My Worst Experience

My worst experience would have to be my job where I started out this school year in September. Over the summer, I resigned from my position as an aide after four years in a district to further my career and gain more experience. August came around and I had not found a job yet, which made me begin to worry. One day over the summer, I randomly hand delivered my resume to a school not even knowing if there were any openings. Later that week, I received a phone call asking if I could come in for an interview for an AIS/cafeteria position. Without hesitation I said yes. I went in for my interview and met with the principal and assistant principal. I felt my interview went well and they told me I would hear from them after the weekend if I got the job or not. To my surprise, the principal called me that afternoon and offered me the job. I quickly accepted and was so excited that I found a job for the upcoming school year. Little did I know that it would be the worst month of my life.

I attended Superintendent Conferences and introduced myself to anyone who came my way. I would say with a smile, "Hi I'm Christine, the new AIS and cafeteria position." The responses I would get were, "Good luck with that job" sarcastically or "God bless you for taking that job." I couldn't believe how rude and unwelcoming people were and knew I was missing something about my new job. I thought I was going to be an AIS (Academic Intervention Services) teacher, pushing into classrooms and being able to teach and work with students in small groups. I assumed the cafeteria position would be monitoring in the cafeteria for a few periods to make my position full time. I was wrong. My day consisted of pushing into only two classrooms for not even 40 minutes and spending the rest of my day (10:30-1:30) in the cafeteria where I was the head person in charge.

I was so upset that I was spending my days in a school where I didn't feel welcomed or like I fit in. Staff members were very clicky. The way the principals presented the position was not at all what I walked into and felt tricked into accepting a job that was not for me. I felt I would be wasting a year in a cafeteria, miserable and not gaining any classroom experience. Luckily, I heard word of a permanent substitute position in another district and was offered the job in October. I am currently still at this position and could not be happier. I work in a small elementary school, with an amazing principal as well as staff members. I am gaining classroom experience by subbing and cannot wait to see what the future has in store.


Vocabulary:
Experience- the process of doing and seeing things and of having things happen to you
Resigned- to give up (a job or position) in a formal or official way
Worry- to think about problems or fears
Randomly-chosen, done, etc., without a particular plan or pattern
Resume- a short document describing your education, work history, etc., that you give an employer when you are applying for a job
Hesitation- to stop briefly before you do something especially because you are nervous or unsure about what to do
Attended- to go to and be present at
Sarcastically- using or showing sarcasm
Rude- not having or showing concern or respect for the rights and feelings of other people
Clicky- when two or more people are always obnoxious to others around each other
Tricked- an action that is meant to deceive someone
Permanent Substitute- a teacher is a person who teaches a school class when the regular teacher is unavailable


Exercise: Fill in the blank
Look back at my story and fill in the sentence with the correct vocabulary word used.

                                                                Word Bank:
                     experience         attended           permanent substitute     worry       hesitation


1. My worst ______________would have to be my job where I started out this school year in September.

2. Without _______________ I said yes.

3. I __________ Superintendent Conferences and introduced myself to anyone who came my way.

4. Luckily, I heard word of a _______________    _________________ position in another district.

5.  August came around and I had not found a job yet, which made me begin to ___________.

Grammar Point: Commas
A comma marks a slight break between different parts of a sentence. Used properly, commas make the meaning of sentences clear by grouping and separating words, phrases, and clauses.

Write 3 sentences using a comma correctly.

1.

2.

3.

Dear Alien

If you were to write a letter to an alien to tell them about Earth what would you want to say? Here is what I would tell them.

Dear Alien,

Let me tell you about Earth. Earth is the third planet from the Sun. As the Earth orbits around the Sun it turns on its axis, rotating around in 24 hours. It takes 365 days for one complete orbit. The Earth orbiting around the Sun causes us to have seasons. It is the only planet in the Solar System that has life as far as we know. Many people live on Earth. This is possible due to the Earth's atmosphere. Earth is home to humans, plants, and animals. Humans are lucky to be living on Earth. Earth is a wonderful place to be with lots of opportunities. There are many places to go and things to see. For example, there are many different states, stores, schools and zoos. You should come visit soon! 

                                                     Sincerely,

                                                        Miss K 

Some facts from: http://www.planetsforkids.org/planet-earth.html


Vocabulary
Earth- Planet on which we live 
Planet- a large, round object in space that travels around a star
Orbits- one complete movement along its path
Axis- the imaginary straight line that something (such as the Earth) turns around 
Rotating- to move or turn in a circle 
Complete- to finish making or doing 
Seasons- one of the four periods (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) into which the year is commonly divided
Solar System- our sun and the planets that move around it
Atmosphere- the envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet
Opportunities- an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

Exercise Fill in the Blank  
1. How many days does it take for one complete orbit around the Sun? ___________
2. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall are called _________________.
3. Earth is the _____________ planet from the Sun. 
4. The imaginary straight line that something turns around is called __________. 
5. Earth's _____________ allows there to be life. 


Grammar Point Letter Heading 
There are three things you need to have when writing a letter: A greeting, body, and closing with your signature.

Now it's your turn! Write a letter to an alien telling them anything you want about Earth. Remember to have all three parts of a letter!

Inventions

There are so many inventions in the world. Have you ever thought of something that you believe would be a good invention? I know I have! People create new things everyday. Those new creations lead to success and fame. There are many steps to take before an invention turns into a product. Here are some steps to follow:

Part One: Imagine your product
1. Brainstorm Ideas
2. Decide on an idea
3. Research your invention
Part Two: Patenting your invention
1. Create a thorough record of your invention

2. Consider hiring a patent attorney
3. Get a provisional patent application
4. File for a patent  
Part Three: Making your invention a reality
1. Create a prototype
2. Create a presentation
3. Present your invention to a manufacturer
4. Produce your invention
5. Advertise your inventio

Taken from https://www.wikihow.com/Invent-a-Product

What this means is to think about your invention, get rights to your idea, and make your invention come to life by finding a company that will broadcast and sell your product.

Inventions are created by people thinking about things that will better someone's life. You never know, your idea may be next!

Vocabulary
Inventions- a useful new device or process
Create- to make or produce something
Success- the fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect, or fame
Fame- the condition of being known or recognized by many people 

Steps- any of a series of successive stages in a process 

Product- something that is made or grown to be sold or used

Patenting-  an official document that gives a person or company the right to be the only one that makes or sells a product for a certain period of time
Attorney- a lawyer 

Application- a formal and usually written request for something

Prototype- an original or first model of something from which other forms are copied or developed  Manufacturer- a company that makes a product 

Advertise- to make the public aware of something that is being sold

Broadcast- to send out by radio or television

Exercise Brainstorming
Think of 3 ideas you believe would be good inventions. Use some of the vocabulary words in your sentence. For example, After meeting with a manufacturer, I was able to get my product up and running by broadcasting it on my own commercial.

1.

2.

3.

Grammar Point Steps
Think of your favorite recipe. List the steps in order for how to make your recipe of choice. Make sure you write down all the directions out clearly for someone else to be able to follow them.

                                                                 Steps:


1.

Finding The Perfect Book to Read

Ever read a book in school and just don't understand or like what it is about? That's okay, it happens! Sometimes we have to read books we aren't fond about but we can also read books we enjoy. There are so many books and different genres to choose from in the world! For example, some are fantasy, fiction, non-fiction, and mystery. You can find books in a library, buy them online or use a technology device, such as a Kindle and download the book. Reading books can be relaxing and is a great way to build up your vocabulary. Whether you realize it or not, reading helps in so many ways. Your brain becomes stronger when reading by being more fluent and learning new words. There are three different parts to a story, which are the beginning, middle and end. You can read a story by yourself, an adult can read to you or you can listen to a story online. It is very important to read on a daily basis. Make reading fun by picking a book that looks interesting to you!

                                             

Vocabulary:

Understand- to know the meaning of something 

Fond- having a liking for something...'aren't fond about' not having a liking for something 

Enjoy- to take pleasure in something 

Genres- a particular type or category of literature 

Fantasy- something that is produced by the imagination 

Fiction- written stories about people and events that are not real 

Non-fiction- writing that is about facts or real events 

Mystery- something that is not known
Library- a place where books, magazines, and other materials are available for people to use or borrow
Online- done over the Internet
Kindle- an e-reader device

Download- an act of moving or coping a file
Vocabulary- the words that make up a language
Fluent- done in a smooth and easy way
"Daily basis"- something that happens every day
Interesting- attracting your attention and making you want to learn more about something

Exercise: Multiple Choice
Choice the word that best fits the sentence. Once you find the word, circle the letter that goes along with it.

1. A book that has stories about people and events that are not real is called
    a. mystery     b. fiction      c. fantasy

2. A place you go where you can borrow books is called the
    a. Library     b. Super Market      c. Park

3.  When you ________ something you know the meaning of something.
     a. understand      b. genre      c. non-fiction

4. The more you read the more _________ you will become.
    a. fluent      b. online      c. fond

5. Attracting your attention and making you want to learn more about something is called
    a. interesting      b. download      c. vocabulary 

Grammar Point: Punctuation
There are different ways you can end a sentence. They are with a period (.), a question mark (?), and an exclamation point (!). A period is used for a statement, a question mark is used when asking a question and an exclamation point is used to show excitement. Write a sentence using each punctuation mark.

For example, "Disney was so much fun!"

1.

2.

3.