Fourth of July

One of the best days of the Summer in my opinion is the Fourth of July.  On this day each Summer, our country celebrates the day it became independent.  On July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed freeing the country from Great Britain's rule.

People often celebrate by going to barbecues, having a party at their house, going to the beach, and watching fireworks.  Fireworks are my favorite part of the Fourth of July because they are not something that we see every day.  I love how bright they are and the different shapes and patterns that they make in the sky.  

Many people will wear clothing that is red, white, and blue on the Fourth of July in honor of the colors that are on the American flag.  Sometimes people make foods, especially desserts, that are also red, white, and blue.

I think that it is also important that we also take time to appreciate the brave men and women who have fought and are fighting to protect our independence and our freedoms.

Vocabulary

1. opinion: a person's own thoughts about an idea or item for example, a favorite color, or food

2. independent: does not need help or guidance 

3. Declaration of Independence: document signed in 1776 that said that Great Britain was no longer the boss

4. Fireworks: bright display of colors from controlled explosions

5. Protect: to keep safe

Vocabulary Practice

Match the vocabulary word with the correct definition.

1. protect                                                      a. a person's own thoughts about an idea or item

2. fireworks                                                  b. does not need help or guidance

3. Declaration of Independence                   c. document signed in 1776 that said Great Britain was no                                                                          longer the boss   

4. independent                                             d. bright display of colors from controlled explosions

5. opinion                                                     e. to keep safe

Parts of Speech

Fact and Opinion

You've already learned that an opinion is a personal thought.  For example, your favorite color might be blue, but my favorite color is green. A fact is something that is true and can be proven.  For example, this blog discusses the Declaration of Independence.  It is a fact and can be proven by historical documents that the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776.

Summer

Summer, My Favorite!

After the change of Spring comes my personal favorite season, Summer!  During the Summer, there's no school, it's hot out, and the sun is out for as long as it can be!

There are so many great activities to do during Summer days.  One of my favorite things to do is to grab a book, some water, a snack, my chair, and head down to the beach.  I love to feel the warm rays of the sun, and feel the salty ocean air.

One of my favorite parts about Summer is the food!!  When it's hot out, people like to barbecue and cook as well as eat outside!  Some of my favorite foods to cook on the grill are burgers, salmon, chicken, and vegetables.  Another thing I like to do after enjoying a meal outside is to roast marshmallows on hot coals.  To roast a marshmallow, I take a long stick, put the marshmallow on the end of it and place it near the hot coals.  Sometimes you have to be really patient, other times the marshmallow will roast quickly.  I love how gooey the marshmallow becomes!

Vocabulary

1. barbecue: cooking on a barbecue.  Below is a picture of barbecue

2. grill: another word for barbecue
3. burgers: cooked patties of ground meat, usually topped with tomato, lettuce, and onion
4. marshmallows: sugary, dessert type food

Vocabulary Review

Use the vocabulary words above to complete the story.

        On Friday night I came home from work and wanted to __________________________.  First, I got together all of my ingredients.  I had ground meat, lettuce, tomato, onions, and jalapenos. I was super excited to make this ________________________ on the _____________________.  After I ate my delicious dinner, it was time for dessert.  I took out my fluffy __________________________ and placed a few on a stick to roast them. 

Parts of Speech

Adjectives: words that describe or modify a noun

Examples of adjectives in this blog are gooey, warm, salty, long, and hot.

Spring

After Winter, comes Spring.  When the weather begins to change in March, it can often be crazy.  One day it will be warm, the next day it will be snowing, and a day later it can be cold and rainy.  Many people say, "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb." This saying doesn't mean that March is actually a lion; it just means that the start of the month is fierce like a lion.  By the end of the month, the weather is usually more calm, like a lamb.

I love the Spring because the trees and flowers begin to grow back and many animals come out of hiding.  I also enjoy the Spring because the temperature warms up and it's lacrosse season!  This means I get to spend a couple of hours outside each afternoon coaching. 

My birthday is also in the beginning of April which is always fun to celebrate with friends and family.  

It sometimes rains a lot as the seasons change; usually April is a rainy month.  As we get further into Spring it begins getting warmer.  You need to make sure you check the weather forecast to see what clothes would be appropriate for that day and if you need to bring an umbrella or rain coat.

Vocabulary

lion: animal that belongs to the big cat family

lamb: young sheep

fierce: intense

calm: relaxed

Vocabulary Review

Unscramble the letters to create a vocabulary word.

malb: ____________

rceeif: ___________

clma: ___________

noil: ____________

Parts of Speech: Simile

A simile is a comparison of objects that are not alike that uses like or as.  For example, "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb."  March is being compared to lion; March is a month and a lion is an animal.  A month and an animal are not alike but can be compared to help a reader visualize or make a connection.

Winter

After the trees have lost all of their leaves, we enter the season of Winter.  Winter, in my opinion, is one of the hardest seasons to get through.  The temperature drops and it can be very, very cold outside.  The sun sets earlier, so it gets darker earlier at night.  Sometimes it is so windy that it can hurt your face to go outside.

There are many activities to do; some activities are enjoyable and some are not.  Some activities that are enjoyable are sledding, building a snowman, and having a snowball fight.  Activities that might not be so fun are shoveling, cleaning the snow off of cars, and driving.

It is also important that you dress appropriately for the weather.  During the Winter you will probably need to wear a warm coat, hat, scarf, gloves, boots, and sometimes snow pants.

One time, I shoveled my whole driveway and cleaned off 3 cars while it was still snowing.  It was very windy too, and my face started to hurt.  

Fun Fact:  Did you know that each snowflake is unique?  Just like us.

Vocabulary

temperature: measurement of how hot or cold something is

enjoyable: an activity or event that makes you happy while doing it

shoveling: remove snow from an area with a shovel

appropriately: acceptable for that event

unique: different from anything else

Vocabulary Review

Match the vocabulary word to the picture it best represents.

enjoyable                                                

temperature                                               

shoveling                                                  

unique                                                        

appropriately                                              

Parts of Speech: Verbs

Verbs are words that can describe actions.  Some verbs are doing verbs.  Some examples of verbs used in this post are shoveling, cleaned, sets, hurt, sledding, and building.

Halloween

With the changing of the season, the leaves, and the temperature come some exciting Fall celebrations.  Although there are many holidays during the Fall months, I'm going to share information about Halloween!

Halloween

Halloween is celebrated in many cultures, on different days, for different reasons.  In the United States, Halloween is celebrated on October 31.  

During the weeks leading up to Halloween, you will start to see many houses with decorations or Jack-o-lanterns in front of their houses.  Some Jack-o-lanterns are funny while others are scary!

Jack-o-lantern

Another way that Halloween is celebrated in the United States is dressing up in costumes!!  People, especially children, get excited every year to dress up as someone or something else for the day.  Many popular costumes include movie characters, superheroes, monsters, ghosts, witches, and animals.  Some costumes can be scary, but it's important to remember that there is just someone dressing up for fun underneath the maybe scary mask.  Some costumes you may see this year are Captain America, Joy, pandas, and witches. You can buy the costume or make it on your own!

Vocabulary

holiday: a special day

celebrate: do a fun activity for a special reason

Jack-o-lanterns: a pumpkin the has holes cut in it to make a face or other picture

costumes: set of clothes that makes you look like someone or something else

Vocabulary Review

Choose the vocabulary word that completes the sentence.

1.  I carved a scary _________________________ out of a pumpkin and put it on my front steps.

2.  My favorite holiday to __________________ is my birthday because we have a party.

3. A special day such as Halloween is a ________________.

4.  If I want to look like a fish, I would need a _________________.

Parts of Speech: Proper Nouns

We have learned that nouns are words that identify a person, place, thing, animal, or idea.  Some nouns are special and identify a specific person, place, thing, or idea; these nouns are called proper nouns.  Proper nouns start with capital letters.  A person's name, the name of a restaurant, a specific city or street name are all proper nouns.

Some examples from this post of proper nouns are:

Halloween

Captain America

Joy

All About Fall

This year, Fall (also called Autumn) began on September 22.  Most people think of Fall beginning earlier in September when students begin going back to school.

Although the first day of Fall signifies the change of seasons, you will most likely not notice much change in the weather until the first few weeks of October. (I'm sure you've noticed the weather getting a little bit cooler.)

One of the most obvious changes that comes with Fall is the change of the color of the leaves on trees.  In New York, the leaves will begin changing from green to different shades of yellow, red, orange, and brown.

Leaves in the Summer

Leaves in the Fall

What to Wear

When the seasons change, we must change what we wear too!  We choose to wear different pieces of clothing in order to keep ourselves comfortable with the weather.

People usually begin wearing sweatshirts, sweatpants, long pants, long sleeve shirts, and thin scarves.  You may also start seeing people wearing boots and sneakers.  The temperature may be different every day so it is always a good idea to check the forecast before selecting what to wear.

Sweatshirt

Long pants (jeans)

Boots

Sneakers

 What to Do

There are many activities to do during the Fall as well!  Most of them are also done outdoors because it typically isn't too hot or too cold.  

New York has many parks where people can go to ride bikes, play games, or even hike.  Hiking is a lot of fun because you get to exercise but also get to see the beautiful leaves.

Bear Mountain is a great place to hike!

Sports in New York, and across the United States are often played in different seasons.  One of the most popular sports that begin in the Fall is football!  My favorite team is the New York Giants. 

New York Giants Logo

Another popular sport that is played during the Fall in middle school and high school is soccer.  In other parts of the world, soccer is called "futbol".  Many teams will play all year, but the main season is traditionally Fall.

Soccer ball

People also enjoy going apple picking or pumpkin picking!  The eastern part of Long Island has many large farms where people spend the day choosing pumpkins from the vine and apples from trees.  This is the time when the apples and pumpkins are ripe and ready to harvest.

Pumpkins

Apples

Vocabulary

hike: walk for a long distance, especially across country or in the woods.

football: a team game played in North America with an oval ball on a field 

pumpkin: a large rounded orange-yellow fruit with a thick rind, edible flesh, and many seeds.

Welcome to New York!

One of the most wonderful things about living in New York is getting to experience the change of seasons. New York is in the Northeast Region of the United States.  Not all regions of the United States, or other parts of the world get to have this same experience.

Map of the United States of America, New York is highlighted red

We are able to welcome the gorgeous color change of the leaves on the trees during the Fall and we are also able to build snowmen and drink hot chocolate in the Winter.  After a few months of frigid temperatures, we then get to watch as the flowers begin to bloom again and the trees sprout their new leaves during the Spring months.  Then, we welcome the Summer months when we are out of school and able to go to the beach.  

Since I've started this blog in the beginning of October, let's talk about Fall first.  

The Fall season may also be called Autumn. We usually experience Fall between the end of September, October, and November; so it is about 3 months long.  

Next, we enter Winter.  Winter typically lasts through December, January, and February.

Then, we enter Spring.  In New York, we enter Spring during March; and it continues through the months of April and May.

After Spring comes Summer.  Summer lasts through June, July, and August.

Each year, the seasons will begin or end on different days but they are typically about 3 months long.

Some people may have a favorite season. Maybe they prefer, or like, one type of weather or maybe they prefer the activities that we get to enjoy in one season.

I personally love all of the seasons!  I enjoy the differences in weather, I like doing different activities during each season.  

Keep coming back to read about the experiences we can have during each season!

Vocabulary

Gorgeous: very pretty, nice to look at

Snowmen:  more than one snowman.  A snowman is usually 3 big round balls of snow stacked on top of each other. 

Hot chocolate: warm drink made of melted chocolate or cocoa powder 

Frigid: very cold in temperature

Sprout: to begin to grow

Vocabulary Review

Circle the vocabulary words.

Parts of Speech: Nouns

• Nouns are words that identify a person, place, animal, thing, or idea.  
• Some examples from this blog of nouns are:
• New York
• seasons
• hot chocolate
• Spring
• Winter
• Summer
• love
• If you want to practice, see how many nouns you can find in one or two sections!