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?