Let's Go Yankees!

If you are from New York and you appreciate the sport of baseball, it is likely that you would root for the New York Yankees. They are a powerhouse, a force to be reckoned with, when it comes to baseball. On Friday, April 13th, I went to their home opener at Yankee Stadium. It was my first time attending a game at the stadium, which was built in 2009. I went to the game with six other people including my sister, who is not as not as fascinated by the sport as me.



Opening Day is an event to remember and celebrate because it signifies the first game played at the home stadium. Jorge Posada, the team's former catcher, was given the honor of throwing out the first pitch of the game. Posada played for the team for over a decade and is considered by some to be a legend; he was one of my favorite players. Inside the stadium you could hear and feel the thunderous applause when he threw the ceremonial pitch to his father, who was waiting at home plate. I will never forget this day for many reasons: the Yankees beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-0, the weather was gorgeous, Posada's farewell to the fans, and it was my first game at the new stadium. I wish all days could be as gloriously spent on the baseball field, but I will settle for this memory.



Vocabulary Words

1. Root for- to cheer for, support

2. New York Yankees- a baseball team in New York

3. Fascinated- interested

4. Stadium- the area where the game is played

5. Decade- ten years

6. Legend- a superstar

7. Thunderous- loud, sounding like thunder

8. Gloriously- wonderfully, terrifically



Vocabulary Activity- Match the following related words

Gloriously                            A. deafening, loud, roaring

Thunderous                          B. a professional baseball team

Stadium                                C. 10 years

Fascinated                            D. to support, clap for, applaud

Decade                                 E. a place to have sporting events

The New York Yankees      F. amazingly, magnificently

Root for                               G. mesmerized, captivated,

Legend                                H. celebrity

Grammar Point

A) Parts of Speech

1. Identify the parts of speech for each of the seven vocabulary words. The parts of speech for the vocabulary words include: nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives.

Nouns- person, place, thing, idea,

Verbs- demonstrate action or being

Adverbs- most adverbs tell you how, where or when something is done. They modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs

Adjectives- describing words, describe nouns or pronouns.

B) Coordinating Conjunctions

A way to remember what the coordinating conjunctions are is the acronym FANBOYS (For, and, nor, but, or yet, so). Coordinating conjunctions connect words, phrases, and clauses. 

Connecting two main clauses: When you connect two main clauses with a coordinating conjunction, use a comma. 

main clause + , + coordinating conjunction + main clause.

Can you identify two examples of sentences using coordinating conjunctions in the blog above? Write them below.
1.
2. 

Mother Earth

What have you done lately to protect the Earth? Do you believe in the three R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle? Personally, I think that more people should be concerned with the state of our planet. In my life, I try to do several things to preserve the Earth such as: limit my use of electricity by always shutting off electronic and lights when not in use, drink from reusable water bottles, carpool and recycle, especially paper. As a teacher, I make photocopies of documents all the time and my school keeps a count of the total copies. It is amazing how much paper is being used!

You might be wondering why am I writing about protecting the Earth, it is because on Sunday, April 22nd Earth Day is celebrated. Since 1970, Earth Day has been a worldwide event. It has brought an increased awareness about the environment to the public. How will you celebrate Earth Day this year?

  Vocabulary Words-
Protect- to defend
Reduce- to make less
Reuse- to use again
Recycle- to change or clean an object to use it again in some way
Photocopies- reproductions of an original
Carpool- to drive with more than one person, usually taking turns to preserve gasoline
Worldwide- global, throughout the globe

  Vocabulary Activity- Match the vocabulary word with the word or phrase that expresses the opposite meaning (also known as an antonym).

Protect -        to use one time
Reduce-        to drive in your own vehicle, wasting gas
Reuse-          to harm or injure
Recycle-       to NOT change or reuse an object
Photocopies- in one place
Carpool-        originals
Worldwide- to use more

  Grammar Points- Interrogatives
 An interrogative sentence is a type of sentence, which usually asks a question and uses a question mark (?). The “Wh-“ interrogatives do not elicit yes/no responses but are open-ended. Examples of “Wh-“ Interrogatives are: who, what, where, when, and why.

  Grammar Activity- Answer the following questions based on the blog above.
 1. When is Earth Day celebrated this year?
2. Where is Earth Day celebrated?
3. What are three ways in which you can protect the environment?
4. Why is it important to take care of the planet?

 Write down 5 “Wh-“ Interrogatives sentences that you want to ask your English teacher.
 1. Who …
2. What …
3. Where …
4. When…
 5. Why …

I’ve got the Travel Bug

One of my lifelong goals is to visit all 50 states. I have traveled quite a bit so far and I would say that the travel bug has bitten me. In my opinion, a suitcase should always be packed and ready to go. I do not think I would be happy living a life without traveling, I cannot imagine it. My family is very spur-of-the-moment; you never know when we will take a vacation or go on a weekend getaway.

 In May, I will be going to Texas for the first time. I am excited to go to Houston because I will be attending the wedding of a friend. Also, it seems like an interesting place to visit. In Texas, I hope to see authentic cowboy hats and boots, eat a great steak and experience anything else Texas has to offer. I might even come back saying, “Howdy y’all.”

  Vocabulary

 Goals- something that one wants to achieve
Travel Bug- not an actual insect, but having the desire to travel
Spur-of-the-moment- spontaneous, doing something suddenly
Texas- a large state located in the South, which borders Mexico
Houston- a city located in Texas
Cowboy- a rancher, or person who herds cattle
Howdy y'all- Hey you all, Hey everyone.

  Vocabulary Activity- Use the vocabulary words to complete the cloze passage.

Alejandro is a ____________, who works on a ranch outside of ______________. It is a large city in the state of ___________. He is a very busy person but loves to travel. He has aspirations to leave Texas and take a _____________________ trip to Mexico. He could leave at any moment because he has been bitten by the _______________. Also, Alejandro wants to learn how to speak,read, and write in English, this is one of his dreams or his ______________ in life.

  Grammar Point- Contractions A contraction is a shortened form of one or two words (one is usually a verb). An apostrophe ( ’ ) replaces the missing letter or letters. Common verbs that can be contracted include: be, will, would, have, had.
 The following subject pronouns and verbs from the blog can be contracted. For additional assistance visit the website below: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/grammar/contractions/

  Grammar Activity- Create contractions using the following subjects and verbs that were used within the blog. 


 Model: I will= I’ll
1. I am =
2. I have=
3. I cannot=
4. I do not=

 Can you think of any other contractions. Write three below using three DIFFERENT subject pronouns. 1.
2.
3.

My Most Embarrassing Moment

Student teaching is a rewarding experience for a future teacher. I student taught in Newport, Rhode Island at Rogers High School. This school is considered to be in an urban setting; there were many students who gave me a hard time. I was excited but nervous to be in charge of my own classroom and to be left alone with the students for the first time.

One day, I brought a technology station into my classroom. I was afraid that something would go wrong and I would not be able to do my lesson, however that was not the case. I finished the lesson and it was successful, so I felt I could breathe a sigh of relief. However, there were many cords and plugs because of the mobile station. I was walking in my high heels moving in front of the station and suddenly, my heel got caught on a cord. As I began to fall, my hands reached for the table and without thinking I started to curse. The class clown heard me and exclaimed, “Ms. Bernot! You said ‘Sh*t’!” I denied it, but turned red from shock and continued walking. To this day, I am cautious when there are cords and backpacks on the floor in my classroom.


Vocabulary Words

Student teaching- the time when a teacher candidate is given the experience to teach in a classroom as the lead teacher

Rewarding- satisfying, valuable

Urban- city

A sigh of relief- to be relaxed and take a deep breath

To curse- to say a bad word

Cautious- careful

Vocabulary Activity
Create a sentence or a question using each vocabulary word. Use the blog to assist you.

Grammar point
The past tense is used for completed actions that happened in the past.
To form a regular verb in the past tense you add the suffix –ed to the ending (finish→ finished). However, there are however many irregulars especially in this blog (teach→ taught; give→gave).

Grammar Activity

Re-write the blog using ONLY the present tense. Be aware of the changes to be made to the verbs.
For additional help visit this website http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/irregular-verbs/

Easter Eggs

I always feel nostalgic during the Easter season. I love this time of year, the weather is pleasant, the flowers are blooming, and the school year is closer to being over. In my family, we have a tradition of dying Easter eggs as a family. I look forward to this day because it is fun and I can be creative. My mother boils about two dozen eggs that we can decorate. I like to draw different designs and make unique patterns so that each egg looks special. My sister and I make a few eggs that are solid colors but the more crazy, the better. We can put stickers on the eggs, draw pictures, write our names, and even make tie-dye eggs.

The children that live on my block recently had an Easter egg hunt across several of the front yards. It was adorable to see them running in pure happiness looking for the hidden plastic Easter eggs filled with candy and other prizes. I was secretly tempted to grab an egg, but did not.


Vocabulary Words

Nostalgic- remember happy memories

Blooming- flowers are opening up

Dying- coloring

Dozen- twelve

Tie-dye- a style/method of changing something’s color giving it a streaked look

Easter egg hunt- a race to find hidden Easter eggs

Tempted- persuaded, tested


Vocabulary Activity- Answer the following questions to the best of your ability. Don’t forget to use the vocabulary words!

1. When do you feel nostalgic?
2. What time of year do the flowers bloom?
3. Have you ever been tempted to do something you weren’t supposed to do? If yes, please explain.
4. How many is two dozen?
5. Would you like to participate in an Easter egg hunt? Why?
6. Would you rather dye an egg a solid color or tie-dyed? Why?

Grammar Point- Sentences are made up of subjects and predicates. A subject is a noun or a pronoun, it represents the “doer, senser, or behaver” and any phrase describing it. A predicate is the verb and what goes with it.

Grammar Activity-
Choose five sentences from the reading that demonstrates different subjects. Identify the subject and predicate of each of those five sentences.

The Luck of the Irish

Another holiday is being celebrated in the United States this week. Green is the primary color of choice, and images of shamrocks, pots of gold and leprechauns can be seen all over. What holiday am I discussing? Saint Patrick’s Day!

Saint Patrick’s Day is a Christian holy day that is celebrated by many, but is a day of pride specifically for Irish and Irish-Americans. Ireland is a country filled with rolling green hills and meadows. The weather is cool and wet, with a lot of rain. Ireland is considered to be the “Emerald Island” because it is so green.

As a culture, the Irish were mostly poor immigrants that left Ireland for the United States, due to starvation and oppression from Britain. Eventually, the Irish became a dominant group in New York and New England. Nowadays, there is a huge Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City that has an enormous crowd. People from all over come to celebrate by drinking, dancing, and eating.

Vocabulary Words

Shamrocks- a clover (small-leafed plant), the national symbol of Ireland
Leprechauns- a playful elf who owns a treasure
Meadows- a grassy field
Emerald- a jewel that is green; a deep-green color
Immigrants- a person who moves to another country
Starvation- having extreme hunger
Oppression- suffering

Vocabulary Activity- Match the sentence to the vocabulary words found above.

1. I am so hungry; I haven’t eaten in three days!
2. There are so many clovers in Ireland.
3. The children love to run and play in the fields.
4. My favorite color is green.
5. You are afraid of all elves, even if they are nice.
6. The empire of Great Britain caused suffering to many Irish.
7. My uncle was from Ireland but he now lives in the United States permanently.

Grammar Point- Adjectives
Adjectives are words that describe another person or thing in a sentence. Adjectives typically are placed before the nouns or noun phrases of which they describe.


Grammar Activity 1- Identify the following adjectives from the blog above.
Identify two adjectives of weather:
Identify two adjectives of size:
Identify two adjectives of color:

Grammar Activity 2: Compare and contrast Ireland to where live. Use as many adjectives or descriptions as possible. Don’t forget to use the phrases more than and less than. Write a total of 5 comparisons.

Ex) Ireland has more rolling hills than Farmingdale.

One More Day

Happy Leap Year! The 29th of February comes only once every four years, and 2012 is one of those years. A fun fact that I have learned is that it takes the earth 365.24219 days to revolve around the sun, and that is why we have an extra day every four years! Another interesting piece of information is that on leap days a woman may ask a man to marry her. In 2010, movie called “Leap Year” came out and was based on this tradition set in Ireland. It was a romantic comedy, with the Academy Award nominated actress Amy Adams as the lead actress.

There are 366 days in a leap year. How can you remember which months have thirty days and not thirty-one? There is a rhyme to help you remember: “Thirty days has September, April, June and November. All the rest have thirty-one, except February which has twenty-eight, in fine till leap year makes it twenty-nine.”

I think that using rhymes to help retain information is a useful tool to use. Another way to remember the number of days in a month is something I learned while studying French in college. We learned the months of the year by using our knuckles; either a knuckle or the space in between them represented each month.

Vocabulary Words

Leap Year- a year with 366 days
Revolve- to move in a circle or to come around again
Romantic comedy- a movie that has both romantic and comedic elements
Academy Award- an award in the American film industry for excellent performances
Rhyme- words that end in the same sounds
Knuckle- the joints of the finger (rounded parts when the finger is bent)

Vocabulary Activity- Answer the following questions using your new vocabulary words. If necessary, re-read the blog to help you find your answers.

1. How many days are in a Leap Year?
2. What revolves around the sun?
3. What is one romantic comedy?
4. Who has been nominated for an Academy Award?
5. Do the words fun and sun rhyme?
6. Where are your knuckles?

Grammar Point- Rhymes exist between words that sound the same, but do not start with same letter.

Grammar Activities-

Part 1- Identify the words that rhyme in the “Leap Year Rhyme.”

Part 2- Which of the following words rhyme? Don’t forget to say the word out loud to be sure a rhyme exists.
Year Day Knuckle Rhyme
Buckle Time Play Clear

Part 3- Create your own rhyme of four lines. Themes that you can write about include: holidays, colors, sports, and animals.