Week #10: Final Challenge

Week #10- BACK TO SCHOOL

First, I want to thank everyone for their participation in the poetry activity. Alex left me awed; Marty made me laugh; and all of Megan's onomatopoeia made me feel like I rode a roller coaster. This week will be the final activity for the summer blog.

Take the words BACK TO SCHOOL and make as many words as you possibly can. Your words need to be a minimum of 3 letters each. 1-10 words will earn 2 bonus points; 11-20 words will earn 3 bonus points, 21-30 words will earn 4 bonus points; and finally, 31-40 words will earn 5 bonus points. Good luck!

Week #9: Summer Poetry

This week's challenge is poetry. Write a poem of at least 8 lines incorporating 2 of the following poetic techniques: simile, metaphor, alliteration, personification, rhyme, repetition, and onomatopoeia. Your poem should be original and about a summer topic. Some examples include but are not limited to the Olympics, the weather, sports, vacation, and the beach.

Be sure to include what techniques you used in your e-mail. Your poem will be graded on three traits: Fluency, Conventions, and Ideas and Content. Each trait is worth 1 point making this activity worth 3 bonus points. I look forward to reading your creative poems!

Week #8 Answers

Week #8 Answers
1. good
2. well
3. well
4. good
5. well
6. good
7. well
8. good
9. good
10. well
11. well
12. good

Week #8: Good or Well

Week #8: Good or Well

Good and well can be difficult to choose between in a sentence. Good is an adjective. It usually follows forms of be like is, are, was, and were. Well is an adverb and usually describes a person's health and performance. Complete each of the following sentences with good or well. Each is worth .25 making this activity worth 3 bonus points.

1. I feel _____ about how the team played.
2. The team played the game ______.
3. Nancy is not feeling _______ today.
4. Luna is a _______ pet.
5. We scored _______ while playing darts.
6. Marvin did a _______ deed.
7. Marlon always does _____ on the weekly spelling test.
8. Amanda is ________ at playing many sports.
9. Jamie's hearing is _______.
10. The wires are not connected _______, and that's why the reception is bad.
11. If you want to stay ________, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
12. The singers sound ________ from the back row of the auditorium.

Week #7 Answers

Great job to the 19 people who took the challenge this week. Nice job! I hope your summer has been relaxing and fun!
Week #7 Answers for Analogies
1. C-stream
2. D- verify
3. D- frieze
4. C- clear
5. C- color
6. A- merciful
7. D- purse
8. A- grain
9. D- sorrow
10. B- rye
11. C- beverage
12. A- shave

Week #7: Analogies

Abigail had suggested that I do a week of analogies, so here it is. Each is worth .25, making this activity worth 3 bonus points. Good luck!

1. Stallion is to stable as salmon is to _______

A. mare    B. barn    C. stream    D. pool

2. Morose is to gloomy as vouch is to ____

A. unhappy   B. scratch   C. disregard   D. verify

3. Plum is to plumb as freeze is to _____

A. fruit B. wrench C. cold D. frieze

4. Sheperd is to tend as busboy is to _____

A. sheep    B. bus   C. clear   D. order

5. Paper clip is to attach as crayon is to ______

A. wax    B. paint    C. color   D. chalk
6. Benign is to malignant as ruthless is to _______

A. merciful   B. difficult   C. ready    D. illegal

7. Pliers is to toolbox as wallet is to _______

A. hammer    B. money    C. suitcase    D. purse

8. Cilantro is to herb as oats is to ______

A. grain    B. wheat   C. wood    D. salad

9. Corrupt is to upstanding as bliss is to _______

A. bless    B. genteel   C. vicious    D. sorrow

10. Seas is to seize as wry is to ______

A. ocean   B. rye   C. why    D. grab

11. ring is to jewelry as juice is to _______

A. lemonade   B. apples    C. beverage    D. water

12. Axe is to chop as razor is to _______

A. shave    B. blade   C. sharp     D. tool

Week #6 Answers

Here are the answers to Week #6. Thank you to all who participated. You did a great job.
1. Dumber, because
2. Stacey, since
3. Madagascar 3, so
4. Hoodwinked, although
5. books, until
6. Arrest, because
7. Juliet, so
8. movie, since
9. much, whenever
10. Avengers, because

Week #6: Commas with subordinate conjunctions

Week #5 was writing a movie review, so there will be no answers, but I will be using the reviews to write this week's challenge. This week's challenge comes as a result of the conventional errors I noticed in the movie reviews. Many students neglected to put commas BEFORE subordinate conjunctions. Subordinate conjunctions include the following words: because, so that, after, whenever, before, although, even though, since, and until. Read each sentence below and write the word that comes before the comma, the comma, and the word that comes after the comma. Each sentence is worth .25 points totalling 2.5 bonus points.

1. Austin enjoys the movie Dumb and Dumber because he says it makes him laugh.

2. Grace says she is most like Gwen Stacey since she is brave and smart.

3. Marty watches Madagascar 3 so that he can hear his name and feel like an animated star. 

4. Genieve would like to add a chipmunk to the movie Hoodwinked although she likes the movie the way it is too.

5. Megan did not think she would enjoy the Twilight movies and books until she decided to give them a chance.

6. Aeryk did not like the costumes in the movie House Arrest because they were a bit old fashioned.

7. Megan wishes Juliet would have had a motherly figure in the movie Gnomeo and Juliet so that she could have had a character to confide in throughout the movie

8. Baily feels that Katy Perry should have reviewed the divorce scene in her movie since she felt it was a bit too personal and depressing to show to millions of people.

9. Matthew loves Star Trek so much whenever he is bored he rents one of their movies at Family Video.

10. Jack recommends people go to the theaters to see The Avengers because he says it is a fantastic summer release.

Week #5: Movie Review

Week #5: Movie Review

With the weather being so miserable and new movies coming out in the theater, you have watched or gone to see many movies this summer. Right? If not, watch one. It is supposed to be in the high 90's the rest of this week giving you an opportunity to relax in front of the boobtube. This week's challenge is to write a 5-7 sentence paragraph critiquing a movie. The movie can be current and in the theaters now, or it can be a DVD you recently watched this summer. Your paragraph will be graded on 3 traits. Each trait will count as 1 point. The traits include Ideas and Content, Word Choice, and Conventions. Here are a list of questions you may want to include answers to in your paragraph.

*Who was your favorite character? Why?
*What character are you most like? Why?
*What was your favorite scene? Why?
*What scene do you wish was not in the movie? Why?
*How many stars would you give it? Why?
*If you could add a character, who would you add? What would he/she do?
*What did you think of the costumes? Makeup? Music?
*If it was a book first, which did you like better? Why?

Week #4 Answers

Week #4 Collective Noun Answers
1. audience

2. choir

3. class
4. none
5. herd
6. Congress
7. none
8. flock
9. army
10. team
11. family
12. none

Week #4: Collective Nouns

Collective nouns are nouns that are singular but represent a group. The word group, for example, is a collective noun. It is singular but stands for more than one item together. Read each sentence below and identify the collective noun in each sentence. Three of the following have no collective nouns. Each is worth .25 points making this activity worth 3 bonus points.

1. The audience cheered for the young singer as she belted out the beautiful song.

2. The choir sang "The National Anthem" in the wrong key.

3. Our class sat in the front of the auditorium for the play.

4. Some of the cheerleaders can do backflips and air splits.
5. Their dog gathers the herd in the field.
6. Shelly is excited about watching Congress in session while visiting Washington D. C.
7. That house on the corner looks like a mansion compared to the others.
8. It was scary when the flock of geese landed in my yard.
9. Although I might be exagerrating a bit, her suitcase was so heavy, it practically took an army to carry it.
10. Unfortunately their team did not have enough players, so they had to forfeit the game.
11. Everyone was so excited for the new family that moved in next door.
12. Mice can be a nuisance when they get into your pantry.

Week #3: Answers

1. principal                  7. pour

2. heir                         8. profit

3. cereal                     9. stationery

4. flour                       10. waited

5. know                      11. where

6. idle                         12. weak

Week #3: Homophones

I would like to thank Austin for giving me the idea for homophones. Homophones are words that sound alike but are spelled differently. Fill in each of  the following sentences with one of the homophones below. This activity is worth 3 bonus points, making each worth .25 points.

1. I was shocked when the (principal / principle) gave us an extra recess.

2. Since he was the sole (heir / air) to the family's estate, he inherited a mansion.

3. Without my morning (serial / cereal) I am grouchy by nine.

4. Instead of adding (flour / flower) to the batter, he added cornstarch. What a big mistake!
5. If you don't (know / no) a definition, you can always look it up in a dictionary.
6. He sat (idol / idle) for so long, he started to doze off on the bench.
7. While I was trying to (pore / pour) the lemonade into the cups, I spilled it on the floor.
8. After the garage sale, we counted a (profit / prophet) of two hundred dollars.
9. I wanted to write a thank you letter on nice (stationary / stationery), but I could only find loose leaf paper.
10. The devoted fans (waited / weighted) in line for their One Direction tickets.

11. That GPS system came in handy when we didn't know (where / wear) to turn for your house.

12. Because of the surgery, Mark's muscles were (weak / week), and he needed some intense rehabilitation.

Week #2: Answers

Week #2: Capitalization Answers

1. president

2. Father

3. governor

4. peanut butter

5. Doctor

6. Professor

7. principal

8. shoes

9. baseball player

10. Officer

11. lieutenant

12. Sister

Week #2: Capitalization

Week #2: Capitalization

This week I want to practice capitalization. Here are a few tips that should help you with this activity.

-You only capitalize a personal title when it is attached to the person's name. (Vice Principal Foley)

-You capitalize a name brand but not the generic product (Lays potato chips)

This activity is 3 bonus points. All you have to do is write the word I have underlined capitalized or lowercase. I have written all of them in lowercase, so as not to give away the answers.

1. I would never want to be a president, because it requires too much responsibility.

2. Did you hear father Daryl's homily this Sunday?

3. Everyone was glad to see her win governor.

4. Whenever I am hungry, I like to eat apples with Jif peanut butter.
5. Since he needs braces, he will go to doctor Wong.

6. One of the smartest teachers is professor Stone.

7. When the principal called me into her office, I panicked.

8. Some people will only buy Nike shoes, because they say they fit better than other shoes.

9. Paul Konerko is a White Sox baseball player with a pretty good hitting record right now.

10. Shawn knew he was going to get a ticket when officer Michaels pulled him over for speeding.

11. After serving in the army for five years, Joe ranked as a lieutenant.

12. I will never forget how sister Rose made misbehaving students stick their noses in a circle on the chalkboard.

Summer Blog 2012 Week #1

WEEK #1:  5 WORDS

We will start the summer off with an easy one!

Here are 5 Warehouse Words. Define them, including their parts of speech(es) and definition(s). Then use each in a sentence with at least 7 words in each sentence. This activity is worth 3 points. Each piece is worth .3 points.

perturb

hygienic

mannequin

mundane
valor