First Day of Spring

Today, March 20th, marks the first day of Spring! I am looking forward to all the entertaining things that will be done in the Springtime. I love when the weather gets warmer because there is so many things that can be done outside that gets halted because of the cold Winter. One of my favorite things to do is to take walks with my dog when it gets warm. Although I still walk him in the Winter, it is much more enjoyable in the Spring. I also enjoy riding my bike places instead of driving. It allows me to get some exercise in while doing something I enjoy. I am eagerly waiting for the flowers to bloom and the trees to grow their leaves back. Everything looks so much prettier in the Springtime. Now that Spring is officially here, I am hoping the weather warms up and the snow melts so it can officially start to look and feel like Spring.

Vocabulary
entertaining: fun
halted: to stop or end
exercise: activity that is done to become stronger and healthier
eagerly: waiting excitingly for something
bloom: state of having the buds opened on a flower
officially: in a formal manner

Vocabulary Exercise
Fill in the blanks with one of the vocabulary words listed above.

1. The car ____________ at a red light.
2. The concert was very __________________.
3. I am going to _______________ so that I can be healthier.
4. I am ________________ waiting for my birthday.
5. The flowers begin to _____________ in the Spring.
6. The New York Jets _________________ announced their new starting quarterback.

Grammar Point
Future tense is used when you are talking about something that has not yet happened or talking about something that is going to happen.

For example I used the future tense when I said: I am looking forward to all the entertaining things that will be done in the Springtime.

Find one more time that I used the future tense in my paragraph above. Think of 5 more sentence of your own using the future tense.

St. Patrick's Day

Although, I am not even 1% Irish, I still love to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Every year, my grandmother makes corn beef and cabbage for my sisters and I. I look forward to it every year because it is the only time that I have that meal and it is always so delicious. I think it is wonderful, that the city partakes in the holiday by having a parade that shows off Irish pride. I was able to go to the parade a few times and it was always a great time. However, now that I work full time, I have not been able to go. Overall St. Patrick's day is a great holiday because it is amazing to see so many people come together to celebrate the Irish culture, even those that are not one bit Irish.

Vocabulary
celebrate: to do something special for an important event
St. Patrick's Day: a cultural and religious event for an Irish saint name Saint Patrick.
wonderful: very good
partake: to have a part in something
parade: people marching for a special event
pride: a  feeling of self-respect

Vocabulary Exercise
Write a sentence using each of the vocabulary words above.
1. celebrate: ________________________________________________
2. St. Patrick's Day: __________________________________________
3. wonderful: _______________________________________________
4. partake: _________________________________________________
5. parade:  _________________________________________________
6. pride: ___________________________________________________


Grammar Point
A pronoun is a word used to substitute a noun. We use pronouns so we do not keep repeating the same noun over and over again. Some examples of pronouns are I, it, he, she, her, him, they, and them. To choose which pronoun to use it depends on if the noun is masculine, feminine, or plural. Masculine you use he or him. Feminine you use she or her. Plural you use they or them. I is used if you are talking about yourself.

List the pronouns I used in my paragraph above. Then rewrite the sentence to change the underlined noun to a pronoun in the following four sentences.

1. Jackie went to the mall.
   ________________________________________________

2. The teacher was reading to the class.
   _________________________________________________

3. Kayla and Briana met Jenna at the mall.
    _________________________________________________

4. Daniel was going over to Jake's house to watch a movie.
   __________________________________________________

  

Mexico

          As I am sitting home on a snow day, all I can think about is my trip to Mexico on April 12th. I have never been to Mexico, so I am patiently waiting to go. I have heard many extravagant things about Mexico including the beaches, resorts, and food. The resort I am going to is an all-inclusive resort, meaning everything is included (food, drinks, amenities). I booked this vacation back in December, but now that it is getting closer, I am getting more and more anxious and excited. The one and only thing I am worried about is flying, which explains why I am anxious. If there is one thing that terrifies me the most, it is flying. However, I know once I get to the resort and start to enjoy my vacation, it will be all worth it. All I know is I cannot wait to relax in the hot sun with refreshing drinks and delicious food especially after all this cold weather and snow.

Vocabulary:
patiently: ability to wait for a long time without getting annoyed
extravagant: very fancy
all-inclusive: including everything in one price
anxious: afraid or nervous
terrifies: to cause someone to be afraid
refreshing: making you feel more rested, energetic, and cool


Vocabulary Exercise:
Fill in each blank with one of the vocabulary words listed above

1.   I went to an ____________________ resort where everything was included in the one price I     payed.
2.   Even though I was very hungry, I _____________ waited for my food to be ready.
3.   I had the most __________________ drink when I was relaxing by the pool.
4.   We went to a very ________________ restaurant that had many fancy food options on the menu.
5.   Seeing a scary movie  _______________ me.
6.   I am very _________________ waiting to see my grade in my final exam.

Grammar Point:
An adverb is a word used to modify a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Many adverbs end with "ly" when it changes from an adjective to an adverb. For example the underlined words in the sentences below are adjectives that turned into adverbs.
Valerie swims quickly.
She carefully held the glass vase.

Find the adverb in my paragraph that changed from an adjective to an adverb. Think of 5 more adjectives that can be turned into an adverb by adding "ly." Write a sentence for each.

The Best Experience of My Life

The Best Experience of My Life 

     Throughout my life, I have had many wonderful experiences. The one that stands out to me and the one that I would call the best experience of my life is studying abroad in Paris, France. I had the opportunity to study abroad during the summer of 2013 for one month. It was after my sophomore year of college. I learned so many valuable things while studying abroad as well as met so many amazing people that I still stay in touch with today. It allowed me to experience and indulge in a totally different way of life that I was not use to. It changed my life in so many ways. 

     Before studying abroad, I was going through some tough things in my personal life. However, having the chance to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity opened my eyes to many things. It made me realize there was no need to dwell on things that I could not change. I learned to live in the present, to not think back on my past, and to not worry about my future. Not only did it change the way I think about life, but it also allowed me to learn so many interesting things that I never knew before. I was able to go to many famous monuments of Paris and learn about them, Not only was I able to experience Paris, but I was able to travel to London and Amsterdam. One of my favorite parts was going to Amsterdam and being able to tour the inside of where Anne Frank stayed during those terrible times. I remember specifically reading Anne Frank's Diary for my eighth-grade English class and becoming so interested in the topic. I remember thinking back then that I would love actually see the place that she and her family had stayed but knowing it  probably would not happen since it was in another country. However, I was wrong because I did have the opportunity to see it in real life, and it was more touching than I could have imagined. 

Vocabulary:

wonderful: extremely good 

abroad: in a foreign country

valuable: useful information 

indulge: to allow yourself to have or to do something as a special pleasure

monuments: a structure made to keep alive the memory of a person or event 

terrible: extremely bad

touching: heartwarming 

Vocabulary Exercise:

Write a sentence for each vocabulary word to the best of your ability. Use the definitions provided to help.    

Grammar Point: 

A proper noun is a word or group of words that is the name of a particular person, place, or thing. Proper nouns begin with a capital letter. For example, Jackie, Disney World, and New York Jets are proper nouns. 

Grammar Activity:

Find the proper nouns in my above paragraph. Then think of 10 of your own. 

PASTA!

Being an Italian, I grew up eating pasta frequently. Pasta has become my favorite food to eat. I look forward to every Sunday night to have a feast of Italian food! If pasta wasn't such a fattening option, I would definitely eat it way more often and never get tired of it. My favorite pasta to order when I am out at an Italian restaurant is Penne alla Vodka. Its creamy, pink sauce is delightful. My mom's meat sauce is my favorite pasta to eat at home. She spends all day making the sauce. She soaks all the meatballs and sausage in the sauce for hours. This makes the meat so tender that it melts in my mouth. I may be being biased but my mom's meatballs are the best I have ever tasted. Italians love to eat and I sure do love my pasta!

Vocabulary:
frequently: to do something often
feast: a special meal with large amounts of food and drink
fattening: to make fat
delightful: greatly pleasing
soaks: to put something in liquid for a period of time
tender: easy to cut or chew
biased: favoring

Vocabulary Exercise:
Complete the crossword puzzle based on the vocabulary words from the blog.

Grammer Point:

An adjective is a word that describes a noun. For example: A pretty sunset. The underlined word is the adjective that helps to describe the noun. 

Find 2 adjectives in my paragraph. Next, find the adjective in the following sentences.

1. Danielle's dress was red.

2. The cold pizza did not taste good.

3. The couch was very comfortable.

4. David has a small car. 

Bentley

            In May of 2016, my sisters and I bought a dog for my mom. Even though it was a present for my mom, he has become a huge part in all of our lives. His name is Bentley and he is a mix of Husky and Pomeranian. Bentley's birthday is actually in a few weeks (February 28) so I decided to dedicate a blog post to him.  Bentley has grown to be about 25 pounds and we believe he has finished growing. When Bentley was a puppy, he was not the best behaved. Just like many puppies, Bentley decided to eat many things around the house. However, it was hard to be annoyed at him because he is just too cute. He has become a lot better as he grew up. We trained him to our best ability and he turned out to be a great dog. Although Bentley is much better than he once was, he can still be very stubborn when it comes to certain things, but we are working on ways to fix that. Bentley loves many things. A few of his favorite things include, bones, cheese, and sprinklers. Every time we bring him on walks around the neighborhood and he sees a sprinkler he becomes thrilled. He runs as fast as he can to go through them. Cheese is another one of his favorite things. All he has to hear is the opening of a cheese wrapper and he drops whatever he is doing and races to the kitchen. He patiently waits for us to tell him to sit and then he is rewarded with a piece of cheese. Over the past nine months, Bentley has become a part of our family and we cannot imagine a life without him in it.


Vocabulary:
dedicate: a feeling of very strong support for something
behaved: to show a certain behavior
ability: to be able to do something
stubborn: difficult to deal with
thrilled: very excited and happy
rewarded: to give a kind a payment for something good that has been done

Vocabulary Exercise:
Use each vocabulary word in a sentence.

dedicate: ___________________________________________________________________
behaved: ___________________________________________________________________
ability:___________________________________________________________________
stubborn: ___________________________________________________________________
thrilled: ___________________________________________________________________
rewarded: ___________________________________________________________________

Grammar Point
A verb is a word that is used to describe an action. For example eat, call and jump are all verbs because they are describing an action.
Find 5 verbs in my paragraph and then come up with 5 of your own. Use your 5 in a sentence.

Woodloch Pines

        Woodloch Pines is one of my favorite vacations to go on. I have been going there with my family every winter since I was in Kindergarten. I hope to keep this tradition going when I begin to have a family of my own. Woodloch Pines is a Winter/Summer Resort in the Poconos. They have many different family activities to participate in. I could go on forever explaining all my favorite parts of Woodloch Pines, but I will stick to just a few! One of my favorite activities to participate in at Woodloch is the Winter Olympics. This activity requires everyone to break up into teams of 10 or more people. There are about 15-20 teams that compete in 6 different athletic events. At the end there is an award ceremony, and the teams that have the highest points are awarded either bronze, silver, or gold medals. This activity is very competitive and the winning team has bragging rights for the rest of the vacation. Last year was actually the first year that my family and I won the gold medal since the year 2000. It was an amazing accomplishment and we were filled with excitment. Not only does Woodloch Pines have great family activities to participate in, but they also serve amazing food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.We never go home hungry. Another big event at Woodloch is horse racing. However, it is not with real horses. Everyone bets on the wooden horse that they believe will win.If the horse you bet on wins, you win money! It becomes an enthusiastic event that gets everyone involved in the excitement. Woodloch Pines is a place that I look forward going to every single year. No matter how many times I've gone, (19 years and counting) I never get bored with going. It is an excellent place to spend time with family while having indulging in all kinds of fun entertainment.

   

Vocabulary

Tradition: practices and beliefs that are passed down from generations

Participate: to take part in

Athletic: active

Competitive: the act of trying to get or win something others are also trying to get or win

Accomplishment: to achieve or complete something

enthusiastic: strong excitement about something

Indulging: the act of doing something you enjoy

Vocabulary Exercise

1. It was a big ___________________ when I graduated from high school.

2. You have to be _________________ to play football.

3. In my family, it is a __________________ to put up our Christmas Tree on Thanksgiving.

4. Steve is feeling better today, so he can _________________ in Gym.

5. On my birthday, my friends and I were __________________ in all the delicious sweets.

6. The students are ___________________ about Summer coming.

7. I get __________________ when I play soccer.

Grammar Point

A noun is a person, place or thing. For example, a teacher, Florida, and a ball are all different types of nouns.

What nouns can you find in my paragraph. Choose 5. There has to be at least one of each type of noun (person, place, thing).