1. Idiom of the Day:
I wanted to believe that Shaun had nothing to do with a problem at work, but it takes two to tango! In solving the above idiom, it would be helpful to know what a "tango" is! If you are not sure, please use your dictionary (or dictionary.com) to find out! Use the clues in the sentence (such as the conjunction but) to make sense of this statement! Create another sentence using this idiom, and write it in your notebooks. 2. Second Idiom of the Day: Devon works as a mechanic just as his father does; it's true--the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! 3. Grammar Review: Directions: Let's look at appositives, clauses, and phrases in the sentences below. Are you able to identify each one? Review your notes if you need help in understanding the differences among them! Good luck! a. Saul, our mail carrier, is always on time. _____________________________________________ b. My puppy was rescued from a shelter. ________________________________________________ c. Hawaii, our 50th state, is quite beautiful. _____________________________________________ d. We can work on this Grammar Review now, but we need to prepare our final copies of our essays, as well. ___________________________________________________________________________________ e. When we study hard, it makes a positive difference in our grades. _________________________ f. Have you ever visited the town of Dennis? _____________________________________________ g. SCALE, the Somerville Center for Adult Learning Experiences, is a great title for our school!______________________________________________________________________________ g. I went shopping all day, yet I was not tired. ____________________________________________ h. If you decide to go to the concert tomorrow, please give me a call! __________________________________ NOW... let's look back to the sentences above, and find the following: i. a proper noun _______________________________________________________________________ j. a pronoun __________________________________________________________________________ k. a verb of action _____________________________________________________________________ l. a verb of being ______________________________________________________________________ m. an adjective ________________________________________________________________________ n. an adverb of place ___________________________________________________________________ 4. Literary Devices--Alliteration Review Directions: Please find examples of alliteration in each sentence below. a. Bobby bought burritos for both boys. b. Do you happen to have a hand sanitizer handy? c. Did Dad buy the daily newspaper? d. Wow! What a wonderful story you wrote! (Note: Careful on this one!) 5. Greek/Latin Roots: Root: hydr- Origin: Greek Meaning: water Examples: hydrate, dehydrate/dehydration, hydrant, hydrogen, hydroplane Sample Sentences: a. To stay hydrated all day, be sure to drink plenty of water! b. If you get too hot or have worked out without drinking enough fluids, you could become dehydrated. c. The fire fighters arrived at the house quickly and immediately hooked their hoses to the nearby hydrant. d. Water is made up of one part of the element hydrogen and two parts of the element oxygen. e. A hydroplane is a motorboat the skims the surface of the water. (Note: Another sentence could be: If you are driving on a slick surface, you need to go slowly or your car could hydroplane.) 6. Fact or Opinion? Directions: Identify whether each sentence that follows is a fact or an opinion. a. Tammy is the best! b. Because statistics showed that this movie sold the most tickets on opening night, the movie broke an attendance record. c. That is so nice of you to say! d. Your paper is filled with facts that support your main topic. e. I enjoyed reading your paper because it was so humorous! f. I checked all my other novels, and the book I am currently reading has the least amount of pages than any I have read in the past three months. g. Ice cream is delicious! h. This class is the best!!
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Good Morning, Everyone!
Since we are attending the Community Meeting right after break today, the Skills Board will be studied for slightly less time than usual. Whatever is not covered today will be worked on tomorrow, with essay writing and an introduction to graphs as our focal points this morning. Most importantly, we want to be sure you have passed in at least one of your essays by the end of this week. We will be moving on to argument writing, and this section needs to be completed before then. I have loved all the essays I have seen so far, so thank you for working so hard! 1. Idiom of the Day: It was raining cats and dogs, so I had my hood on and an umbrella up! Note: The conjunction "so" indicates that because something happened in the beginning of this sentence, something else will happen next. It is just like the cause and effect sentences we have been studying! 2. Greek and Latin Roots: Root: am-, amic- Meaning: friend Origin: from the Latin word, amicus Examples: amiable, amicable, amity amiable = having a friendly and pleasant manner amicable = without serious disagreement; having a spirit of friendliness amity = a friendly relationship; a feeling of being welcome Possible Sentences: He is a sweet, amiable man. I hope they will reach an amicable agreement. People who share amity are comfortable with each other. Take a moment to write a sentence that uses one of the above three words and shows you understand its meaning! 3. Grammar Study: The Clause Definition: A clause is a group of words that typically contains a subject and a predicate of its own. This is what makes it different from a phrase, which does NOT contain a verb. Here is a phrase, which differs from a clause: Emilio cut hair in his famous salon. Note: The prepositional phrase in bold print does not contain a verb and is actually an adverb phrase of place (because it tells where Emilio cuts hair!). It also does not contain a conjunction. Now for the clause! A clause can be independent or dependent. An independent clause can stand on its own, just as a sentence does. In fact, a sentence IS an independent clause! Example: The kids went to the beach all day, and they later went on rides at the park. Notice that the clauses before and after the conjunction and could stand alone as sentences. A dependent clause provides more information in the sentence, but it cannot stand on its own! It depends on the other clause in the sentence to be fully understood. Dependent clauses are also known as subordinate clauses. Example: There were a lot of great books in the library that would help us in our research projects. Notice that the conjunction that leads to a dependent clause, which does not make sense on its own. It does, however, provide us with more information, and it creates a more effective sentence! Please identify the type of clause in each sentence below. The conjunction is shown in bold print, and the clause we are identifying is typed in italics. Is each one an independent or a dependent clause? a. Sue went shopping for shoes, but she decided to buy a new bag instead. b. Tom threw the football quite well, yet Sammy did not catch it. c. I went to a library that was filled with so many great books! d. The dog would bark whenever someone walked by. e. Jayson scored many points, so he was named player of the game. f. While he was buying groceries, Carlos saw an old friend. Note: Sometimes a clause can begin a sentence, and the conjunction can precede it. This type of sentence may also work if you flip it around and place that clause second, but the comma would then be removed, such as: Carlos saw an old friend while he was buying groceries. 4. Literary Device: Alliteration Alliteration occurs when the same sound starts several words. An example is included right in the definition of this literary term! It is important to note that it is not just the letter that is repeated; it is the sound itself. Let's look at another example in which the letters are not the same, yet the sounds are. Alliteration is shown in bold print: Sam studied Psychology at Cedar High. What did you notice in the sentence above? Can you find several forms of alliteration in these lines of poetry: Our friendship, folded like a secret note in the fray of my pocket Our promises, past and present, now forgotten for good Bonus Question: The use of repetition is also used in these lines. Can you identify what it is? While alliteration is used often in poetry and music, it is also used in essays and creative writing because it sounds pleasant to the ear! 4a. Please note: Tomorrow, I will add our usual Q & A, cause and effect, fact and opinion, and review of skills to this board. 5. Writing! We will finish our work on expository writing this week, with final copies of your work added to your folder by Tuesday. For those of you who have not yet finished the first draft of a five-paragraph essay, here are some additional topic sentences you can use to start a new piece of writing. The outline will be the same as what we have done for the past few classes. Please feel free to look back at previous Skills pages for assistance! Possible Topic Sentences: a. Studying Social Studies involves learning about people, cultures, and geographical features of a certain place. b. Chess is a game of logic, patience, and skill. c. Learning a new language keeps your brain working to full capacity. d. Finding a job in the current economy can be accomplished if you follow some simple steps. You may also write a news story, a book review, or an article on any topic, being sure to have five solid paragraphs (with a strong topic sentence in each one). The number of sentences in each paragraph can vary, but using the common five-sentence structure may be best for test-taking purposes! Your last paragraph can veer from this a bit (because it needs to make an impact on the reader), but I would not write fewer than three sentences in this case! Also remember -- the expository essay should be filled with facts! Happy Writing -- Enjoy the Process! March 17, 2023 Continued! Question and Answer: Answer: This is a holiday symbolized by shamrocks, leprechauns, and the color green! Question: ________________________________________________________________ Fact or Opinion: a. John is a trained swimmer who has earned four awards for diving and three medals for the backstroke. b. Cynthia has the most beautiful house I have ever seen! c. Thomas plays the alto saxophone. d. Jared has a difficult job. e. Liz thinks winter is the best time of year because she prefers cold weather to hot! f. Tacos are so delicious! Clause Practice: Can you identify the conjunction and the types of clauses in each sentence? Is each one dependent or independent? Remember, a dependent clause relies on the rest of the sentence to make complete sense. a. Shari worked all day at the nursing home, and she spent all evening asleep on the couch. b. Joe is someone who has been my closest friend for many years. c. Sal and Gina hiked up the mountain so they could see a view of the entire city at dawn. d. If you are able to go, let me know as soon as possible. e. We spent many happy days at a vacation chalet that sat on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee. Cause and Effect: Effect: The house was warmer than usual. Cause: _______________________________ Phrases: Can you find phrases in the sentences below? Remember that phrases do not contain verbs. Note: Some sentences have more than one phrase! Are you also able to identify the preposition that begins each phrase? a. Did you buy that dress at Macy's? b. The traffic in Boston seems endless! c. We ate in a restaurant by the ocean. d. The guests arrived at the party in limos. Bonus: The next sentence has four phrases that begin with prepositions. It also has two clauses that are connected with a conjunction! Can you identify all of them? e. Marcia took lots of pictures at the wedding, and she put the beautiful photos in an album for the bride. Root Review: a. If a couple decides to separate, chances are they were living in perfect amity. (True, False) b. An example of an amiable person would be: 1. one who is grouchy in the morning 2. one who tries to find enjoyment in everything 3. one who has several pets c. If someone has an amicable relationship with their landlord, they: 1. are late paying their rent every month 2. will often play loud music late at night and have dance parties that keep everyone awake 3. follow the rules and give a cheery hello when they see him A Mix of Skills Review and New Lessons
1. Idiom of the Day: When Todd didn't pick up the phone for a week, Shari decided to give him a taste of his own medicine and would not answer the phone when he finally called. 2. Idiom #2: Ted is a true friend; he would run to my side at the drop of a hat. 3. Personification: Can you find this literary device in the following sentences? a. You never know when opportunity will knock--so be prepared for it when it does! b. I wanted to stay home, but the mall was calling my name! 4. Grammar Review: a. (Who, Whom) will you bring with you today? b. To (who, whom) should I address this letter? 5. New Grammar Lesson: Whoever vs. Whomever Whoever is a subject pronoun (like "who"). Whomever is an object pronoun (like "whom"). Example: The president can pardon whomever he wishes. Example: Whomever you call first is your closest friend. Note: These pronouns are a bit more emphatic than their counterparts! Example: Whoever decides to attend the meeting will be given a gift bag. Example: Whoever owns this jacket should hang it on the coat rack. Example: Can you please contact whoever lost this wallet? Please find the verbs in the sentences above. Let's see if they go with these pronouns or if they work with a different noun in the sentence. This is how we will know whether to use a subject or object pronoun! 6. Idiom Review: If we are all in the same boat, we: a. are on a cruise shop to Hawaii b. share common goals and feel a sense of community with each other c. need more life jackets 7. When actions speak louder than words, we: a. can see how a person truly is by their deeds b. are hearing things c. may need to lower the volume 8. Cause and Effect: Effect: Thousands of people attended the concert. Cause: __________________________________________________ 9. Question and Answer: Answer: It's a stormy Tuesday morning. Question: ________________________________________________ 10. Root Review: Which of these situations shows an iniquity: a. Everyone in the classroom receives a Chromebook to use. b. Everyone but Rosana receives a Chromebook. c. Chromebooks have been ordered for the entire school. Which mathematical equations represent an equivalent value? (Please select all that apply) a. 100 - 2 = 98 b. 1/2 = 50% c. 1 = 100% d. .75 = 75% 10. Fact or Opinion: a. Sondra is a talented vocalist. b. Basketball is the best sport! c. Playing hockey also requires ice skating skills. d. Boston is the capital of Massachusetts. e. It is truly wonderful to have been born in Boston! f. Boston is a great place to visit! NOW turn the statements above that are facts into opinions, and then turn the opinions into facts! Homework: Choose one topic sentence from the list below for an expository essay you will begin writing today! a. Education should be free for all Americans. b. Taking a siesta, a short afternoon nap, is beneficial for adults. c. Listening to music can improve your daily life. d. Research shows that watching sports can be good for your mental health. e. When you follow directions carefully, you can create a (name a food) for your family tonight! f. It takes a lot of practice to play the (name an instrument), but if you do so every day, you will become an accomplished musician in no time. Note: You will follow the same steps we used in our previous writing lesson dated March 9. We will review the organization of your essay to be sure you know exactly what to do. Remember that expository writing is factual, while persuasive/argument writing includes opinions. A news story would be an example of expository writing, while an editorial would be an example of persuasive/argument writing. Good Luck!! I can't wait to read your essays!! Directions: We will first review various skills we talked about yesterday in the following exercise!
1. Saying a leopard never changes his spots means: a. It is difficult to catch a leopard in the wild. b. A person who has behaved one way his entire life is unlikely to change anytime soon. c. Leopards are beautiful animals because of their spots. d. A leopard can sometimes be confused with a panther. 2. If something costs you an arm and a leg: a. You may need to have surgery. b. We are actually talking about chickens. c. The item is very expensive. d. Your arm and leg are worth trading for something expensive! 3. Geo- means: a. earth b. soil c. ground d. water 4. Studying geography may include: a. Talking about people of a particular location and their various cultures and lifestyles b. Reading about someone's favorite pet c. Understanding that the cell is the basic building block of all living things d. Discovering what a C Major Chord is in music 5. Question and Answer: Answer: It is a literary term used to give human qualities to inanimate (or non-human) objects. Question: _________________________________________________________ 6. Cause and Effect: Cause: Dan lived 25 miles from school. Effect: _______________________________ 7. Grammar -- Who or Whom a. (Who, Whom) is your sister? b. I went to the movies with a friend (who, whom) I have known for many years. Part Two: New Skills for 3/9/2023 8. New Idiom of the Day: Many people talk about how many things they do to help others, but actions speak louder than words. 9. Idiom #2 of the Day: When a class works well together, everyone learns something new each day; we ultimately realize we are all in the same boat when it comes to how much we value education. 10. New Greek/Latin Root: Root: equ- and iqu- Origin: Latin word, aequus Meaning: even, equal, level Examples: equal, equity, equivalent, iniquity equal = as great as; the same as Sentence: 5 + 5 equals 10. equity = fairness Sentence: Equity in a school would mean that everyone is given the same opportunities. equivalent = equal in value Sentence: 3/4 is equivalent to 75%. iniquity = great injustice; a violation Sentence: Losing her job was an iniquity because she did not deserve of rights to be treated this way. 11. Question and Answer: Answer: It is my favorite time of year. Question: ______________________________________________ 12. Cause and Effect: Effect: This time, the amount of snow that fell was what the snowplow drivers had expected. Cause: _________________________________________________ 13. Grammar: Nouns and Verbs A noun can be a person, place, thing, or idea. We will look at our Skills Page to see just how many types of nouns there really are! A verb can be a word that shows action OR it can be a word that does not show an action but instead identifies who or what a noun is! Our Skills Page will also delve into the types of verbs we may encounter! Examples: Action Verbs: jump, walk, run, laughed (and many, many more!) Verb of Being: am, is, are, be, being, been (and more!) Can you find both the nouns and the verbs in the sentences below: a. Jill ran five miles yesterday. (two nouns, one verb) b. In the morning, I ate cereal for breakfast. (three nouns, one verb) c. Did Sydney water the plants yet? (two nouns, two verbs -- Be careful on this one!) d. Kohl's had the sweater that Leon had wanted all winter long. (four nouns, three verbs) Literary Term: More work with personification! Please identify each form of personification and tell what is being compared in the following sentences: a. The stars seemed to dance in the sky. b. Marta's eyes smiled when she saw her new baby cousin. c. John's car practically screeched at him to stop and get some oil at the gas station! d. My suitcase groaned from all the clothes I packed for the trip. Writing: Use parallel sentence structure, maintain verb tenses, and keep the same tone and point of view in the story you will tell! Continue the story I have started for you! Copy the sentences below in your notebooks for a jump start to the story you will tell. Continue the story any way you like, but please remember to maintain parallel sentence structure! Salvy was on his way to work when he got the call. He was so happy that he found himself pulling over on a side street to appreciate what had just happened. It would be a dream come true in so many ways. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Writing Part Two: Here is your topic sentence: It is important never to text while driving. Create three reasons why this statement should be believed. Use good sentence structure. 1. 2. 3. Here is your ending sentence for this first paragraph: Texting while driving is an example of multitasking that scientists say never works. The topic sentence I provided, your three reasons, and the ending sentence I also provided will make up your first paragraph in an expository essay. Next: Take each of the three reasons you created above, and now make it the first sentence in a new paragraph of its own. Each sentence will now be the topic sentence in the three new paragraphs you will create. At this point, you will have four out of the five paragraphs necessary for a strong expository essay! Now you will create a closing paragraph with an opening sentence like this: Some people think that many rules in life do not apply to them. You can keep this one or create your own sentence. Add a few more sentences that give the reader a good idea of why it is not safe to break rules and text while you are driving. Remember that you want to leave your reader with something to think about! After you have completed this writing exercise, I will provide just a topic sentence for your next essay due next week. You will use the same steps as above in coming up with good details, new paragraphs, and a strong closing paragraph! Good Luck -- I can't wait to see what you write!! 1. Idiom of the Day:
Tara wanted to believe that Santos was telling her the truth, but she soon realized that a leopard cannot change his spots. Note: Please be aware of the but conjunction within the sentence that changes the tone/meaning. 2. Idiom #2 of the Day: I wanted to buy the new Mustang, but it would have cost me an arm and a leg! 3. Greek/Latin Root of the Day: Greek Root is geo- It means earth. Examples are words such as geography and geology. Sentences could be: We studied the geography of the state of Alaska to learn more about the Alaskan Sled Race known as the Iditarod. Geology deals with the physical history of the earth, such as the rocks that compose it. 4. Appositive Work: Can you add an appositive in the blanks provided in each sentence? a. Massachusetts, a __________________________________________, is a wonderful place to live. b. My father's friend, a ____________________________________, came over to our house to fix the sink. c. Did you know that Alaska, our __________________________________________, became part of our country in 1959? d. Hawaii, a _________________________________________, is where many people love to vacation! e. Learning about geography, the ________________________________, is important in understanding how people live. f. Inuits were thought to use only snow houses, _____________________, but that is no longer the common type of housing used. g. We like to expand our sentences by adding detailed words or phrases, ________________________, which you are studying right now! 5. Question and Answer: Answer: It is the largest state in our country. Question: ??? 6. Cause and Effect: Effect: Only a fraction of the amount of snow that had been predicted actually fell. Cause: ??? Note: The cause happens first!! Let's look at the following sentence: Because I studied hard, I got an A on the test! I had to have studied hard before I took the test in order to then receive an A. The sequence of events that makes up a story, known as the plot, is a chain of cause and effect situations! 7. Grammar Challenge: How do we use who and whom correctly? Answer: Who is a subject pronoun that always works with the verb. Whom is the object that receives the action of the sentence! Note: Can you switch he or she for the word who in your sentence? If so, you did it correctly! Note: Can you switch him or her for the word whom in your sentence? Yes, you did this one correctly, as well! Example: Who is knocking on the door? He is knocking on the door. Example: To whom did you give the book? I gave the book to her. Note: You often have to change a question to a statement to check your use of who or whom, as you saw in the examples above! Try these: a. (Who, Whom) was the person you met in class last week? b. (Who, Whom) did I meet in line at the movies? c. I know (who, whom) you are talking about. d. Did you know the name of the teacher (who, whom) worked in our school years ago? e. Jean is the woman (who, whom) I have known since I was in eighth grade! Literary Device: Personification! We use personification when we want to give human qualities to inanimate objects (ones that are NOT alive!)! For instance: The lamp post winked at me as I crossed the street. Example: The words you wrote were so exciting they seemed to jump off the pages! Example: The moonlight danced on the lake that summer night! |
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