Taking a Breather

Can you relate to the above video? As a teacher and a mother, I am noticing that stress is becoming more and more prevalent in the lives of not only adults, but of young students. I can list all the catalysts, but I would like you to take a minute to list the top three stressors in your present day life. Can we control the stress? No. However, we can control the way that we react to the stressors. Breathing is a normal function of the human body and a way that we continue to bring oxygen into our lungs, brain, and blood flow. Breathing is also the gateway to releasing the stress and bringing tranquility into our lives. Simple and short breathing activities, like the one presented in the above video, are all it takes to get started in taking control of your reaction to the outside world stressors. By telling our body how to breathe, will send the positive message to our brain that we are not stressed. There are breathing techniques that you can do without anybody knowing that you are using the technique at the present moment. At first, make sure that you focus on your belly when you breathe. Your belly should fill with air as you inhale air through your nose. As you exhale, your belly should go in, as you bring your navel in towards your spine. Other breathing techniques that you may be interested in are: Alternate Nasal Breathing, Vritta (equal breathing-good for asthma patients), and breathing with hand mudras (Sa, Ta, Na, Ma).  Change is not always bad. Speaking to other people and even to yourself with full integrity, including speaking to your brain is a positive change that you can embed into your life. Keep your mind open and remember the famous words of Mahatma Gandhi,

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

VOCABULARY:
prevalent (adjective) - common, widespread
catalysts (noun) - a person or event that quickly causes a reaction
stressors (noun) - something that makes you worried or anxious
function (noun) - the specific purpose of why something or someone exists
gateway (noun) - a passage into or out of a place or condition
tranquility (noun) - the state of being calm or quiet
navel (noun) - the central point of your abdomen, your belly button
mudras (noun) - a symbolic hand gesture used in yoga
integrity (noun) - the quality of being honest and fair
embed (verb) - to place or set something in something else

VOCABULARY EXERCISE:
Match the vocabulary word to the best use of the word in context.
1. function ________                             a. The fuzzy kittens were a _______ to Kim's smiles.
2. embed _______                                 b. He is a man of great knowledge and ____________.
3. prevalent ________                       c. When you exhale, you should bring your _____ to your spine.
4. gateway _______                    d. Did you properly _______ the vocabulary words into your article?
5. catalysts _______                      e. After the accident, he was lucky to have full brain _________.
6. integrity _______          f. Touching your thumb to the tip of each finger tip is a known hand _____.
7. navel ______                           g. Anxiety is becoming very __________ in my classes this year.
8. stressors _______                       h. Drinking hot tea at night brings Carol some __________.
9. mudras ________                         i. Learning languages is the ____________ to the world!
10. tranquility _________                  j. Money can be a huge ___________ in a marriage.

GRAMMAR POINT:
In the English language, nouns are either singular or plural. Singular nouns refer to one person, place, or thing. Plural nouns refer to more than one person, place, or thing. In order to make nouns plural, we often see an "s" at the end of a noun that ends in a consonant. For example, dog becomes dogs in the plural form. Please go through the above blog post and highlight all the plural nouns. Then, circle all the singular nouns.

Music to my ears

   

"It is music to my ears." Have you ever heard somebody use that idiom when they are happy to hear something positive? Have you ever used the idiom that I've mentioned? Well, if something that you hear is music to your ears, then music must be a good thing, right? I love music! There is a genre for every one of my emotions, which are usually based on the moment. If I'm happy, I may like to listen to something more upbeat, like "Happy" by Pharrell Williams. If I have a headache or need some peace, I may listen to some classical music, or sounds of nature. When I'm relaxing, but still doing activities, like housework or grading, I like to listen to some French Jazz music or love listening to Billie Holiday!!!  When I'm running, I find that I like inspirational songs with a good beat that isn't too fast, or else my running pace will become too fast for me to keep up with and affect my workout. You may think that songs with a fast beat will inspire and push me. Yes, but you need to train your body for certain paces and distances. It comes with practice and patience. When I'm mad or have a moment that I would like to rock out, I find that I can never go wrong with some Metallica or Linkin Park. Now, some people may disagree with me and find that Metallica or Linkin Park is their "zen". I totally respect that and understand it as well. That is why I write this blog. What music genre do you listen to when you are sad, happy, mad, relaxed, sick, working out? Not only is music used to go alongside someone's emotion, but it is used in therapy treatments. Recently, I heard about a finding on NPR news on the radio, while driving to work, that playing familiar music for Alzheimer's patients, stimulates their minds and sometimes triggers memories that the patients can recall and even discuss. Music is "music to our ears" in many ways as we discover the many positive attributes that exist in music and its uses.

VOCABULARY:

idiom (noun) - an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its words, but has a separate meaning of its own

genre (noun) - a particular type or category of literature or art

upbeat (adjective) - lively, positive, happy

inspirational (adjective) - someone or something that makes a person want to do something or gives someone an idea to create or do something

pace (pace) - the speed that something or someone moves

affect (verb & noun) - to produce an effect on someone or something

zen (noun) - a Japanese form of Buddhism that emphasizes meditation; a moment of peace

finding (noun) - the results of an inquiry or investigation

trigger  (verb) - something that causes something else to happen

attributes  (noun) - a good quality that someone or something has

VOCABULARY EXERCISE:

Choose the correct word that completes each sentence.

1. Slow down, Paul! I can't keep up with your ____________.

a. feet          b. pace         c. music

2. There are so many __________ of films, but my favorite are comedies!

a. genres     b. uses         c. tickets

3. The candidate that has the best _________________ for the job, is the one that you should vote for this year.       a. power             b. attributes               c. people

4. Many acupuncture patients say that the hour of treatment is their __________ moment.

a.  only              b. work           c. zen

5. Many ENL students have trouble understanding _____________, because most of the time they are translated for their literal meaning. 

a. idioms          b. insects                c. planes

6. I like this song, because it is very ____________. It makes me want to dance!

a.  depressing             b. calm                  c. upbeat

7. What _________________ your dad to become angry?

a. triggers               b. feels               c. can

8. After a thorough investigation, the police department released their __________________.

a. answers            b. findings           c. dogs

9. That quote is very __________________! It makes me want to never give up in my studies.

a. inspirational         b. incorrect                   c. difficult

10. The student's behavior ___________________ the teacher for the remainder of the day.

a.  made            b. affecting             c. affected

GRAMMAR POINT:

Transition words and phrases are important devices for essays and papers that you will write in your classes. They improve the connections and transitions between sentences and paragraphs. Also, they give your writing assignment structure and organization. Some transition words that are used in this blog are now, also, and well. Please research 5 more transition words and compose a sentence for each transition word. Highlight your transition word in each sentence as well.

The joys of cooking

When I was a young girl, my mother and father prepared a dinner most every night.  In my youthful opinion, the meals were delicious, except for the nights of liver and mako.  My maternal grandmother always prepared a wonderful meal.  Nobody could make a salad the way that my grandmother made a salad.  She had a particular way of slicing the onions and the make of her salad dressing ingredients.  My Aunt Paula makes anything amazing! Her baked clams are out of this world! How lucky am I?!?! Ok, so you think that I am a great cook. No way! I have grown in my cooking abilities and do impress myself and family at times. For me, cooking is one activity that will forever hold a goal for me to attain. I have some cooking goals on my personal list. My top three cooking goals are cutting down the amount of sodium(salt) in my meals, increasing my fresh ingredients over the processed ingredients, and preparing meals that contain more protein, especially dinner recipes. I say dinner recipes because I like to snack before I go to bed. If my belly is full, then I am happy and most likely will not grab that extra chocolate cookie or piece of candy before I go to bed. Do you have a favorite meal? Who prepares it for you? Do you pay close attention to what and why you eat a certain meal?

VOCABULARY:
youthful (adjective) - young or seeming young
opinion (noun) - a view or judgement about something or someone, not based off of facts
mako (noun) - shark that can be bought and prepared to eat
maternal (adjective) - relating to the mother's side of the family; motherlike
particular (adjective) - a specific item/person
impress (impress) - to make someone feel admired or respected; to affect someone in a respectable and positive manner
attain (verb) - to succeed in achieving
processed (adjective) - prepared by an artificial/not fresh process
protein (noun) - builds, maintains, and replaces the tissues in your body

VOCABULARY EXERCISE:
Please select the word that best completes each sentence.
1. In order to _____________ (buy/attain) a high school diploma, you need to come to school and participate so teachers can help you move on to the next level.
2. Paul wanted to __________________ (impress/like) his teacher, so he brought in a fresh apple from his family's apple orchard.
3. Can I ask you your _____________ (opinion/look) regarding my essay?
4. Why are you eating Taco Bell and not the tacos that I made for you last night? The tacos at Taco Bell are _____________________ (fake/processed).
5. I thought that the lady that answered the phone was a young girl because of her ____________(beautiful/youthful) voice.
6. Would you prefer to have shrimp or ______________ (mako/maker) for dinner tonight?
7. My coach told me to drink chocolate milk after my 3 mile run because it has _____________ (cold/protein), which will help my body recover after exercise.
8. Are you interested in a __________________ (particular/nothing) movie?
9. He has blonde hair because his ________________ (mother/maternal) grandparents have blonde hair as well as his own parents.

GRAMMAR POINT:
An exclamation, also known as an interjection, is a word or phrase that expresses strong emotion, such as surprise, pleasure, or anger. Exclamations often stand on their own, and in writing they are usually followed by an exclamation mark rather than a full stop. In my blog entry that you just read, you can find an exclamation, such as, "No way!". Please think of 5 situations where you may use an exclamation. What is the exclamation that you would use in each situation?

What is your madeleine ?

                                                  

In Marcel Proust's, "Remembrance of Things Past," readers are introduced to madeleines.
A madeleine is a small, spongy cake that leads you into a state of reminiscence. The introduction to the madeleine leads Proust's character into a magical moment where he revisits his past. The character seems to have an epiphany. One bite of this delectable treat and the journey begins. It is a magical ride into your past: the smells, the sounds, the sights, the tastes, and the touchable moments of those memories. Proust incorporates the five senses of our bodies to illustrate the magical moment. In the Pixar movie, Ratatouille, we see how a special dish stimulates the senses of restaurant customers, and even a rat! Everyone has a "madeleine." It may be in the form of a favorite dish, or a specific scent of a candle, or the sounds of a particular song that stimulates the memory that is "indexed" in our brains.

What is your madeleine?

VOCABULARY:
spongy (adjective)- soft and squishy, resembles the feel of a sponge
reminiscence (noun/verb)- the act of remembering past memories
epiphany (noun)- a moment when you see or feel something in a clearer manner
delectable (adjective)- very pleasant to taste or smell
illustrate (verb)- to explain with pictures
specific (adjective)- precise or exact
stimulate (verb)- to make something happen; to cause something to react
index (verb/noun)- file in an organized manner

VOCABULARY EXERCISE:
Please fill in the blanks with the appropriate word from the above vocabulary list.
1. Those chocolates that Peter gave you are _______________________!
2. After observing and touching the lung sample, the students decided that they would describe the lung as ______________________.
3. If you tickle your little brother, he will become very __________________________.
4. I don't quite understand the directions to the restaurant. Can you _______________________ them on this piece of paper for me?
5. Is there a _________________________ meal that you would like me to cook for your birthday?
6. It is fun to ___________________________ about our younger days as we get older.
7. Can you please _____________________ these papers into the student portfolios for me?
8. He stopped in his tracks, opened his mouth in surprise, and smiled.  He must have had an _________________________.

GRAMMAR POINT:
A pronoun is a word or phrase that may be substituted for a noun or a noun group. As long as there is prior conversation or the pronoun has an antecedent, you have the "green light" to use a pronoun.
For example: Mary went to the market and bought hamburger meat and buns, lettuce, one tomato, cheese, an onion, and ketchup. She bought nice hamburger buns and plans to toast them on the grill.
GRAMMAR ASSIGNMENT:
Please create 5 examples of using pronouns properly in the English language. Be sure to highlight your pronoun and the antecedent. You may also draw an arrow from the pronoun to its antecedent as well.

Halloween

October 31st is a well-known date in the United States of America. It is Halloween. This is a holiday that many kids throughout the nation love. It is a day where children and adults get dressed up in costume of their favorite character, food, concept, and walk from house to house, apartment to apartment, or building to building. The drill: Knock on the front door or ring the door bell, say "Trick-or-Treat", and hold open your bag for the candy. Don't forget to say, "Thank you!" Many kids carry a decorated plastic or plush container. Some prefer to carry an empty pillowcase in preparation for the several pounds of candy to be collected. As kids, all we wanted to do was eat and try out the candy that we just received. Please, please, please, make sure that you have a parent, relative, or friend, look over your candy before you eat it. Why? You want to make sure that your candy hasn't been tampered with and that you stay safe on a fun holiday. Most of the trick-or-treating happens at night or for the younger kids, during the day or early evening when there is daylight. Some older kids have been known to throw raw eggs or spray people with shaving cream. This is another reason why you should travel with friends and adults. I remember getting home with all of my candy and dumping my trick-or-treat bag upside down, so that all of my candy made a huge pile on our living room rug. The cool thing was that my brother and our friends would trade our goodies. The hardest candies to try to trade were the bigger items, like a full-size Hershey bar or Snickers bar. This is a holiday for all ages. You are never too young to still have some fun. I still dress up on Halloween and enjoy the candy. My children are young adults and tend to go out with their friends, so I enjoy handing out the candy at my front door and see all the creative costumes that come to visit. A couple of suggestions if you plan on trick-or-treating at night are to wear warmer clothing under your costume, bring a flashlight or a glow stick, eat a good meal to fill you up before going out, and have an agreed time and place to meet up with your group if you get separated. Be safe, Be aware, Be smart, have fun and most of all......HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Imagine that you are standing in a Halloween costume store. What costume would you pick out to wear for Halloween? Why?

VOCABULARY
plush (adjective) -- a thick, soft fabric
relative (noun) -- a member of your family
tampered (verb) -- to change the structure or arrangement of something
goodies (noun) -- sweets, candy, desserts
tend (verb) -- to go in a particular direction
*boogeyman (noun) -- a scary character that is not real
*creepy (adjective) -- scary
*ghastly (adjective) -- very shocking or horrible
*mysterious (adjective) -- unknown; strange
*supernatural (adjective) -- relating or coming from magic; the unexplainable
*zombie (noun) --  a dead person who is able to move because of magic according to some religions and stories, movies, etc.

* = word from the above video

VOCABULARY EXERCISE
Please "put the pieces back together." Using the clues, given below, try to identify the vocabulary word that is being described in each clue. After identifying the vocabulary word, piece together your crossword puzzle. Which words can intersect? Have fun with this challenge!:-)
Across
5. relating or coming from magic; the unexplainable
7. unknown; strange
10. a scary character that is not real
11. to go in a particular direction
Down
1. scary
2. a thick, soft fabric
3. very shocking or horrible
4. sweets, candy, desserts
6. a dead person who is able to move because of magic according to some religions and stories, movies, etc.
8. to change the structure or arrangement of something
9. a member of your family






GRAMMAR POINT
An adjective is a word that describes a person, place, or thing. In my above post, I use many adjectives to "paint a picture" and help my readers understand what children in the United States of America do on Halloween. Please tell me about a holiday or special event that is tradition in your family or your culture by writing a 10 sentence paragraph that includes at least 5 adjectives. Underline the adjectives in your paragraph and add an illustration once you are done with your paragraph. The illustration must relate to your paragraph.

Ironman 2016 at Lake Placid

             

I love to volunteer! Four years ago, my family started to travel to Lake Placid, NY in the winter to ski and to see the annual ice festival. We loved Lake Placid so much, that we started to travel there in the summer months. Our family is an active family and have been to several Half-Ironman events. We have had friends from the running and biking community that we wanted to support in the full Ironman event at Lake Placid in July. So, it has been tradition to register, in February, as a volunteer at the Lake Placid Ironman event. If you are not familiar with an Ironman, let me shed some light on the topic. An Ironman is a triathlon, which is a race that has 3 events, one after the other. They are: swimming, biking, and running. The swim is 2.4 miles, 112 miles of biking, and a full marathon, which is 26.2 miles of running. That is a grand total of 140.6 miles. It takes many people a year to train for this race. For many, it is a bucket list event, but for others, it is their job. My family loves to volunteer at this event for several reasons. They love that volunteers get fed all day long. Well, maybe my teenager seem to love the food a bit more than I do. The aura in the air at Lake Placid is contagious and inspiring to athletes and non-athletes. Lake Placid is known for hosting the 1980 Winter Olympics. Many sport teams go up to Lake Placid, year round, to train for their sport. There are the ski jumps, the olympic museum, the famous olympic ice rink where the U.S.A. beat the Soviet Union in a hockey game, hiking trails, Lake Saranac, and great food to experience. For the past years, I have chosen the same volunteer station, Special Needs Bag Station for the cyclists. After riding one loop of the 112 bike course, cyclists may stop and dig through their personal bags for hydration, nutrition, change of clothes, etc. We are there to serve them. You can see in the above picture that we meet the athletes on the course and hold their bike steady as they rummage through their special needs bag. Many athletes want to talk, need encouragement, need nutrition, or simply want to say, "Thank you." To my complete surprise, some athletes give their bike handler volunteer a Ziploc bag with a $5 gift card and a note of thanks. The best thing about volunteering at this event is being able to work and serve the athletes and helping them become the next Ironman. It is truly an experience to be had by all! 

Do you do something that you feel everybody should experience at least one time in their life? What is it and why do you feel this is an experience for everybody?

VOCABULARY

annual (adjective) -- happening once a year

tradition (noun) -- a way of thinking, behaving, or doing something that has been used by the people in a particular group, family, etc., for a long time

familiar (adjective) -- heard, seen, or experienced often

aura (noun) -- a special feeling that someone gets from a place, person, or thing

contagious (adjective) -- able to be passed from one person to another by touching; able to get something like a feeling from a place or experience

inspiring (adjective) --  causing people to want to do or create something or to lead better lives

cyclist (noun) -- a person that rides a bike

hydration (noun) -- having a healthy amount of water in the body

rummage (verb) -- to search for something; to dig deep in search for a specific item

VOCABULARY EXERCISE

Please unscramble the following vocabulary words.

1. raau _____________________________                     6. margemu _______________________

2. nythorniad _________________________                  7.  ulnana     _______________________

3. lairmifa   __________________________                   8. dirttoina   _______________________

4. lyitscc  ____________________________                  9. springiin  _______________________

5. goatscinuo _________________________

GRAMMAR POINT

An adjective is a word that describes a person, place, or thing. Possession is the state of owning something. Put these two items together and you have "Possessive Adjective". A possessive adjective shows that someone owns something or someone. My, your, his, her, it's, our, your, their are all possessive adjectives. Please reread my above post about Ironman. Find and list the possessive adjectives in the entry. How many of each possessive adjective did you find? Use 3 different possessive adjectives and compose 3 sentences that are of the same topic. For example, you may want to write 3 sentences about your summer vacation, or last night's dinner, or a difficult class.

Out of the Comfort Zone

                                               

Have you ever done something out of your comfort zone, where you doubted yourself, felt nervous, had an indecisive moment? A friend once told me to "let my faith be bigger than my fear." At the moment, I thought it was beautiful advice and even stronger when I got home and analyzed the words of my friend's advice. What is my fear? How big is my faith? I realize that I face my fears everyday, especially when I stand in front of my students. There are many situations going on in those classrooms that I don't know of, but must identify based on student emotions and reactions to the lessons. How do I know that my lessons will run smoothy and continue without interruptions which will result in many, many wonderful successes?Successes that allow my students to demonstrate great attributes and abilities. Then, I took the question of faith and fear out of the classroom and applied it to my personal life, specifically my love of running. Last year, I faced a fear. I SIGNED UP FOR A HALF MARATHON!!! What did I just do? Why did I just sign up for this race? How am I going to run 13.1 miles?!?! Well, I found a plan. After speaking to many friends and asking them about their experiences, as well as reading articles in my beloved "Runner's World" magazines, I found a plan. A plan to face my fear. I started in July and 12 weeks later in October, I ran my half marathon. Guess what?! To my utter surprise, the plan worked! I ran my pace that I had practiced and trained for over the 12 weeks. I felt good. Real good....AND REAL PROUD! I felt like I had conquered the world. If you had told me 6 years ago that I would run a half marathon, I would laugh at you and think that you've "lost your marbles"! I did it! I reached for the stars!

P.S. I'm running my second and third half marathons this fall! I'm so excited!!!!

Have you faced a fear? Lived outside your comfort level? How did you feel before and after you faced your fear?

VOCABULARY
indecisive (adjective) -- not settling an issue; undecided; unclear
fear (noun) -- an unpleasant emotion because you feel that something or someone is a threat; terror; fright
analyzed (verb) -- past tense of analyze; to examine in detail; studied; inspected
identify (verb) -- to indicate who or what something is; recognize; name; know
interruptions (noun) -- break; pause; gap
successes (noun) -- the accomplishment of a goal; prosperity; triumph; wealth
attributes (noun)-- a characteristic of someone or something; quality; feature; trait
utter (adjective) -- complete; absolute
conquered (verb) -- past tense of conquer; to overcome and take control; defeat; beat; master

VOCABULARY EXERCISE
Cloze exercise: Please fill in the incomplete sentences by selecting from the above vocabulary words.

1. Lisa couldn't talk on the phone without any ______________________ from her two kids.

2. The scientists _____________________ their results to see if they ______________________ their goal in the experiment.

3. When it came to picking a college, Paul was very ___________________. He wanted to go to all the colleges that had accepted him.

4. When he left the place, it was in an __________________ mess.

5. I had a _________ that I would fall down the stairs.

6. After Ms. Smith played review games with her students, there were many _________________ on Friday's spelling test.

7. Verizon hired Mark as the manager, because he had all the _________________ of a leader.

8. Can you _________________ the man in this picture?

GRAMMAR POINT

A verb is a word that expresses action, what a person/object does or doesn't do. Verbs can be expressed in many tenses. In my above blog about facing my fears, I used many verbs in the past tense. Many times I add an "ed" to my verbs. Examples from my blog are doubted, faced, practiced, and trained. Please write 4 sentences describing a time where you faced a fear. Please use at least one verb from the vocabulary list and underline the verbs that you have added an "ed" to express the past experience.