Week #9: Final Challenge

GOODBYE VACATION!

Thank you to all of those who participated in this year's summer blog. I learned not to play "Call Me Maybe" unless I want to make Megan crazy. I learned not to chew with my mouth full unless I want to irritate Marty. I learned that if I want to remove nail polish around Caroline, it would be best to use remover and not my nails. I learned Jack hates being bored, so I will be sure to provide lots of homework this year to keep him busy. I learned from Kevin that all politicians are liars and do not keep their promises, and finally I learned that cracking any joints will cause smoke to come from Grace's ears.

For this final challenge, I present you with a series of words: GOODBYE VACATION. Twist them and move them to make as many words as you can. Your words need to be at least 3 letters. If you create 1-10 words you will earn 1 bonus/House point; 11-20 words will earn you 2 bonus/House points; 21-30 words will earn you 3 bonus/House points; 31+ words will earn you 4 bonus/House points. Good luck with this final challenge.

Week #8 What gets on your nerves?

It is that time again! Time for writing! This time I would like a short paragraph describing some item, song, habit, TV show, activity, etc. that gets on your nerves. What is it? How does it get on your nerves? Who is a part of it? When does it get on your nerves? For this challenge I am looking for a strong voice (1 point), at least five body sentences (1 point), a strong introduction and satisfying closing (1 point), and nonrepetitive, grade level word choice (1 point). This challenge is worth 4 bonus/House points. I look forward to reading about your pet peeves. 

Week #7 Answers

bee to swarm
soldier to army
bird to flock
teacher to faculty
member to committee
priest to conclave
students to class
crow to murder
turkey to gang
dog to pack
player to team
elephant to herd

Week #7: Collective Nouns

Collective nouns are nouns that represent groups. They are not just plural nouns.

Example- pride for a group of lions

Directions: Below is a list of words. For every singular noun there is a collective noun that matches it. Write each pair of nouns together. Each is worth .25 making this activity worth the usual 3 bonus points.

Example- lion to pride

bee          commitee

soldier      dog

bird          gang
faculty      crow

army        conclave

member    pack

swarm      class

teacher     herd

murder     student

priest        team

turkey       player

flock         elephant

Week #6 Answers

Everyone did very well this week. Here are the answers.
1. comparative
2. none
3. none
4. superlative
5. comparative
6. superlative
7. comparative
8. comparative
9. none
10. superlative
11. superlative
12. none

Week #6:Comparative and Superlative

Adjectives and adverbs can be comparative and superlative. Comparative is used to show a relationship between items. Superlative is used to show a relationship with all other items. Comparative adjectives/adverbs end in "er" or use the word "more" with the original adjective/adverb. Superlative adjectives/adverbs end in "est" or use the word "most" with the origianl adective/adverb. Label each sentence as comparative, superlative, or none. Each is worth .25, making this challenge worth 3 bonus points. Clue: 4 of the sentences are "none."

1. Her brother John is a better football player than her cousin Bill.
2. That pretty wedding dress costs over a thousand dollars.
3. His cell phone had no connection in the middle of the forest.
4. Some of the best meals can be made with chicken.
5. Their dog barks louder than their bird chirps.
6. At the zoo, the fastest animal is the cheetah.
7. When he got the detention, his mom was more disappointed than his dad.
8. Those tomato plants are growing taller than the green pepper plants.
9. During the conversation, Peter sounded upset about the change in vacation plans.
10. Although Kelly is super athletic, biking is most difficult on her knees.
11. If you want to buy the cheapest tablet don't buy an iPad.
12. That silly man sang his favorite song in his car.

Week #5 Word Ladder Answers

Sorry. I have counted incorrectly. This was only week #5. I somehow skipped Week#3. Everyone who participated did very well. Thank you to all of you for your dedication to the blog this summer.
1. sum
2. sun
3. sand
4. sank
5. sack
6. tack
7. attack
8. attach
9. match
10. mat
11. nation
12. vacation

Week #5: Word Ladder

A word ladder is a puzzle where you start with a word and continuously change it until you end up with a word associated with the starting word. There are 12 words. Each is worth .25 making this challenge worth 3 bonus points. Note: sometimes it helps to work backwards if you get stuck.Also, the little lines each stand for a letter. 

Starting word: summer

1. What you get when you add two numbers together (take away the last 3 letters) ___ ___ ___
2. What rises in the morning and sets in the evening (change one letter) ___ ___ ___
3. What a beach is mostly surrounded by (change 1 letter and add 1 letter) ____ ____ ____ ____
4. What happened to the Titanic when it hit an iceberg (change the last letter) ____ ____ ____ ____
5. A bag to carry items (change 1 letter) ____ ____ ____ ____
6. A type of small pin (change the first letter) ____ ____ ____ ____
7. To approach aggressively and often with a weapon (add 2 letters to the beginning) ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
8. To connect (change the last letter) ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
9. A pair (add a letter to the beginning and take away 2 letters) ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
10. A type of rug to wipe your feet on- a Welcome __________ (take away the last 2 letters) ____ ____ ____
11. A line from "The Pledge of Allegiance" One ___________ under God... (change the first letter and add 3 letters to the end) ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
12. Time away from school/work (change the first letter and add 2 letters to the middle) ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

Week #4 Answers

1. boy waved
2. firecrackers exploded
3. sparklers will burn
4. beach is visited
5. they could hear
6. dog ran
7. family dressed
8. dinner consisted
9. sister hates
10. Mark was burned
11. sky lit or lit up
12. smell wafted

Week #4: Simple Subjects and Simple Predicates

Happy Fourth of July Everyone!

*Thank you to the few students who participated in last week's YouTube paragraph. You had very thoughtful ideas for your futures, immediate and distant.

*This week, the challenge is to find the simple subjects and predicates (verbs) for each of the following sentences. Remember NOT to include adjectives. Remember to include helping verbs. This week's challenge is worth 4 bonus points. Each question is worth .25. List your simple subject first and then your simple predicate (verb).

1. During the parade, the little boy waved an American flag.
2. That firecracker exploded on the pavement.
3. Those colorful sparklers will burn for a minute.
4. On the Fourth of July, the beach is visited by hundreds of people.
5. Because their house is close to the Cove, they could hear the fireworks after the game.
6. The skittish dog ran under the couch when she heard the loud boom.
7. In honor of the day, the family dressed in red, white, and blue.
8. For the cookout, dinner consisted of hot dogs and hamburgers.
9. My sister hates fireworks, because she thinks they are very dangerous.
10. While lighting his sparkler, Mark was burned accidentally.
11. When it got darker, the sky lit up with tons of fireworks.
12. At the end of the night, a sulfur smell wafted into their home.

Week #3: What Would You Do?

While surfing YouTube, I came across this video. It made me think?

Watch it and write a paragraph about how you plan to spend the ? time of your future life. What is important to you? What do you love to do?

Your paragraph should have a topic sentence (1 point).

Your paragraph should have at least 5 detail sentences (1 point).

Your paragraph should have a satisfying closing (1 point).

Your paragraph should have complete sentences and proper conventions (1 point)

This bonus activity is worth 4 bonus points.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOksW_NabEk

If the link doesn't work, the title of the video is "The Time You Have (in Jelly Beans)." It is posted by zefrank1.

I look forward to reading your reflections.

Week 2 Answers

Thank you to all those who participated in the summer blog this week. Many of you missed number 3. You mistook "after you feed the ducks" for a prepositional phrase. It is not a prepositional phrase because it has a verb (feed) in it. Prepositional phrases do not have verbs.
1. at Leeper Park
2. by the pond
3. on the swings, down the slide
4. across the street
5. of the squirrels
6. beside the pond
7. around your neighborhood, via bicycle, for exercise
8. with your friends
9. throughout the summer
10. during this summer
11. before school
12. with your friends, over the next few weeks

Week #2: Prepositional Phrases

This week we are practicing prepositional phrases. A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with an object. The following sentences have at least one prepositional phrase in each. Some have more. The number after each sentence tells you how many prepositional phrases are in each. Each sentence is worth .25 making this activity worth 3 bonus points. If you need help, here is a link that may help you with this activity. http://www.towson.edu/ows/prepositions.htm 

1. If you want to see ducks, they live at Leeper Park. (1)

2. You will find geese by the pond as well. (1)

3. After you feed the ducks, you can swing on the swings or slide down the slide. (2)

4. Also, the park has tennis across the street. (1)
5. Be careful. some of the squirrels can be a bit aggressive.(1)
6. Beside the pond is the St. Joseph River. (1)
7. This summer, you may want to ride around your neighborhood via bicycle for exercise. (3)
8. You can even ride with your friends.(1)
9. Throughout the summer, I hope you are safe and have fun. (1)
10. Enjoy the weather as often as you can during this summer. (1)
11. I hope you get to do something fun before school.(1)
12. Spend time with your friends and family over the next few weeks.(2)

Week #1 Answers

Thank you to the 16 people who participated this past week. Almost everyone earned the full 3 bonus points. Here are the answers.
1. girl's
2. children's
3. man's
4. puppy's
5. geese's
6. priest's
7. pictures'
8. shoes'
9. movie's
10. show's
11. Roof Sit's
12. butterflies'

Week #1: Apostrophes

Apostrophes can be tricky. Here are a couple of tips.

Singular= Always add 's (no matter what)

Plural= Add s' unless it is irregular like people and children. Then you add 's to the irregular plural form.

Now try the following sentences. Make each noun possessive by adding 's or s'. Each one is worth .25 making this activity worth 3 bonus points.

1. The little _______________ (girl) room was decorated in pink and purple.

2. Some of the ______________ (children) toys were broken.

3. That _____________________ (man) hat blew down the street.

4. Her new _________________ (puppy) bark sounded like a cat's meow.

5. At the park, some of the _________________(geese) eggs were destroyed by the raccoon.
6. During church, the ___________________ (priest) cell phone rang, embarrassing him in front of the congregation.
7. Many of the _____________(pictures) frames were filled with pictures of the new baby.
8. Those __________________ (shoes) prices were so reasonable due to the big sale.
9. If you want to find out the _______________ (movie) actors, you should look it up on IMDB.
10. Did you happen to see that ________________ (show) season finale last night?
11. All of the ___________________ (Roof Sit) money will go to helping abused children.

12. While examining the ____________________(butterflies) wings, the students noticed no two sets are alike.