Dreamer

Have you ever sat on the beach, looked out at the horizon and let your imagination wander? Where did you go?
If I could fly over the sea, then I would soar through the clouds. I would travel until I arrive in my aunt's backyard. She has been in mourning and she needs company. If she were home then I would visit with her and I would convince her to take a trip with me. If she accompanied me, then I would take her to visit every family member around the world. This is the only way I can show her that she is not alone. If I could fly, she would appreciate my visit very much.

Have you ever dreamed of touching the sky?
Have you felt the tender touch of the clouds as they danced around your body?

Many years ago I was able to make this dream a reality. I, along with my husband and cousins, climbed one of the highest snow covered mountain called Cotopaxi in Ecuador. It was a very difficult and dangerous walk but it was worth the effort. At one point, I felt unable to breathe and we rested for a moment. As I sat on a rock, I realized that I was surrounded by clouds.Their touch was light and cool. I reached out into the air but I could not grasp anything. I felt it on my cheeks. Suddenly, the clouds parted and the the view was spectacular. I saw the valley and the land beyond it. I watched as wild horses galloped across it, while others grazed and others played. It was a pristine scene that no one else had seen. It was so peaceful and quiet, that I felt like I was disturbing nature just by watching it.

Have you ever asked who lives among the clouds?
I have always thought of the sky as a very peaceful place. It was the place where souls lived. As a child I would look up at the blue sky and imagined my guardian angel playing peek-a-boo from behind the clouds. When my children were younger, they would look up at the sky and they would imagine seeing animal shapes in the clouds. I guess we all have different visions. ******************************************************
New Vocabulary:

1. different visions: expression meaning not seeing things the same way

2 tender touch: expression meaning soft feeling on one's skin

3 peek-a-boo: A game played with babies where you hide from their view and then suddenly

appear. This causes the baby to laugh.

4 soar: to fly high

5 guardian angel: spirit or angel that protect children from harm (christian view).

6 mourning: period of grief or sorrow after the death of a loved one.

7 pristine: untouched, like new

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Complete the sentences using the new vocabulary:

1. The plane _________above the mountains.

2. The children pray every night to their _______ _________.

3. The little girl laughed when we played _________________ with her.

4. The baby stopped crying when she felt her mother's __________ ___________.

5. The lady was in ___________for many years after the husband died.

6. The new car had arrived in ____________condition.

7. They never agree on anything because they have ________ _________.

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Grammar Point: Conditional clause

Conditional clauses are usually used to express an idea that may or may not real, in the present, past or future mode. Conditional clauses have two parts; the main clause has the auxillay verb, 'would' or 'will', and the subordinate clause has 'if'. Usually the main clause is the consequence of the "if" clause.

Examples:
If I study hard, I will learn English . (present conditional : an event that implies what may happen now)

If she had worn her sneakers, she would not have fallen. (past conditional: an event that could have happened in the past. )

I would go shopping with her, if she arrived on time. (future conditional: en event that may happen in the future.)

In the above readings, conditional clauses and simple past tense are used to answer the highlighted questions. Read the stories over again and find the conditional clauses. See how they give the unrealistic answers an imaginary quality. Then compare it with the story expressed in the simple past tense.

Use one of the highlighted questions and write a story using one or two conditional clauses.

Have Fun!

The Mysterious Caller

Tonight, my cell phone rang and I answered it. The caller's voice sounded distorted and hung up almost immediately after I spoke. Many thoughts went through my head, none of them positive. I checked the number but it was restricted. I figured whoever it was would call back. If it was an emergency, our family members know to call the house. So I went and sat down for dinner. Again the cell phone rang. Now, I was annoyed. I got up and answered the cell phone. Again, the call is dropped. I told my family that the next time it rang, I would ignore it. And so I did when it rang for the third time. The only difference now was that a message was left.

Cell phones and I have always been at odds. I realize the importance of technology, but I feel everyone including myself, have become dependant on an object that is not beneficial or unique to communication. Certain industries, like banking, real estate, medicine and others rely on the cell phone to stay in touch with their clients and offices. But is it absolutely necessary to answer the phone for business while you are having dinner with the family or you are enjoying an evening at the movies ?

Teenagers, even the pre-teen generation, act as if their lives will die if they can not reach their friends. Yes, communication among friends is important, but how about using the house phone for a change. It would save us some minutes and money too. It would also allow us parents the opportunity to hear who you are talking to. That is our way of knowing your friends. Even though we may never meet them, at least we'll recognize their voices .

This brings me back to my mysterious caller. It was not a family or friend calling. It was a computerized message telling me that my dog smells. I was very offended by the prank call. My dog does smell and the only one who noticed this was a friend of my daughter. She knows because I mentioned it when she visited yesterday. A coincidence ? I do not know. This is just an example of why cell phones are unnecessary in the lives of bored teenagers. Even though this is the first time I received such a call, it definitely will deepen the chiasm between me and cell phones.
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New Vocabulary

• distorted: not clear
• through my head: expression meaning an idea / thought came to mind
• beneficial: positive or good
• for a change: expression meaning something different
• offend: deeply hurt by something
• chasm: deep opening
• make a prank call: expression meaning someone calls and leaves a mean message at home as a joke.

Fill in the blanks with new vocabulary :
1. The kids made a ___________ to the fire department.
2. I was __________ when he called me by my rival's name.
3. We had to jump over the _________ between two buildings.
4. It was sunny today ___________ instead of being cloudy and rainy.
5. It was________ for the boy's health to go live in Arizona.
6. The image on the picture was ___________because he moved the camera when he took the picture.
7. It never went ________________that Jerry was lying to me.

Grammar for the Day:

Conjunctions: Conjunctions are words whose job is to join or to bring together parts of the sentence, like two clauses.

Example: Joe went to the beach. + He swam in the ocean. To join these two ideas together you use a conjunction. Joe went to the beach and he swam in the ocean.

Please re- read the story. Pay close attention to the conjuctions. See if you can find at least 5 conjuctions.

Family Reunion

When she was 5 years old, Eileen's mother passed away. Her death was unexpected and left a little girl not just without a parent but also without links to that parent's family. Her paternal grandmother did keep in touch with her mother's sister for several years. Unfortunately, this communication stopped upon her death. Her aunt and cousins tried for years to locate her but were unable to reestablish any connection with Eileen and her father's family. Eileen grew up feeling alone, even though she was surrounded by her father's family. She loved them all, but always felt like she was missing something. Years later, her cousin typed her name in the Facebook search engine and found her in Florida. After verifying that she was their long lost cousin, a family reunion was planned. Eileen was very excited and looked forward to meeting her aunt, her sons and their families.

When Eileen and her husband left Miami, Florida , the temperature was 8o degrees Fahrenheit. They were a little surprised when they learned that the weather in New York City was close to 36 degrees fahrenheit with thiry mile an hour winds. They were used to these tropical storm-like winds, but they were not ready for the blustery cold. Eileen thought the drastic change in weather as an omen to her upcoming meeting. She was very nervous. She had tried for years to find her mother's family also. There always seemed to be a mystery surrounding her mother's life and death. Her father refused to answer her inquiries. Pictures were scarce. Her godmother knew little of her mother and could not answer many of Eileen's questions. Eileen knew her upcoming reunion held the answers to her questions.

After much delay, they finally arrived at the airport. Her aunt was waiting. She saw her and felt her warmth immediately. They hugged. Their hug lasted a lifetime. It was a hug that started with regret and saddness at the lost time, but turned into warmth and happiness. This hug was the closest Eileen had ever felt to her mother. She knew as she looked into those teary eyes that looked just like hers, that the answers were not important as much as feeling the unconditional love of her aunt. This was how her mother would have made her feel. As they collected the luggage and walked toward the waiting car outside, Eileen realized that somewhere in that airport, she had lost that empty spot in her heart. She was finally home surrounded by her mother's love.
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Vocabulary:

to keep in touch with: (stay in touch): expression that means to keep one another informed by calling or writing a letter.
reestablish : to begin again
verifying: to make sure that it is correct.
blustery : weather that has very strong winds
omen : prediction, a sign that tells something will happen before it happens.
inquiry: asking questions
to last a lifetime: moment that will not end

Complete the sentences:
1. He called the airport to ____________the time of the flight.
2. The lights turning off in the middle of dinner was a bad __________.
3. The winds were blowing fiecely onthis _____________day.
4. The policeman made some ___________at the store about the lost boy.
5. The car was made to ______________.
6. They tried to __________ the dialogue after the fire drill.
7. It was difficult to _____________with her friends after she moved to Montana.

A Thought About Grammar:
A verb is the action part of the sentence. It can indicate movement or an abstract feeling. These actions can be expressed in tenses that indicate if the action is in the present, past or future. Today's story takes place in the simple past tense. Most of the regualr verbs have an -ed attached to them which indicates the past. ( hug= hugged) Irregular verb have their own form. ( see = saw)

Please read story again and find at least 10 verbs in the simple past tense.

Read the following sentences and then finish the story ( 5- 1- sentences) using verbs in the simple past when possible. Remember to use regular and irregular verbs.

Yesterday, I walked to the town 's candystore. As I entered the store, I heard a .......

Have Fun !

A Very Busy February

February is the shortest month of the year. There are holidays and many special events occurring in this short time. February has been an important month since 1926 when attention was given to the importance of the history of Black Americans in the United States. Today, we acknowledge all of their contributions by honoring Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday as a national holiday in January.

In the United States, we begin the festive month of February with Groundhog Day on February 2nd. On this day, many people gather in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to await the predictions of Phil, the groundhog. If Phil sees his shadow, then we will have six more weeks of winter. I hope you have a heavy winter coat because Phil saw his shadow, therefore, we are having six more weeks of this very miserable cold winter. It is said that he is correct approximately 90 % of the time since he started making these predictions in 1887. So bundle up!

For the romantic at heart, February is the month of love. On February 14th , we celebrate St. Valentines Day. This is the day when we make special efforts to tell someone we love how important they are in our lives. Chocolate candies, red roses and greeting cards with poems are all ideal gifts to give the one you love. Don't forget to send a gift to your mother!


Shortly following this date, we celebrate President's Day on February 16th. We honor the birthday of two of our most famous presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. This is a national holiday, so many people do not work. Schools and universities usually schedule their week long winter recess following this holiday. Enjoy your day off and go shopping!

We end this active month with a very fun day, Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) on February 24th. This is a day of celebration and carnival in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a day where people dress in outrageous costumes and wear colorful masks, build lavish floats for the parade, famous bands play jazz and everyone has lots of fun. Be creative and make a mask and dance for hours!

Enjoy this busy time of the year because before you realize it the 28 days of February are gone!

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VOCABULARY:

• acknowledge: to recognize the value of someone
• lavish: too much of something, generous, exaggerated
• bands: a group of musicians
• contributions: to give something without expecting anything in return; to donate
• outrageous: something that is shocking
• festive: happy, cheerful
• bundle up: expression meaning to put several layers of clothing on because it is cold
• prediction: to see things before they happen
• ideal : best
• greeting cards: cards that have a special message inside
• recess: period of time when you relax

Fill in the blanks:

1. I need to buy a _____________for my friend's birthday.
2. We enjoyed listening to the _________ as we had dinner at the restaurant.
3. The children had a ______________after their math test.
4. There was a _________ crowd at the party.
5. The weather was ___________for a swim in the ocean.
6. The rich lady wore ___________jewelry to the lunch with her children.
7. The teacher _______________that the children had worked very hard on the project.
8. My grandmother's ______________was right. It rained all day on friday.
9. The Fire department's ________________of $500.00 helped the family buy new clothes for their children.
10. The kids were ______________ to go play in the wet snow.
11. The boys were punished for their_____________behavior.

Grammar point:

Adjectives: words that decribe nouns.

Example:

wet snow : wet is the adjective. It is decribing the quality of the snow.

new clothing: new is the adjective. It is decribing which clothing is being addressed.

Can you find 10 adjectives in this article and create a story using them.

Enjoy!