A Voyage In The Clouds

        A ride in a hot air balloon sounds amazing. What could be better than riding a hot air balloon with an amazing view? I hope to ride a hot air balloon soon. I have been looking at hot air balloon places, and New Jersey is one of the states that dHot air balloons were invented in France in the 1700's. The first passengers in a hot air balloon were a duck, a sheep, and a chicken. They were able to survive the ride that lasted eight minutes. The longest hot air balloon flight to be recorded flew from Japan to northern Canada. The hot air balloon flew at 245 miles per hour. The worlds largest hot air balloon festival is hosted in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There is also a festival that happens in Turkey. It happens annually. Many people get together for nine days and 750 hot air balloons are featured. During rain, individuals are not able to ride a hot air balloon because the heat in the hot air balloon could bring rain to boiling temperatures that could cause the hot air balloon to get destroyed. Hot air balloons have a chase crew. A chase crew is a crew that follows the flight in a chase vehicle. The chase vehicle must be big enough to take on the balloon, the basket, as well as the passengers at the end of the flight. 

Vocabulary:

Invented: Create or design something that has not existed before 

Passengers: travelers in a public or private transportation 

Survive: being able to live after a dangerous or hard situation

Hosted: having people as a form of entertainment 

Annually: something that happens every year

Featured: a special attraction 

Boiling: brining a liquid to a temperature where bubbles are created and vapor happens 

Vocabulary Exercise:

Finish each sentence 

1. Every time I get on the train there are many passengers because...

2. My mom boils water to...

3. We hosted a party to celebrate...

4. The theater featured...

5. We invented a....

6. They had to survive the...

7. The carnival happens annually in...

Grammar Point:

Proper Noun: A proper noun determines a specific place, person or thing. Some examples include Mrs. Arriaza (person), London (place), Oreos (thing).

Grammar Activity: 

Find the proper noun/s in each sentence. 

1. We traveled to Dominican Republic last year. 

2. My sister loved to eat Chips Ahoy with milk every night. 

3. Daniel was able to finish his homework on time. 

4. Gabriela, Joshua, and Evangelina went to Dave and Busters to celebrate their cousin's birthday.

5. The students like to eat Filet O'Fish from McDonalds. 

6. The adventure to Splish Splash was amazing because I got to ride every ride with my friend. 

STARS

       Last night, when I looked up at the sky, I noticed that the sky was dark blue. I knew that the wind was blowing because the leaves blew across the grass. As the leaves were blowing, I knew I would see stars. I was surprised by their brightness. It was as if the brightness of the stars blinded me. Amazed by the beauty of the stars, I started wondering... who made them so beautiful?
        I got a little hungry and went to buy a snack at 7 Eleven. I passed by many stores to get to 7 Eleven. The cashier asked me "What do you want to buy?" I said that I wanted to get some nachos, soda, and gummy bears. I walked out with a bag and went back home. Once in my room, I started to gaze at the Sky again. Oh, how beautiful that night sky was. 

Vocabulary: 
Blew: To be moved by air 
Surprised: The feeling that us caused by an unexpected event, fact, etc. 
Brightness: The state of being bright
Blinded:Not being able to see
Amazed: Feeling or showing great surprised
Wondering: A state in which you want to know more of something
Cashier: A person who charges for items in a store
Gaze: To look long at something because it is of great amazement

Vocabulary Exercise:
Write sentences using the vocabulary words

Grammar Point:
Homophones
Homophones are words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings and may be spelled differently. The word homophone comes from the Greek word "homos" meaning the same and "phone" which means sound. 

Some examples of homophones are...
To, two, and too
There, they're, and their 

Grammar Activity:
Find the homophones in the text above. Provide the definition of each homophone. 

  

C O C O

 

This movie focuses on the heritage of a Mexican family. Miguel, one of the main characters' and his family celebrated El Dia De Los Muertos (The Day of the Dead). Miguel's family did not like music because of a past event. Miguel was determined to follow his dream. He was able to step out of the norm from his family. His dream led to an adventure, but the adventure led to answers, closure, and happiness. While on his journey, the theme of the movie is FAMILY. Miguel and his family celebrated being together, they remembered their beloved ones that had passed away, and they enjoyed a wonderful feast together. This made me reflect upon my life and it reassured me that no matter what, there should always be time for family. It also reminded me that family is everything. 

Vocabulary:

Focuses: Point of concentration 

Heritage: Background from which one comes

Determined: Keep trying to achieve something 

Norm: a standard

Closure: Closing something 

Theme: A topic

Beloved: dearly beloved

Reflect: thinking deeply about something

Reassured: To say or do something that removes any doubts or fears 

Vocabulary Exercise: 

Complete the matching column below by drawing a line from the definition to the correct word.

1. Norm                                                       A. Keep trying
                                                                           
2. Reassured                                                      B. Close

3. Heritage                                                  C. To look back and think about something

4. Theme                                                             D. Something that is considered average

5. Closure                                                            E. To do something that takes away any doubts

6. Determined                                                    F. Close attention

7. Focuses                                                           G. A topic

8. Reflect                                                            H. Background of someone

                                                     

Grammar Point: 
Noun
Nouns are words that name a person, place or thing. 

Examples: Doctor (person), London (place), pencil (thing)

Grammar Exercise:
Identify the nouns in the paragraph above. Identify whether the noun is a person, place, or thing. 

Friends Forever

A best friend is like a four leaf clover, hard to find, lucky to have. There are many people that use the word friend for the wrong reasons or just call anyone their friend. 

I am fortunate enough to have two best friends. I consider them my sisters because we grew up together in the same house. They lived in the first floor and I lived in the second floor. Their mom was my babysitter, but she was more like a second mother to me. I did everything with Jessica and Shania. We went to the park, did our homework together, had tea parties, picnics, danced, and had the time of our lives. The girls are still my best friends. We are actually talking right now through a video call. We plan to have our kids be the best of friends as well. 

      We have to remember that not everyone is our friend. Some people will come into our life for a short while. In that short period of time, we learn lessons. Friends are supposed to support you, they help you grow, bring out the best in you, and they are always honest... even if a dress makes you look fat. It is essential to connect with people on a deeper level. You should be surrounding yourself with people that want the same things as you do, or things that are a little different, as long as its positive. Make the best out of every friendship you cherish because real friends are hard to find. Pick your friends wisely. 

Vocabulary:

clover: a herb that has four leaves

fortunate: being lucky

babysitter: Someone who takes care of a child

honest: truthful

essential: something of importance

surrounding: something that surrounds

positive: good attitude

cherish: to hold dearly

wisely: knowing how to pick or judge something

Vocabulary Exercise:

Circle the appropriate vocabulary word for each sentence

1. They (fortunate/cherish) their grandmothers necklace.

2. Cynthia was (positive/honest) to her mother about what happened earlier.

3. The (essential/surrounding) areas are not safe.

4. Her (babysitter/clover) woke up early because her parents worked early.

5. She held the (honest/clover) until she got home.

6.Consider yourself (fortunate/surrounding) for having a home and a family.

7. It is (positive/essential) to complete your homework.

8. We remained (babysitter/positive) throughout the hardships.

Grammar Point: Verb tenses

Verb tenses are expressed in the past, present, and future.

The past (something that already happened)

examples: ran, slept, cooked

The present (something that is happening at the moment)

examples: cooking, eating, writing

The future (something will happen)

examples: she will write a book tomorrow, they will eat dinner at their friend's house

Grammar Activity:

Write three sentences using the past, present or future tense.

Concert Crazy For...

        This weekend, I will be going to the Bad Bunny concert with my cousin. The concert will take place in the United Palace. Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican rapper and producer.  My cousin and I will be taking the train because we do not want to be in traffic. As soon as we get to the venue, we will take pictures. My cousin and I will hand our tickets to the usher so that we can be taken to our section. Our seats are in the Orchestra (very close to the stage). Once we know where we will sit, we will get some food and a drink. As soon as Bad Bunny comes out to perform, we will scream at the top of our lungs. I think we will end up losing our voices. My cousin and I will sing along to the songs that Bad Bunny will be singing. I know that we will be very excited. To get home, we will take the train back. On our way home, we will discuss our favorite part of the performance. We will also share the videos and photographs that we will have in our phones. I look forward to an exciting weekend with my cousin. 

Vocabulary:

Concert: music performance 

Rapper: a person who performs rap music

Producer: a person who writes, arranges, and records songs

Venue: a place where an organized event takes place

Usher: a person who shows people to their seats

Section: a part of something

Orchestra: in this case, the part of the theatre where the orchestra plays, 

Perform: presenting a form of entertainment

Discuss: talk about 

Vocabulary Exercise: 

Complete the word search 

Grammar Point: 

Future tense: The future tense is used to describe or talk about something that will happen in the future. It could also be used to describe something that has not happened but will happen.

For example: 

They will eat dinner at my house.

She will study for her test.

I will go to sleep early tonight. 

Grammar Exercise: 

Write a paragraph describing what you will do over the weekend. Use the future tense. 

Princess Sky

        I have a dog named Sky. She is considered to be one of the smallest dog breeds. Sky is a very outgoing and loving Chihuahua. Her birthday is on May 5th (Cinco de Mayo). I was able to bring her home when she was two months. As soon as I knew that she was going to come home, I went to Petco (a pet store) and got her a bed, food bowls, a blanket, and some toys. The first night that she was away from her parents, she cried a lot. I did not sleep the whole night because I was worried about her. I was worried because I felt like she was scared and lonely without her mom and dad. The following morning, I tried to feed her and she did not eat her food. I was heart broken because she looked extremely sad. I left the house without brushing my hair. When it was time to feed her later on in the day, she refused to eat. That was the breaking point for me. I was ready to return her to her owner. I called her and told her what happened and how I wanted to return Sky. As the weeks went by, Sky was a different dog. She began to play, chew on my shoes, destroyed many things around the house, and went through the different stages that a dog goes through. Two years later, she is the happiest to be with my family. She loves family time, shopping at Pet Smart, walking through the neighborhood, family parties, and dressing up. 

Vocabulary 

Dog breed: A particular dog from a variety of different dogs

Worried: To feel or show fear because you or someone may feel like something bad has happened or will happen.

Lonely: Feeling alone

Heart Broken: When someone is feeling very upset. 

Extremely: A high extent of something

Refused: Not wanting to do something or want something
Convinced: Being certain or sure about something

Breaking Point: A time where a person can't deal with or accept a situation because they are either stressed, scared, have too much pressure or feel uncertain.

Vocabulary Exercise

Fill in the blanks

1. When the sun was beaming down, Elena felt ____________ hot. 
2. Gabriel  ___________ to take the garbage out. 
3. My teacher was ____________ that we cheated on the test. 
4. When we saw that the dog had a missing leg, we were __________.
5. Ryan went on vacation and his mother was alone in the house. She felt very ____________.
6. A Pitbull is a _________. 
7. Her mom was __________ because she left her homework at home. 
8. The situation reached the __________ ___________ when Edwin lied to his parents. 

Grammar Point 

Past progressive tense: Something that happened at some point in the past. 
Some examples include:
was crying
was worried
refused

Activity: Finish each sentence with a past progressive tense. 
1. When she was ten years old, she ________ to the bus stop. 
2. Rebecca _______ her homework on time. 
3. My mom ________ every Saturday when I was younger. 
4. We ________ our neighbor cut the grass. 
5. They ________ in their coloring books. 

Smallest Country In Central America

Let's Take a Trip to El Salvador

        My parents are from El Salvador. El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America. I have visited the country many times. My family and I try to take annual vacations to El Salvador. Many describe the country as the most violent country in Central America because of the gangs that have formed in the country. The citizens of the country live in fear because they do not know if it will be their last day. However, El Salvador, is a beautiful country. The country has a lot to offer. There are many places to visit, many beautiful beaches to go to and fun activities to do. What I love the most is the people that live in the country.
        There is a great number or citizens that live in poverty. Some people have to travel many miles to get water for their homes. Many go to rivers to wash their clothes because they do not have water like we do nor do they have washing machines. However, the more fortunate have washing machines. The average worker makes five dollars a day. What can five dollars get you? There are some children that don't go to school because they have to provide food for their homes. Not many people have the luxury of wearing different outfits every day because they can't afford new clothing. Their clothing usually has holes, is dirty or is worn out. There are a lot of people that have one or two outfits for the year. Many wear the same shoes every day.
        Every time I travel to the country and see what many people go through, I reflect on the way I live. I also consider myself blessed because I have every thing I need. It makes me appreciate the way my family and I live because not many people get to live the way we do (compared to the people in El Salvador).

Vocabulary

* Annual: something that happens once a year.
* Describe: Giving details about something.
* Violent: Identified as an uncontrolled, strong or rough force.
* Citizen: a member of a country.
* Poverty: the state of having little or no money or having few or no material possessions.
* Fortunate: To be lucky.
* Average: A number that represents the central or typical value in a set of data.
* Provide: To give or make something available.
* Luxury: Something that is an excess rather than a necessity.
* Reflect: To look back on.
* Blessed: To be fortunate.
* Appreciate: To be thankful.
* Compared: When you see the similarities between two or more things.

Vocabulary Exercise

Finish the sentence.

1. There is poverty in El Salvador because...
2. Skyla appreciates...
3. My mother described the...
4. The video game was violent because...
5. A citizen was walking...
6. My teacher provided the class...
7. She wanted to live in luxury because...
8. The annual fair was...
9. An average person...
10. I used to reflect on...
11. They compared the...
12. My parents showed me how to appreciate...

Grammar Point- Adjectives

Adjectives are words that describe nouns.

Activity: Compare and Contrast the life in El Salvador and the life in the United States based on the blog.

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