My Most Embarrassing Experience

              One of my most embarrassing experiences was during my first year teaching. I was very nervous because it was the beginning of my career and I wanted to make sure I was doing everything that I was supposed to do. The first three days of school were half days. The students were dismissed early on those days. The first two days of school went smoothly. I had made it through my first two days without a hitch! However, the third day came along, which led to one of my most embarrassing experiences.

            We had to be in the gymnasium at 11:00 for dismissal. I didn't want to be late so I made sure all the students were packed up and ready to go.  I thought to myself "wow, we made it through another day of school!" I walked my class of 23 kindergartners down the gym. However, when I got there I saw my principal at the door and a bunch of students sitting on the gym floor. I was very confused because I didn't think I was late. My principal asked me what I was doing and I told her that we were coming down for dismissal. It was then that she told me, I in fact wasn't late, I was actually an hour early! There was a band demonstration going on for the older kids in the school. I was so embarrassed because I had all my students packed up, lined up and ready to go. My principal was a great sport about it and told me not to worry! Instead, we went back to the classroom, dropped off the backpacks and took a tour around the school. Overall, it wasn't such a big deal, but I definitely will never forget that day.

Vocabulary:

embarrassing (verb)--> to have shame

nervous (adjective)--> uneasy or apprehensive

career (noun)--> a job, occupation or profession

dismissed (verb) --> to let go

hitch (noun)--> an unexpected difficulty or obstacle

bunch (noun)--> a group

demonstration (noun)--> using examples to explain something

great sport (noun)--> being fun 

Vocabulary Exercise:  Find and circle the vocabulary words inside the word search.

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BUNCH	CAREER	DEMONSTRATION
DISMISSED	EMBARRASSING	GREAT SPORT
HITCH	NERVOUS

Grammar Point: 

Using punctuation is necessary when writing or speaking. In order to help read, write and speak fluently different forms of punctuation must be used. Three common types of punctuation are the period for a statement or command sentence, the question mark for an asking sentence, and the exclamation point for an exclamatory or excited sentence. In my paragraph above, I used different types of punctuation to show how I was feeling at the moment. Highlight the punctuation I used in my paragraph above. Then, write 5 sentences using different types of punctuation for each. Remember the rules for using each type of punctuation!

The Best Experience of My Life

       The best experience of my life was when I got engaged and ultimately got married. The surprise of my engagement was amazing in itself. Then, the planning and actual day of my wedding were more than I could have ever imagined!

         After I got engaged, the planning started right away. We got engaged on May 30, 2014 and booked our wedding for July 24, 2015. I absolutely loved picking out all my vendors. The best part of planning was finding and deciding on my dress. I went to Kleinfeld’s Bridal in the city. All the dresses were so beautiful! When I picked my dress, I knew it was the one right away.

         When the day finally got here, it was like a dream! Everything went smoothly. After the Church we went to the beach to take pictures. The day couldn’t have been more perfect. We danced the night away and were surrounded by all our loved ones. It was truly the best experience of my life! 

Vocabulary:

experience (noun)--> a time of personally encountering or undergoing something

engaged (adjective)--> pledged to be married

ultimately (adjective)--> lastly or finally

vendors (noun)--> a person or company that sells something

Kleinfeld's Bridal (noun)--> bridal store

surrounded (verb)--> enclosed or circled around

Vocabulary Exercise: Create a sentence using each vocabulary word. Don't forget to start with a capital letter and end with the appropriate punctuation.

1. experience: __________________________________________________

2. engaged: ____________________________________________________

3. ultimately: ___________________________________________________

4. vendors: _____________________________________________________

5. Kleinfeld's Bridal: ______________________________________________

6. surrounded: __________________________________________________

Grammar Point:

My story about the best day of my life, used nouns, verbs and adjectives. All three of these things are needed in order to write a paragraph that is interesting and makes sense. Write your own paragraph about the best experience of your life. In your paragraph, underline the nouns, circle the verbs and draw two lines under the adjectives. Give descriptive details!

Pumpkin Farm

On Monday, October 26th I had the opportunity to take my Kindergarten class to the pumpkin farm on a field trip. We got on the school bus at 9:15 and we were on our way to the farm! All of the students were so excited to go on their first field trip!! Some were even excited to go on a bus for the first time. We arrived at the farm at 9:40. The bus ride didn't take too long. When we got off the bus, the students lined up so we could do a head count to make sure everyone was together. Then, it was time to get on line to wait for the program to start. When it was our turn, each student was given a plastic bag to use to be able to collect their pumpkins and vegetables in. After that, we got on the tractor! All of the students were very excited to ride the tractor. The tractor took us around the pumpkin field and over to the pumpkin patch, where each student was able to pick one pumpkin. After they picked their pumpkins, they were allowed to pick five radishes. Once everything was all picked, the class sat down on the grass to meet the farm leader. The farm leader was a lady who worked at the farm. She taught all of the students about the life cycle of a pumpkin. She was able to show them each stage of how the pumpkin grows. After the students learned about the life cycle, we lined up and headed to the park! They all had a great time playing. After the park it was time for lunch. We sat at the picnic tables and enjoyed our lunches outside because it was a beautiful day! Once everyone was finished with lunch, we cleaned up and headed back to the bus to return to school. It was such a fun day for everyone!

Vocabulary:

opportunity(noun)--> a favorable condition

field trip(noun)--> a trip taken by students to gain experience outside of a classroom

head count(noun)--> counting people to get a certain number

program(noun)--> a planned activity

tractor(noun)--> a big truck used on a farm to pull heavy things

radishes(noun)--> purple root vegetables

life cycle(noun)--> a series of stages of how something grows

stage(noun)--> a step in a process

Vocabulary Exercise:
Complete the crossword puzzle by matching the correct word to the definitions.

Across:
2. a stage of how something grows
4. purple root vegetables
7. a planned activity
8. a big truck used on a farm to pull heavy things

Down:
1. a favorable condition
3. a trip taken by students to gain experience outside of a classroom
5. counting people to get a certain number
6. a step in a process

Grammar Point:

In this paragraph, I talked about a field trip my class got to take. I described the field trip using adjectives to help the reader be able to picture the field trip we went on. Write a paragraph about your favorite field trip. If you have not been on a field trip, write about a place you might like to go. Don't forget to include describing words (adjectives) to help your readers get a clear picture of your field trip memory!

Disney World

Over Columbus Day weekend, I had the opportunity to visit my sister in Florida. She is doing an internship at Disney World. My mom and I left Friday night and flew down to Florida. We arrived late that night and checked into our hotel. The next day we got up early and started our day at Animal Kingdom. It was a nice, sunny, warm day. It was my first time at Animal Kingdom, so I was very excited. We started our day off at the gorilla exhibit.  It was so cool to watch the gorillas interact with one another. We also were able to see tigers, fish, monkeys and many other animals. Then, we waited on line to go on the safari ride. It was a long wait, but worth it! We were able to see so many animals along the way. Later on in the day, we went over to Disney's Hollywood Studios park. We ate dinner there and then enjoyed some of the rides. At the end of the night we went to a show with many fireworks, which was awesome! The next day, we went shopping in town and visited my sister's apartment. She showed us around her apartment and we met some of her friends. Later that night, we went to Universal Studios for their haunted house show. The whole park was decorated for Halloween and had many scary haunted houses. On Monday, we laid out by the pool. The weather was perfect!! That night, we said goodbye to my sister and we flew back home to chilly New York. I can't wait to go back again to visit my sister!!

Vocabulary:

Columbus Day (noun): a day observed as a holiday in various states of the United States in honor of the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus.

internship (noun): a formal program to provide experience for beginners in an occupation

Animal Kingdom(noun): the name for one of Disney's parks

exhibit(verb): to place on show

safari(noun): a journey for exploration

Hollywood Studios(noun): a name for another one of Disney's Parks

Universal Studios(noun): an amusement park in Florida

chilly(adjective): mildly cold

Vocabulary Exercise:

Create a sentence for each of the vocabulary words. Don't forget to use the vocabulary word in the sentence. Start with a capital letter and end with the appropriate punctuation.

1. Columbus Day: ________________________________

2. Internship: ___________________

3. Exhibit:______________________

4. Safari: ______________________

5. Hollywood Studios:__________________

6. Universal Studios:_________________

7. Chilly: ________________

Grammar Point:

An adjective is a word that describes a noun. For example, I said "it was a nice, warm, sunny day. I described my day by saying that it was nice, warm and sunny. Please write three sentences using adjectives to describe a noun. Underline the adjectives you use in each sentence. 

Eric The Reptile Man

              Over the weekend, I was invited to attend a friend's son's seventh birthday party. I was happy to go as I haven't seen this friend in some time. Little did I know it was one of the most interesting parties I have been too! After all the kids ate pizza and cake, we went in the room to discover Eric the Reptile Guy! Eric is a man who travels around the country doing parties, school events and anything else where he can show off his reptiles.
               Eric started off by introducing himself. He told everyone how he has travelled to Madagascar where he was able to meet many new people and discover new types of reptiles. Eric also has a foundation that collects money to help the people of Madagascar that are in need. After Eric gave his explanation of who he was and what his show was about, he was ready to get started!!
               The first animal Eric took out was a tree frog. He told the audience what the tree frog was and then he walked around with it so the kids could touch it. He even put it on someone's head! After that, Eric brought out two more frogs. He put them on the floor and they hopped around. Next came the two snakes. They were huge! It took ten kids to hold one of the snakes. It was very long and yellow. Eric's final surprise was his alligator!! I couldn't believe my eyes when he brought her out. The alligator was so well behaved as Eric was telling us all about her. It was truly a one of a kind experience!

Vocabulary:

attend(verb): to go to
interesting(adjective): exciting
discover(verb): to see
reptile(noun): a cold-blooded animal such as a snake, lizard, turtle, crocodile
Madagascar(noun): an island near the continent Africa
explanation(noun): the meaning of something
tree frog(noun): a type of frog
one of a kind(prepositional phrase): unique

Vocabulary Exercise:
Word Scramble-Use the definitions to help you unscramble the vocabulary words.
1. to see:_____________________ (cvoresdi)
2. a type of frog: ____________ (etre gfor)
3. to go to: _____________ (dtaetn)
4. a cold blooded animal: _______________ (relepti)
5. one of a kind:____________________(eunuiq)
6. an island near the continent of Africa:____________________(rmaacdasag)
7. the meaning of something:___________________
8. exciting: _________________ (ginnittesre)

Grammar Point:
Nouns name a person, place, thing or idea. A proper noun is a type of noun that names a particular person, place or thing. In my story I mentioned the man, Eric and the country he visited Madagascar. Both Eric & Madagascar are proper nouns and require a capital letter.
Activity: Please write a one paragraph short story and include at least 5 proper nouns.

Apple Picking

This past weekend, I went apple picking with my husband. September is such an exciting time of year! I am back to school, the weather is getting cooler and the season will change to Autumn. One of my favorite things to do in September is to go to the apple orchards and pick apples fresh off the trees. This year was the best by far. We went early enough in the season, so there were still so many apples on the trees. Last year, we went later in September and it was difficult to find apples that were still on the trees. This year, it was a warm Saturday for September and the sun was shining! We went down the first row and we were able to get about 10-11 apples. We continued to walk through the many rows that contained various types of apples. We brought home about 50 apples in total that ranged in color. Some apples were all red, some were all yellow and then we had mixed apples that were red and green. I had so much fun picking the apples! When I got home, I made applesauce and apple crisp. They were both delicious! I can't wait to do it again next year.

Vocabulary:

Autumn (noun)--> season, fall (September-December)

orchards (noun)--> a group of trees

fresh (adjective)--> newly made

the best by far (prepositional phrase) --> the very best

difficult (adjective)--> hard

contained (verb)--> included

various (adjective)--> different kinds

delicious (adjective) --> tastes good

Vocabulary Exercise:

Fill in the blank with the correct vocabulary word.

1. Yum! That dessert tasted ____________.

2. When I went to the bakery, they had a __________ loaf of bread that was still warm.

3. If you go apple picking, you will see many apple _______________.

4. _____________ is a season that begins in September and ends in December.

5. My favorite football team has been winning so many games, this year is ________________.

6. Sometimes it can be ______________ to learn a new language.

7. My notebook for class ___________ many important notes.

8. At the grocery store, there are ________________ fruits and vegetables to choose from.

Grammar Point:

Exclamation Point: a form of punctuation used at the end of a sentence to show intense emotion.

                         Examples: I am so excited to go to the movies later!

                                         Wow! I can't believe I won the grand prize!

                                          Ow! I am in so much pain!

Please make up 5 sentences that need an exclamation point at the end.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015 was the first day of school. It is my third year teaching Kindergarten and I absolutely love it! Although it was a hectic, busy day, it went quicker than I thought it would. I was feeling very anxious, but very excited as well. A whole new class to learn about and love. I think my Kindergartners were feeling the same way. Some were apprehensive to leave their parents, but others were just as excited as I was to start the new school year. They came barreling in to the school gymnasium. I lined up my class in a row on the gym floor. When it was time to go to the classroom, the anticipation was building. All 22 students could not wait to see where they would be spending their Kindergarten school year. As they came in, each student received a name tag. I learned all the students' names and we began our day. The students were allowed to play with math manipulatives, color and then we read a story. One of my favorite first day of school stories is called "The Kissing Hand." It is a great book to end the first day of school with! Once the story was over, the students created a take home project for their parents about the story. After that it was time for snack and packing up. All the students packed up and we headed back down to the gym for dismissal. The day went by in the blink of an eye but it was a fantastic day!

Vocabulary:

• hectic (adjective)---> busy
• anxious (adjective)-->nervous
• barreling (verb)--> running to
• manipulatives (noun)--> toys/objects used in math
• dismissal(noun)--> end
• blink of an eye (prepositional phrase)--> went very fast
• anticipation(noun)--> excitement
• apprehensive(adjective)-->fearful

Vocabulary Excercise:

1. hectic                                          A. end

2. anxious                                         B. busy

3.barreling                                       C. excitement

4.manipulatives                                D. nervous

5.dismissal                                       E. went very fast

6.blink of an eye                              F. running to

7.anticipation                                  G. fearful
8.apprehensive                                H. toys/objects used in math

Grammar Point:

Past Tense: The past tense -ed is used when you are writing or talking about something that happened in the past. For example, I wrote "...each student received a name tag." Please write 3 sentences using the past tense.