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.