Fun-Filled Summer Friday

     It's the last Friday in August and here you go again entering another school year.  I almost said here "we" go, and then I remembered that I am officially retired.  I want you all to know that you are always on my mind and I will always be a teacher in my heart. As summer ends we can say goodbye to all the fabulous traveling and get ready to set our minds to studies. I say "our" minds here because I will be tutoring a group of boys here in Texas  to improve writing skills and vocabulary.  I hope to invite them to join the blog discussion.  They will be taking the SAT soon, like many of you, so vocabulary enrichment will be very important. 

I would like to share some pictures of my recent trip to California to visit my daughter.  It was a very special trip.  I never realized how much I missed the Jersey Shore until she took me to see the Pacific Ocean. Enjoy.

 Irvine---  Love the palm trees at the mall.....


Laguna Beach --- Just fantastic views with the cliffs and the ocean......

With patisserie cases overflowing with the most delicious treats, how could one resist? 

Where did your travels take you this summer?  Please share some of your experiences on the blog.  I would love to hear about areas of our country or wherever you traveled this summer.  If this summer found you at home, please share what kept you busy as you "destressed"  after ending your 8th grade year.
Here is a list of core vocabulary words in context to get you all thinking about the SAT as you enter high school.

Good luck to you all and keep in touch.

I am a slightly ambivalent about this whole retirement idea.  It is very unorthodox for me not to be thinking about the next lesson I am about to teach, but if I think pragmatically, I think I can get used to the idea of adding more relaxation and even altruistic deeds to my life.  I am finding the residents of Texas to be quite amiable. It often makes me nostalgic as I remember the simpler times of my childhood in New Jersey. My life seems less ambiguous now that I am settled here in Texas.  There was a time right after leaving all of you that I felt slightly aloof, and I thought that I had made a huge mistake. I tried to be prudent, and I carried on with my plan. Some may have thought that I was naive or even gullible to think I could move cross country.  It was futile to worry.  Armed with fortitude, I made the journey from New Jersey to Texas with a side trip to Vermont, as well. I feel like I succeeded and am now enjoying my serene neighborhood of Sugar Land.  What a perfect name for a town!

Wordy Wednesday

The last Wednesday in February.......

I hope you all have been checking the blog even if you have not been contributing.  Science Fiction Friday had to do with The Giver, as I am sure you have figured out by now. Please go back and look at the pictures again to see if you can make a connection to the text yet. Some will still be a mystery until we reach that section in the text. Now that you have more information, though, you can make educated guesses and/or predictions for the novel. Have fun trying to figure them out.

Now, let's get to the task at hand---Vocabulary. There are many interesting vocabulary words that you will encounter as we read The Giver. You have already worked with a few. I am going to post some pictures that may help you define some of the new words on our list. This will be a challenge to get just the right picture to show the meaning, since I don't have the capability of sketching exactly what I want. Let's give it a try.


What vocabulary word from The Giver is shown in the picture below? 




Exuberant or Excruciating














Anguish or Conspicuous

Meticulous or Transgression

Buoyancy or Crescendo

Interdependent or Independent

Easy, right? Let me know what you think of the exercise. Please create a post using some of the words in context too. I'd be interested in seeing how they fit together in a paragraph. Feel free to find some pictures on the Internet for the words that were not represented in illustration above. Print and bring in for extra points. Have fun with words.

Wordy Wednesday

I hope you all have been checking the blog even if you have not been contributing.  The last Fictional Friday had to do with The Giver, as I am sure you have figured out by now.  Please go back and look at the pictures again to see if you can make a connection to the text yet.  Some will still be a mystery until we reach that section in the text.  Now that you have more information, though, you can make educated guesses and/or predictions for the novel. Have fun trying to figure them out.

Now, let's get to the task at hand---Vocabulary. There are many interesting vocabulary words that you will encounter as we read The Giver.  You have already worked with a few.  I am going to post some pictures that may help you define some of the new words on our list.  This will be a challenge to get just the right picture to show the meaning, since I don't have the capability of sketching exactly what I want.  Let's give it a try.

Exuberant or Excruciating









Anguish  or  Conspicuous

Meticulous or Transgression

 Buoyancy or Crescendo

  Interdependent or Independent

Easy, right?  Let me know what you think of the exercise.  Please create a post using some of the words in context too.  I'd be interested in seeing how they fit together in a paragraph.  Feel free to find some pictures on the Internet for the words that were not represented in illustration above.  Print and bring in for extra points.  Have fun with words.