  Because my clothes were clean, they let me go.  They explained that this has been an issue for a lot of people who use a lotion before going to the airport.

It was a scary experience for me.  I am glad that they are doing their job to make sure we are safe, but next time I will stick with my all-natural products.

Vocabulary

complimentary (adj.) - given free of charge

lotion (n.) - smooth liquid one spreads on their body to prevent dry skin

organic (adj.) - items that are free of harmful chemicals

scanner (n.) - device at the airport that people must pass through while being screened by security

chemical (n.) substance created in a chemical process

positive (adj.) sure that something is true

substance (n.) - drug or chemical of a particular kind

Cloze Exercise

I used the ______________________ body ____________________ from the hotel.  Later, when I went through the _____________________, they pulled me aside and swabbed my hands.  The results of the test were ______________________ for a particular _____________________.  The ____________________ they found was called glycerin.  From now on, I will only use all-natural, ___________________ body lotion before going to the airport.


Grammar Point

Many teachers in the past have told me never to begin a sentence with the word because.  That is because many people don't know how to use it at the beginning of a sentence.  When you use because at the beginning of a sentence, you must remember that the word because is part of a dependent clause and therefore must be followed by a comma and an independent clause. 
Locate the two sentences that I began with the word because.  After locating these sentences, find the dependent and independent clause in each one.

Running in San Diego

In my very first post, I professed my love for running.  I also spoke about how running really helps me get to know new cities.  Well, last weekend when I was in San Diego, I did a lot of running.  I actually looked forward to my run each morning while I was there.  How could I not?  It’s always sunny and warm, and I was near the beach.

San Diego is a great place to run because the weather is always perfect.  The weather in New York has been horrible, so for the last six months, I’ve done most of my running on the treadmill at the gym.  In San Diego, I felt liberated to be able to run outdoors.  Not only did I run outdoors, but I ran with the ocean next to me most of the time. 

There is a boardwalk that runs along San Diego’s beaches from Mission Beach to Pacific Beach.  This strip of Boardwalk reminds me of Long Beach, New York because it runs through an eclectic, residential area of the city.  The people watching was amazing.

Vocabulary

professed (v.) – to declare

perfect (adj.) – without flaw or blemish

horrible (adj.) – terrible; very bad

treadmill (n.) – a machine that one runs on

liberated (v.) - freed

eclectic (adj.) – diverse; showing individuality

residential (adj.) – to describe an area where people live

Cloze Exercise 

He had a ________________ score on his spelling test.


She had a __________________ nightmare while she was sleeping.


When I run indoors, I run on a ___________________.


We live in a _________________ area, far from any businesses.


Prince William __________________ his love for his bride on their wedding day.


The East Village is an __________________ neighborhood of New York City.


I felt _____________________ to finally be able to run outdoors.

Grammar Point

Adjectives are words that describe nouns.  I used the adjective, horrible, to describe the weather in New York.  Try to improve a piece of your writing by including adjectives that help create a picture for your reader.

Sunny San Diego

Last weekend my husband and I traveled to sunny San Diego for a wedding.  After the New York winter we’ve had, we couldn’t wait to get there.  We were looking forward to a little sun.  Well we got more than a little.  It was sunny and in the 70’s for our entire stay.

One morning we went to get coffee from a nearby coffee shop.  When the owner saw my husband’s Yankee hat, he asked if we were from New York.  It turns out he is from Boston, the Yankees rival city.  He moved to San Diego to escape the Boston winters.  He also told us that the weather we were experiencing is the same weather they have from April until at least September. 

After visiting San Diego, we are very tempted to trade in our snow boots for flip-flops!  

Vocabulary

wedding (noun) – an event where to people get married

rival (noun) – a competitor

escape (verb) – to free oneself

experiencing (verb) – participating in the event

tempted (verb) – to have appeal

flip-flops (noun) – casual summer sandals typically worn at the beach

Cloze Exercise

I was  _______________________ to have a second helping of ice cream.

On my _______________________ day I wore a long, white dress.

The prisoner tried to _______________________ from jail.

He was ___________________________ snow for the first time.

The New York Yankees biggest _______________________ is the Boston Red Sox.

I love wearing ______________________ in the warm weather.

Grammar Point

A noun is a person, place, thing or idea.  When you are speaking about a specific person, place, thing, or idea it is called a proper noun.  When using a proper noun, you must use a capital letter.  Can you find the proper nouns in my writing?  How are my proper nouns related?

Walk to School Day

Walk to School Day

Walk to School Day is an event that takes place in my school every spring.  It is one day when the students and parents are encouraged to walk to school.   When the students arrive at school on that fateful day, they are greeted with balloons, water, and snacks. 

I hate to be cynical, but when I was young, walk to school day was everyday.  Moreover, there were no balloons, water, or snacks when I got there.

At the school in which I work, many of the students live far and get a bus.  In that respect, I understand why they do not walk to school.  However, some of the kids literally live around the corner, and they still are driven to school. 

The concept of walking to school is wonderful.  I just wish more people would do it on a regular basis.

To learn more about the Walk to School Day program, click on the link below to visit the Let’s Move Website.

http://www.letsmove.gov/blog/2011/04/12/april-showers-bring%E2%80%A6walk-school-day-registration

Grammar Point 

Transition words help connect our ideas when we write.  They also help provide a better flow for our writing.  When writing try to use transition words to go from one idea to the next.  For a list of transition words, click on the following link:

http://www.english-for-students.com/Transition-Words.html

Vocabulary

event (n.) – something that takes place

encouraged (v.) –  to inspire

cynical (adj.) – skeptical, distrustful

concept (n.) – idea

regular basis (adv.) – frequently, daily

literally (adv.) – word for word

Your Crossword Puzzle

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ACROSS 1. something that takes place 2. to inspire 5. idea 6. word for word

DOWN 1. something that takes place 3. skeptical, distrustful 4. frequently, daily

Skype Shower Part II

At the end of March the day of the shower finally arrived.  My mother and I had been planning this shower since my sister found out she was pregnant.  It was a small gathering at my parent’s house.  I arrived early to help my mom set everything up.  The guests began to arrive at 1:00.  I thought it was so nice of everyone to come to a shower where the guest of honor wouldn’t even be there.  However, most of them were pretty intrigued by the idea of the virtual shower.

After the guest arrived, we chatted awhile, and then ate lunch.  After lunch, we made our way to my parent’s den.  I then texted my sister to make sure she was ready, and she was.  So we connected via the computer.  Instead of Skype, we used an apple-based program called i Chat.  Because, both my parents and my sister both have Mac computers, we were able to link via i Chat.  My father actually hooked the laptop up to the big screen television.  This enabled the crowd to see Jean on the big screen.  If we could not have Jean with us, this was the next best thing.

The power of video conferencing is so great.  We can now see people very far away.  It is also a great instructional tool.  My sister and I are close, so it stinks that she is so far away.  However, with the power of technology, I can see her whenever I want.

Vocabulary

gathering (n.) –  a group of people who get together

guest of honor (n.) – the person being honored at a gathering

intrigued (v.) –  to be curious about something

video conference (n.) – the ability to meet with someone face to face via the computer

stinks (adj.) –  something that is unpleasant

connected (v.) -  joined together

Cloze Exercise

Fill in the blanks using the correct vocabulary word from above.

We had a surprise party for my brother.  In the weeks before the party, my brother was __________________ about what was going on.  It was a small ________________ of about twenty people.  The guests arrived on time, and we got ready for the ____________________ to arrive.  My sister was even able to join in on the festivities through a ____________________.  We _____________________ via the computer.  Finally, my brother arrived, and he was surprised.  It _________________ that my sister could not be there in person, but it was great that she could join us through the computer!

Grammar Point

In most languages, slang is an informal way of speaking used by particular groups of people.  The slang terms could be words developed amongst a group of people who work together or live in the same area.  Slang terms are difficult for people trying to learn the language because many times the words already have a meaning in the language. 

For instance in my blog, I used the term stinks.  This term usually means that something smells really bad.  In my writing, I used it to mean that something was unfavorable.  

Watch the video to learn more about American slang.

Made in America

Last week on ABC TV’s World News, I accidentally came across a series called “Made in America: The Quest for American Jobs.”  ABC ran this series all week last week.  In the segment I saw, a family from Texas agreed to have everything that was not made in America removed from their home.  In return, World News was going to help them replace all their items with American made replacements.  After World News removed all the non-American made items, the family was left with almost nothing.  Even the American Girl doll was Made In China.  It is amazing how many things we buy that are not made here in America.

This task was a challenge.  Certain items were easily replaced with items that were of similar price.  The easier items to replace for similar cost were the furniture and textiles.  Appliances were another story entirely.  Through their study, they discovered that the only appliance companies that make their appliances 100% in the United States were the high-end ones.  Those high-end companies included Viking, Sub Zero, and Wolf   While these companies make top quality appliances, they are not realistic for the average American family.  World News compromised on that one and replaced their appliances with ones that were partially made in the US.

Two items that were extremely difficult to replace with American made ones were the television and the coffee maker.  In fact, they didn’t replace the family’s television.  Instead, they placed a picture where the television once was.

In the past few years, I too have been trying to purchase more items made in America.  Buying American made can help to keep jobs here.  Keeping jobs here helps employ more people, and that helps the economy.  

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/made-america-manufacturing-workers-world-news-labor-goods-economy-business-13061480?tab=9482930&section=1206853&playlist=13061594&page=1 

Vocabulary

segment (noun) - a piece of something


quest (noun) - a journey in search of something


replace (verb) - to put something new in place of something old


remove (verb) - to take away


compromised (verb) - came to an agreement


appliance (noun) - a piece of household equipment that runs on gas or electricity


purchase (verb) - to buy something


Cloze Activity

I showed a _______________ of the video from the show.

I went on a ________________ to find the perfect pair of shoes.


After arguing over what to eat for dinner, we _________________ and had pasta.


The kitchen __________________ I would most like to ________________ is the dishwasher.  It is really old!


You can _________________ tickets at the ticket window.  Each ticket costs $10.00.


The dentist ________________ a rotten tooth from the patient's mouth.

Grammar Point 

The words remove and replace are two words I used in this blog.  Both of these words begin with the letters re.  Re is a prefix that means again or going back to the original.   We use prefixes to change the meaning of the base word.  In the case of remove, move is the base word.  In the case of replace, the base word is place.  Can you think of any other words that begin with the prefix re?