Spring is Here

My absolute favorite time of the year is springtime.  I love to see the colorful flowers in my garden.  They make a rainbow of colors that brightens my day.  Especially after this harsh winter that we had, I need the joy of spring.  We were covered in snow so many times this winter. I have been waiting and waiting for a lovely spring day to arrive.  Today it is here.  It is a delight to be outdoors, enjoying the cool breeze off the ocean in the town where I live.  The radiant reflection of the sun shining off everything around me.  There is nothing better than a bright, cheery spring day.  I wish spring lasted all year.  At work the squirrels and rabbits are running around playing.  All winter they spent searching for food, but now it is spring and they can run, scamper, and play.  The sounds of spring are all so joyous.  The birds are singing their pleasing melody, the sun is smiling down on us, and you and hear the sweet laughter of the children who have finally come out to play again.  Springtime signals a time of rebirth.  The hibernating animals awake, new babies are born, and come out to play just like the children we see every day.  There is nothing better than a warm spring day.  It is full of light, and life.  The sounds of spring bring peace and calm to a boisterous world. I'm so glad it is spring!

Vocabulary
1. absolute: total; most
2. favorite: best
3.brightens: gives light to; makes me happy
4.lovely: pretty, beautiful
5.delight: joy
6.radiant: bright
7.scamper: run
8.joyous: happy
9.pleasing melody: sweet song
10.rebirth: renewal, new life
11. hibernating: sleeping for winter
12. boisterous: loud

Vocabulary Activity
Match the definition in the second column with the word in the first column.

1. absolute____                                              a.loud
2. favorite_____                                             b.happy
3. brightens____                                            c. pretty; beautiful
4. lovely_____                                               d. total; most
5. delight____                                                e. renewal; new life
6. radiant____                                                f.gives light to; makes me happy
7. scamper____                                             g.  sleeping for winter
8. joyous_____                                              h.bright
9. pleasing melody____                                  i. best
10. rebirth_____                                            j. run
11. hibernating____                                        k. sweet song
12. boisterous_____                                       l. loud

Grammar Point:
Adjectives are words that describe nouns.  In the paragraph there are several adjectives.  For example: pleasing melody.  Pleasing is the adjective and it describes melody, the noun.
Grammar Activity
 Can you find other adjectives in the paragraph?  Write the adjectives and the noun that they describe.  Label each as either adjective or noun.  Then write a paragraph about your favorite time of the year either in the United States or in your native country. You must include at least five adjectives in your paragraph.

What is Newsworthy

It is funny to see what we see as newsworthy in our culture today.  When I turn on the news all I hear about are murders, wars, natural disasters, etc.   Many people turn on the news each day to see what is going on in our world and this is what we see.  I often wonder why they don't show us other things.  I wouldn't mind seeing good things on the news.  In fact, I would be so excited to see the good things people are doing instead of always seeing the bad in our world.  It would be wonderful to hear about the people who are making a difference in our world.  Wouldn't it be nice to see on the news someone who has saved someone else's life, or to read about people helping the poor by serving in soup kitchens, or bringing clothes and food to the homeless. I would love to read about children who are making a difference in another person's life.  We always hear the bad things, but why not the good.  Couldn't the news tell us something that we want to hear?  Why don't they put                            
stories on the news that are enjoyable.  Let's rejoice with people over the good things that are happening in their lives rather than being swept up in crimes, disasters, and wars.  There's a time for all things, but I for one would like to see more on the news and in the newspapers that make me smile, rather than always being shown the things that bring us down and make us question what is going on in our world today.

Vocabulary
1. newsworthy:  to be worth listening to or reading about in the news
2. natural disasters: results of bad weather conditions
3.wonder: to be curious about,
4excited: can't wait for
5.difference: change
6.homeless: a person who does not have a home to live in; a person who lives on the streets
7.enjoyable: fun
8.rejoice: be glad over
9.swept up: taken in by, pulled into
10.question: ask why

Activity
1.  To ask why is to _______________________________.
2.  To be worth listening to or reading in the news means to be _____________________________.
3.  Something that is fun is ______________________________.
4.  If you can't wait for something you are _________________________ about it.
5.  To make a change is to make a _________________________.
6.  If you are taken in by something or pulled into something you are _________________________ by it.
7.  When we have bad weather conditions they may result in __________________________.
8.  A person who lives on the streets is considered ____________________________.
9.  To be glad over something is to _______________________________.
10.  Something that is fun is also_______________________________.

Grammar Point
Contractions are two words put together to make one word.  An example of a contraction is "can't."  Can't means cannot.  We remove the second n and the o and add an apostrophe after the n to form the contraction can't.
Grammar Activity:
In the paragraph there are several contractions. Find each of the contractions and write the words that make up each contraction.  Then write a paragraph about what is newsworthy to you using at least five contractions.