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As promised, here is the additional website work! It is actually a review of some skills we have covered in class so far.
Part One. Antecedents! Directions: Find the antecedent (noun) that, later in the sentence, a pronoun replaces! 1. Heather was late for work, so she had to call her boss to explain the situation. Antecedent: Pronouns (more than one!): 2. Santos was reading an interesting book for class, but his friends came by, and he had to put the book down. Antecedent: Pronouns (more than one): 3. A bottle of water had been left outside on a hot day in July, and Jose's fingers were almost burnt when he went to pick it up. Antecedent #1: Pronoun #1: Antecedent #2: Pronoun #2: 4. Janie's friends loved to visit her; in fact, they came to see her as often as they could. Antecedent #1: Pronouns: Antecedent #2: Pronouns: 5. In the world of cartoons and animation, Walt Disney stands out for his contribution to this art form. Antecedent: Pronoun: Part Two. Literary Terms Directions: Please select the correct answer as requested in each of the sentences below! 1. The protagonist is the problem in a story. true false 2. Stories do not require conflicts. true false 3. Nonfiction stories are based on true events. true false 4. A dynamic character is one that stays the same throughout the story. true false 5. A consistent character can behave as a static one does, but he is capable of doing things that seem out of character for him. true false 6. When you paraphrase something someone tells you, you just use different words; you do not add meaning. true false 7. An inference is a term that means you quote someone's words exactly. true false 8. When you copy a quotation, you must copy it exactly, and use quotation marks as well. true false 9. Personification is when you give human qualities to inanimate objects. true false 10. A conflict is a problem. true false Writing Exercise: Please continue to write the following stories in any way you please, but you must write for at least fifteen minutes! You can select one, or you could write a little in both. You could even create your own story if you already have a great idea! Story #1 Brian always knew that when he had enough money, he would open his own shop. It was never clear exactly what kind of store it would be, but Brian figured that when he was old enough, he would pick something exciting. He had always hoped to enjoy going to work, and having something of his very own would make all the difference in the world. But just when he thought he had it all figured out, something happened to change his mind. Story #2 Sharon wanted to throw a surprise party for her closest friend, Teddy. She did not know how to plan this entire event without Teddy finding out--especially since he knew her so well and could immediately tell if she were lying. But one day, when she was talking about Halloween and whether she would host this year's party, the best idea came to her!
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Part One.
Idiom of the Day! Directions: Please read the following sentence and figure out what the idiom (shown in bold print) means. There may be context clues in the sentence (which you can use to make sense of what is happening), and they will help you make a good guess, if you are unsure. Carlos told everyone he would definitely be working as a vice president in the coming year, but his coworker advised him not to count his chickens before they hatched. Write your thoughts here: Part Two. Literary Terms of the Day Protagonist and Conflict Definition: The protagonist is the main character who is involved in the most important conflict in the story. A conflict is a problem in the story; it is something for which the protagonist has to find a solution. The conflict is what is keeping the protagonist from his goal, and all fictional stories must have at least one! Partner Activity: Take a moment to talk to someone seated near you, telling each other who the protagonist is and what their conflict may be in a story you either read in a book, watched on TV, or saw in a movie or a play. Remember that there may be other things happening in a story, but one specific conflict faced by the protagonist is what the story is mainly about! Share your ideas here: Part Three. Greek or Latin Root of the Day: geo- Meaning: earth, ground, soil Origin: from a Greek word that means "earth, land, country" Special Note: It is also known as a prefix because it is placed at the beginning of a work. Examples of words using geo- as a prefix: 1. geology a branch of science which studies the earth 2. geography the study of the physical features of earth and its human activity 3. geometry which is the mathematical study of the properties of space, such as distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures 4. geode a rock containing a cavity (hole) lined with crystals or other minerals Directions: Please fill in the blanks below with the correct word containing the geo- root. 1. When we study about regions of our country and how the people live in these places, we are studying __________________________________________________. 2. If you have a cavity, your dentist will likely give you a filling in order to save your tooth. When you look inside a ______________________, instead of seeing a dental filling, you will probably see lots of crystals! 3. If you enjoy studying about how our natural environment is affected by rocks, you will probably enjoy the subject of ___________________________________. 4. When I study triangles and rectangles and measure their angles, I am studying _______________________. Quick Writing Exercise: If you had to select one of the four words above that interests you most, which one would that be? Write a complete sentence that explains your choice. Part Four. Grammar Fun! Today's Focus: Appositive Definition: The appositive is a word or a group of words that renames a noun in a sentence. Its purpose is to provide more information about that noun and to expand our sentences most effectively. Example: My father, a World War II veteran, was proud to serve his country. In this sentence, the appositive is a World War II veteran, and it is shown in bold print. The appositive is renaming a noun in this sentence, which is the word father. It is important to note that an appositive is always in balance with the noun it replaces. It works the same way as the two sides of a math equation do. Let's look at an example below: 4 + 5 = 9 In this equation, everything to the left of the equal sign (=) is just another way of writing the number 9. Therefore, 4 + 5 AND 9 both mean the same exact thing! In the sentence above that contains the appositive, father AND a World War II veteran both mean the same exact thing, as well! Therefore, father = World War II veteran. They are in balance. Let's look at the sentences below and find the appositives AND the noun they are renaming. a. Joan, my younger sister, will be attending the concert with us. b. Have you seen my new car, a gold Ferrari? The appositives you chose were another way of saying the noun they replaced. We could remove either the noun or the appositive from each sentence without losing its meaning. Try it now! Your Turn! Directions: Please underline the appositive in each sentence below. On the line that follows, write the noun it is renaming. 1. The boys, students from Somerville High School, will be playing at the Garden this year. noun: _________________________________ 2. His cousin, Lenny, will be going on vacation with us. noun: _________________________________ 3. Will your friend, our classmate from SCALE, be at the party? noun: _________________________________ 4. Massachusetts, one of the New England states, is a great place to live. noun: _________________________________ 5. Boston, the capital city of Massachusetts, is filled with great restaurants and historic places. noun: _________________________________ 6. I will visit Canobie Lake, a fun amusement park, in the spring. noun: _________________________________ 7. Have you ever eaten a cannoli, a delicious Italian dessert? noun: _________________________________ 8. You will graduate soon after passing all your HiSETs, tests you need to take in order to get your diploma!\ noun: _________________________________ 9. Daniel, my good friend, is on his way to Logan, a Boston airport. noun: _________________________________ noun: _________________________________ 10. Do you understand a bit more about the appositive, a word or group of words that renames a noun? noun: _________________________________ Note: It is important to note that an appositive can also provide enough information to help us understand a noun we may not know. Here is an example: Mackerel, one of the healthiest fish to eat, may be a good addition to your diet. What are the appositive and the noun being renamed in this sentence? List them here. If this particular type of fish were not known to you, you may not have been able to figure out what it was without the use of an appositive in the sentence. The sentence would instead have read: Mackerel may be a good addition to your diet. BONUS: Can you find three sentences (within sentences one through ten above) that include an inference? List them below! Hi, again! You may be viewing this page on Friday the 13th, which somehow sounds like a movie:) Or you may be reading it during the week of September 16! Either way, we have some new skills on this page, with a review of things we learned during the first week of school. Have fun!
Part One. Idiom of the Day Sentence containing idiom: No matter what she is doing, Yaritza will be at your house at the drop of a hat if you need her! Before we discuss the idiom, take a moment to jot down your thoughts regarding the idiom in bold print above. Ask yourself questions, such as is it positive or negative? What is being compared? Now list some things you would definitely do at the drop of a hat! 1. 2. 3. Part Two. Literary Devices Personification in Review Directions: Underline words in the sentences below that show personification is being used! Example: As I thought about him, even the wind seemed to call his name. 1. The streetlight winked at me as I strolled along the long and winding road. 2. I picked up the book that seemed to be calling my name from its place on the kitchen table. 3. The shopping cart whined as I wheeled it through the store; it reminded me of a small child begging to go home! 4. The new flower buds peeked out at me from their spot just above the ground. 5. The U.S. flag waved and welcomed everyone who passed by! 6. The table itself was shaking in fear when the earthquake hit San Francisco. 7. So many stars were dancing in the sky the night Victoria met George. 8. The words seemed to jump off the page as I read the mysterious letter. 9. Judy's peas hid under the mashed potatoes on her plate; they wouldn't come out until everyone at the table had stopped eating. 10. My piano told beautiful stories each time I pressed its keys! Your Turn: Take a moment and select one of the pieces of personification from the sentences above. Create a sentence of your own using it! Part Three. Question and Answer Answer: I have four of them. Your Question: Note: Feel free to create more than one question, but remember to read your question followed by the answer above to see if everything fits! Part Four. Greek and Latin Roots Quick Review True or False 1. The root biblio means baseball. true false 2. A bibliography is a list of books you use doing while researching a subject. true false 3. Bibliotheque means library in French. true false Part Four Extra Literary Term Inference We spoke briefly about what it means to paraphrase and make inferences while analyzing something said, written or shown. Read the following sentences and decide if each one is either a paraphrase or an inference. 1. The girl in the photo wore a pair of blue jeans and brown sandals. 2. That woman seems very angry; I wonder if she had an argument with someone in her home before coming out to shop. 3. The man wore sneakers that were worn out and a shirt that was a light shade of blue. 4. The girl is typing. 5. That man's face is bright red, and he is squinting his eyes. I bet he was upset to find out that all the items he came here to buy have been sold out. 6. I got a phone call from my friend Jenna. She was speaking so fast I wondered if she were nervous about something going on in her life! Time for a Partner Activity! On an index card, please create one paraphrased sentence and one inference (but do not tell us which is which!)! We will send them around the room for partner students to figure out! Here we go! This page is usually dedicated to learning new skills as well as reviewing (and reviewing and reviewing!) everything we have learned. But this week (and next week), we will be busy finding out exactly where we are in our academic areas. The information I gather from your work will help as I plan future lessons in each of our subjects of Reading, Writing, Science, and Social Studies. I will, however, continue with the outline of skills I usually have on this page so that new students can see what we cover in class. Have fun!
Please Note: There will be no grading just yet--only observations from me! So don't worry about making mistakes! It's actually important that you do! Part One Idioms An idiom is a saying that is not to be taken literally. This means that the words that are used have hidden meaning, and it is our job to find out what that meaning is! They can be especially tricky if English is not your first language, so we will be going over at least one every day in class! Today's Idiom: It is wonderful to meet all of you today, and it's important for you to know that we are all in the same boat as we reach for our goals and fulfill our dreams. Directions: The idiom is shown in bold (dark) print in the sentence above. What do you think it means? Look for context clues within the sentence that may help you understand this idiom. Write your thoughts about it in the space below. Part Two Literary Terms Literary terms (also known as literary devices) are words that are used to describe specific ways of thinking about literature and the words that are used to paint pictures in our minds. Understanding their meaning will help us comprehend a story, a poem, or even a movie much more effectively! Today's Literary Term: Personification Personification occurs when a writer gives an inanimate object (one that does not move--is not alive) a human quality. Look at the example below. Can you select a verb (action word) that the object in the sentence would not truly be able to do because only a person has the ability to do it? The sun smiled down upon Denise as she walked along the beach. Take a moment to write down your answers in the space below. What object in this sentence is doing something only a person could do? What exactly is this object supposedly doing? What does it mean in this particular sentence? Part Three The Inverted Question and Answer Something this is inverted is in a different or even the opposite order than it is typically found in. In this section, I will provide you with an answer, and you give me a question that could go with that answer. Below is an example of what I mean. Answer: There are thirty of them. Possible Question (that you would give me): How many days are in the month of September? Do you see how the answer would work with the question given? There are many possible questions students could give. I will provide a few more, using the same answer above. Answer: There are thirty of them. Possible Question: How many cars are in the parking lot this morning? Possible Question: How many flowers do you have in your garden? Possible Question: How many members of your family are at your party? Possible Question: How many pieces of clothing are in your washing machine right now? (Haha!) Do you see that there are so many possible questions that could go with the answer I gave you? Now it's your turn. Try to provide a question for the following answer. After you write your question down, be sure to read it to yourself or to someone near you to be sure it works with the answer! Have fun! If you can come up with more than one question, feel free to write them all down! Answer: It's so much fun! Your Question: Part Four Greek and Latin Roots Roots (unlike the root word) are parts of words, such as a prefix (that goes before the word) or a suffix (which goes at the end of a word) that can often help us understand the meaning of a word when context clues are not available to us. Note: Context clues are parts of a sentence that provide meaning for us so that we do not have to know every word in the dictionary! For example, look at the following sentence: The tree swallows are often bluish green in color and sometimes build their nests within the trunk of a tree. If we do not know what a tree swallow is, the context clues in the sentence can help us figure out what this animal may be. What is your guess and why? Now what if a sentence does not contain any clues that will help you figure out a word? Well another way we can try to decipher word meaning is by knowing a lot of Greek and Latin roots (and even French roots, as well). Let's look at today's root of the day: Greek Root: biblio Meaning: books, of books English word: bibliography (which is a list of all the titles, authors and publishing dates of books and resources we use when we research a subject) French word: bibliotheque (which means library!) Special note: The word bible comes from the Latin word for book! Question: Have you ever created a bibliography before? If not, why do you think it is important to create a list of resources you have used to write a research paper? Write your thoughts below after speaking with someone near you! Part Five Grammar Challenge Verbs Grammar is the name given to the mechanics of writing. It helps us understand why a sentence is created a certain way as well as the function of each word. It is important to study grammar so that we know the proper way to use words (even the order of words we use!) and to ultimately write more effectively! We are beginning today with the study of verbs because it is the only word that can be used alone . . . and still be a complete sentence! Verbs can be action words, such as go, run, jump, laugh, and more. Verbs can be verbs of being, which do not show action but instead tell something IS something else. Verbs of Being: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been, have, has, had, do, does, did, shall, should, will, would, can, could, may, might, must Verbs can also help each other out! These verbs are called helping verbs or auxiliary verbs. Often, the verbs of being in the list above can work with action verbs (or any type of verb, for that matter) to help us understand when an action took place, for instance. I have been waiting for hours for the train to arrive. Can you pick out the verbs of being in the sentence above? You can look back at the list above that! Can you also pick out the main verb, which in this case is an action verb? Directions: Try the following exercises. Simply circle the verbs in each sentence. We will discuss as a class which ones are verbs of being, action verbs, or auxiliary verbs! The number in parentheses following the sentences tells how many verbs are in each one. 1. Most students arrived at school on time. (1) 2.He has walked for an hour every day this month. (2) 3. Jill runs three times a week. (1) 4. This school is a great place to learn. (1) 5. The puppy was so cute! (1) 6. My friend visited all afternoon. (1) 7. Where are you going? (2) (Hint: You may want to turn this sentence around into a statement to find the verbs more easily!) 8. Wait! (1) 9. Tomas has been studying for hours now! (3) 10. You look like your sister! (1) Your Turn: Directions: Create three sentences of your own! You will then switch your paper with another student, and find the verbs on each other's papers! We will check everything as a class when we are all finished! Good Luck! Part Six Writing Since writing is an important part of our classes, we will be devoting a chunk of time each day to practicing this skill. Sometimes there will be work assigned for a later date, and a syllabus will be provided to do so. But for these opening weeks, we will be trying out a variety of writing styles so that we know which areas may need more attention. I will collect much of what you write for the next few classes, but do not worry! Just try your best, and the rest will follow! Today's assignment: Here is the beginning of a story, which I usually have students copy onto a clean sheet of paper. But today you won't need to do this and can write directly on this page (or on the back of it), You will continue the story in any way you please, BUT you need to write for at least fifteen minutes! I don't want you to stop until I give a warning that time is almost up. Have fun, and enjoy the process!! Writing Exercise: Fiction Santiago was nervous about his first interview at a new company. He had a great resume, which showed all the skills he already had; he had even listed some specific classes he had taken that related to the position he wanted. But when he approached the building, he noticed something very unusual. |
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