Furby

                         FURBY

The furby is making a come back!  A furby is a battery operated pet substitute.  It was originally created during the holiday season in 1998.  It was considered to be the "must have" from 1998 to 2000.  Over approximately two years, furby sold over 40 millions units.  Its original speaking capabilities were translated over 24 languages.  Furbies were the first successful attempt to produce and sell a programmed robot as a toy. 

The furby has now come back to the toy shelves for children!  They have come back to life in April of 2012.  This new furby has  more expensive LCD eyes, their own app and an ability to create their own personality and behavior. The furbies also are able to speak to other furbies and create relationships, such as friendships.  As of December 2012, there are 16 colors, ranging from furbies that are one color to furbies that are multiple colors.  They even have there own language.... FURBISH!!!!!!!!!!   They have many of their own sayings and expressions!  The furbish dictionary is available online for all of those people that do not speak Furbish.  These furbies also now have an ability to learn English and English expressions from hearing and listening to their owners while they are "awake." 

These furbies have become more life-like than the furbies in the past as well as becoming good friend with their owners.  Children truly love their furbies and are very proud to show them off.  The students in my class bring them in every Friday and the students play games with them and have them socialize with the other furbies.  It is a little creepy but very interesting to see a toy from the past make a come back into children's lives today.  

Vocabulary

1)  furby (noun): a machine toy that looks like an owl-like creature

2) battery (noun): a single cell that makes current or electricity

3) substitute (noun): something or someone that takes the place of another

4) approximately (adverb): almost exact or correct

5) expensive (adjective): cost alot

6) dictionary (noun): a book that contains words that are in alphabetical order

7) socialize (verb): to take part in activities with others

Vocabulary Activity

Directions: Unscramble the words to discover the vocabulary word that matches the definition.

1) ezilaicos : to take part in activities

2) onictyraid : a book that has words that are in alphabetical order

3) brufy: a machine toy that looks like an owl

4) ylapximaropte: almost exact

5) seutbustti: something or someone that takes the place of another

6) yarbtet: a single cell that makes current or electricity

7) eexvpiesn: cost alot

Grammar

Present tense: Verbs must always agree with the subject of the sentence.

A) Add "s" to the most present tense verbs to agree with singular subjects

For example: A furby moves in several ways.

B) Add "es"to the verbs that end in s,x,ss,ch,zz and sh.

For example: A furby marches to the beat of a song.

C) If the verb ends with a consonant and "y", change the y to i and add es.

For example: Furbies love to dance.

Grammar Activity

Directions: write the verb on the line and underline whether it is singular or plural.

Example: A furby dances to the music.

verb _dances__________     singular   plural

1) Furbies change their moods.

verb ______________    singular     plural

2) A furby comes in different colors.

verb ________________  singular   plural

3) Furbies talk alot.

verb ________________  singular  plural

4) Furbies move their ears when they dance.

verb _____________ singular   plural

5) All furbies speak in two languages.

verb ______________  singular   plural

6) Children love to play with their furby.

verb _________________  singular  plural

Dah-kah oo-nye!

(thank you!)

Journal Entry

 (I am going to use this blog as a journal to write down some thoughts about the unfortunate events in Boston on April 15, 2013.)

 Dear Journal,
     
        I was very upset to hear about the events that occurred at the Boston Marathon.  I heard the news over the radio as I was bringing my two children home from the doctor's office; I almost couldn't believe my ears.  The newscaster repeated, on the radio, herself in saying, "There have been two explosions during the Boston Marathon."  I  honestly wasn't sure if it was a joke or for real.
        I am not sure why people think that they are above anyone else and think that taking other people's lives is solving a problem. It is creating more problems and issues for themselves as well as the world.  I honestly believe those people need to hurt to feel accomplishment are seriously ignorant.  They are selfish and self-centered.  I truly can not comprehend the need for violence.
       Although I am truly sorry and give my support for the people of Boston for what they have been through and what they are going through; I am truly sorry for the children and adolescents of America.  I say this because there is more violence occurring on our soil now than ever before.  Within this school year, these children have had to deal with the Sandy Hook elementary massacre and now the bombings in Boston.  First of all, these children are trying to become themselves and trying to figure themselves out and then these violent acts happen.  Second, how do parents, educators, and any adult related to a child deal with these acts and then try to explain it to a child (ren) so they can try to comprehend and understand.  It is outrageous what we are asking the youth of America to deal with.
       In my honest opinion, I think it is ridiculous that violence is happening anywhere in the world because I am a believer that there are other ways in solving conflict.  Also, it is a developmentally hard topic to discuss with the adolescents and children of America that you have to be safe and you can not play freely where you would like.  I can remember being a child and not having a fear about violence and feeling safe no matter where I was; now I have to instill in my children that they need to stay safe and stay next to me!

     Rest In Peace to all of those that were killed during the Boston Marathon.  I hope that all of those that were injured get well soon and get back to their normal way of life.

Vocabulary:  

1) unfortunate (adjective)- having bad fortune or not lucky

2) newscaster (noun)- someone who delivers news to people through radio or television

3) explosions (noun)- a violent burst as a result of pressure

4) accomplishment (noun)- something that was completed

5) seriously (adverb)- great in quality (value) and manner

6) selfish (adjective)- thinking about yourself over others

7) massacre (noun)- the act of killing a large amount of people

 

Vocabulary Activity

Directions: Finish the sentence using the vocabulary list from above.

1) The ______________ were very loud.

2) Her biggest _______________ was finishing the marathon.

3) Due to the ____________ events last Monday, three people lost their lives.

4) While I was listening to the radio, the ____________ reported that many people suffered injuries.

5) I was __________ upset when I heard the news about the Boston Marathon.

6) The SandyHook Elementary School ___________ and the Boston Marathon Explosions will forever be remembered.

7) It is thought that the people that commit this horrible acts are extremely ____________.

 

Grammar

Suffix: it is a word part added to the end of a base word.  The suffix changes the meaning of the base word that it is added to.

The suffix ER or OR means who:  WORKER           ACTOR

The suffix LESS means without:   CLOUDLESS       FEARLESS

The suffix ABLE or IBLE means can be:   REACHABLE    CONNECTIBLE

The suffix LY means how:  SLOWLY       SERIOUSLY

The suffix FUL means full of:  WONDERFUL   BEAUTIFUL

Suffix Video

Grammer Activity:

Directions:  Underline each word with a suffix.  Write the suffix and then write the meaning of the word.

Example:  The police keep a watchful eye over the community.

                suffix: -ful

                meaning: full of watch (look)

1) The road is not passable.

     suffix:

     meaning:

2) I honestly believe that violence is not an answer.

    suffix:

    meaning:

3) My family and I are truly sorry for those that lost their lives.

    suffix:

    meaning:

4) I am a firm believer that there are other ways to resolve conflict.

    suffix:

    meaning:

5) My husband seriously believes that the explosions were part of a terrorist attack.

    suffix:

    meaning:

Easter Break

 Easter Break

The Croods



Over the Easter Break, my kids and I were extremely busy.  First, on Monday, we started out going to the movies to see The Croods.  My son, Peter thought it was very fun to watch the characters running into rocks and tripping over themselves.  My daughter, Elizabeth didn't think it was as funny but she did enjoy taking the trip to the movie theater.  The next day, on Tuesday, we decided that we should enjoy spending sometime relaxing at home.  So, the kids were playing in their playroom and I was cleaning the house and folding some laundry.  On Wednesday, the kids and I went to United Skates.

They had the BEST time roller skating!  Peter did not like it as much as Elizabeth; but they both loved being there.  After we were done having fun at United Skates, I took the kids to Target to get a little shopping done.  We only spent about an hour there because Elizabeth had a doctor's appointment.  I was anticipating them to fall asleep on the way home but they did not.  From there, the plan was to make dinner and quickly get the kids into bed.  However, their grandparents had other plans; they ended going over to their house to enjoy sometime with them.  Finally, they came home and quickly went to sleep.  Thursday was another busy day for the kids.  We started the day with waking up and doing a couple of loads of laundry.  Around noon, Elizabeth got picked up by Poppa, her grandfather, to go back to his house and bake Easter bread.  Peter ended up going upstairs to his room for a nap.  I finally had some time to myself to finish up some dishes and laundry.  When Elizabeth came back home and Peter woke up from his nap, they both colored Easter eggs.  My husband arrived home soon after that and we ate dinner.  Friday was finally here and we surprised the kids with a trip to Baltimore, Maryland to go to the National Aquarium.  The kids loved seeing the fish, sharks and dolphins. 

Dolphins

We came back to New York on Saturday, ate dinner and then sent the kids swiftly to bed because the Easter Bunny had to come and hide Easter eggs.  Sunday morning arrived and they immediately woke up bright and early to run downstairs to see if the Easter Bunny had come.  They were so excited to find the Easter eggs and open their presents.  We then went to Poppa's house and had an Easter party with another Easter egg hunt and more gifts with a ton of candy.  Monday, arrived and all we did was rest.  Happy Easter!

Vocabulary

1) sometime (adverb): not known amount of time

2) playroom (noun): a room for kids with toys

3) into (preposition): used as a function word

                                for example: came into the house; went into the lake; looking into the window

4) grandparents (noun): a parent of your mother or father

5) grandfather (noun): the father of your father

6) upstairs (adverb): to go up stairs

7) downstairs (adverb): to go down stairs

Vocabulary Practice

Directions: Find the correct definition to match the word on the right.  Write its letter on the line.

1) grandfather _____                                                     a. to go down stairs

2) playroom _____                                                        b. the parents of your mother 

3) sometime _____                                                        c. used as a function word

4) downstairs ______                                                    d. to go up stairs

5) into _____                                                                 e. not known amount of time

6) grandparents _____                                                   f. a room for kids 

7) upstairs _____                                                           g. the father of your father     

Grammar         

Compound Words: Two words that are put together to make one word.     

  

Video to help in understanding compound words:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0X7xMDXmc8   

Grammar Activity



Directions: Take words from column A and combine them with the words in column B to form a compound word.  Write the compound word on the lines below.

Example:    base + ball = baseball

Column A:                                                               Column B:

fire                                                                              room

sun                                                                              shine 

bed                                                                            snake

rattle                                                                           case

stair                                                                             place

1) _________________________

2) _________________________

3) _________________________

4) _________________________

5)_________________________





SNOW DAY!

On Friday, February 8, 2013, a blizzard started in New York.  My son, daughter and dog had an awesome time watching the snow come down.  They tried so hard to stay awake all night to watch the snow fall, but they finally fell asleep around 10PM.  The next morning they woke up in a hurry to run downstairs and see what happened while they were asleep.  Their eyes glistened as they saw the fluffy white snow stared back at them through the window.  I told them that they were not allowed to go in the snow unless they ate breakfast.  So they sat down and waited patiently until I put their breakfast down in front of them on the kitchen table.  Within a few minutes, their plates were empty and they were both standing in front of me with their hands folded, batting their eyelashes.  At that point, I did not have a choice.  So I got their gloves, snow pants, hats, boots and snow jackets out and put it all on them.  While I helped the kids put their gear on, my husband got his snow gear on and they all went outside.  They were so excited to be outside in the cold white snow with their father!  They made snowballs to have a snowball fight, they made a giant snowman and got pulled on a sled!  When they came in, they were soaken wet, with their little red button noses and their adorable eyes shining back at me.  They were so happy to have been outside playing in the glistening white snow!     

Vocabulary:

1) blizzard (noun)- a storm with alot of snow and wind
2) glistened (verb)- to shine or sparkle in light
3) breakfast (noun)- first meal of the day
4) eyelashes (noun)- short hairs on your eyelids
5) batting (transitive verb)- to wink your eyes really fast
6) sled (noun)- a piece of material (or wood) that is used to ride on snow
7) soaken (noun)- to be overwet with a liquid
8) adorable (adjective)- very cute and loveable


Vocabulary Exercise:
Directions- Complete the sentence with the correct vocabulary word choice

1) The boy enjoys riding on the ___________________.
     a. breakfast   b. blizzard   c. sled   d. adorable

2) After the ___________, there was a lot of snow on the ground.
    a. soaken   b. batting   c. glistened   d. blizzard

3) The kids are ______________ wet after they came in from playing in the snow.
    a. soaken   b. sled   c. blizzard   d. eyelashes

4) My dog looks ___________ playing in the snow.
    a. glistened   b. adorable   c. batting    d. sled

5) The snow ___________ in the sun.
    a. blizzard   b. adorable   c. glistened   d. soaken

6) The children were not allowed to play in the snow until they ate _____________.
   a. eyelashes   b.  breakfast   c.  batting   d. sled

7) After the children ate, they were ___________ their eyelashes to encourage me to get them dressed.
    a. blizzard   b. batting    c. glistened   d. adorable

8) Their _____________ are so long as I watched them blink at me so quickly.
    a. sled   b. eyelashes  c. soaken  d. breakfast



Grammar Point:

Adjectives: an adjective is a word that describes a noun.

An adjective can tell what kind.

Examples:

A) I own a young horse.

B) He has a black tail.

Directions: Draw a line under each adjective.  Draw a circle around each noun that it describes.

1) There was a lot of white snow on the ground.

2) The children put their snow jackets on.

3) Lizzie's wore a red jacket.

4) Peter wore a black jacket.

5) My dog, Roxy, has black fur.

6) The children made a large snowman.

7) They also made small snowballs.

BONUS:
8) When they were finished they came in and drank warm hot chocolate.

Elizabeth during Christmas

Back in December, I told my daughter Lizzie, who was 3 years old at the time, that Christmas was coming and that meant Santa Claus was going to come to our house.  She immediately knew that meant presents under our huge Christmas tree.  I told her that she needed to be good or there would be no presents under the tree for her.  She told me that she would do everything she could to be a "good girl."  Honestly, she did.  She was able to learn to share toys with her brother, she learned how to throw away what she didn't want to eat for dinner and most of all she used her manners as much as she could.  She really did a good job!

Finally, Christmas Day morning came and here came Lizzie... at 6:00 AM running into my room shouting, "IT'S CHRISTMAS, SANTA CAME, PRESENTS, MOMMY WAKE UP!!!!!"  So we all shuffled downstairs! She stared at all of presents that were so beautifully wrapped.  Within three minutes; there was wrapping paper all over the place, but it didn't matter.   It was such a "treat" to watch her open up her gifts and to see the look on her face when she saw what she got from Santa. 

Lizzie was so excited to get her Dora the Explorer dolls and Princess dolls.  She began to play with them as soon as she could.  She asked her father to open up the packages right away.  Lizzie started to undress them, redress them, play with their hair and then have them talk to each other.  I have never seen her so happy!  I can honestly say that Christmas was my most favorite memory with Lizzie so far!


Vocabulary:

1) daughter (noun)- a girl child.                                                   
2) immediately (adverb)- right now
3) honestly (adverb)- to be honest or true
4) share (verb)- divide or give out
5) manners (plural noun)- good behavior
6) shuffled (verb)- to move quickly
7) packages (noun)- a thing or a group of things that are wrapped
8) favorite (adjective)- liked over all
9) memory (noun)- able to remember things


Vocabulary Exercise:
Directions- Fit the vocabulary words into the story below.

  Once morning, my ___________ Taylor woke up and started to scream.  I quickly _________ up to her room and _____________ asked her what was wrong.  She said that she had a bad dream.  I ______________ thought that my heart was going to pound out of my chest.  I began to tell her a story about my _____________ ____________m of Christmas to try to get her mind off of her dream.  I told her about all of the ____________ that would be underneath the tree waiting for me to open.  I also told her about the milk and cookies that Santa would get and he would probably have to __________ them with the elves.  She then reminded me that Santa has good _____________ and that he would definitely divide his cookies among his elves.  She began to smile, so we decided to get out of bed and start to make breakfast!




Grammar Point:
The Verb BE- They do not name actions.  This verb tells what someone or something is or is like.
Examples: am, are, is, was and were

These verbs must agree with the subject of the sentence.
Examples: This letter is for me.
                  OR
                The letters are for me.


Directions: A) Find two different verbs of be in the passage and underline them.
B) Read each sentence below.  If there is an action verb, circle it.  If it is a form of the verb BE, underline it.

1) This letter is from Lizzie.

2) She lives in Levittown, New York

3) Lizzie is three.

4) She goes to a small school in Wantagh.

5) She rides to school in the car.

6) Wantagh is a very cold city.

7) There is a lot of snow on the ground.

Rocking Horse Ranch

When I was a kid, my family and I went to a place called Rocking Horse Ranch.  It was located in Highland, NY, which was about four hours from where I lived when I was a kid.  It was a glorious place that had so many different things for kids like us to do.  My family use to go away with another family, therefore it was always my sister, my brother, my two friends and myself who could always play together at Rocking Horse Ranch.  In the winter, we would be able to ride horses, go skiing, snowtubing, have hot chocolate, and go swimming in the indoor swimming pool.  It was so much fun!  However, in the summer it was even better.  There would be an outdoor swimming pool with a slide and a diving board.  There was also tennis courts, basketball courts and shuffle boards for us to play.  Our most favorite thing to do in the summer in Rocking Horse Ranch was to go into lake that was located behind the resort.  We would be allowed to swim, banana boating and water skiing or wake boarding.  All of those things were so much fun for us to do during the summer.  I think that our most favorite aspect of the lake was the ability to go paddle boating because we would be able to go with a friend.  My friend and I used to go by ourselves and we would be out there for a couple of hours just talking about the boys and "gossip".  I loved going to Rocking Horse Ranch!

Vocabulary:

1) skiing (verb)- to go over snow with skis
2) snowtubing (verb)- to go over snow in a large rubber tube
3) courts (noun)- a certain area where people play a game
4) shuffle boards (noun)- a game where large discs are glided to get a score using long sticks
5) resort (noun)- a place where people go to relax or enjoy themselves

6) banana boating (noun)- a boat in the shape of a banana that floats on water

7) wake boarding (noun)- using a wakeboard (a board that is used to ride on water)
8) aspect (noun)- a part of something
9) paddle boating (noun)- a boat that needs to riders to paddle (like a bicycle) to get the boat to move

Vocabulary Exercise:

Directions- Use the vocabulary words to answer the riddles below.

1) Name something you would need a wakeboard for: ____________________

2) Where can I go to relax: _____________________

3) I want to play a game where I can slide large discs to get points: _________________

4) Name another word for a part: ____________________

5) Name an activity where I would need skis: _______________

6) I want to do this with a friend and use my legs like I would ride a bicycle: __________________

7) What is an activity that I would be able to use a large rubber tube: _______________________

8) Name a place where most people play basketball: _________________________

9) Name an activity that I could ride on the water on a boat in the shape of a fruit: __________________

Grammar Point:

Irregular Verbs in the Past Tense- Some verbs have a special spelling to show past tense. 

They go to the show.
They went to the show.

Directions- Read each sentence and underline the irregular past tense form of the verb.

1) She came on the stage.

2) The band ran to their places.

3) The crowd saw the singer.

4) The singer went to the microphone.

5) She began her performance.

6) She did a wonderful job.

7) The she went backstage.

8) She ate her snack.

Aruba



ARUBA



In a few weeks, my husband and I will embark on a trip to Aruba.  We will begin by packing our suitcases and bags.  The car service will pick us and drive us to the airport.  Our plane takes off at approximately 7:00am, therefore we are going to have to get there around 5:00am.  Once our airplane takes off, there will be plenty of time to read my book.  Approxmately two and half hours later the plane will land and my husband and I will be in paradise. 

After we get off the plane and arrive at our hotel, we will begin our trip by checking-in to the hotel and putting out suitcases in our room.  We will then put our swimsuits on and go to the pool for some relaxation and sun.  We are going to be enjoying meals that include fresh fish and delicious beverages!  After about one week of vacationing in Aruba, we will be getting back on a plane to come back home to New York.

Vocabulary:

1) embark (verb)- to begin or start

2) airport (noun)- place where airplanes come and go

3) approximately (adverb)- almost or about

4) paradise (noun)- a place of beauty or joy

5) arrive (verb)- to get to a place

6) checking-in (verb)- to let a place know that you are there; such as a hotel
7) relaxation (noun)- the act of being calm

8) delicious (adjective)- have a good taste

9) vacationing (noun)- a period of rest

Vocabulary Exercise:

Directions: match the word with the correct definition

1) embark                                             a) a period of rest
2) vacationing                                        b) place where airplanes come and go
3) delicious                                            c) to get to a place
4) airport                                               d) have a good taste
5) arrive                                                e) the act of being calm
6) approximately                                    f) to let a place know that you are there
7) relaxation                                          g) a place of beauty or paradise
8) checking- in                                       h) to begin or start
9) paradise                                             i) almost or about



Grammar Point:

Future Tense- action verbs tell about what will happen in the future.  Use the verb will  to tell about the future.

Directions: Underline the verb in the sentence.  Rewrite the verb so it tells about the future.

1) Architects design dome cities. ___________________________

2) Colonies exist on distant planets. ___________________________

3) People farm under the water. ___________________________

4) We swim with dolphins. ______________________________

5) They eat on the beach. _______________________________

6) People see fish under the water. ___________________________

7) Divers help us put on our snorkel gear. ____________________________

8) We fly on the airplane to Aruba. _______________________________