New York City

        New York City is a dream destination for any tourist.  It has many historical landmarks, museums and Broadway shows.  In my opinion, everyone must go to Central Park, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Empire State Building when visiting NYC.  I have lived in New York my whole life and there are places of the city I still have not seen or experienced.  For example, on Sunday I will be going to the city with two of my co workers to walk the New York City Highline.  It is a public park that was built on a historical freight rail line located above the streets of Manhattan's west side.  Other then walking the Highline, we plan on making a few stops that are a part of The Cup Cake Tour of New York.  Along this tour you make stops at different cup cake shops throughout the city.  This is something that I am looking forward to because one thing I love is eating sweets.   Trying a variety of cup cakes sounds really bad but delicious at the same time.
        Besides sightseeing and eating, we will also be doing some shopping.  In New York City shopping maybe expensive, but there are many places you can go and buy things at a decent price.  I have found that you are able to find the best deals on unique vintage and antiques at flea markets.  There are a multiple number of vendors at every flea market, that you don't know where to begin.  I am really excited for a fun filled day in the city that I love so much.         

            Vocabulary

 

destination- the place to which someone is going or being sent

tourist- a person who is traveling or visiting a place for pleasure

historical- something having to do with history or past events

sightseeing- the activity of visiting places of interest in a particular location

expensive- costs a lot of money 

unique- being the only one of it's kind, not like anything else

antiques- something old that people collect

vendors- a person or company offering something to sell

 

Vocabulary Exercise

 

Directions: Find the vocabulary words in the word search below. Happy searching!

 

The New York City Experience

 

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ANTIQUES	DESTINATION	EXPENSIVE
HISTORICAL	SIGHTSEEING	TOURIST
UNIQUE	VENDORS

 

Grammar Point and Exercise

 

This entry includes many proper nouns.  Make a list of those proper nouns.  Remember that a proper noun is a name used for an individual person, place or organization such as Mexico or Ms. Palacios. Write about a place in New York City that you would like to visit and why.  Underline the proper nouns you used.    

 

New York City Highline

 







Technology

        Technology is the wave of the future and it's exciting when new "toys" come out on the market. However, I find that many people are obsessed with getting their hands on the new technology and will do everything and pay an obscene amount of money in order to have it in their possession.  I like new technology just like the next person but, I don't like the fact that I have to learn new programs.  I don't have the time to learn and practice using new technology.  I also know that I have to keep up with it in order to better understand how to teach my students and include it into my lessons.  After all, the younger generation relies on technology 24 hours a day, 7days a week.  Every where you look someone is either on their cell phone, ipad or computer.  It is scares me to think about how times have changed.  We rely so much on technology that we have forgotten how to think for ourselves.  I remember growing up, I would have to memorize my family and friends phone numbers and addresses, or at least write them down on a piece of paper.  Now a days we just put that information in our cell phones.  No one seems to know a phone number by heart because you don't have to memorize it.  Your phone does everything for you.
        Something that scares me about technology, is that there are individuals who know how to find out our your personal information by hacking on to our home computer.  It stinks that we have to be careful when using computers because there are bad people who are trying to take advantage of us.  Unfortunately there have been so many people who have gotten their identities stolen.  This is just one of the many reasons why I don't like technology becoming so advanced.  I wonder what the future holds for us.  Are machines and robots are going to control and do everything for us?  Am I crazy for thinking this way?

 

Vocabulary                       

technology- a machine or piece of equipment
obsessed- to think and talk about someone or something too much
obscene- a large amount or size
possession- to have or own something
generation- a group of people born or living during the same time
memorize- to learn something so well that you are able to remember it perfectly
hacking (to hack)- to gain access to a computer illegally
identities (identity)- who a person is
advanced- further in progress or ideas

Vocabulary Exercise

 

Directions: Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word.

 

1.  The system has many ________________ features.

2.  They produced their passports as proof of their _________________.

3.  The actress had to _____________ her lines for the play.

4.  His books are popular among the younger ________________.

5.  The lottery player had the winning ticket in his _______________.

6.  Teachers are using new ______________ in their classrooms to motivate their students.

7.  Teenage girls are ________________ with Justin Bieber.

8.  I owe an ______________ amount of money to the government.

9.  Criminals have been ____________ into peoples computers to steal their identities. 

 

 

 

Grammar Point and Exercise

 

A noun is a part of speech used to name a person, place, thing, or idea.  Make a list of 6 nouns used in this entry.  Then write a paragraph about what you think the future is going to be like and underline the nouns you used.   

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

My New Car

           Since I was sixteen years old and I got my driving permit, I dreamt about getting a new car.  Though out the years I have owned used cars.  This year I was finally able to purchase a new car.  When you own a vehicle just like any other car owner, the last thing you are going to want is to get into an accident, or have someone hit it while it's parked.  I was one of the unfortunate car owners who had someone hit their parked car in front their home.  When it happened I was upset! The worst part about it was the fact that I had just purchased my new Toyota corolla on the 4th of July.  I have owned it for three months.  The ironic part of this situation is that my landlord was the driver who hit my car.  The day of the accident, I had been home for about twenty minutes when there was a knock at door.  When I opened the door my landlord said that she had just hit my car and that she was really sorry.  It was difficult not saying to her how I really felt.  She was shaking and couldn't believe what she had just done, so I took a deep breath and told her that it was all going to be alright.  But, inside I was furious and couldn't believe my luck.
           However, I am grateful that she came and told me right away.  She told me not to worry about how much it was going to cost because she was going to pay for the damages.  If it would of been a random individual who had hit my car, they most likely wouldn't of left a note with their name and information.  In that case, I would of had to pay out of my own pocket to get my car repaired.  The total cost of the damage to my car is 3,756 dollars.  It is going to take a total of two weeks to get my car fixed.  In the mean time, I will be driving a 2013 chevy cruse as my rental car.  Even though the rental car is nice, I miss my car!    
    

Vocabulary

unfortunate- to be unlucky

purchased- to buy something

ironic- a situation that is strange or funny because it happened in a way that seems opposite of  what you expected

landlord- a person who rents an apartment to someone else

furious- extremely angry 

grateful- feeling thankful 

random- something that happens that is odd, strange or unusual

repaired- to fix something that is damaged

damage- harm or injure something or someone

Vocabulary Exercise

Directions: Unscramble the vocabulary words.

1.frunetoanut                                               

2. phrceusda                                                  
 

3. rcniio                                                       
              

4. lraloddn                                                     
       

5. iforsuu                                                       
        

6. rutaglef                                                    
       

7. omrnda                                                    
         

8. iaperedr                                                     

9. dmaega                                                     

Grammar Point and Exercise

A synonym is a word that means the same as another, for example shut is a synonym for close.  Can you find the synonyms to your vocabulary words below?  Your vocabulary words are listed under row A and the synonyms are under row B.
 

Row A                                                                                    Row B

unfortunate                                                                              thankful

purchased                                                                                broken

ironic                                                                                       extremely angry

landlord                                                                                   fixed

furious                                                                                     sarcastic

grateful                                                                                    unlucky

random                                                                                    buy

repaired                                                                                   property owner

damage                                                                                    unplanned 

Birthday Celebration

            Every year we celebrate our birthday, even though it reminds us we are getting older.  I was born on September 28^th at Winthrop hospital in Mineola, Ny on Thursday at 6:58 am.  My parents tell me that I decided to come into the world a month earlier then I was supposed to and that it was a dark and stormy night. 

Yesterday I celebrated my birthday with friends and family.  I woke up to a lit candle, flowers and a gift from my fiancé, which made me smile.  During the day I was taken to the hair salon to get my hair done, it is not something I do often.  I remember looking in the mirror and being amazed at the striking resemblance I had to my mother! Afterwards, I went out to dinner with my family to the International Buffet.  I enjoyed a variety of delicious foods; I wished I had a bigger stomach to continue eating.  The section of the restaurant I didn’t go near is where they had sushi, but my mother and fiancé visited it frequently.  I like my food cooked, not raw.  What I always enjoy when going out to dinner is ending the meal with a yummy desert.  At the buffet they had an enormous selection of deserts. I ate a piece of tiramisu cake and chocolate covered strawberries which I devoured quickly.  Upon leaving the buffet, I found myself to be in the state of food comma because it was difficult to move and all I desired to do was sleep.  However, sleeping was not an option since I had plans to go out dancing with my friends.  So to end my evening, I met up with a few close friends in Queens and danced the night away. 

Vocabulary

resemblance-  to look like similar to something or someone else

buffet- a place where there are many types of foods on a table and you serve

              yourself                                

delicious- a food that tastes really good

frequently-  happens often, a lot

enormous- really big or large

devoured (devour)-  to eat quickly or really fast

food comma- feeling tired or sleepy after eating a meal

desired (desire)- to strongly wish for or want something

Vocabulary Close Exercise

Directions: Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word.

1)    A lot of people also express a __________to build their own car.

2)    She ___________appears on the list of the most beautiful women in the world.

3)    Ms. Palacios makes _________ pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving.

4)    Did you notice the ___________ between the boy and his father?

5)    The continental breakfast ___________was a nice surprise and very good!

6)    Sasha was so full after her meal that she felt like she was in ____________ .

7)    Make sure to include an ___________ amount of food and drinks for the kids after the soccer game.

8)    The wolf ___________ the large piece of steak he found in the garbage.

Grammar point

This entry includes many verbs that are in the past tense.  List those verbs.  Remember that a verb is a word used to describe an action or state of being.

Grammar Exercise

Write about your favorite birthday memory.  Make sure to write in the past tense and underline the past tense verbs you used throughout your story. 

                       

My Favorite Season

  

            One of the things I love most about living in New York is having the opportunity to experience different seasons.   Each season offers something different for us to experience.  My favorite season is autumn/fall and it begins in September and ends in November.  Summer leaves kicking and screaming while the cool, crisp, fresh air starts to make its way in.  As you continue autumn through October, it brings a multitude of fun, exciting, delicious things to enjoy. There is nothing more comforting then wrapping myself in a sweater and walking down the street enjoying the scenery of red, orange and red leaves on the ground.  Seeing the foliage comforts me in a way that I can’t describe.  It takes my breath away and puts a smile on my face.  Everyone who has a sweet tooth looks forward to Halloween because you can get any amount of free candy as you would like.  It’s also a chance to disguise yourself as anything or anyone you want to be for a day.

 However, in my opinion the one thing everyone must do during the fall season is eat!  Autumn offers a variety of exquisite foods to enjoy.  My ultimate favorite thing to eat is pumpkin pie with whip cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.  Every year for Thanksgiving, I bake pumpkin pies for all my friends and family to enjoy for desert.  Something else I truly appreciate and take pleasure in doing during the fall season is spending time with my family.  Going apple and pumpkin picking at the farm is memorable.   Taking pictures of who finds the biggest pumpkin in the patch and who can hold the most apples without dropping any, is entertaining.  So remember to take advantage of all the wonderful foods, holidays and experiences the fall season has to offer!

Vocabulary

Multitude- a large number of something

Comforting- makes you feel calm and happy

Foliage-different color of leaves

Sweet tooth- to like candy or sugar

Disguise- to wear a mask or costume

Variety- many

Exquisite- wonderful, beautiful

Ultimate- the best

Appreciate- to value or be glad about

Memorable- something great that you will always remember

Vocabulary Exercise

Directions: In the crossword puzzle below, try to find the correct vocabulary word based on the definitions given without looking back.  This is a great way to for you to test yourself and find out what you know and don’t know.

Fall Fun!

Across

1. many

8. to like candy or sugar

9. makes you feel calm and happy

10. something great that you will always remember

Down

2. wonderful, beautiful

3. a large number of something

4. to value or be glad about

5. to wear a mask or costume

6. the best

7. color of leaves

Grammar Point and Exercise

This entry is written in the present tense.  Write about your favorite season using the present tense. What is the weather like? What do you wear in this season?  What do you like to do in this season?  I can’t wait to hear all about your favorite season. Happy writing!