Vocabulary

Vocabulary

1.     Scowl- to look at someone or something in a way that shows anger or disapproval

2.     Complain-to say or write that you are unhappy, sick, uncomfortable, etc., or that you do not like something

3.     Moan-a long, low sound that someone makes because of pain, or unhappiness

4.     Grumble-to complain quietly about something : to talk in an unhappy way

5.     Cask-a container that is shaped like a barrel and is used for holding liquids

6.     Skitter-to move quickly and lightly along a surface

Tarantulas

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/arachnids/spider/Tarantulaprintout.shtml


http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/tarantulas/

http://atozkidsstuff.com/alaska.html

Barbara,
Here is a link to site on Alaska for kids.

What is a wigwam?

wig·wam

[wig-wom, -wawm]  

noun

1. An American Indian dwelling, usually of rounded or oval shape, formed of poles overlaid with bark, mats,  or skins.

  

Synonyms

A synonym is a word that has the same, or almost the same meaning as another word. Using happy as an example, the synonyms for happy are glad and beaming.

Statue of Liberty

Dear Barbara,
I hope you enjoy the site below on the Statue of Liberty.
Blessings,
Mrs. D.

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/engineering/statueofliberty.html

Colons and Semi-Colons

Colon and Semi-Colon

The most common punctuation marks in English are probably the period and the comma. However, good writing in English will usually make use of the colon and the semi-colon. Although these look similar and have similar names, their functions are completely different. This page will explain the functions of the colon and the semi-colon.

1. The colon

A colon consists of two dots, one above the other:

The colon is often used to introduce a list of items. For example:

You will need to bring three things to the party: some food, something to drink, and a small gift for the hostess.

This sentence contains a list of three items. The first part of the sentence tells you that there will be three things; then the colon tells you "here are the three things". You can also use a colon to introduce an explanation or a definition of something. For instance:

I'll tell you what I'm going to do: I'm going to quit!

"Elephant (noun): a large grey mammal found in Africa and India."

2. The semi-colon

A semi-colon consists of a comma with a dot above it:

The semi-colon is often used to join together two independent clauses — in other words, it joins two clauses that could be sentences. For example:

Mary drives a Mercedes; Joanne drives a Chevrolet.

One more very common use of the semi-colon is to join two clauses using a transition such as however, therefore, or on the other hand. Here are some examples:

Transition	Example
in addition	She works all day in a store; in addition, she takes classes in the evenings.
however	John is Canadian; however, he lives in the United States.
otherwise	You should get your brakes fixed; otherwise, you might have an accident.
therefore	Hundreds of people cross the border from the US to Canada every day; therefore, it is not possible to search all of them carefully.

Hard and Soft G

Hard g and soft g

The letter g can make a hard or a soft sound.

Gate, garter and grab all have hard g sounds.

The vowels e, i and y, however, can make a 'g' soft so it sounds like a j.

Germany, ginger and gym all have soft g sounds because of the vowels that follow the g.

There are some exceptions though. Girl and giggle, for example, have hard g sounds despite the i that follows the g.

Sentences

Interrogative sentences are sentences that end with a question mark. 

What time does the movie start? 

Exclamatory sentences are sentences that end with an exclamation mark. They show excitement. 

Be careful the oven is hot! 

Declarative sentences are sentences that end with a period. They make a statement. 

The dog is very small. 
 

Harriet Tubman Link

http://www.kidskonnect.com/subjectindex/21-categories/people/404-tubman-harriet.html

George Washington Carver

GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER Born in 1860 - Died in 1943

George Washington Carver was born in Missouri on the Moses Carver plantation. His parents were slaves. His father died right before George was born, then while he was still a baby, slave traders kidnapped him and his mother. Only George was returned to the plantation.

When he was a baby, he had a disease called whooping cough * . It left him sickly and he couldn't do hard work like the other slaves. His chores were cooking and sewing. He loved to work in the garden.

He taught himself to read. His family was so poor, he couldn't afford to buy a pencil, so he made a holder and used a pencil that was only 1/4 inch long.

He wanted to get an education. When he was 12 years old, he left home to attend a black school. There was only one teacher with 75 children in a small room. While other children played at recess, he studied. He studied at home before and after he did his chores. Soon he knew more than his teacher.

He wrote to a college to enroll and they accepted him, but when they found out he was black, they told him he couldn't attend.

After five more years, when he was 30 years old, he was accepted at a college in Iowa. He did so well, his teacher helped him to get a transfer * to Iowa State College where he studied
botany * . He learned about plants and farming. He became the best botany student on campus.

He did many things to earn money to pay for his expenses. He sold hominy which he had made, and sometimes he ironed clothes for his classmates. He found an old stove at the city dump and brought it home to cook meals for his friends. He used old wrapping paper for notebooks.

"Don't throw anything away," he would say. "Everything can be used again."

After he graduated, they asked him to teach biology * to the beginning students.

Later he was asked to teach at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

Carver at work in his laboratory

Carver started studying diseases which were attacking the farmers' crops. He also did a lot of experimenting to find new ways to use different plants. He made more than 300 products from peanuts. He even made soap and ink from peanuts. From sweet potatoes, he made 118 products, including flour and candy. He made 75 products from pecans and even made a building material for walls from cotton stalks. He had many good ideas!

Later in his life, Thomas Edison offered him $100,000 a year to come and work for him, but he thought he could do more good at Tuskegee.

He made his students work hard, and he insisted they do each experiment right. If they told him they had done something "about right", he would say, "Don't tell me it's 'about right'. If it's 'about right', then it's wrong."

Money, stylish clothes, and fine cars were not important to him. He thought the truly successful person was the one who had learned to serve others.

He was one of the finest scientists the world has ever known.

Suffixes let and ly

Suffix let and ly

 weekly     quickly        booklet

flatly        neatly       cutlet

Leaflet-A small or young leaf

Cutlet-A small slice of meat 

When suffix ly is added to a word it can tell us how often something was done, as in the word weekly, or how something was done, as in the word quickly.

When suffix let is on the end of a noun it can mean something small. For example, a booklet is a small book and a starlet is a small star.

Suffix let can also mean something that is worn, such as the wristlet, which means something that is worn on the wrist.

Final /s/ Spelling Rules

Final /s/ Spelling Rules

ss after a short vowel

boss                dress                  fuss

ce after a long vowel

ice                   space                 truce

se after anything else

false                house                loose