A Hopeless Romantic

The theme of love drives many fictional stories. While I am an avid chick lit reader (feel free to judge), I also enjoy coming across love as a theme in any genre. I don't think love is always overt. Sometimes love can be a theme or a driving force without hitting readers over the head with it. To me, the most powerful demonstration of the theme of love is in the Harry Potter books.  Now for those of you who have not read them, this probably makes no sense.  Of course by now the entire world knows that Harry Potter is about a teenage wizard and his quest to destroy the most evil and dangerous wizard in the world.  However, if you ask me, I think if you strip this book down, it really is all about love. 

Without getting in too deep, the tale all begins when Harry’s mom sacrifices herself to save her son.  It is her love that makes him such an undefeatable young wizard, and the love of those around him that helps protect him from evil forces year after year.  In addition, there is a contrast between Harry, who is loved and loves so deeply, and the villain Voldemort, who has no ability to love anything or any person. In the end, thousands of pages later, love does conquer all and it is amazing and beautiful to me how intricately woven this theme is throughout the series.  Harry Potter was a labor of love for author, JK Rowling, and I think this shows in the magical words of her story. 

Vocabulary: 

Avid (adjective) - Very interested in 

Overt (adjective) - Easily seen or obvious

Demonstration (noun) - Proof 

Undefeatable (adjective) - Cannot be beat

Contrast (noun) - Something different from something else

Conquer (verb) - Beat

Vocabulary Exercise: Put the correct word in the blank space provided. 

He is an _____________ fan of the Yankees. 

The team seemed to be _________________ as they had not lost a game all season. 

You could tell she had a crush on him from her ______________ flirting.

The _____________ between black and white is very clear.

The woman ________________ her fear of flying by getting on an airplane.  

The failing grade is a clear __________________ of the fact that the student does not care. 

Grammar Point: Adjectives are used to enhance nouns and enrich a sentence. 

Write down a list of 10 adjectives that you could use to describe yourself. 

Kicking Butt and Taking Names

The best part of my day is when that 2:20 bell rings signifying the end of 9th period. This is not because the school day is over, but because that bell marks the time my first job ends and my second job begins. You see, after school I am the coach of the Varsity Kickline team at the high school where I work. This is a job that is difficult and time consuming but also rewarding and enjoyable.

As the kickline coach my responsibilities include choreographing routines, teaching steps, correcting mistakes, researching and registering for competitions, planning a trip to a national competition in Orlando for 28 people, and dealing with all of the perils that come with supervising unmotivated teenagers. Although my job is by no means easy, it has been the most rewarding experience I have ever been a part of.  We had an amazing season, winning first place at every one of our regional competitions. This has never been done by our team before, and as it is my first season coaching, it makes me feel like I was meant to do this. In a few weeks I will take my team to Universal, Orlando where they will compete in the National Dance Alliance Championships. I am filled with nerves at the idea of this, but I know that no matter what happens, I will be satisfied because of how successful the past six months with my team have been.

Vocabulary:

Signify (verb) - Show or indicate
Choreograph (verb) - Make up a dance
Peril (noun) - Problem
Unmotivated (adjective) - Not interested in; No effort
Rewarding (adjective) - Feeling like you have done something important or good
Satisfied (verb) - Happy with

Vocabulary Exercise: Put the correct word in the blank space provided. 

I _________________ a jazz dance that was full of fast movement and lots of turns. 

He is _________________ about getting a job because he enjoys having the summer off. 

Volunteering at a homeless shelter can be a _________________ experience. 

I am ______________ with how my Thanksgiving dinner came out. It was very tasty.

The boy got an F on his test _________________ that he did not study at all. 

Couples can suffer many _______________ at the beginning of a relationship. 


Grammar Point: Synonyms are words that mean the same thing as another word. 

Think of a synonym for each of the vocabulary words. 

The Ballerina Life

Throughout my life, I have taken many ballet classes and have had several different teachers.  Although I have had my favorites, all of them have given me valuable knowledge that helped me to improve my technique, performance and mentality about ballet. For most of my beginning years of dance, I trained with one ballet teacher, Miss Kim.  Growing up in a competitive dance studio, we were required to take a few ballet classes each week in order to dance on the competition team.  Because I had Miss Kim as a teacher from age 3-18, I really learned all of the basics from her.  I learned the names of steps, how to execute them and finally, how to perform them.  A lot of what Miss Kim focused on was the emerging style of contemporary ballet.  She always chose pop/rock songs for our dances, such as “American Pie” by Don McLean or “Hotel California” by the Eagles.  I enjoyed this because it was fun to do such structured dancing to crowd-pleasing songs that the audience could identify with. 

            I don’t think I realized how much Miss Kim taught me until I went to college.  Because Hofstra’s Dance Department does not require you to audition, there is a very wide range of ability and dance training.  Of course I had to work very hard in class, but I never felt like I was drowning.  Oftentimes at Hofstra, we would leave ballet class and people would be complaining about how hard the class was.  Personally, I never found the classes to be too difficult.  I think this is because I always had difficult ballet classes growing up, and being in such mentally and physically demanding classes helped to prepare me for college dance classes.  I can thank Miss Kim for my many years of ballet training and for preparing me enough for me to stay afloat in college level ballet. 

Vocabulary:

Technique (noun) - Proper positioning of the body in dance

Mentality (noun) - Way of thinking

Execute (verb) - To do

Emerging (adjective) - Starting to become popular

Audition (verb) - To try out for something

Afloat (adverb) - Able to keep up with 

Vocabulary Exercise: Put the correct word in the blank space provided. 

The lazy woman has a negative ______________ about getting a job. 

Pointing your feet when you kick is the proper ______________ for the Rockettes. 

I want to _______________ for the school musical but I do not think I will make it.

The rich woman was able to stay _________________ with all her expensive bills. 

Lorde is an ________________ musical artist with a new hit song. 

It is hard to ________________ all of my chores on a Saturday. 

Grammar Point: Some words can be used as different parts of speech depending on the context of the sentence. 

Choose one vocabulary word and write a new sentence to make it a different part of speech. 

Are You Hungry?

The novel, The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins has captured the nation’s attention this past year due to its captivating story, relatable characters and eerie, unresolved conclusion. The Hunger Games centers upon Katniss Everdeen, a teenage girl who finds herself fighting for her life after she gets thrown into a literal fight to the death established by her futuristic nation, Panem’s, leaders. This fight, also known as the Hunger Games, puts twenty-four Tributes against each other, and they all must fight each other to death until one winner is left victorious. This battle tests Katniss’s strength, loyalty and bravery as she spends weeks in an arena running from both foreign beasts and familiar faces.

One of the reasons The Hunger Games is such a popular novel is because the author keeps readers guessing until the very last page. Even as the novel comes to a close, it is still unclear what the fate of heroine, Katniss Everdeen, will be. The author entertains readers with a fast-paced, well written story that allows them to escape into this future land of Panem. Are you hungry for The Hunger Games?


Vocabulary:

Capture (verb) - Win the attention of

Captivating (adjective) - Able to win the attention of

Eerie (adjective) - Creepy

Literal (adjective) - Something that is actually happening in reality

Futuristic (adjective) - Time period characterized as being in the future

Foreign (adjective) - Not familiar


Vocabulary Exercise: Put the correct word in the blank space provided.

The Jetsons are a _____________ family. They have flying cars.

The flu occurs when ____________ germs enter our bodies.

I am unable to watch scary movies because of the ___________ feeling I experience when they are over.

Her ____________ personality and sense of humor caused all of the men to fall deeply in love with her.

The _______________ translation of the Spanish word hola is hello.

The move 12 Years A Slave has been able to ______________ the hearts of many with its heartwrenching plot and intense acting.



Grammar Point: Sometimes words may look different or may be different parts of speech from each other but they are similar in meaning.

Capture and captivating have similar definitions here. Explain how they differ beyond their parts of speech.

Love

What is love? Perhaps this is the age old, million dollar question. Is love tangible? Can we see it, touch it, hear it? Or is love a feeling that cannot be captured with our senses? I think each of us defines love in our own way. In the Bible, it is said that love is patient and love is kind. In the movie Love Story, it is said that love means never having to say you're sorry.

To me, love is when your happiness depends on who or what you love. It is not logical. Maybe your boyfriend is being a jerk. Maybe you are fighting and he is wrong. Yet love, love, is what causes you to put him first despite his wrongdoings. His feelings. His happiness. It's almost like you cannot even be happy for a second if he is not happy. Although true love is wonderful and everybody deserves to experience it, some people are not strong enough for it. Whether it be loving another person with flaws or loving themselves and all their insecurities, some people are just unable to find the strength for love. I hope each one of you is able to someday love fully and openly if you have not already. Love is a wonderful thing. In fact, it is everything.


Vocabulary

Tangible (adjective) - Able to see or touch
Senses (noun) - See, hear, touch, taste, smell
Logical (adjective) - Reasoning. Something that makes obvious sense
Wrongdoing (noun) - Improper behavior or mistakes
Flaw (noun) - An imperfection or weakness
Insecurities (noun) - Things that make you feel vulnerable and anxious

Vocabulary Exercise : Put the correct word in the blank space provided.

It is __________ for a child to be punished for cheating on a test.

The ease with which he tells lies is a major character ___________.

Although she had ____________ about never finding a job, she made proactive moves to find one.

Smelling flowers, tasting ice cream, and listening to music help us use three of our five __________.

Her efforts to secure a promotion were __________ as you could see her staying late every night, coming in early and working on weekends.

The criminal committed an act of ____________ when he stole a car.


Grammar Point: A new paragraph begins when a new idea is being generated.

Create a third paragraph to the passage above.

The Shawshank Redemption

I have a nasty habit of not seeing critically acclaimed movies until they are very old news in society. I like to rebel a little bit so if somebody tells me I just have to go see a movie, chances are I am not going to see it in the next twelve years.

Over the weekend, I finally took the time to watch the Academy Award winner for Best Picture in 1995, The Shawshank Redemption. This movie stars Tim Robbins, who plays Andy Dupree, a man framed for the murder of his wife. After he is found guilty, Robbins is sentenced to two life sentences to be served at the Shawshank Prison.  The movie takes place over the course of twenty years of Andy's life in prison, and it is a heartwrenching tale of consequence, friendship and morality. While viewers seem to take different messages from the ending of the movie, there is no question that it is a very powerful and moving story from start to finish. By the conclusion, I found myself in tears, and there is no question that it was the journey of Andy and all his prison pals that moved me so very much.

Vocabulary

Critically acclaimed (adjective) - To receive good reviews from critics
Rebel (verb) - To go against something or someone
Framed (verb) - To be set up for something wrong
Sentenced (verb) - Punish
Heartwrenching: (adjective) - Causing a lot of sadness
Morality (noun) - Ideas of right and wrong


Vocabulary Exercise:  Put the correct vocabulary word in the blank space provided.

The man was ______________ to community service for his crime.

Teenagers often ____________ against the parents as they seek to find their identities.

The Oscars honor many films that are _____________________ by Hollywood.

The loss of my mother was one of the most _____________ experiences of my life.

The little boy _____________ his dog for his missing homework. The dog ate it!

There is no ____________ in cheating.



Grammar Point: A verb is an action word.

How many verbs can you find in this blog entry?

The Golden Globes

Last Sunday, I spent a very thrilling evening watching the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards.  The show was hosted by the hilarious and incomparable Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who have an admirable friendship that spans two decades of fame and fortune.  Highlights of the show included the hysterical opening monologue, the cast of Breaking Bad winning the award for Best Dramatic TV Series, and Jennifer Lawrence receiving a trophy for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical or Comedy. The serious low point of the show was the disappointing fashion moves that almost every celebrity made. I found myself repeatedly shouting, "WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!" While none of this really makes a difference to my life, it is hard to not get emotionally invested in the lifestyles of the rich and the famous. Now there are only eleven months until the 72nd year, and let's just hope the ladies have better fashion sense next time!


Vocabulary

Annual (adjective) - Something that happens every year

Incomparable (adjective) - Cannot relate to something else

Admirable (adjective) -  Something that deserves respect

Decade (noun) - Period of ten years

Monologue (noun) - Speech spoken by one person

Lifestyle (noun) - The way somebody lives



Vocabulary Exercise: Put the correct vocabulary word in the blank space provided.


1. The courageous and ___________ fireman saved the people from the burning building.

2. The actor delivered his ____________ with excitement and fervor.

3. The end of the school year brings our _____________ final exams.

4. I gave up junk food for Lent to bring a change in my body and __________.

5. I have been alive for more than two ____________.

6. The creative and _______________ writing of JK Rowling is shown through her fantasy world of witches and wizards.


Grammar Point: An adjective is a describing word. It is used to enhance a noun by answering one of the following: What kind? How many? Which one?

Replace five adjectives in the paragraph above with different adjectives. Make sure the sentence still makes sense in context!