A New Year ... A New Beginning

A New Year ... A New Beginning

In the United States, New Year's Day is celebrated on January 1st. On this special day, crowds of people gather into Times Square in order to watch the ball descend from the sky at midnight. In just about two weeks we will be saying good-bye to the year 2008 and hello to 2009. For many people this occasion will give them the opportunity to forget everything that has happened during the previous year and focus on a more positive upcoming year. This joyous time makes people smile and grateful that we live in such a wonderful country.

One major part of the holiday is making what is a called a New Year's resolution. In past years, I have failed to keep my resolutions for more than two weeks. However, this year I have a good feeling that I will be able to keep my promise for a longer period of time. This year my resolution is to get back into shape and loose 15 pounds by joining a gym and cutting out fast food. I have certainly limited myself with fast food in recent months, however, nothing seems to help unless you are exercising simultaneously. Getting back into shape is not only for personal reasons, but in order to stay healthy as well. High Cholesterol and Diabetes, two serious health risks, run in my family. Therefore, it is extremely important for me to maintain a smart and sensible diet.
For those who are graduating this December, I wish you the best of luck in your future en devours! For everyone else who I will see next semester, have a safe and happy holiday.

What will 2009 have in store for you?? Only time will tell ....

Vocabulary Review
simultaneously: (adjective) existing, occurring, or operating at the same time
descend: (verb) to go or pass from a higher to a lower place
grateful: (adjective) warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness
resolution:(noun) a formal expression of opinion or intention made
joyous:(adjective) joyful; happy

Vocabulary Practice
1. The plane began to ________ from the sky when they were approaching its final destination.
2. During Thanksgiving and other holidays, we reflect on the many things we are _____ for in our lives.
3. Holidays are a _______ occasion for people to be merry and celebrate together with friends and family.
4. I made a New Year's ______ to stop eating candy and junk food.
5. The scientist was hoping that the two reactions would occur ________.

Grammar Point- Articles
(a, an, the)
Articles belong to the wider class of 'determiner', words of phrases that come at the beginning of a noun phrase and signal whether the information is new or familiar, or which tell us something about quantity. These are used frequently during both writing and speaking. Since articles are part of noun phrases, they come at the beginning of the the phrase either immediately before a noun or an adjective, or before a combination of adverb, adjective & noun.

examples:
I heard a noise. (noun)
I heard an eerie noise. (adjective + noun)
I heard the strangely muffled noise of an animal in pain. (adverb + adjective + noun)

Question of the Week:
What is your New Year's resolution?

Safety Town

Safety Town

The students in my third grade class are planning a trip to Safety Town in the Spring.
Safety Town is a realistic, child-sized town designed to provide a complete hands-on safety education for children. Safety Town consists of a child sized town which has working traffic signals, miniature buildings, cross walks, complete with personal traffic provided by the children on tractors. This trip is a wonderful opportunity for children to participate in hands-on activities and be part of an unforgettable experience. I remember going to Safety Town on a school trip when I was in elementary school. It is great that this business is still open and available for teachers, parents, and children of all ages to enjoy.

Not only is this trip one that is exciting, it is also extremely informational as well. Not only do the students learn a great deal about traffic safety, they are also taught bike safety, pedestrian safety, school bus safety, fire safety, seat belt safety, 911 emergency calls, stranger danger and what to do if they find a gun. All of these issues must be taken seriously and children must be prepared if a situation does happen to occur.


Vocabulary Review
pedestrian:(noun) a person who goes or travels on foot; walker

emergency: (noun) a sudden, urgent, usually unexpected occurrence or occasion requiring immediate action

prepared:(adjective) properly expectant, organized, or equipped; ready

unforgettable:(adjective) impossible to forget

personal: (adjective) of, pertaining to, or coming as from a particular person

Vocabulary Practice
1. The trip was the best one yet so my teacher said, "It was simply ________".

2. My mother waited for the ________ to cross the street before she turned the car.

3. In order to do well in school, you must be sure to take notes, listen carefully and be _____ for each class.

4. Safety Town has surely prepared us in case there is an ________.

5. It is my _______ opinion that this was the best field trip ever!

Grammar Point - Contractions
Contractions are two words that are combined in order to make a smaller word. The missing letter(s) are replaced with an apostrophe ('). We generally use contractions more often in speaking rather than writing. They are considered to be a less formal way of expressing your ideas about a topic.

examples:
would not --> wouldn't
should not --> shouldn't
you will --> you'll
he will --> he'll
will not --> won't
can not --> can't


Question of the Week:
What was one memorable field trip that you
enjoyed from your childhood?

"Smart" Classrooms

"Smart" Classrooms

Technology is a wonderful resource that is available to us today. Many school districts have been implementing and promoting the use of technology in the classrooms. The overhead projector which was widely used in recent years, has taken a back seat to PowerPoint and SMART boards. As teachers, it is important to provide instruction in a variety of ways. This helps to peak student interest and creates more interactive and hands-on lessons. My third grade classroom at Riverside just added a SMART board to the classroom. We are working together as a class in order to become more and familar with it.

The students have been working with place value so we set up a lesson using the SMART board. The students had the opportunity to drag different ones, tens, and hundreds markers into the appropraite columns on the board. Additonally, they were able to pracitce with re-grouping. The program made trading and moving numbers around very simple. Learning math became a lot of fun for the students and they were able to focus and pay more close attention to the lesson.

Vocabulary Review
implementing: (verb) to put into practical effect; carry out

promoting: (verb) to help or encourage to exist or flourish

interactive: (adjective) of or pertaining to a two-way system of electronic
communications, as by means of television or computer:

peak: (noun) the highest or most important point or level

Vocabulary Practice

Grammar Point- prepositions
Many of the most common words in English are prepositons, and many of them are very short words (ex. at, for, in to). However, longer words and short phrases (ex. despite, except, out of, in terms of) can function as prepositons too.

Preopositons:

• usually come immediately before a noun or -ing form (to work/of cooking) or at the beginning of a phrase including a noun (at the cinema).
• often occur immediately after a verb (arrive at).

Question of the Week-
What are your feelings on technology in the classrom?

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year....

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year ....


Christmas is a wonderful time of year. No matter what holiday a person celebrates, this season is truely a great time to enjoy being with family and friends. Despite the chaos at the malls and the traffic on the road, there is a sense of love and joy in the air for the entire holiday season. People all across the country and world celebrate the holiday in different ways and participate in different rituals and routines to get ready for the special day.



One of my favorite avtivities to do each year is help put up the Christmas tree. The process is only a few steps, but takes a lot of care and precision. First, we string the multi-colored lights around the branches evenly. Next, we decorate the tree with a variety of bulbs and ornaments. Then, my mother places the angel on top of the tree. Finally, we decroate the outside branches with mint candy canes. For me this is not only an enjoyable activity but one that is memorable.



Vocabulary Review

memorable: (adjective) worth remembering; notable

precision: (noun) accuracy; exactness

rituals: (noun) A state or condition characterized by the presence

of established procedure or routine

season: (noun) one of the four periods of the year

(spring, summer, autumn, and winter)

chaos: (noun) a state of utter confusion or disorder



Vocabulary Practice

1. Summer is my favorite ______ of the year.

2. Surgeons must use a lot of _______ while working with their patients.

3. The concert was certainly a ________ experience. It is something I will never forget!

4. Since there was a substitue teacher in the classroom,

there seemed to be a period of ________.

5. The students performed a set of daily _______ in their morning routine.



Grammar Point - using discourse markers

Noticing and understanding discourse markers helps learners to understand the logical structure of what they read and listen to, the order of events and the attitude of the speaker or writer to what they are describing.

*Numbering and ordering points* - we use numbering and ordering discourse markers in writing more than in speaking. This is beacuse writing usually gives us more time to plan and monitor the number of points we are making.

examples: first, second, third, finally, lastly

Question of the Week:

What is favorite holiday to celebrate? Why?