The Academy Awards

Oscar Night!

I grew up in an Oscar house. Dating back as far as I can remember, I would watch the annual Academy Awards ceremony with my entire family, with each of us equally starstruck and mesmerized by the gala festivities. It was a tradition we eagerly awaited each year. Whether we had seen all the movies with nominations, or just a few, our eyes remained glued to the television screen from beginning to end. Aside from no longer watching the program with my parents and sisters, last night's broadcast was no different. Starting with the Red Carpet arrivals, and ending with the last award of the evening for Best Picture, my husband and I watched attentively to see who would be victorious and go home with a golden statuette. I usually get a least one phone call from each of my sisters during the program to share a noteworthy Oscar moment. Some things never change!

Vocabulary

Academy Awards: a program honoring excellent films and actors
starstruck: to be very impressed by someone famous
nomination: choosing or naming someone or something as a candidate, or possible winner
eyes remained glued: an expression meaning you watched carefully, without turning away
broadcast: a program on television
statuette: a small statue or figurine, in this case given to an Oscar winner

Complete each sentence with one of the vocabulary words above

1. The hockey game was so exciting that our ________________________ on the rink.
2. The sculptor made a small ____________ to represent the original larger statue.
3. That movie was so wonderful that I am sure it will win an _____________________.
4. When I saw Harry Connick, Jr., I was too ______________ to ask for his autograph.
5. I checked the TV Guide to see what time the _______________ is beginning.
6. Many movie stars say that it is an honor just to receive a ___________________.

Grammar Point: Past Tense

This story recalls memories from long ago, as well as those from as recently as last night. However, all these memories are in the past, and are expressed using verbs in the past tense. Reread the paragraph noting how many verbs are included in the past tense.

Valentine's Day

Yesterday I spent a few hours helping my three children prepare Valentine's cards and treats for their classmates. My son Alex has 33 children in his third grade class, my daughter Sami has 24 first grade classmates, and little Aidan has 24 friends in his Pre-Kindergarten class...that adds up to a total of 81 Valentines! We sure had our work cut out for us! Alex and Sami were able to work fairly independently, using their class lists to address each card. Sami took special care to choose just the right card for her not so secret admirer! Aidan's task was slightly more challenging, as he is still mastering not only spelling his name correctly, but also writing in a suitable size to fit all the letters together. His teacher requested that the Valentines not be addressed, to facilitate distribution into the students' backpacks...this made his job a little easier! They were all very excited when the Valentines had been completed, and look forward to sharing them with their friends tomorrow at school. Once again, they have reminded me that it is just as exciting to give, as it is to receive! Happy Valentine's Day!

Vocabulary

Valentine: a special treat, often a card or chocolate, given to someone to celebrate St. Valentine's Day

classmate: a student or person in your class

independently: working alone, or without help

admirer: a person who likes something, or someone

facilitate: to make something easier to do

distribution: giving or delivering something

Exercise: Complete these sentences using the vocabulary words above.

1. I sorted the dirty clothes in the hamper to ____________ doing the laundry.

2. Mary is an ___________ of that author; she has read all of her books.

3. He knows John from school; he is his ____________.

4. Can you help me with the ___________ of the mail?

5. Do you need help with this, or can you work _______________?

6. I received a beautiful __________ with red hearts and ribbon.

Grammar Point: Idiomatic Expressions

An idiomatic expression, or figure of speech, is a phrase or saying whose meaning does not necessarily correspond to its literal definition. For example, to say that someone is "all ears" does not mean that someone is literally made of all ears, but instead that they are ready and eager to listen to what someone has to say. Can you find an example of an idiomatic expression in the paragraph above, and figure out its meaning?

FDIC

FDIC

President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) by signing the Banking Act of 1933. The FDIC was created in response to the thousands of bank failures that occurred during the Great Depression of the 1920s and early 1930s. During that time, which began with the stock market crash on October 29, 1929, banks were unable to collect on the loans and credit they had extended to borrowers. They were therefore also unable to meet the demands of their depositors who tried to withdraw all their funds at the same time in what became known as bank runs. Under the provisions of the FDIC, if a bank or financial institution should fail, its depositors funds are insured up to $250,000. Since the start of FDIC insurance on January 1, 1934, no depositor has lost a single cent of insured funds as a result of a failure.

Vocabulary

depression: a period of severe financial difficulty

stock market: a public or private forum for buying and selling stock in companies

borrower: an individual or group of people using funds from a bank or other lender

depositor: an individual or group of people who place money in a bank account

withdraw: to take money out of a bank account

bank run: a situation in which numerous bank customers try to withdraw their bank deposits simultaneously and the bank's reserves (funds) are not sufficient to cover the withdrawals

provisions: something being provided

insurance: promise of reimbursement (repayment) in the case of loss

1. The bank was crowded with nervous customers during the _________.

2. The _________ asked for a $5,000 loan from the bank.

3. Many people fear that our current economic problems will lead to another _________.

4. His _________ policy will cover any losses he may incur.

5. The __________ of her contract give her two weeks paid vacation time.

6. People can invest in companies through the ________________.

7. I will _________ $100 from my bank account to pay for the party.

8. The bank teller helped the ___________ put funds into her account.

Grammar Point: Acronyms

An acronym is a word created by using the first letters, or initials, of a group of words. The FDIC is an acronym which stands for Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. You may have seen or read acronyms without even realizing it. Test your acronym skills with the following exercises:

Can you identify what the following acronyms stand for?
SCUBA
MIA
SOS
SONAR
FAQ

Can you name three additional acronyms?