Easter Festivities

Yesterday was Ryleigh's first Easter! It was a pretty nice day out; just a little bit windy. The night before my sisters and I colored eggs that say, 'Ryleigh's 1st Easter 2015'. It was a lot of fun and I wanted Ryleigh to be involved, but she was too cranky and tired so she missed it this year. However, I'm sure that next year when she's over a year old she will definitely want to play and color the eggs with us. I was most excited about her adorable little dress and headband anyways. Also, the Easter Bunny brought her some goodies! She got an Elsa doll from the movie Frozen, some pajamas with characters from the movie Frozen on them, a stuffed Thumper from Bambi, and a board book featuring Thumper. We are going to read the book before bedtime tonight! Overall, Ryleigh's first Easter was a success!

Vocabulary

colored (verb): to give or apply color to something
involved (verb): to be included in something
cranky (adjective): grouchy; in a bad mood
adorable (adjective): very delightful or charming
goodies (noun): something that causes delight or happiness
featuring (verb): to give prominence or importance to

Vocabulary Exercise

Complete the word search to find each vocabulary word. Then, take each word and put it into a sentence.

Easter Festivities

S E B R L C A A V H X A D U J 
Y S P R B C P D T Y J G I T R 
M K P L L X L O V M F N R Z W 
K S N Z T F E R B I I P B A J 
N K R A M A K A M Z X V B X O 
Z R E U R R Y B T B Q O J C I 
M Z I O E C B L B W E R O S A 
D M I F Q S I E K C R K G K D 
X J U F G A V N O E E T J R W 
M Y X J R J R L V A Z E N E T 
N W I B L R O I Z O E I X W V 
Q K G F F R W Q A A L E W F E 
S J R S E I D O O G D V A A B 
X X C D B R P I Q P K N E Q Z 
H E Y F E A T U R I N G L D B

ADORABLE
COLORED
CRANKY
FEATURING
GOODIES
INVOLVED

Grammar Point

In my passage I included a lot of adjectives. Adjectives can describe a person, place, thing, or idea. They make your writing more interesting and allow for the reader to create a better picture in their mind. For example, instead of just saying 'the boy decided to fight the other boy that had been bothering him all week', by adding adjectives you can paint a better image. 'The short and scrawny boy decided to fight the other huge and scary boy that had been bothering him all week long.' In addition, the articles - a, an, and the - are adjectives too.

Grammar Exercise

Take one of your previously written paragraphs from earlier in the year and add adjectives to the paragraph to make your writing more descriptive and interesting.

Visit the following link for more help and practice with adjectives:

Adjectives

My Life Has Changed

Who knew that one little person could change your life so drastically? In a matter of seconds, my life went from being all about myself, to all about my little girl. At 8:42 on the morning of Friday, February the 13th, my life changed forever. The moment that I felt the doctor pull Ryleigh out of my stomach and she was placed in my arms, I knew that nothing mattered anymore except for the happiness of my little baby girl. Motherhood. You hear so much about it growing up and when you're pregnant so many people offer their advice on the subject, trying to describe how it changed their lives, but there really is no true way to describe the way it feels to be a mother. The joys, the worries, the hopes, and the dreams that surround your little one are truly indescribable. Then there's the sleepless nights, the million and one diaper changes, the constant loads of laundry, but of course all of these are completely worth it because it all comes back to your baby's happiness. As long as she is happy, I will be the happiest person alive!

Vocabulary

drastically (adverb): extremely extensive (a lot)
advice (noun): an opinion offered as a guide
surround (verb): to enclose on all sides
indescribable (adjective): too special to be able to describe
sleepless (adjective): without sleep
constant (adjective): all of the time

Vocabulary Practice

Take your six vocabulary words and six index cards. Write the vocabulary word on one side of each index card and write the definition of the word on the other side. Use these flashcards to quiz yourself and your friends!

Grammar Point

There are various forms of punctuation that can be used depending upon the purpose of the sentence. If someone is asking a question they must use a question mark (?). If you are simply stating something you use a period (.) and if you want to exclaim or shout something then you use an exclamation point (!). Using punctuation when we write allows for the reader to know when to stop and take a breath before continuing to read. This helps to prevent run-on sentences which don't allow for our writing to properly flow.

Grammar Exercise

Using the information given in the grammar point, return to my paragraph and identify the various forms of punctuation and types of sentences. Then, write your own examples of each of the three types of sentences.

Thirty Years From Now...

In thirty years I will be fifty-four years old. At that point, I hope to be close to retirement. I also hope that I have at least two successful children by that point. I believe that I may even have a grandchild or two that far into the future. I would think that in thirty years I will definitely look a bit older, but hopefully I will still look great, stay fit, and be in good health. I would hope that I have accomplished many different things in thirty years time including: receiving my masters degree, getting an extra certificate in another educational area, raising my beautiful children to be great people, going on many family vacations, and owning the house of our dreams that our children and grandchildren will be able to call home (or grandma and grandpa's home). I would also dream of going on many vacations with my husband, perhaps to European and tropical locations, after retirement. I also dream of my daughter, Ryleigh, falling in love with dance the same way that I have and possibly one day attending Molloy College and continuing my legacy there on the dance team as a member and perhaps a coach.

Vocabulary

retirement (noun): when you leave your job and never return to work

successful (adjective): having achieved certain goals having to do with honor, wealth, etc.

future (noun): something that will happen in time to come, but has not happened yet

accomplished (verb): to complete or carry out a goal

certificate (noun): a document that shows a person's qualifications or accomplishments

legacy (noun): anything handed down from the past

Vocabulary Practice

Go to this link and use the thesaurus to find synonyms (or words that share the same meaning) for each of your six vocabulary words. Then use each synonym in a sentence to demonstrate understanding of the meaning of the word. Switch sentences with a partner and see if you can determine which synonym matches with the original vocabulary word in eachother's sentences.