I've Been Thinking...

        Though none of the students in my class are English language learners, they are all special education students, so they do face a lot of obstacles with their language.  I suppose when I think or talk about the way they speak, I would be focusing more on their speech than their language, but  the two relate very much.  Lately I have just been thinking more about how, with all of their speech deficits, each child seems to have his or her own language. It is so fortunate for these children that they stay with the same teachers for three years, because it has taken us nearly two, to efficiently translate their sounds and words.

        In our Linguistics class, we were talking about how some ESL students are falsely classified, when an actual difficulty with learning the English language is chalked up to be a learning disability.  When I hear people working with my students who are unfamiliar with them and their language, it gives me a chance to see how such problems can arise.  At first meeting, many teachers would have no idea of the  capabilities or intelligence of my students.  Due to their speech/language deficits, a lot of information they are trying to communicate becomes lost in translation, which, over time, can become frustrating and  disheartening, for the students as well as the adults.

obstacles (n)- Something that hinders progress
suppose (v)- To believe something as true
focusing (v)- Concentrating on something
loop (v)- Staying with the same group of people for more than one year
efficiently (adj)- Being successful at something
falsely (adv)- Wrong or misleading
 capabilities (n)- The ability to become affected by a given action

1. The girl was __________ accused of stealing the necklace.
2. All of the ________ of the new iphone are incredible!
3. Some people judge a persons __________solely on their physical appearance.
4. I __________ the hot temperatures melted my chocolate bar.
5.  A special needs person will face more __________ in their life than a typical person.
6. While earning my degree in Psychology I was ___________ on Special Education.
7. It is hard for me to complete the job because I am __________ with the machinery.

Adverb- Part of speech that modifies or qualifies other verbs or clauses.  For example, I use adverbs in my writing when I say, "falsely classified" and "efficiently translate".

Find the adverbs in each sentence
1. That Italian restaurant is famously good.
2. In the race yesterday the yellow car was so much faster than the red one.
3. At the end of Cinderella, she and the prince live happily ever after.
4.  I nervously asked my teacher what material would be on next weeks test.

22 Hours Later....

      Two years ago, when my cousin and his girlfriend announced to our family that they were in engaged to be married, we were all so happy for them.  They had originally informed us that they would be having a destination wedding in Key West, Florida, which we were all looking forward to (to say the least).  Since then, their plans have changed quite a few times.  Over the summer, they finally decided they would be having three different celebrations in three different countries, as a way to include all of their wishes and desires for their very special day.
      In April, they will be getting married in New York City, followed by a small cocktail hour in Brooklyn.  A week after their New York wedding, the pair will be traveling to Spain so my cousin and his fiance may share the joy with her family who still lives in Malaga.  First, however, and the part I feel is the most interesting, they are kicking it all off with a wedding in Thailand where they will be taking part in a traditional Thai wedding ceremony.  This includes wearing traditional garments, being painted with Henna, and riding atop elephants.  The two merry travelers left yesterday and 22 hours later, they are probably sitting somewhere on a beach receiving back massages, manicures and pedicures for three dollars, while the rest of us are trekking through the 30 mph winds..UGH!


Announced-(v) To state in advance
Engaged- (v) Promised to be married
Married- (adj) Two people who are legally joined as partners
Informed- (adj) Having been given information
Changed- (v) To transform or convert
Decided- (adj) To have determined something
Painted- (adj) Covered with a coating of paint


Interjection- A word added to a sentence to express emotion.  I use an interjection in my posting when I wrote, "...trekking through 30 mph winds...UGH!."  I used UGH! to express annoyance and irritation.


Choose the correct interjection to fit the sentence

1. _____________ thats a beautiful necklace! (WOW, UGH)
2. _____________ put that glass down now! (HEY, HURRAY)
3.____________ I missed a spot when I moped the floor! ( PHEW, OOPS)
4. You're going to wake the baby __________! (YEAH, SHH)

This past weekend my mom and I went into the city for my cousins, fiances, bridal shower in Fort Washington, New York.  We had groaned at the sight of the invitation which said the restaurant was located on 187th St.  We had never been that far uptown before and knew it would take over an hour each way.  After setting out on Saturday, taking new subway routes to knew places, going for a stroll in a new neighborhood, and meeting new people, it turned out to be a great day and a lovely experience.  The bridal shower was really more of a lunch (at a fantastic mexican restaurant)and gave my mom and I an opportunity to meet some of his fiances family members.  In attendance, were women from her mothers side of the family, from Malaga, Spain, and women from her fathers side of the family, who are Dominican.   It was very interesting for me to listen to the ladies speaking amongst themselves.  I am very excited for the cultural blending that will come from this marriage.

Fiance - (n) Wife to be

Bridal shower - (n) Celebration where friends and family give gifts to the bride

Groaned - (v) Sound expressing displeasure

"Setting out"- Phrase, meaning started or began 

Subway - (n) Electric railway operating under the ground

Stroll - (n) Leisurely walk

Opportunity (n) - Chance due to a favorable combination of circumstances

Heritage (n)- Practices that are handed down from the past through traditions

Blending - (v) Combine

1. On Saturday I went for a __________ in  the park.

2. I love talking to my relatives and finding out new information about my Italian __________. 

3. My brother __________ when I asked him to take out the garbage.  

4. Before _______________ on our ten hour drive, my mom made every one of us use the bathroom.

5. When we help my mom cook, I'm always the best at __________ all of the ingredients together. 

6. When Jenna walked into the _________________ she was so surprised!

7. Attending a top university allowed Mark the __________ to make crucial connections in business.

Collective Nouns
A collective noun is singular in form but names a group.

Example: I used the word family as a collective noun in my post when I wrote, "In attendance, were women from her mothers side of the family, from Malaga, Spain, and women from her fathers side of the family, who are Dominican."  Although the word family is used in its singular form, I am referring to all of the individuals who makeup that one group.

Use the collective nouns in the bank to complete the sentences.  

team     band     audience     herd

1. As Michelle slid into home plate, the _______________ erupted in cheers at once.
2. The _______________ had to carry their instruments for such a long time during the parade.
3.  Will Ferrell was so funny in the show, the _____________ was laughing the entire time.
4. The dog managed to gather the _______________ within seconds.

An Unsusal Weekend in Brooklyn...

Last weekend when my friend invited me to stay with her in Brooklyn I was looking forward to it with anticipation.  She was house sitting for a coworker so, at the very least, staying at the apartment would be a fresh experience.  My friend Kerry also accompanied me, and we walked down the sidewalk looking for the building number until we found ourselves faced with a two story, concrete building with detailed molding and four beautiful, old, wooden doors.  We assumed we had somehow missed the apartment and became momentarily worried that we had already gotten ourselves lost.  However, when Lana popped her head out of the double doors in the middle, we became pleasantly surprised and quite perplexed.  Immediately, questions ran through my mind, Is this where we are staying?  What the heck is this place?  Are we staying in an old firehouse? Isn't this too pretty to have been a firehouse? As we crossed the threshold and asked Lana, "Um, was this place a Church at one time?" She looked at us with wide eyes replying, "No, it used to be a funeral home"

anticipation (n)- Having prior knowledge of something and awaiting it's outcome.
experience (n)- Directly participating in something.
accompanied (v)- past tense of accompany - To be in association with something or someone else.
concrete (n)-  A solid, hard building material.
molding (n)- A decorative trim used on and inside buildings.
assumed (v)- past tense of assume - To form an opinion before all the facts are confirmed.
momentarily (adv)- A short amount of time.
perplexed (v)- past tense of perplex- Confused
immediately (adv)- Without delay
threshold (n)- The place of entrance/exit to a building

The minute I woke up this morning I shuddered with ______, I just had a feeling the day wouldn't be so great.  When I woke up I hit my head on the ______, while coming down the stairs.  On my way to the car, I slipped on some ice and skinned my knee on the ______.  Third, after starting my car, it ______ stalled.  Just as I ______ that the day couldn't get much worse, one of my headlights burnt out.  Thankfully, brother ______ me to purchase a new light for my car.  I  knew having him there would make the ______ much more bearable. As my brother and I crossed the ______ of the auto parts store, I felt overwhelmed.  Looking around at all the different parts made me very ______.  I was______ thankful that my brother had come along to help.  


Verbs in the past tense: These types of verbs express an action that was started or completed in the past, as in, the action or experience has already happened.  


Choose the verb that fits correctly in the sentence
1. The girl turned to me and _____ something I couldn't understand. (mumble / mumbled)

2. Emily ______ up the snowy hill with her sled dragging behind. (struggled/ struggle)

3. A group of politicians ______ an important decision yesterday.  (make/ made)

4. After a huge dinner, Matt and Sasha ______ for a while.  (talked/ talk)