Summer Skills--June 19, 2023

Writing!!!
(I thought we would start with a writing piece this week, since there is so much to say about Juneteenth!)
Directions: Take some time to research the background and history of Juneteenth. You may use mass.pbslearningmedia.org, in which you will find a short video regarding the significance of Juneteenth as one resource. Others include Juneteenth Digital Toolkit | National Museum of African American History and Culture (si.edu), What Is Juneteenth? | HISTORY, or "juneteenth" Search Results | PBS, all of which can be accessed directly from this page by clicking on the titles that are underlined ( called hyperlinks because they come alive when you click them!) AND clicking on the title that appears under it! 

Directions--Part Two: After you have read about the history and importance of Juneteenth, you may:

• ​write a narrative (in which you use first person point of view to write about the meaning of such a celebration in your own life)                                        OR
• write an expository piece (in which you report on Juneteenth in factual terms, using third person point of view, and describing the events and history that led up to its becoming a federal holiday)

Please put your final copy in the box on our Writing Page, being sure to send your exact email address so that I can respond to you! I recently received a document that did not have the correct email for the student who wrote it; I was then unable to respond to her writing (so please double check that you have entered your email correctly). If you do not hear from me within a day or two tops, it may be that you have made an error on your email and will need to submit it again! 

I look forward to seeing your latest piece of writing!!

Sentence Structure:
Directions: Here is an assignment that is a little different from what we have done in the past, but I know you will enjoy it!

Please read the following sentences, and then CHANGE one word in each sentence with its synonym (a word that has the same definition). Remember that you should not change the meaning of the sentence; we are only looking for you to use a variety of vocabulary words to say the same thing!).

Example: Jenna loves seeing her friends.
Your Sentence Could Be: Jenna adores visiting her friends. (The verb was replaced.)
Or: Jenna loves visiting her friends. (A gerund, which is a verb used as a noun/direct object, was replaced.)
Or: Jenna loves seeing her pals. (A noun was replaced.)

You only need to replace one word in each sentence below but if you wish to do more, please do so!! :)

Your Turn:
1. Tom enjoys playing basketball .
2. Deshaun is a wonderful athlete.
3. Tami reads two books every week.
4. Sydney watched an interesting movie on TV last night.
5. Juneteenth is an important holiday that represents freedom and acknowledgment of civil rights.
6. June is such a lovely month of the year; many brides choose this month for their weddings!
7. Have you ever visited a more beautiful place?
8.Do you use your car all the time, or do you sometimes walk to your destinations?
9. Playing sports is such good exercise!
10. In a few days, it will truly be summer, and the weather will become warmer.

(Note: Be sure to send me the title of your assignment--in this case, it would be Summer Skills--June 19, 2023--when you write your answers in the Writing box!!)

Grammar Review:
Directions: Please select the nouns only in the sentences below!! There could be more than one in each sentence.

1. Have you selected the next class you will take?
2. I don't know which type of ice cream I will select!
3. The gym was filled with lots of children who enjoyed playing games.
4. There were so many good movies that I decided I would see a new one every week!
5. Somerville is a city filled with lots of creative arts and great students!

Story Starter:
Finish this story!! Use parallel sentence structure throughout, but as always, enjoy the process!!

     The sky was gray, with thunderstorms predicted for the entire afternoon. Salvy wondered if he would be able to finish his latest job painting houses in the area. He had just decided he would at least start the process when he heard a strange noise coming from below his back porch. ____________________________________________________________________________ .__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Note: You can send this assignment to me, as well. I always draw the lines when we are in class so that I can photocopy it for you, too!

Have a great day!!
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