Shellfish

Preparing dinner for a family of five can be challenging. It's not always easy to create a meal which is both well-balanced, and also satisfies the picky palettes of each of my three children, as well as my husband and myself. Although I try to avoid it, tonight was one of those nights where there were two different entrees on our dinner menu: shrimp and scallops with roasted garlic over brown rice for the adults, and grilled burgers with sweet potato fries for the children. The reason for this is simple. Although all three of my children enjoy seafood, Sami is extremely allergic to shellfish, and has had severe reactions to both shrimp and scallops. I thought that by differentiating the adult menu from the childrens' menu I could get away with enjoying an occasional shellfish dinner for myself, but I was wrong. As I sat down to have my first bite, poor little Sami looked at me with her big brown eyes, and sadly said, "Why must you torture me when you know I love shellfish?" Next time it's burgers for everyone!

Vocabulary:
1. well-balanced: containing or including a good variety of items
2. palette: one's sense of taste, or preferences in food
3. entree: a main course for dinner
4. shellfish: includes seafood such as lobsters, crabs, shrimp, and scallops
5. differentiate: to change or make something different

Use the vocabulary words to complete the following sentences:
1. ________use their shells as a home, and as protection from other sea creatures.
2. We learned about the importance of a __________ diet when we studied the food pyramid.
3. If you're not hungry enough to eat an _________ you can just order an appetizer.
4. I color-coded my notebooks to _________ between each subject.
5. After the entree, I had a lemon sorbet to cleanse my ______.

Grammar Point: Non-Count Nouns

Many nouns in the English language are non-count nouns, meaning they do not have differentiated singular and plural forms, but rather one form which is used in all contexts. Examples of non-count nouns include grass, money, thunder, and seafood.

The Art Show

This past Friday I attended an art show at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Regional School, the school attended by my three children. The art show was held as a fund raising activity for the school, which we try to support in any way possible. In the past, we have attended art shows at the school, in which the work of a variety of local artists have been featured. Beautiful pieces purchased at these shows now hang on the walls of our home. But this most recent show was different, and this is because the artists featured were particularly gifted and special; they were our own children! Teaming up with the "Kids Art" foundation, St. Elizabeth, or SEAS as the school is fondly known, presented art work created by each student in the school. Each grade had a theme in which the students individually expressed their creativity and unique talents. The paintings were then matted and framed by Kids Art, in preparation for the show. As I entered the school gym, endless displays of the most magnificent art work greeted me; one more spectacular than the next. But there were three masterpieces which really stole the show: Alex's "Sailboat at Sunset," Sami's "Happy Butterfly," and Aidan's "Crazy Space Dinosaur." Needless to say, as the proud mom I am, I was moved to tears! As I sit in my den admiring my newly acquired art work I think to myself, "I know exactly how Picasso's mom felt!"

Vocabulary:

1. fund raising: an activity to earn money or donations
2. variety: a group containing different items or choices
3. featured: put on display, or singled out
4. teaming up: working together
5. masterpiece: one's best work

Use the vocabulary words to complete the following sentences:

1. The Mona Lisa was Leonardo da Vinci's _____________.

2. The story he wrote was ____________ in the school newspaper.

3. The church relies on _____________ to cover their renovation expenses.

4. Betty and Sue are _____________ to work on a project together.

5. The restaurant had a wide ____________ of entrees to choose from.

Grammar Point: The Passive Voice

In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is neither a do-er or a be-er, but is acted upon by some other agent or by something unnamed. In the passage above, there are several instances in which the passive voice is used, including the following example:

"The paintings were then matted and framed by Kids Art, in preparation for the show."

In the active voice, this sentence might read as follows:

"Kids Art matted and framed the paintings in preparation for the show."

See if you can find other examples, and try changing them from the passive to the active voice.

The Quietest Night Ever

This past Saturday, my three children asked if they could have a sleepover party at their grandparents house. After a busy and exhausting week, I thought this might be just what I needed; a quiet Saturday night. After dropping off the children, my husband and I ran errands, did some shopping, and even had a relaxing dinner at a restaurant. We could not believe how much we accomplished in a few short hours, with no children running around, hiding behind things, touching things, or complaining that they were bored with shopping and wanted to go home. What a treat! We soon returned home, with big expectations of watching a program on television - uninterrupted, and sleeping through the night with no one waking us to say they had a bad dream, or needed to use the bathroom. As we sat there in front of the TV, the grim reality soon set in: the house was TOO quiet! Where were the little footsteps running through the hall, the last minute requests for hugs and kisses, and the traditional night time exchanges: "good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite," and "I love you mommy!" Before going to bed, I peeked into each bedroom, as I always do, only to be reminded of how empty the house was without these three special little people. On Sunday Alex, Sami and Aidan burst into the house in a whirlwind of shouts, giggles, and screams...my house is happily noisy again!

Vocabulary:

sleepover: to sleep at someone else's home

errand: a chore or task that one must do

grim: sad or unpleasant

traditional: something that is always done in the same way

whirlwind: a rushed, loud, or confusing situation

Complete each sentence with the appropriate vocabulary word:

1. The movie started out quite _______ , but had a very happy ending.

2. Everyone brought a sleeping bag and pillow to the ___________ party.

3. On the first day of school the children came off the bus in a _________ of excitement.

4. Our family has a ___________ way of decorating the house for the holidays each year.

5. The only _________ I have to do tomorrow is to go to the post office to buy stamps.

Grammar Point

Prepositions are words that tell us about relationships between nouns and other words in our sentences. For example, they may tell us if something is over or under something else, if it came before or after something, or if it is with or without something. Reread the passage above, and see how many prepositions you can find, and what parts of your sentences they are expressing relationships between.

Critical Decision Making

Have you ever been faced with making a difficult decision? So often in life we find ourselves at crossroads; some of minor importance, such as choosing which shoes to wear to a party; and some of great magnitude, such as deciding on a career path or area of study. Whichever the case may be, the basic essential questions are usually the same: What are my options? Should I or shouldn't I? Which choice is better for me? What will happen if I make this decision? What are the consequences? To facilitate decision making, it can be helpful to organize all the information and factors involved in the situation. First, acknowledge the decision you must make (eg., which shoes to wear to the party). Next, identify what your options are (eg., high heels or sneakers). Now consider the possible positive and negative outcomes of choosing each option (eg., high heels look pretty, but are difficult to walk and dance in; sneakers are not very dressy, but would be very comfortable, and would allow me to enjoy myself more). Finally, evaluate how important each of the possible outcomes may be to you, and why. Now make your decision...and if the shoe fits, wear it!

Vocabulary:

crossroad: a time when you have to choose between two or more different things

minor: small

magnitude: large, or of importance

essential: necessary

options: choices, things to choose from

consequences: results of one's actions (usually negative)

Use the vocabulary words to complete the following sentences:

1. Even though she fell off her bike, she only had a ________ bruise on her knee.

2. In order to follow this recipe exactly, we will need all the ___________ ingredients.

3. Tom loves kittens but Lauren loves puppies; they found themselves at a ________ deciding on a pet.

4. When you do not follow the rules in class, you must suffer the ___________ of your actions.

5. She knew the whale was large, but did not fully appreciate its ________ until she saw it in person.

6. The menu had so many ________ that it was easy to find something I liked.

Grammar Point: Causes and Results

As discussed in this passage, our decisions (causes) can lead to a variety of outcomes (results). We can expresss such relationships between events using words such as so, then, therefore, thus, hence, as a result, consequently, and in that case. Using the example of deciding which shoes to wear, write a sentence about the decision and the outcome including cause and result words or phrases. If you write a good sentence then you will have mastered this grammar point!

Are you LOST?

One of my favorite television programs is LOST. Now in its fifth season, I have been a loyal viewer of the show since the very beginning, when Oceanic Flight 815 first plummeted down onto the mysterious island. But lately I find myself on the verge of being lost! Ever since the Oceanic Six have returned from the island to their "normal" lives, viewers have experienced a series of flashbacks and flashforwards...not to mention the flashes back on the island, which have the remaining survivors traveling through time and history on the island. It is often difficult to keep track of what point in time we are visiting the Others or members of the Dharma Initiative. The characters may go from childhood to adulthood and back again with a simple flash of light. Perhaps, as John Locke believes, it was the fate of the passengers to end up in this odd new world, and this is why he is committed to getting the Oceanic Six to return to the island. He believes their return is a necessity not only to the safety of the remaining passengers, but also to the survival of the island itself. Is it possible that their return will stop the flashes, and allow them all to settle back in the present? Or will returning to the island be their demise? Stay tuned to find out...I know I will!

Vocabulary

1. plummeted: to fall quickly

2. on the verge: close to, on the edge

3. flashback: to see something that happened in the past

4. flashforward: to see something happening in the future (or present in the case of LOST)

5. fate: destiny, something that is meant to happen or to be

6. demise: ruin, end of existence, death

Complete these sentences with the vocabulary words:

1. The fly met its _________ when it landed in the spider's web.

2. When I heard the children playing, I had a __________ to my own childhood long ago.

3. They are such a great couple, it was their ______ to be together.

4. I was so exhausted that I was ____________ of falling asleep.

5. I often _________ to imagine what I will be doing 10 years from now.

6. The stockmarket has really __________ during this economic crisis.

Grammar Point

We can use a variety of words, including modal verbs, adjectives, nouns, and adverbs, to help us to express modal meaning: showing ability or possibility. The passage above demonstrates this by incorporating such words as perhaps, or possible. Can you find other examples of modal expressions?

Am I smarter than a third grader?

Every weekday we follow a strict routine in my family. Alex, Sami and Aidan get out of school at 2:30 in the afternoon and we go straight home. The first thing on our agenda is homework, but we often make some time for an after school snack. As it turns out, I am usually the most in need of some brain food as we undertake the evening's assignments. When did homework become so difficult? I am proud to say that I excel at Aidan's Pre-K assignments, and rarely come across a challenge that I cannot meet. Sami's first grade homework gets the juices flowing in my brain, neither for the content nor its difficulty, but instead for all the new terminology and methods that make the content almost unrecognizable to me. Then there's Alex's third grade homework. I used to consider myself quite a proficient mathematician, but I now find myself relying on my calculator to check his calculations. By the time all the assignments are complete, I feel as though I have just struggled through an entire school day, and that I have just barely lived to tell about it!

Vocabulary

1. routine: something you do on a regular basis; day to day
2. agenda: a schedule, or order of events
3. undertake: to start something, or take on something
4. terminology: words used in a process, or to describe something
5. unrecognizable: something you do not know, or have never seen before
6. proficient: to be very good at something

Use the vocabulary words to complete these sentences:
1. Sheila changed so much that she was _______________ to me.
2. When will you be able to _________________ that new project?
3. We always go to breakfast after Mass as part of our ____________.
4. She has studied Italian for many years, and is _____________ in the language.
5. Our travel ____________ states that we will go to London before Paris.
6. The teacher gave me a vocabulary list for the lesson so that I could learn the __________.

Grammar Point: Conjunctions
Conjunctions are words that act like glue. They help us connect one thought to another, or to connect two or more independent clauses to create a compound sentence. Two common examples of conjunctions are 'and' and 'but,' although there are many more. Reread the passage above and find examples of conjunctions. Then try to write your own sentence using a conjunction.

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.