"My Shadow"

"My Shadow" From Child's Garden of Verses

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow--
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,
And he sometimes goes so little that there's none of him at all.

He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close behind me, he's a coward you can see;
I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed. 

-Robert Louis Stevenson

I chose this poem to write about because it was one of my favorite poems as a child. I have many memories of my parents reading this to me at night.  I thought that the poem was interesting and silly as a kid and some of the stanzas still stick with me.  

Vocabulary:

Proper: Acting in a good manner or with manners.

Notion: an idea or clue.

Arrant: completely or thoroughly.

Coward: A person who is timid and scared.

Shame: dishonor or embarrassment.

Dew: The mist that is sometimes on plants and grass in the morning.

vocabulary activity: Find the vocabulary words in the word search below.

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Arrant                              Dew       Coward                              Shame Notion                              Proper
Grammar Point:  Adjectives are words that describe nouns (persons, places or things.) Find the adjectives that are used in the poem. Grammar Activity: Find and circle each adjective used in the poem. Then write down how the word is being used and what it is helping to describe.

Drink Your Soup!

No one enjoys getting sick! Even adults do not enjoy the common cold.  When we are at school we need to be extra careful we don't spread our germs. Germs are everywhere, especially at schools! Some of the ways we can prevent getting sick is by washing our hands often. The only thing that I enjoy about getting sick is sleeping and slurping some hot soup! I recently read that soup, including chicken noodle soup, can help to prevent the early stages of a cold.  Some studies say that soup can also help to prevent the flu! The soup helps because there is a chemical within it that boosts the immune system.  This means that it can help us to recover from any sickness quicker and it helps our body fight off  illnesses. So next time you feel a cold coming on be sure to get yourself some hot soup! 

Vocabulary:

Common cold: a viral infection that usually includes sneezing, coughing, stuffy nose and sore throat.

Germs: microscopic (very small) disease that can spread sicknesses.

Prevent: to stop something from happening.

Slurping: loud sucking noise made while eating.

Immune System: a complex group of cells and tissues inside the body that help keep a person healthy.

Recover: to get back or make good again.  

Vocabulary Activity: 

Unscramble the vocabulary words below!

eprtnve
u tymissmenem
orrvece
omm oldccno
rlnuipgs
grmse

Grammar Point:

The word 'cold' is used in the text above to explain the common cold and not the cold as in temperature.  This means that the word has more then one meaning! Words that have more than one meaning are called multiple meaning words. 

Grammar Activity:

Using the words: cold, sweet, and close. Create two sentences for each word that show their multiple meanings. 

Example: Fly, 1.There was a  fly on the garbage can. (noun)

                     2. She saw the bird fly into the clouds. (verb)

Traveling at the Airport

Traveling can be a lot of fun because there is so much to see and do! Some of the places I have traveled to include Italy, Ireland, and England.  Traveling is exciting because there is beautiful architecture and landscape in different places. The thing I like least about traveling is the airport. Airport security is an important thing in all countries, but it takes time away from sightseeing! At the airport you must first check in and get your boarding pass.  If you have bags, they must be checked onto the correct flight. Then you walk through security to get to the gate that your plane will be leaving from.  The security uses a conveyor belt to view your personal belongings and looks at them using special cameras and videos.  The airport security officers will ask you to walk through a metal detector to be sure that you do not have any items that can harm yourself or others on the flight.  Once you get to your gate you must wait until they call your row number to board the flight. Some flights take longer then others, but you are on your way to a great vacation! 

Vocabulary:

1. Landscape: Scenery that usually includes nature and a rural area.

2. Sight-seeing: visiting and seeing places of interest.

3. Airport: A station where airplanes land and take-off.  

4. Boarding Pass: A ticket used to show a airplane seat.

5. Conveyor belt: A machine that moves objects from spot to another. 

6. Metal detector: A security machine that shows concealed metal objects either on a person on in luggage.

Vocabulary Activity: 

Match the vocabulary word number (from above) to the correct definition.

____ A ticket used to get onto a plane.

____ A machine that moves objects in a circular motion from one place to another.

____ A station where planes land.

____ Scenery found in nature.

____ Viewing a place of interest

____ A machine that allows security to see metal.  

Grammar Point:

The subject of a sentence is the person, place, thing, or idea that is doing or being something. Find and circle all of the subjects in the text passage above.

Grammar Activity:

Create 5 sentences that include underlined subjects, about traveling or going to the airport.