Fun with Words – Issue 01

Fun with Words – Issue 01

Jan 28, 2020 | Words

Highlighting people in the past and present in all the amazing ways they embraced imagination: acting, singing, storytelling and writing

One common thread is The Power of words: The more we understand and build our vocabulary, the more fun we can have with expressing ourselves in song, stories, acting and poetry.

Creativity
  1. Liv Mari Schei: 1982 Norway Singer, Songwriter: WATCH
  2. Beatrice Egli (born 21 June 1988 in Pfäffikon, Switzerland) is a Swiss female singer: LEARN MORE and WATCH
  3. Danna Williams: LEARN MORE and WATCH
Biographies
  1. Luisa Tetrazzini: known as the queen of staccato: WATCH
    Book: My Life of Song (Classic Reprint)
  2. May 1930 A musician, singer, songwriter, and recording producer
    Book: Signed, Sealed, and Delivered: The Soulful Journey of Stevie Wonder by Mark Ribowsky (Author)

Homophone

A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but has a different spelling and meaning.

1. Hymn > Him
I likes inging that hymn.
Please tell him I understand.

2. Male > Mail
He is a very handsome male.
Has the mail come yet?

3. Tale > Tail
My dog’s long tail knocked over the vase.
He told a huge tale.

4. We’d > Weed
We’d like to come too!
I pulled up the one weed in the garden.

Antonyms

An Antonym is a word that has the opposite meaning of another word.

1. Dark > Bright
The room was very dark.
The room was very bright.

2. Forgive > Blame
I forgive you for everything that happened.
I blame you for everything that happened.

3. Giant > Tiny
It is one giant pumpkin.
It is one tiny pumpkin.

4. Like > Dislike
I like oranges.
I dislike oranges.

Synonyms

A Synonym is a word or phrase that means close to or exactly the same as another word.

1. Occur > Happen
The meeting did occur.
The meeting did happen.

2. Assist > Help
Can you please assist me?
Can you please help me?

3. Happy > Delighted
I am happy for your success.
I am delighted for you.

4. Delicious > Savory
The steak was delicious.
The steak was savory.

Word Search

Created by Puzzle Maker

Fun with Words 2019 review

Fun with Words 2019 review

Dec 15, 2019 | Words

Dear Readers. Enjoy the 'Fun with Words' and 'Biographies' in review for the year. Thank you so much for all your support. 

Words in Review

Amazement

I chose this word because of all the wonderful possibilities waiting for you just around the corner. Things that will leave you amazed. Learn more about the word ‘amazement’.

  • How many ways can you use ‘amazement’ in a sentence?
  • How many synonyms can you name for the word ‘amazement’?
  • How many antonyms can you name for the word  ‘amazement’?
  • How would you describe being in the state of ‘amazement’?

Dramatic

How many ways can you use ‘dramatic’ in a sentence? How many synonyms can you name for the word ‘dramatic’? How many antonyms can you name for the word ‘dramatic’? Can you act in a ‘dramatic’ way?

Empathy

The action of understanding

Do you have empathy for a person or a cause?

What can you do to help if possible the situation or is it better to stay at a distance, understand but let things work out on their own without interference? It is easy to confuse the word sympathy and the word empathy.

Hope

Being up north the past week I noticed the word ‘Hope’ seemed to pop up in lots of different ways.

  • I hope the weather warms up.
  • I hope I can see the starts tonight.
  • I hope my friend wins the game.
  • I hope she can stop worrying so much.

So it only seemed fitting that HOPE became the word of the month. Four little letters build a powerful word, HOPE.

Dipsy-Doodle: A fun word: dipsy-doodle - keep changing direction!

Enjoy Tom Dorsey's Dipsy Doodle -Music Changing Direction 

Homonyms

  • Role or Roll - I have the role. * The roll was delicious.
  • Blue or Blew - Blue is my favorite color.  The little boy blew his mommy a kiss.
  • Vane or Vein or Vain - I like the rooster on the weather vane. His vein is so thin that I cannot seem to find it.  She is a very vain person.
  • Patience or Patients - I have the patience to wait it out.   The nurse had many patients to attend to that day.   
  • Right or Write  You are right he is coming today. I need to write it down. 
  • Broach or Brooch - He broached the subject with caution.  Her new brooch was admired by all her friends. 
  •  Wood or Would - The grains in the oak wood is beautiful. Would you go to the store for me?
  • Ate or Eight - Charlie ate the whole pie by himself. Rebecca's mom told her to be home by eight. 
  • Medal or Meddle - Patrick won a medal for swimming the backstroke. Please do not meddle.
  • Coarse or Course - The fabric was very coarse. The English literature   course is very interesting.
  • Cellar or Seller - We store potatoes in the cellar. The seller of the house was not interested in dropping the price. 
  • Edition or Addition - He came out with a new edition to his book. You need to do your addition homework.
  • Flower or Flour - The flower has a beautiful fragrance. We need to add flour to our recipe.
  • Effect or Affect - The hurricane had a terrible effect on the city. The weather will affect if we have the party outside or inside.

Opposites

  • Above: His grades are above average.
  • Below: His grades are below average.
  • Clean: The house is clean.
  • Dirty: The house is dirty.
  • Cool: The water is cool.
  • Warm: The water is warm.

Synonyms

ducts / duck - I am having the ducts cleaned today. I fed a pretty white duck today.

Biographies

  1. Alexander the Great
  2. Jane Adams
  3. Emma E. Akin
  4. Buzz Aldrin
  5. B.R. Ambedkar
  6. Maria Baldwin
  7. Ida B. Wells Barnett
  8. Rachel Carson
  9. Augustus De Morgan
  10. Charles Drew
  11. General William Floyd
  12. Galileo Gallie
  13. Lloyd Hall
  14. Milton Hersey
  15. Hippocrates
  16. Mary Kenner
  17. Percy Laavon Julian 
  18. Rene Laennec
  19. Ada Lovelace   
  20. Florence Nightingale
  21. Prince Philip
  22. Charlotte E Ray
  23. Betsy Ross
  24. Helena Rubinstein
  25. Robert Small Story
  26. Marie Curie, Nee Maria Sklodowska
  27. Booker T Washington
  28. Dr. Carter G. Woodson
  29. Betty Williams

  1. Aloud or Allowed - He was aloud to speak.   *  Mini dresses are not allowed in school
  2. Alter or Altar - Will you alter your decision. * The altar was prepared for the  service.
  3. Coffers or Cougher - Please put the remaining blankets in the coffers.  * He is a cougher.
  4. Graphed or Graft - He graphed messaures to move forward.  The graft on the plant allowed the sap to run out.
Memorizing Sight Words

Memorizing Sight Words

Mar 19, 2019 | Handy Tips

Reading

Last month we discussed reading to your children. This month I thought I would share ideas on sight words. What is a sight word?

Sight words are also referred to as high-frequency words and it means they are words that do not follow the phonics rules for pronunciation. They are some of the first words young children are encouraged to memorize to make learning reading and comprehension easier. The most popular list among educators is the Dolch List.

How can you help your child memorize sight words?

In the classroom, I would place a word on a card shaped according to the theme for the month. During the center reading time, the students would take turns at their reading center time to learn to read each card. 

Basically, these are flash cards with a twist. I turned it into a game for the children. Before I knew it, they were ready for more words, and they were reading with success.

For my own kids, I took word strips, but you could use large index cards.  Write the word and cut the word out according to its shape. Practice the word with your child and then  paste the word on their bathroom mirror, bedroom bulletin board or a location that would involve them to see the word often. If you color code the word then they learn the part of speech at the same time. Exmaple:  adjectives could be yelllow, verbs could be orange and nouns could be green.