The Hair de Casa Gladstone

My father's hair is frizzy, and curly and grows into a fro. It resembles a Brillo pad that has been ripped apart. He uses a pick to comb it and if he gets it cut he looks like a manicured poodle. It was reddish brown growing up but became brown then eventually white over time.

My mothers hair is long and straight. It puffs out like she is matting it down from a lightning strike. She dyes it constantly so her original color is disguised. I think it was black.

My hair is straight, black, and grows into a fro.

A Favorite Hiking Place

On of my favorite hobbies is walking leisurely through state parks. I could vaguely hear the fast moving river in the distance. I must walk carefully to avoid objects in my path. I slowly climb steep hills to see what is on the other side. While sliding awkwardly down the hill I sometimes see small animals running gracefully through the woods. When the wind blows fiercely you could see the leaves moving on the trees. State parks beautifully create a relaxing environment to clear my mind.

Vocabulary:

All of the following words are adverbs

Leisurely: calmly; relaxed
Vaguely: barely; not clearly
Fast: quick paced
Carefully: cautiously
Slowly: moving with little speed
Awkwardly: clumsily
Gracefully: elegantly; without stalling
Fiercely: violently

Close Exercise:

There are more than one possible answer in this section. Only use each vocabulary words one time.

People make fun of Ken because he dances ____________________.
I _________________ took a walk down the road because I had nothing to do all day.
The boxer _____________________ punched the other boxer until the fight was over.
Mom ____________________ stepped over the broken glass in the kitchen.
The eagle ____________________ flew over us as if it took no effort.
The turtle walked down the road very ___________________.
I __________________ remember the homework assignment because I didn’t write it down.
When Susan reads too ________________ she misses important details.

Additional Exercise:

Write a list of 10 verbs and give one adverb that could apply to each.

Chicken Cutlet Parmesan

To make chicken parmesan you need to cut pieces of chicken breast thin. You then dip the chicken into a bowl with two scrambled eggs. Then you put bread crumbs on the chicken and fry it in a pan with oil. Then take the chicken and put it on a cookie sheet and put tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese on top. Then bake the chicken cutlets for ten minutes and serve to your guests.

Vocabulary:

All of the following vocabulary words are nouns

Chicken: Small farm animal that makes eggs
Bowl: round container for holding things
Eggs: oval shaped food that comes from a female of certain animals
Pan: Round metal object for cooking things
Oil: Liquid that prevents things from sticking to a pan
Sauce: Liquid or paste used to flavor foods
Cheese: product made from spoiled milk
Guests: Visitor inside your home

Close Exercise:

What comes first, the chicken or the _____________________?
When you crush tomatoes to make a ____________________ it always comes out tasting better.
A ___________________ makes delicious eggs or you can eat the bird itself.
We had many ___________________ in my house last week.
Many people use __________________ to fry things on a pan.
You put food in a ____________________ when you want to fry it.
__________________ is made from milk, which does a body good.
You may use a _________________ to put cereal inside.

Additional Exercise:

Write a recipe for any meal and underline all of the nouns that you can.

The Coolidge Effect

Rooster:

I need a good Chick.

Chickens:
There are many chickens to go around.
















President Coolidge walked into a chicken farm with his wife. He separated from his wife and wandered off alone. His wife noticed that the roosters were trying to reproduce with every chicken on the farm and asked the farmer to make sure and tell this to President Coolidge to hint to him that them two need to try to have more children. When the President returned to the Hen House the farmer explained to him that his wife wanted to tell him that the roosters constantly reproduce with all of the chickens. President Coolidge responded to the farmer by asking them if the roosters always mated with the same chicken. The then left and returned to the White House.

Vocabulary:

This entire list are verbs in the past tense

Walked: Using legs to move somewhere
Separated: to go in a different direction
Wandered: to move somewhere aimlessly
Noticed: to recognize or discover something
Asked: to give a question seeking an answer
Explained: to make clear; to give details
Mated: to reproduce
Returned: to go or bring back to the original place

Close Activity:

All of the people __________________ ten miles to support cancer.
The student ____________________ the answer in detail.
The address on the envelope could not be read so it was ___________________ to Cathy’s house.
The chimpanzees at the zoo _____________________. Now there will be more baby chimpanzees.
I was climbing a mountain and ____________________ how high the mountain was.
Sally was not sure of the answer so she _______________ her classmate.
After Joe was hit on the head, he __________________ into the wrong room.
The fight was very dangerous until the cops __________________ the two boys.

Additional Exercise:

Write 10 adjectives and match them to the past tense.

Our Economy

It is almost impossible to survive in today’s economy. While shopping for food, I saw white eggs priced at $2.89 per carton which is very expensive. Rent on a small apartment in desirable areas is extremely overpriced. Many people are spending more time at home because of money problems. While at home people are watching boring television, listening to current music, and hanging out with annoying friends.

Vocabulary:

White: (Adjective) colorless
Expensive: (Adjective) costly; pricey
Desirable: (Adjective) pleasing; wanted
Extremely: (Adjective) very
Boring: (Adjective) uninteresting
Current: (Adjective) recent; present
Annoying: (Adjective) irritating

Close Exercise:

The table is ___________________ in color.
I need a _____________________ newspaper because I want to see what is happening today.
Most men select their women by how _________________ they are.
If a person constantly repeats the same thing very _________________.
I like the ___________________ car but I can’t afford it.
I find long books very _______________________.
I get _____________________ stressed when I have a test.

Additional Exercise:

Write a paragraph about food shopping with your parents. You must use at least 6 adjectives.

About My Friends

I have many friends with different interests. Billy enjoys flying his kite on the beach. Bobby prefers to skate with his brother and their other friends. He sometimes enjoys to skate with his sister Kate and her friends. Donny is my best friend. The two of us often share secrets together. We have a great time when we hang out. All of my friends get along with each other. It is hard to tell which one of them I like the most.

Vocabulary:

His: (Pronoun) The possessive form of he
Their: (Pronoun) The possessive form of they
He: (Pronoun) Refers to a single male
Her: (Pronoun) Refers to a single female
Us: (Pronoun) Refers to a group that includes you (objective)
We: (Pronoun) Refers to a group that includes you
Them: (Pronoun) Refers to a group other than you

Close Exercise:

Sandy is smart. _________________ best friend is Martin.
James has twenty dollars. _______________ can spend half of the money today.
All of us have bicycles. _________________ ride them every day.
The teacher was yelling at the entire class. He was screaming at all of ________________.
I am not invited to the party. All of _______________ will have fun without me.
Evelyn and Jacky are sisters. __________________ house is very big.

Additional Exercise:

Make a close exercise using different pronouns. You must use at least 6 pronouns.

Am I Crazy?

Hello, my name is Marcy. I am 15 years old and I am convinced that my teachers are plotting to make me fail. All throughout my life I have had problems making friends. When I was 12 I made my first friend named Patty. She and I have been inseparable for 3 years. She actually understands who I am and agrees with me about my theories pertaining to my teachers. My parents do not like Patty, telling me that she needs to leave my life forever. They finally made me see a psychiatrist who informed me that Patty never existed. The doctor mandated that I take these red pills and Patty doesn’t come around anymore.

Vocabulary:

Convinced: (Verb) to be sure; to persuade

Plotting: (Verb) planning

Inseparable: (Adjective) stays together

Agrees: (Verb) having the same opinion

Pertaining: (Verb) to belong to

Psychiatrist: (Noun) doctor that focuses on the brain

Pills: (Noun) medication; medicine

Close Exercise:

1. The doctor is making me take these __________________ for my headaches.
2. My brothers ___________________ that I am very annoying.
3. All the information on your sheet is _____________________ to the lab we are doing.
4. I was ___________________ that the magic trick was a fake.
5. My dog and I are ___________________ when I am not in school.
6. Crazy people need to see a ____________________ to get better.
7. My mother is ____________________ to ruin my life.

Additional Exercise:

Write 3 to 4 sentences summarizing the passage and identify as many verbs and nouns as you could in your paragraph

The Scariest Place on Earth

My name is Samuel Gomez and I am a student in Roosevelt Middle School. I am different from many other students because I do not speak the same language as them. I am native to El Salvador. Can you imagine being in a place where most of the people your age does not speak your language? I am scared every day because I sometimes can’t even communicate simple needs. I feel so alone. I have found a way to feel alone in a place with many people. I do not even exist according to many of the native English speakers. I am struggling to learn English because I will not have a voice in this scary place until that voice is in English.

Vocabulary:

Speak: (Verb) verbal communication using words

Native: (Adjective) originating in a particular place

Language: (Noun) system of words common to a people of the same community

Communicate: (Verb) convey a message

Struggling: (Verb) having trouble doing something

Voice: (Noun) Sounds that come from your mouth

Close Exercise:

1. Nobody can hear me because I lost my ______________________.
2. I can’t understand what the teacher is saying because we don’t speak the same ______________________.
3. A fish from the Baltic Sea is said to be __________________ to that area.
4. I want to ____________________ to your manager.
5. There are many other ways to ____________________ what you need other than speaking.
6. I am _______________________ to understand you because you are talking too softly.

Additional Exercise:

Write a short paragraph about your experience in Middle School. You must discuss how you interact with other students.

The Flat Earth Society

There is a group of people called the Flat Earth Society. These people believe that the Earth is flat instead of round. They believe that all pictures of the earth were made the same way that movies are made. They also believe that the sun revolves around the earth as do all of the other planets. This idea is a called geocentric view of the earth which means that Earth is in the center of the universe. These people have no valuable data to prove this idea. Normal people do not agree with this because there is a large amount of evidence to show us that the Earth is round.

Vocabulary:

Believe: (Verb) to think; to have confidence in the truth

Flat: (Adjective) Horizontal level

Round: (Adjective) circular surface

Revolves: (Verb) moves around

Center: (Adjective) in the middle

Valuable: (Adjective) important

Close Activity:

1. A ball is __________________.
2. Allen ____________________ that Susan is part of the Flat Earth Society.
3. The moon ____________________ around the Earth.
4. I like to eat on a _________________ table.
5. Money is very ____________________ in the United States.
6. There is a hole in the _________________ of a CD.

Additional Exercise:

Write whether you agree or disagree with the Flat Earth Society and support your answer using at least three of the vocabulary words.

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

My name is Cassandra and I love Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. This candy is amazing in various ways. First, it has a light sweet flavor that does not spoil dinner. I think I like the consistency the best. It is easily chewed and does not stick to your teeth. It is also kind of gritty. Many of the other candies are chewy and stick in your mouth. There is a major step you need to take before eating a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. You need to freeze them. This transforms the peanut butter into a perfect gritty texture. Freezing the candy is an effective process for my candy of choice but is a major mistake with the candies that are more liquid such as Snickers. When the caramel becomes a solid it becomes too hard to eat and can hurt your teeth.

Vocabulary:

Various: (Adjective) Many; several

Light: (Adjective) Not a powerful flavor

Spoil: (Verb) To go bad

Consistency: (Noun) amount of density

Gritty: (Adjective) texture that feels sandy

Freeze: (Verb) to make into a solid by lowering temperature

Transform: (Verb) To change

Liquid: (Adjective) like water

Solid: (Noun) object that is rigid

Close Activity:

1. If you leave chicken on the counter for days it will ____________________.
2. If I make something cold it becomes a ______________________.
3. There are ___________________ reasons to eat candy.
4. The word, ___________________, can describe food or how bright something is.
5. To transform a _______________ to a solid you need to freeze it.
6. Cassandra does not like Snicker because it is ________________.
7. Another word for transform is ______________________.
8. Gritty is an a word that can describe the ___________________ of food/
9. A food that is _______________ does not stick to your teeth.
10. The __________________ of food is another word for consistency in the paragraph.

Additional Activity:

Write 4 sentences using the vocabulary words but leave a blank for the vocabulary words and let a partner try the close exercise.

Diary of a Bacterium

I am only one cell big. I spend most of my time taking in nutrients and oxygen to make energy and have been caught many times reproducing in public. Some of my grandparents spend all of their time eating and reproducing on dead organisms. I on the other hand prefer to live in a warmer environment, like inside the body of sniffling teenage students. This is very risky because teenagers often cheat when at war with me by using antibiotics to kill me. This is chemical warfare and it is wrong.

Vocabulary:

Eating: (Verb) to chew and swallow

Dead: (Adjective) not alive

Warmer: (Adjective) more heat

Environment: (Noun) surroundings

Sniffling: (Verb) to sniff repeatedly

Risky: (Adjective) dangerous

War: (Noun) fight

Antibiotics: (Noun) medicine that kills bacteria

Close Exercise:

1. Antibiotics are made to kill ______________________.
2. Bacteria use __________________ and ___________________ to create energy.
3. If you are sniffling then you are probably __________________.
4. There is a ________________ between the U.S. and Iraq.
5. Your body becomes _______________________ when you use a jacket or coat.
6. If you are sick you may need to see a _____________________.
7. If someone is ___________________ they can’t move anymore.
8. If you __________________ bad food you will get sick.
9. The opposite of the word “warmer” is the word “________________”.
10. War can cause a large amount of ___________________.

Additional Exercise:

1. Summarize the paragraph in 3 to 4 sentences.
2. You must use 4 out of the 8 vocabulary words.