Pets and Animals

I've always had pets ever since I was a little kid. I like the responsibility that comes along with taking care of animals! But they are also lots of fun to have around as well. What kinds of pets do you have? Popular pets are dogs and cats - most of the people I know have those. The dogs are cute but I think the cats are naughty because they play tricks on their owners! But there are other animals with fur and tails, like hamsters and rabbits. Some of my friends have birds, they are animals that can fly and have beaks and feathers. One of my friends has a parrot and he talks. Some of my friends have lizards, which have scales, and tortoises, which have shells. The tortoises are very slow, and sort of lazy, while the lizards are fast. I prefer to have a goldfish most of all - they are easy to take care of and pleasing to look at!

What kinds of pets do you have? What kind of pet do you wish you had?

Key Vocabulary:

• beak (noun): part of a bird's body, like their nose but hard like a shell.
• hamster (noun): a small animal, like a mouse but with more fur.
• lazy (adjective): slow, reluctant to work.
• bird (noun): one of the kingdom of animals, these animals have feathers and can fly
• lizard (noun): a reptile, has scales and can be found in several environments around the world.
• cat (noun): a mammal that has fur, a long tail, pointy ears and is a popular family pet.
• naughty (adjective): tricky, clever, not the best behavior.
• cute (adjective): lovable, attractive, sweet.
• parrot (noun): a type of bird that has the capability to mimic its owner's words.
• dog (noun): a mammal that is a popular family pet, usually large in size, with fur and makes a barking sound
• rabbit (noun): a mammal with soft fur and a short, stubby tail, with long floppy ears and likes to eat carrots.
• feather (noun): a part of a bird's body that is soft and helps it to fly.
• tail (noun): a part of an animal's body that is usually found on the back of the animal, can be long or short.
• fur (noun): a part of an animal's body that is very soft, like hair, and cover's the entire body.
• tortoise (noun): a type of reptile that is like a turtle, but lives on the land and does not swim. Has a hard shell and is very slow.
• goldfish (noun): a type of fish, it is usually orange in color and has big eyes.

 Vocabulary activity:

Look for the vocabulary words in the word search, then fill in the boxes below!

 

 

Grammar Point:

Even animals can have adjectives! Sometimes that is the only way to distinguish between one animal and another. An adjective is a descriptive word used to describe a noun. For example, if you wanted to describe an elephant, you might say that an elephant is gray, large, heavy, and loud. It's skin is rough and wrinkled. It has a long trunk. All of these adjectives can help someone visualize what an elephant might look like, even if they've never seen one before.

Grammar Activity:

Find a partner and take turns describing an animal using only adjectives. Do not say the name of the animal - your partner must guess what they think it is based on your clues! Bonus: ask your friend to draw a picture based on the adjectives you provide!

Going on Vacation!

 

School is almost over!  That means it's time to plan a vacation.  I love going on vacation because there is always somewhere new to visit!  But you have to make a plan first.  You have to find somewhere to stay.  There are many options for accommodation when you are on vacation. Most people stay in hotels, that might have a restaurant or swimming pool.  Or you can stay in a bed and breakfast. These are small, quaint and cozy places that offer a place to sleep and breakfast in the morning.  Budget travelers may choose to stay in hostels; these are cheaper than other types of accommodation because they offer few amenities.  Hostels are ideal for young backpackers, who can stay in dorm beds in a room with several other travelers, for a fraction of the cost of a hotel room.

Key vocabulary:

• options (noun): choices.
• accommodation (noun): a place to stay
• hotel (noun): a type of accommodation that is often expensive, and provides private rooms for guests.
• quaint (adjective): charming and cute (and a little old or traditional).
• cozy (adjective): comfortable.
• budget (noun, adjective): a plan for using an amount of money; inexpensive
• amenities (noun): extra things that make you more comfortable (in a hotel, for example, amenities include a TV, pool, exercise room, etc.)
• backpackers (noun): people who travel a long distance with only a large backpack as their luggage.
• dorm (noun): a room with beds for several people.
• fraction (noun): a small part of something.

 

Vocabulary Activity:

Fill in the blanks with a vocabulary word in the box below.

options	fraction	cozy
offer		budget
dorm		quaint
hotel	amenities	backpackers

1. We bought a small, old-fashioned house in a _____________ little village.

2. Hmmm. . . . I don’t want a single bed, but a double bed might be too big. Are there any other _______________?

3. You can buy a used car for a _______________ of the cost of a new one.

4. My brother is a college student. He lives in a _____________.

5. I like to have my own room when I travel.  Staying in a ____________ is worth the price for privacy!

6. _______________ airlines are often cheaper, but they don’t have as many amenities as other airlines.

7. The waiter should ______________ me a free glass of coffee.

8. The  _______________ I like at hotels include an indoor swimming pool, free breakfast, and laundry services.

9. When I go hiking, I see a lot of  __________ setting up their tents.

10. That sofa looks really soft and _______________.

Grammar Point:
When you plan for a vacation, you are talking about an event that will happen, that has not happened yet.  When you talk about situations that will happen, it is useful to use the future tense.  For example, if you are going to a place you've never been before, you would say, "I will visit Disney World" or "I am going to see the Eiffel Tower."

Grammar Activity:
Write a letter to a friend that describes an upcoming trip you are going to take.  Use the future tense to describe what you will do and see.  Make sure to list at least three activities in your letter.

Families

 

I love spending time with my family. We always have a good time and we do so many things! But my family is pretty large - there are five people in my family, my mother, my father, my older sister, my younger brother, and me. But my uncle recently got married and my new aunt had three children, so now we have almost thirty cousins! My grandmother was very happy because she likes to have a lot of grandchildren around. She has three daughters and four sons. Because there are so many people, we have to find large places to get together, like parks, or restaurants. So you can see, we usually have a lot of fun because there are always so many people around!

 

What are some things you like to do with your family?

 

Key Vocabulary:

• Family (noun): a unit of people that lives together and is related to one another. There are many types of families.
• Mother (noun): the female head of the household, who has children.
• Father (noun): the male head of the household, who has children.
• Sister (noun): a child in a family that is a girl and is a sibling to other children.
• Brother (noun): a child in a family that is a girl and is a sibling to other children.
• Uncle (noun): a man in a family that is a sibling of a mother or father.
• Aunt (noun): a man in a family that is a sibling of a mother or father.
• Cousins (noun): the children of aunts and uncles who are related to you, but not your brothers and sisters.
• Grandmother (noun): the mother of your mother or father.
• Grandchildren (noun): children who belong to a family with grandparents.
• Daughter (noun): a child in a family that is a girl.
• Son (noun): a child in a family that is a boy.

Vocabulary Activity:

 Match the vocabulary with its correct definition:

Family		a man in a family that is a sibling of a mother or father.
Mother		a child in a family that is a girl and is a sibling to other children.
Father		a man in a family that is a sibling of a mother or father.
Sister		a child in a family that is a boy.
Brother		the children of aunts and uncles who are related to you, but not your brothers and sisters.
Uncle		a child in a family that is a girl.
Aunt		the mother of your mother or father.
Cousins		the male head of the household, who has children.
Grandmother		the female head of the household, who has children.
Grandchildren		a child in a family that is a girl and is a sibling to other children.
Daughter		children who belong to a family with grandparents.
Son		a unit of people that lives together and is related to one another. There are many types of families.

Grammar Point:

In English, word order is very important. Otherwise, sentences will not make sense! The typical word order in English is Subject-Verb-Object. Every sentence should have a subject, but not all sentences will have objects. For example, "I ate" is a complete sentence, but "I food" is not. Likewise, "ran the race" is not a complete sentence, but "She ran the race" is ("She" is the subject, "ran" is the verb, and "the race" is the object). If you mix up word order, the sentence will contain all of the necessary parts, but it will not make sense. For example, "Tree the bird sat in" sounds a bit odd, right? Or "sleeping is she" - you need to change the word order so that it sounds less awkward (The bird sat in the tree, she is sleeping).

 

Grammar Activity:

Using the words above, fix the sentences so they are in the correct word order:

 

1. your there are in many people How family?
__________________________________________
2. my family. cousins in There fifteen are
__________________________________________
3. you have? many do brothers How
__________________________________________
4. many aunts are your in How family?
__________________________________________
5. you Are married ?
__________________________________________
6. daughter? have a Do son a you or
__________________________________________
7. your grandmother does live? Where
__________________________________________
8. sisters? Have got you any
__________________________________________
9. uncle your married? Is
__________________________________________
10. grandchildren? have any you Do

Taking a Test

School is almost over, but not quite. Soon we will be gone for the summer, but there is still much to be done! We have to take tests to show how much we have learned over the school year. Using our school books, we will study hard to pass the tests. If we are writing a composition, we will use a pen to make the writing look neat. If we are taking a math test, we will use a pencil so we can correct any mistakes, and maybe a ruler to make straight lines on graphs or charts. Every time we take a test, we have to arrange our desks in a way that other students cannot look over at our answers. When we finish the test early, we can use the computer so that other students can finish their tests quietly.

How do you study for a test? Are there any test subjects that are harder for you than others?

Key Vocabulary:

• Desk (noun): a piece of furniture used by students at school, where they do their work.
• Computer (noun): a machine that helps students access a lot of information at one time, where they can type papers and do research.
• Ruler (noun): a tool used in math to measure items and to create straight lines.
• Book (noun): an object that has many pages and contains a lot of information.
• Pencil (noun): a tool used to write, which uses lead and has an eraser to correct mistakes.
• Pen (noun): a tool used to write that uses ink and is more permanent than a pencil.

Vocabulary Activity:
Using the words above, fill in the crossword puzzle below!

 Grammar Point:

We use the first conditional to talk about something that will happen (the result), if a particular condition (which is likely to happen) is met. When we use "will" we are certain that something will happen. It is definite. But we can use "may" or "might" instead of will. This means that the consequence is not it is possible, but not definite. For example, you might play on a sports team. You could say "If we get seven points today, we will win the game. But if there is a tie, we might win the game" because during a tie, either team could win.

Grammar Activity: 

Using the vocabulary above, create some first sentences using the words "will," "may," and "might" to describe how you would take a test at school. How do you think you will do? What would happen if you used a pen instead of a pencil? What will happen if you study?