Finals

It's that time of year again. The weather is finally getting warmer and everyone is looking forward to going back to the beach and have time to relax. There is only another month and a half until summer is officially here. But there is one more thing people tend to forget about this beautiful time of year. Final exams! We have all spent the past 16 weeks in classes learning about what we will need to know for the final exam and should be well prepared. Of course you probably can't remember what your professors have been talking about the last few classes. Therefore, taking a test on an entire semester of information sounds like an impossible mission. So instead of enjoying the new warm weather, one can choose to look at their notes from the class and try to comprehend what now looks like a foreign language to them. For some classes a final paper is assigned in place of an exam. Students initially become excited to know that they will not be penalized for not understanding a professor who for some reason always started to mumble in that early morning class. They become so excited and start to enjoy the spring weather. It's only when they are outside with the strange feeling like they forgot something do they realize that they still have not started that 10 page final paper that is due tomorrow do they start to panic. Along with their friend, caffeine, they pull an all nighter and miraculously complete, what should have taken days to do, in one night. Finally after this incredibly stressful time has ended and all of the exams are completed and papers handed in, one can then only pray that they did not forget too much of what they were supposed to learn and can still by some miracle pull off a passing grade.

Vocabulary:
tend (verb)- to be inclined to do something
comprehend (verb)- to understand
initially ()- in the beginning
penalize (verb)- to punish
miraculously (adverb)- seeming to work miracles
stressful (adjective)- full of stress or tension

Use the correct vocabulary word from above to fill in the blanks.

1. The student was ___________ for not doing his homework.

2. Exam time is a very _____________ time of year for students.

3. It is difficult to ______________ what a teacher says when he or she mumbles.

4. On a hot summer day people _________ to go to the beach.

5. The student ____________ finished the research paper one hour before it was due.

6. The class was _____________ excited to hear there was no long paper for the class until they heard the final exam was cumulative.

Grammar Point:
Write a paragraph using appropriate discourse markers such as: first, second, third, afterwords, next, later, sooner, then, finally.

Hair

I am often told how lucky I am to have thick hair that is naturally straight. It doesn't get frizzy and I never have to worry about humid days when it comes to my hair. People think that I do not have to work very hard to get my hair to look beautiful. They could not be more wrong. There is a great deal of maintenance that goes into keeping my hair looking decent. Every morning when I wake up, my hair just hangs like dead weight on the sides of my head. I have to brush the hundreds of knots that have formed in my hair overnight before anything can be done with it. Using a straightner is usually necessary even though my hair is naturally straight. The straightner gives my hair a smooth shine that lasts all day. Sometimes I can wet my hair and blow dry it with a hair dryer to give it some volume. This whole routine may not sound too bad, but it is only part of the necessary hair maintenance. Every 5-6 weeks, I need to go to the hair salon to keep up with my hairstyle and my side bangs at a manageable length. When I cannot make it to the salon, my hair starts to cause problems. My bangs are usually the main culprit. After I run the straightner through my hair countless times, the ends do a very strange flip up. I end up feeling very frustrated and use a small hair clip to get them out of my face.
After my hair to finally look nice, it does not last very long. I have oily hair (the fact that I play with my hair and brush it numerous times a day does not help it) and it needs to be washed twice a day. Only certain shampoos can successfully clean my hair. In the end, after all the hours worth of maintenance and money spent, I can get my hair to look soft and beautiful like everyone sees.

Vocabulary:

humid (adjective)- Containing by a high amount of water or water vapor
maintenance (noun)- act of upholding something
necessary (noun)- essential
manageable (adjective)- can be controlled
culprit (noun)- one who is guilty or responsible for an offense
numerous (adjective)- great quantity

Use the appropriate vocabulary word to complete the sentences:

1. The police arrested the _________ of the armed robbery at the bank.
2. Food, water, and shelter are ______________ for survival.
3. The spoiled child received ___________ presents for her birthday.
4. People spend a great deal of time and money on the ____________ or upkeep of their hair.
5. The Fourth of July was a very hot and ____________ day last year.
6. The students were able to relax because their teacher gave them a _____________ amount of homework.

Grammar Point:

Write a paragraph using adjectives to describe your hair.

Mother's Day

Every May, the second Sunday of the month is dedicated to extraordinary women all over the country. These women are mothers. Everyday throughout the entire year, mothers work very hard to take care of their children and families. A woman by the name of Anna Jarvis created this holiday in 1908 to honor and thank mothers for everything that they do for their families. She promoted the holiday for years until President Woodrow Wilson finally agreed to officially make it a national holiday in 1914. The holiday soon became a highly commercialized and some even consider it a “Hallmark Holiday” with an overwhelming commercial purpose. When Jarvis died in 1948, she died feeling regret for what became of the holiday she had created. Today in the United States, Mother’s Day is still one of the biggest days for buying flowers and greeting cards for mothers. It is also a big day for long-distance phone calls for people who live far away from their mother and want to wish her a happy day.

Vocabulary:

extraordinary (adjective)- exceptional in character
honor (noun)- a source of credit or distinction
promoted (verb)- to help in organizing to exist
commercialized (verb)- to use for financial gain
overwhelming (adjective)- excessive amount
regret (noun)- to feel sorrow or remorse

Fill in the blank with the appropriate vocabulary word.

1. The police officer had a party to ___________ his dedication to keeping the city safe.

2. The boss finally agreed to have casual Friday every week after his employee ______________ it for several weeks.

3. The child felt __________ for teasing her younger brother after he started to cry.

4. The _______________ man rescued his whole family when their house caught on fire.

5. Greeting card companies ______________ the new holiday by trying to get everyone to buy the cards they had just designed for it.

6. The mean teacher gave his students an ___________________ amount of homework.

Grammar Point:
Write a paragraph about your mother. Be sure to use plenty of adjectives to describe her.

The Power of Madonna

Madonna is probably one of the biggest names in popular music. Many of her hit songs are about empowering women and equality.This is a message that all young women can benefit from. In the last episode of Glee, the Glee Club coordinator, Mr. Schuester, becomes aware of the boys' poor treatment of the girls in the club. As an assignment, Mr. Schuester challenges everyone to sing a Madonna song in hopes that the boys in the group will realize their mistreatment to the girls and show them the respect that they deserve. Everyone becomes very enthusiastic about the assignment and Madonna's music seems to spread throughout the school. Even the head "Cheerios" coach, Sue Sylvester, gets her "Cheerios" to do a Madonna number in their routine and makes her own "Vogue" video.

Vocabulary:

empower (verb)- to enable or give power to
benefit (verb)- to do good to
coordinator (noun)- a person who manages something such as a group
assignment (noun)- a task given
mistreatment (noun)- negative behavior towards another
enthusiastic (adjective)- full of excitement

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate vocabulary word.

1. The study session will ___________ the struggling student so she will be able to pass the exam.

2. The History Club's ______________ arranged a field trip to Ellis Island.

3. The _____________ children were looking forward to their trip to Disney World.

4. The manager's _____________ of his employee led to the employee quitting.

5. The students began to moan when the teacher gave them an ______________ to do over the winter vacation.

6. Wealth can _______________ a person to live a life of luxury.

Grammar Point:
Using the sentences above, identify the whole subject and the whole predicate in each sentence.

Glee

Attention to all fans of Glee: Glee has finally returned for the second half of their first season!
Fresh off their big victory at Sectional Show Choir Championships the members of McKinley High School's Glee Club, New Directions have returned to find out that their status at the school…has not at all changed. The club members are still getting milkshakes thrown in their faces by peers. However, they now have more important things to worry about. There is no time to celebrate their win at Sectionals. It is time for them to focus on preparing to compete in the Regional Show Choir Championships where they will face two time national champions and rivals, Vocal Adrenaline, from another high school.
Meanwhile the director of New Directions, Will Schuester, is still constantly being threatened of having the club pulled if they do not place at Regionals by the school principal for budget reasons. The head cheerleading coach of the "Cheerios", Sue Sylvester, is no help in this matter. She has made it her mission to destroy the club and even has some of her "Cheerios" in the Glee club to help sabotage it so her full budget can be restored.




Vocabulary:

victory (noun)- success or superior position achieved against an opponent
status ( noun)-the position of an individual in relation to another or others, esp. in regard to social or professional standing
milkshakes(noun)-a frothy drink made of cold milk, flavoring, and usually ice cream, shaken together or blended in a mixer.
rivals (noun)- one who is competing for the same object or goal as another, or who tries to equal or outdo another
budget (noun)- the total sum of money set aside or needed for a purpose
sabotage (verb)- to negatively interfere with production or work
restored ()-

Easter

Easter Sunday is the holiest day in the Christian religion. It always falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25. This is the day many Christians believe to be the day that Jesus rose from the dead after being nailed to a cross three days before.
Many families dress up and attend mass in the morning before seeing loved ones for Easter dinner. Some people, attend the Easter Vigil Mass, which takes place the night before Easter Sunday. At this mass, people who wish to convert to the Christian religion are welcomed into the church, receiving the sacraments of Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation for the very first time.
Although Easter is a holy day, it has a secular aspect as well. Many children paint eggs several different colors for the Easter bunny. The night before, Easter eve, the Easter bunny visits houses to hide the eggs and Easter baskets that he brings for the children. On Easter morning, children awake and have Easter egg hunts. Once all of the eggs have been found, the children count up their eggs to find out who the victor is. While searching for eggs, children also search for their Easter basket, hoping to find it filled with delicioustreats like chocolate bunnies and marshmallow peeps.


Vocabulary:

Christian-believing in, or belonging to the religion based on the teachings of Jesus
vigil- the eve, or day and night, before a church festival
mass- religious celebration
convert- to change to a different religion
holy- dedicated or devoted to the service of God, the church, or religion
sacraments- something regarded as possessing a sacred character
victor- person who wins in a competition
delicious- pleasing in flavor

Use the vocabulary that best fits in the sentence.

1. The Jewish man decided to ____________________ to Christianity.

2. The ______________ was so excited that she won her race.

3. Since the family was going away on Easter, they decided to go to the ___________ mass the night before.

4. Many people attend _____________ on Sundays to worship.

5.People of the _________________ religion believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

6. Communion is one of the ____________________ in the Christian religion.

7. Easter is considered to be a ____________ day, since many people believe that is the day Jesus rose from the dead.

8. The vanilla butter cream cake was very ________________.

Grammar Point
Identify all of the prepositions and what type of preposition (preposition of time or place)in the passage.

Oscars 2010

Tonight at 8:30 pm Eastern Standard Time, the 82nd Academy Awards will premiere live on ABC-7. Hollywood’s most accomplished stars will grace the Red Carpet wearing the latest fashions from the world’s top designers. Once everyone takes their seats, hosts, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will commence the show. Awards will be given to the best of the best in a variety of movie categories from best supporting and lead actor/actress to best direction, best screenplay, up to the long anticipated best picture. This year the top ten movies of 2009 have been nominated for best picture including Precious, The Hurt Locker, The Blind Side, Inglorious Basterds, and the surprisingly popular Avatar. Although, all the nominees have been selected as some of the best in their field, only one can truly be the very best after tonight. When the presenters open the envelope, all of the nominees will be holding their breaths awaiting the announcement of the winner.

Vocabulary:

accomplished- highly skilled, expert

commence- to begin, start

nominated- to propose for an honor or award

surprisingly- causing wonder or astonishment

popular- regarded with favor, approval, or affection by people

although- in spite of, even though

announcement- public or formal notice

Use the correct vocabulary word to complete the sentences below:

1. ____________ the boy was very tired, he did not want to miss soccer practice.

2.The singer waited to hear if she was _________________ for an Academy Award.

3. Everyone eagerly awaited the ______________________ of the winner of the contest.

4. The ________________ artist had many of his paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

5. The game will ________________ at seven o'clock.

6. The young swimmer ____________________ beat the World Record Holder in the 200 meter backstroke.

Grammar Point:
In the following sentences underline the tense marker and identify what tense it is being used with.

Yesterday I went to the city to see a show.

Everyday I like to go for a run to stay in shape.

I have worked at the pool since 2003.

Next year, I will be graduating from college.