Monday, August 30, 2010

Context Clues/Sentence Editing

Something I did in order to give the students in my After School Learning Academy practice with context clues was to create a story that I believed would hold my classes interest. Many of the reading samples given as practice in the classroom are dry and the students are unable to relate to them. For this reason I decided to make my own writing samples which I believed they would enjoy and, hopefully, would actually make them want to practice context clues. The following are the first 3 parts of my story.

#1

Beep! Beep! Beep! The alarm clock woke Amanda from a deep sleep. She had been having a wonderful _______ about a gigantic mountain made of rocky road ice cream. She could almost _______ the chocolate on her tongue. She was sorry to have to get out of bed and get ready for another day as a 5th grader at Alumni Central School. As she pulled back the curtains, she was momentarily blinded by the bright shimmer of the ______ shining through the window. It looked like it was going to be another ___________ , cloudless day. Amanda could hear her stomach growling and realized she was very __________. The wonderful _________ of breakfast came wafting from the kitchen into her room. The delicious scents of cinnamon and bacon were irresistible, and she ______ down the stairs as fast as her legs could take her.
            “Good morning honey!”, said her mom, “Ready for the big math test today?”.
            Suddenly Amanda felt as she were going to be ________. Her face got hot and her stomach felt as if it were twisting into _______ like the ones she had learned to tie at summer camp. How could she have forgotten to ________ for the test? Her  __________, Mr. Snyder, had reminded her how important this exam would be. Even worse, anybody who failed would miss the big field trip to Harvest Farm to pick plump, freshly harvested ___________ to carve for the big Halloween dance. The fear she felt must have been visible to her mother, because she gave her a disappointed glare.
            “Oh no! Don’t tell me you didn’t study for the test? I reminded you when you got home, and I even suggested you tie a string around your wrist so you wouldn’t __________.”
            Amanda looked at the green piece of _________ hanging around her arm and wanted to _________ at the top of her lungs to release the frustration she felt. Suddenly the delicious smell of breakfast seemed terrible and all she wanted to do was get back into her warm, cozy bed and pull the ________ tightly around her. Unfortunately, that was not going to happen. She had to face the fact that in 10 minutes the ______ would be rolling up outside to take her to school, and she would have to take the test. The ride would be terrible, but at least she could get a few minutes of studying in before she arrived at ________. Once she got there, the teachers would not allow her to study any more. They could be so unfair that way. You would think they would want her to study, but just last week her best ________ Tamara had gotten yelled at for studying for her Social Studies test when she was supposed to be doing her morning work.
            After eating a piece of French toast and bacon (her mother had made her), she slowly ________ to the door and turned the knob. The sun seemed to mock her with its bright glare. It was so unfair! why should the weather be so wonderful when she felt so __________. One thing was for sure. This day could not end soon enough.
            10 minutes later Amanda was in the back seat of the bus with her Math book on her lap, doing her best to get in a few extra __________ of study time. It was hard to concentrate. The other students were having such a good time, __________ at each others jokes and making plans about what cool new __________ would be coming to the local Showcase Cinema that weekend.
            It was not long before the familiar sight of Alumni Central came into view. Today it looked less like a school and more like a house of horrors. Amanda imagined huge, black __________ crawling up the walls, and weaving a gigantic sticky, white __________ upon the wall in order to trap her for their dinner. Suddenly she heard a loud howl that sent shivers down her spine. She was frozen in her tracks like a deer caught in headlights. No matter how hard she tried to run, her _______ would not move. Suddenly she saw a pair of bright red _________ staring out at her in the darkness. Slowly the creature began to take shape. It was a werewolf, and it was absolutely ___________, its head touching the ceiling and its body filling the hall. It had sharp, white _________ that gleamed like pearls, and it’s __________ smelled horrible, as if it had not brushed it’s teeth for weeks (Did werewolves brush their teeth anyway?). The hairy monster slowly made its way towards her, its arms outstretched, its hands grasping for her. Suddenly it called out to her.
            “Amanda,”. The creatures  _________ was that of a woman, and it sounded oddly human, not deep or threatening at all.
            “Amanda!” it called again. This time it was a little louder, as if it was trying to get her attention.
            “AMANDA! We’re at school. All your friends have gotten off the bus and I have to go pick up the elementary school children, so let’s get going here”.
            It was not the werewolf talking to her, it was her ____ _________, Kelly. 


#2
                                    Amanda’s Bad Day Part 2: Sentence Editing

            “Sorry” said Amanda hastily, grabbing her book bag and exiting the bus quickly. How could she have allowed herself to lose track of time like that? Sometimes her imagination really ran away on her. Well at least it had granted her a few moments of peace before she had to face her fears about the math test once again.
            To her relief she realized there were still some students walking through the doors of the school. The last thing she needed was to get in trouble for tardiness. Slinging the backpack over her shoulder, Amanda ran into the school and up the staircase that led to the fifth grade wing. As she approached her locker she noticed something big and purple stuck to it. Upon closer examination she realized it was a large envelope decorated with gold stars silver spiders and black winged bats. “Amanda” was handwritten across the front in big, block letters. With a mix of excitement and confusion, Amanda removed the envelope from her locker. Suddenly she heard a scream.
            “AHHHHH! OMG you got an invitation to Michelle’s Halloween Party! You are so lucky. Did you know she only invites 13 people from the entire school? last year I heard she hired a psychic and they actually made contact with the spirit of abraham Lincoln. Miranda even used the information she learned to write a biography about him for Mr. Wilkinson’s class. Of course she did get a D on it, so the whole thing might have been bogus. Anyway, you are still super lucky.”
            “Uh, thanks,” said Amanda, still in shock from both the invitation and the surprise verbal assault from Jennifer.
            “We’ll don’t just stand their, open it up and see what it says already”. While a part of Amanda wanted to share the contents of the letter, a bigger part of her wanted the moment to be private. After all, it was her invitation. Shouldn’t she be able to read it in peace and privacy?
            “Sorry Jen. I need to use the bathroom before the bell rings, but I’ll tell you all about it at lunch ok. Later.” And with that Amanda ran to the bathroom. She locked herself in a stall, opened the envelope, and pulled out a purple piece of paper with silver writing. Hands shaking with excitement, Amanda began to read the letter.

A)Upon closer examination she realized it was a large envelope. decorated with gold stars silver spiders and black winged bats.
B)Upon closer examination she realized it was a large envelope decorated with gold stars, silver spiders, and black winged bats.
C)upon closer examination she realized it was a large envelope decorated with gold stars silver spiders and black winged bats?
D)No Change needed

A)last year I heard she hired a psychic and they actually made contact with the spirit of Abraham Lincoln.
B)Last year I heard she hired a psychic, and they actually made contact with the spirit of Abraham Lincoln!
C)Last year I heard she hired a psychic and they actually made contact with the spirit of Abraham Lincoln!
D)No change needed

A)Well don’t just stand their, open it up and see what it says already.
B) Well don’t just stand there, open it up and see what it says already!
C)We'll don’t just stand there, open it up and see what it says already.
D) No change needed

A)Shouldnt she be able to read it in peace and privacy?
B)Shouldn’t she be able to read it in peace and privacy.
C)Shouldn’t she be able to reed it in piece and privacy?
D) No change needed

#3
Congratulations on being selected to be one of my 13 guests at this years Halloween celebration. As you know, it is truly an honor to be invited to this annual event. Last year I hosted a séance in which spirits of the dead were contacted, and the apparition of a Salem witch actually appeared to tell us her terrifying true story of murder and betrayal.  The year before that we went on a hayride through graveyards and haunted fields led by an expert historian who knew much about our towns horrific past, filled with death and deceit. As scare-tastic as my previous soirees have been, I can honestly tell you that this year’s event will be the most gore-ifying yet!
            Please arrive in front of the school at 8:00 P.M. on the evening of October the 31st. At exactly 8:13 you will be picked up by one of 3 hearses. It would behoove you to be on time, for if you are not you may miss out on a once in a lifetime experience. I can’t tell you where you will be taken, for if this information got out others would undoubtedly crash our private party. All your parents need to know is that they can pick you up the next day at my house any time after 10:00 A.M.
            I look forward to seeing you. Have a wonderful day. And don’t forget to wear something SCARY!!!
                                                                                    Your horrifying host,
                                                                                                Tara
Amanda could feel her heart racing with excitement. This was going to be the best Halloween ever! Even the math test did not seem like a big deal anymore. So what if she forgot to study for one stupid math test. As long as she had the party to look forward to nothing else mattered. Suddenly the bell rang and Amanda hastily shoved the invitation into her book bag, ran out of the bathroom, and into Mr. Snyder’s class just as the ringing of the bell ceased.
            “Okay class let’s settle down. I need to take attendance.”
The sound of a strange, high-pitched voice made Amanda look up at her teacher. She couldn’t believe her luck. A substitute! Mr. Snyder never gave tests when he was out. She wouldn’t have to take the test after all. Suddenly Amanda’s bad day had become Amanda’s wonderful, perfect, spectacular, stupendous day. What Amanda did not know was that in just a few hours she would discover something that would all but ruin her moment of absolute contentment, and turn her smile into a grimace.
Use context clues to help you figure out what the bold words mean.

1.     Apparition
A.    Touch
B.    Voice
C.    Ghost
D.   Picture
E.    Candle

2.     Soiree
A.    Cake
B.    Party
C.    Car
D.   Dinner
E.    Game

3.     Behoove
A.    Punish
B.    Praise
C.    Hurt
D.   Benefit
E.    Feet

4.     Hastily
A.    Gently
B.    Angrily
C.    Happily
D.   Nervously
E.    Quickly


5.     Cease
A.    Begin
B.    Loud
C.    Stop
D.   Broke
E.    Ring

6.     Contentment
A.    Sad
B.    Happy
C.    Angry
D.   Frustrated
E.    Excitement

7.     Grimace
A.    Purple Monster
B.    Teeth
C.    Sadness
D.   Frown
E.    Scream
















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