6 Lesson 9 - Reading
One of the greatest writers of all time, according to my teacher, is William Shakespeare. P
He was a famous English poet who wrote great tragedies such as Othello, Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet. P
I've never read any of his works before, but my mom talks about him all the time. P
She's his number one fan. She has every single play and sonnet that Shakespeare has ever written! P
She can even recite some of his sonnets by heart. P
Of course, it's still too hard for me to read his text, because Shakespeare lived a very long time ago and he didn't speak in modern English. P
For example, back in Shakespeare's day, "you" was "thee" or "thou". P
I don't know how my mom understands everything that Shakespeare wrote, P
but she says that I should be able to read and understand everything if I keep improving my reading comprehension skills. P
Once I'm good enough to read Shakespeare, I want to read all about "Romeo and Juliet" and learn why they're so famous. P
6 Lesson 10 - Conversation
What have you got there? P
It is a translation of Shakespeare's play “Romeo and Juliet.” P
A translation? Didn't he write in English? P
Yes. But he wrote a long time ago and the language has changed a lot over time. P
So the translation makes the story easier to read? P
Oh yes. It is written in modern language. P
What is the story about? P
It is a really sad love story. P
Oh really? What makes it so sad? P
Well, this young couple falls in love, but their families try to keep them apart. P
Why won't the families allow them to be together? P
They are angry with each other. P
That is dumb. What happens to the couple? P
The families are so hard on them that the young couple kill themselves. P
Well, that is even dumber. There are so many other, better choices. P
I know. It does seem like such a waste. P
Everybody could have worked together and found a solution. P
I think Shakespeare thinks so, too. P
6 Lesson 11 - Reading
I wonder who invented the grammar rules of English. P
Well, whoever it was, I'm not very happy with that person right now. P
I took a pop quiz on grammar yesterday and I actually got one wrong! P
Instead of writing "Airplanes were" I wrote down "Airplanes was" by accident! P
Because "airplanes" is plural, I should have used a plural form of verb, which in this case is "were" and not "was". How clumsy of me! P
Now I need to do a practice drill on singular and plural verbs. P
My grammar book is one of the thickest textbooks I have. P
I've already reviewed most of the rules I should know by heart, but it's still difficult because I'm not very familiar with some of the rules yet. P
Tomorrow, we're going to go over "run-on sentences" in class. P
I better go over some of these rules before my teacher gives us another pop quiz! P
6 Lesson 12 - Conversation
We are going to study sentences next. The teacher is going to go over ways to correct run-on sentences. P
What are run-on sentences? P
A run-on sentence is actually more than one sentence, but it is punctuated as if it were only one sentence. P
Are there other ways to punctuate a sentence like that? P
Yes, you can use a comma and a conjunction, or you can use a semi-colon. P
I think I will wait for the teacher to explain those two. P
I don't blame you. P
How did you do on that grammar quiz today? P
Not as well as I would have liked. P
I have such a hard time with that subject. P
I don't like it much either. P
It is so confusing. Every time you learn a rule you have to learn how many exceptions there are. P
I agree. P
What are we going to study next? P
6 Lesson 13 - Reading
Hi, I'm Paul. I'm originally from Seaside, Virginia. P
But now I live in Smalltown with my parents, two brothers, and an older sister. P
I'm 8 years old, but I'm turning 9 very soon. P
It's my birthday next week. I've already invited all of my friends. P
My friends say I'm very quiet. I don't talk much in school. P
My hobbies include playing video games and playing with my dog, Pip. P
Pip was given to me as a birthday gift from my parents. P
They were too busy with work, so my grandparents brought him to the house instead. P
Since then, Pip has been my best friend. P
He's a well-bred husky pup and he tags along wherever I go. P
He's really smart. He already understands almost everything that I say! P
Sometimes, Pip can even understand my feelings. P
He knows when I'm sad, lonely, and happy. Do you have a pet like Pip? P
6 Lesson 14 - Conversation
Hi! My name is Paul. What is your name? P
Hi! Paul. My name is Esther. You are new around here. P
We just moved in down the street. P
Did you? Where are you from? P
I am from Seaside. P
Well, that is great. Welcome to Smalltown. Is that your dog? P
Yep! He sure is. His name is Pip. P
I have a dog too. His name is Blackie. How old is your dog? P
He is still a puppy. He is only five months old. P
Well, he is big for a puppy and very nice. P
How old is your dog? P
He is two years old and pretty frisky. I bet they would like playing together. P
Are you sure Blackie won't hurt Pip. P
Oh, I am sure. Blackie loves to play with other dogs. P
6 Lesson 15 - Reading
Tomorrow, I'm going to the zoo with my parents. P
My favorite animal is the giraffe, because it has such a strange figure. P
I wonder what it would feel like to slide down its long neck! P
The giraffe truly is a remarkable animal. P
It is the tallest animal that lives on land, and it uses its long tongue to eat. P
The giraffe's entire body is covered with brownish spots. P
I tried to count all the spots on a giraffe before, but there simply were too many to count! P
It even has a short tail that swings left to right when it walks. P
I wonder if we could ever raise a giraffe at home. P
But it would eventually grow too big for our house, wouldn't it? P
6 Lesson 16 - Conversation
Hello! Did you have a good time at the zoo? P
I sure did! I wish you could have come with us. P
I know. I wanted to go, but I had a sore throat, so my mom wouldn't let me. P
I heard you were feeling bad. How are you today? P
Oh, I am much better. But I am really sorry I missed the zoo. What was your favorite part? P
That is easy. I just love giraffes. P
I like them too. P
You bet! We even got to feed them. P
Really? That must have been fun. P
It sure was. They have such long, long tongues. P
Well, I guess they need long tongues. They have such long, long necks! P
Can you imagine how terrible it would be if they had a sore throat. P
6 Lesson 17 - Reading
My dog, Pip, now has a new friend. P
It's a small kitten that my mom bought for my sister. P
The kitten is too small to eat by itself. P
My sister was feeding it milk and holding onto it the entire afternoon. P
So far, Pip has not warmed up to our little friend. P
I heard that cats and dogs don't get along, but I'm sure that my Pip will warm up to her eventually. P
I just hope that our little kitten doesn't cry at night anymore. P
I think she misses her mom very much. She was separated from her mother when she was just a week old! P
I think that Pip understands how sad the kitten must be to have lost her mom. P
He looks annoyed by all of her "meows", but I can tell that he cares a lot about his little friend already. P
6 Lesson 18 - Conversation
Please put Pip outside. P
Why? He isn't doing anything wrong. P
Well, I want to let my kitten walk around a little bit. P
Do you really think you should? She is very little. P
She has got to have a chance to learn to walk, doesn't she? P
I will hold Pip's collar. Will that be okay? P
Sure. We should let them get used to each other. P
Look, Clare! Pip likes her. P
It looks like you are right. He licked her. P
I am so glad. I was sure that they would be friends. P
Maybe Pip will teach her to fetch a ball. P
I don't think that is going to happen. P
6 Lesson 19 - Reading
Soccer is my favorite sport. I like to watch and play soccer. P
On the weekends, my mom takes me to the little league where I learn how to play better. P
My coach makes us all run around the field to warm up. P
Then, he makes us go through a few practice drills. P
We practice dribbling, passing, and shooting. My position is a striker. P
A striker is a person who tries to make as many goals as possible. P
Whichever team has the more number of goals wins the soccer match. P
But making goals is not always the most important thing. P
We need to think about our defense, too! P
There are players who defend their goalpost by trying to block my shot. P
A goalie is a person who stands in front of the goal post and wears huge gloves. P
He can block out a shot by punching the ball away with his hands! P
Which position would you like to play? Defense or offense? P
6 Lesson 20 - Conversation
Hey!! What's up? P
I'm headed to practice. P
Really? What position do you play? P
I've just started as a goalie. P
What position did you have before? P
I was a striker. P
Wow. I've always wanted to play. Which do you like playing better, offense or defense? P
Well, I'm not sure yet. But I think I am going to like the challenge of being a goalie. P
That's cool. I would like to see you play. When's the next game? P
It's Saturday. I'll ask my mom if you can come with us. P
Great! I'll look forward to it. P
Well, I'd better go! P
7 Lesson 1 - Reading
While I was walking Pip in the park, we saw a cocoon attached to the bark of an oak tree. P
I went closer to take a look at what was inside the cocoon. P
It seemed like a butterfly was almost ready to come out! P
I could almost see the new butterfly struggling to spread its wings and break through the cocoon. P
I'm going to go back to the tree tomorrow and see whether the butterfly has finally freed itself. P
Butterflies are not butterflies when they're born. Nope! P
They're just baby caterpillars, and they can't even fly. P
A caterpillar needs to go through a process called "metamorphosis" in order to transform itself from a larva into a beautiful butterfly! P
It's amazing to see how many insects like the butterfly go through this process. P
I hope that the caterpillar transforms into a beautiful butterfly very soon. P
7 Lesson 2 - Conversation
Hello! What are you doing? P
Hi! I am working on my butterfly collection. P
A butterfly collection, that is so cool. P
I really like it. P
Well, I think I would like that too. P
I can help you get started if you want. P
What do you do? P
You capture butterflies, and then you pin them to a special fabric in a display box. P
Capture them and pin them? P
Yes. That is how it is done. P
7 Lesson 3 - Reading
My next science project is about the tropical rainforest. P
A tropical rainforest is wet almost all the time, because it rains heavily in the region. P
The largest rainforest in the world is the Amazon Rainforest. P
Many scientists say that our rainforest is the pharmacy of the world, because so many herbal remedies and plants are discovered in these forests! P
Unfortunately, our rainforests are in grave danger, and the poor animals are losing their homes! P
This is happening because many companies are cutting down the trees. P
A long time ago, almost 14% of the earth was a rainforest, but now, only 6% remains! P
Soon, the species living in these forests will be extinct, because they no longer have a place to live. P
This is exactly why I recycle all the paper and plastic cans that I use. P
By recycling, we can reduce the need to cut down more trees, and we can save the rainforests before it's too late! P
7 Lesson 4 - Conversation
I am so excited to start our study of the tropical rainforest. P
I know. I am too. P
The study of the rainforest is so important. P
I know. There are so many plants and animals that only grow there. P
Many scientists believe the rainforest might provide a cure for cancer. P
Even if the cure for the common cold is all we ever find, it is important to keep the rainforest safe. P
Yes, and we are not doing a very good job keeping it safe right now. P
I know. People just don't realize the little things do make a difference when it comes to saving the rainforest. P
We might not be able to stop deforestation, but we can work on recycling. P
Maybe we could get the teacher to let us make some recycling posters in class. P