Monthly Archives: June 2012

Education Focus: School’s Out!

Posted on 2012/06/04
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School's out, school's out!

With the start of June, many students are eagerly anticipating their summer break, if it hasn’t already started!  Most elementary, middle, and high schools generally have their last day of school sometime around the end of May or the beginning of June.  For school districts in northern states, a school year might be extended or not, depending on whether any “snow days” were used in the course of the academic year.  Some districts do not include any snow days in their calendar, so if they have to cancel any school days because of too much snow, they make up for it by extending the end of the school year by an equal number of days.  Other districts include extra snow days in their calendar in advance, and any unused snow days convert to summer vacation.

Sometime during the final days of the school year, some schools might have a school / class picnic or other celebration before the students are dismissed for the summer.  Before the final day of class, textbooks have to be returned, desks and lockers have to be cleaned out, and art projects have to be taken home.  It used to be that on the very last day of the school year, students would attend school to pick up their report card and find out if they would be promoted to the next grade for the fall.  They would also say goodbye to their classmates and teachers.  Now, most schools mail out the report cards, so there is not much to do on the final day except take care of any loose ends – make sure that locker is cleaned out, or finally pay the fine on that overdue library book – and say goodbye.  Both students and teachers look forward to several weeks of freedom from the normal grind of school, until classes start up again in late August or early September.

There are two short rhymes about the end of the school year:

School’s out, school’s out – teacher let the monkeys out!

and

No more pencils
No more books
No more teacher’s dirty looks!

(“dirty looks” is an expression that describes the disapproving way a parent or a teacher might look at a child who misbehaves.)

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Crossword – Basic Vocabulary 17 (solution)

Posted on 2012/06/04
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crossword puzzle solution

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Crossword – Basic Vocabulary 17

Posted on 2012/06/03
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crossword puzzle
Across
4 2nd person reflexive pronoun (8)
8 the part of a country’s military forces that fights at sea (4)
9 a word used when talking about something that might happen or be true, or might have happened (2)
10 sick (3)
12 a preposition used to what by means or method someone uses to do something (2)
13 a word used when speaking to a man in order to be polite or show respect (3)
14 what you hear with (3)
15 a type of shoe that covers your foot and lower leg (4)
16 to take part in a war or a battle (5)
18 to lead someone or something to a place (5)
21 to decay by a gradual, natural process (3)
23 a painted picture (8)
24 the number you start counting with (3)
25 as different as possible from something else (8)
27 demonstrative pronoun for something nearby (4)
29 a piece of equipment consisting of a tube-shaped piece of wood, metal etc that rolls over and over (6)
31 a male police officer (9)
32 a blue-white metal that is used to make brass (4)
33 a statement that is not strong enough to express how good, bad, etc something really is (14)
34 a preposition that refers to the inside or inner part of a thing, place, area, etc (4)
36 a color of the rainbow (3)
38 the part of your body that is at the end of your leg (4)
39 at the present time (3)

Down
1 bushes, small trees, and other plants growing around and under bigger trees (11)
2 extra time spent working at your job (8)
3 a smooth, thick liquid that is used to make machines run easily or is burned to produce heat (3)
5 a preposition used to indicate towards a higher place or position (2)
6 the direction from which the sun rises (4)
7 a special large vehicle that carries equipment and the people that stop fires burning (4-6)
10 an extremely large and dangerous fire (7)
11 to move or develop more slowly than others (3)
12 a small piece of something (3)
15 linking verb (2)
17 masculine pronoun (2)
19 to gradually make someone or something less strong or effective (10)
20 a society that is well organized and developed (12)
22 to touch lightly (3)
23 the head of a post office (10)
26 a series of actions that are done in order to achieve a particular result (7)
28 a chemical that is used to dissolve another substance (7)
30 information about something that is written down or stored on computer, film etc so that it can be looked at in the future (6)
31 an instrument that you use for writing or drawing, consisting of a wooden stick with a thin piece of a black or coloured substance in the middle (6)
35 a preposition used to show what a part belongs to or comes from (2)
37 a word used to ask or talk about how successful someone is at something; auxiliary verb (2)

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Idiom Focus: Animal Idioms 24

Posted on 2012/06/02
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Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

piggyback:    sitting or being carried on someone’s back and shoulders

Example:

The toddler became tired due to the long hike, and begged to ride piggyback.

piggy bank:    a small bank (sometimes in the shape of a pig) for saving money

Example:

If you really want that bike, you should put at least half your allowance in your piggy bank.

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Writing Assignment: At a Wedding Shower (Solution)

Posted on 2012/06/02
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Wedding shower

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1.    Where was this picture taken?
This picture was taken in a house (living room).

2.    Who do you see in this picture?
We see a young lady, and an old woman.

3.    What are the people in this picture doing?
The young lady is holding a present, and the old woman is watching her.

4.    What kind of clothes are the people in this picture wearing?
The young lady is dressed in a bridal gown.  The older woman is dressed up.
5.    What is the young lady in the picture holding?
She is holding a heart-shaped present of some sort.

6.    What kind of emotions do you think the young lady has?
She is probably happy and excited.

7.    What kind of party is this?
This is a wedding shower, or a bridal shower.

8.    Who is probably the hostess for the party?
The hostess for the party is probably bride’s maid of honor.

9.    Who else might help the hostess with the party planning and preparations?
The bridesmaids and maybe the bride’s mother might help the hostess with the preparations for the bridal shower.

10.    Who would be invited to this party?
The people that would be invited to the bridal shower would be the bridesmaids, the mother of the bride and other female relatives of the bride, and other female friends of the bride.

11.    Would there be any male guests at this party?
No, there are usually no male guests at a bridal shower.

12.    Why are there usually no men at a bridal shower?
There are usually no men at a bridal shower, because most men would find it boring to be at a party with a group of ladies talking about things that interest women.

13.    Would there be any children at a bridal shower?
There probably would not be any children at a bridal shower, because they would not find it interesting and become easily bored.

14.    What types of presents would the guests bring?
For a bridal shower, the guests usually bring presents that help a bride to set up housekeeping – presents like small kitchen appliances (toasters, mixers, etc.), linens (towels, bedclothes, etc.), and other handy things for the home.

15.    How do the guests know what types of presents would be good for the bride-to-be?
The guests can get a good idea of what would be good presents for the bride-to-be by consulting the bridal couple’s gift registry, or wish list, if they have registered such a list at a store.

16.    What sort of decorations would be appropriate for this kind of party?
Appropriate decorations for a bridal shower would be wedding-themed, with hearts or turtle doves, white and other pastel colors, wedding bells, and so on.  There are also usually some small party favors for the guests.

17.    What sort of food would be appropriate for this kind of party?
Cake, punch, and light snacks such as appetizers and hors d’oeuvres would be appropriate for a bridal shower.

18.    What sort of activities would be appropriate for this kind of party?
The kind of activities that would be appropriate for a bridal shower would include fun, light-hearted games that help “break the ice,” giving the women a chance to socialize and chat with one another.

19.    How could the bride-to-be keep track of who gives her which presents?
The bride-to-be can keep track of who gives her which presents by keeping any tags or cards with the presents.  It will also help her if the hostess writes a list of the presents, and who they are from.

20.    After the shower is over, how can the bride express her gratitude for all the presents she has received?
After the shower is over, the bride can express her gratitude by sending thank-you notes to all the people who gave her the presents.

Paragraph:  At a Wedding Shower

When I got married, my maid of honor had a bridal shower for me.  The shower was held a few days before we got married.  Everybody met at my house for the shower.  There were appetizers and snack trays with carrot sticks and other vegetables for people to eat, along with some cake and punch.  In the middle of the table was a lovely floral centerpiece.  My friends came to my shower.  There were many presents for me to open, and it was nice of everyone to think of me and help me get ready for married life by giving presents to help furnish the kitchen and the house.  After opening the presents, there was a lot of talking with all the women there.  Many of them had some advice for me as a bride-to-be.  I was thankful for my maid of honor to host the wedding shower for me, and I was thankful for my friends helping me to get ready for this new phase in my life.

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Writing Assignment: At a Wedding Shower

Posted on 2012/06/01
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Wedding shower

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Vocabulary

bride
shower
party
hostess
maid of honor
bridesmaid
invitation
guest
present
card
registry
wish list
housekeeping
party favor
decoration
activity
game
appetizer
hors d’oeuvre
punch
cake
thank-you note

1.    Where was this picture taken?
2.    Who do you see in this picture?
3.    What are the people in this picture doing?
4.    What kind of clothes are the people in this picture wearing?
5.    What is the young lady in the picture holding?
6.    What kind of emotions do you think the young lady has?
7.    What kind of party is this?
8.    Who is probably the hostess for the party?
9.    Who else might help the hostess with the party planning and preparations?
10.    Who would be invited to this party?
11.    Would there be any male guests at this party?
12.    Why are there usually no men at a bridal shower?
13.    Would there be any children at a bridal shower?
14.    What types of presents would the guests bring?
15.    How do the guests know what types of presents would be good for the bride-to-be?
16.    What sort of decorations would be appropriate for this kind of party?
17.    What sort of food would be appropriate for this kind of party?
18.    What sort of activities would be appropriate for this kind of party?
19.    How could the bride-to-be keep track of who gives her which presents?
20.    After the shower is over, how can the bride express her gratitude for all the presents she has received?

Paragraph:  At a Wedding Shower

Have you ever heard of a wedding shower?  Have you ever attended a wedding shower?  Do you have a similar custom in your country?  What do brides do in your country to get ready for a wedding?  Write a brief paragraph about wedding preparations in your country.

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Grammar Basics: Unit 48 – What…? Which….? How…? (Solution)

Posted on 2012/06/01
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Exercise.  Using the word in parentheses, write questions with What…?

Example:

Jack went to bed late last night.  (time) ==> What time did he go to bed?

1.    I went to the library this afternoon.  What books did you check out?
2.    Tom bought a new car.  What color is it?
3.    Let’s have some ice cream.  What type would you like?
4.    We’re thinking of getting new cell phones.  What kind are you thinking of getting?
5.    Mary is flying to Atlanta next week.  What airline is she going to take?

Exercise.  Use What, Which, or Who to complete the following questions.

Example:

There are a lot of newborns in the nursery.  ____________ baby is yours? ==> Which baby is yours?

1.    What month is it?—It’s June.
2.    Don’t forget your umbrella.  Which one is yours?
3.    What day does your birthday fall on this year?
4.    Who is smarter, Jack or Jill?
5.    Which room is your next class in, Room 328 or Room 329?
6.    Who did the laundry?  Sally or Mack?
7.    Which lake did you vacation at?  Lake Michigan, or Lake Huron?
8.    What hobby does Steve enjoy?
9.    Who ate the last piece of cake, Dad or Bill?
10.    What classes do you have this semester?

Exercise.  Write questions for the following answers, using How + (adjective / adverb)…?

Example:

____________ is it to the bus station?  —About three blocks. ==> How far is it to the bus station?

1.    How much money do you have?  —Over $20.
2.    How tall is that building?  —It’s 200 feet tall.
3.    How heavy is an elephant?  —About 2000 pounds.
4.    How long is a blue whale?  —It’s nearly 100 feet long.
5.    How high is Mount McKinley?  —Over 20,000 feet.
6.    How far is Earth from the sun?  —About 93 million miles.
7.    How many miles is it from New York to Los Angeles? —Almost 3000 miles.
8.    How much gas does the tank of your car hold?  —About 12 gallons.
9.    How often do you catch a cold?  —Only once or twice a year.
10.    How old is your grandmother?—She’s 96.

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