Greek and Latin Root Words--Test Friday, December 16

Root-----Meaning-------Example
zo-------- animal--------- zoology, zoomorphism, zodiac
vor------- eat greedily---- voracious, carnivore
volvo----- turn about, roll--- voluminous, revolve
volcan---- fire------------- Vulcan, vulcanize, volcano
vol-------- will-------------- malevolent, benevolent
voc------- call-------------- provoke, evoke, revoke, advocate
viv, vita, vivi----- alive, life-------- revive, survive, vivid, vivacious
vid, vis----- see------------- video, provide, vista, revise
vict, vinc---- conquer------ victor, evict, convict
vic, vicis----- change, substitute------ vicarious, vicar, vicissitude
vert, vers---- turn-----------avert, divert, introvert
ver, veri----- true------------ very, verdict, verify
ven, vent---- come------------ convene, intervene
vale, vali, valu---- strength, worth---------- equivalent, valor, value
vac------------- empty------------- vacate, evacuate, vacuum
uni------------- one---------------- unify, unicorn, unanimous
umber, umbration------- shadow----------- umbra, penumbra, umbrage
ultima----------- last-------------- ultimate, ultimatum
typ---------- print------------------ prototype, typography, typify
turbo-------- disturb--------------- turbulent, turmoil, turbid

The Secret Garden

Mary experiences a rebirth/metamorphosis when she has to move from her native India to Uncle Archibald's manor in England. At first, she is a caterpillar ....sour, grumpy, hateful vixen!

Mary (protagonist) encounters Martha Sowerby who sees fit to speak to her freely ...encouraging her to dress herself and eat her breakfast! Mary used to strike her ayah when she lived in India...especially when she did not agree with her. However, she will not strike Martha nor will she cross Mrs. Medlock.

Mary, a new butterfly, reaches out tentatively to Mr. Ben Weatherstaff, the gardener. First, because he knows about soil, the robin and the secret garden.

Then she begins to explore the house which is said to have a hundred rooms...she hears a cry in corridor...she follows this sound until she comes face-to-face with her cousin, Master Colin Cravens.

Colin antagonizes Mary by proving to be stubborn as she is...they form an alliance. A secret alliance that leads to improved health for them both. Colin has been bedfast and unable to walk for quite some time. However, Mary changes his mindset by choosing to visit Dickon instead of Colin. He becomes enraged but it works to his advantage...Colin begins to think of others and not focus on himself.

I would like to compare Mary with current sixth grade class. Mary came from a foreign place...India. Our sixth graders came from all different parts of our county. Mary begins to thrive in her new surroundings...just as you are beginning to make progress here at HCMS. It is difficult for Mary to not be cantankerous because she has many expectations regarding her behavior... The current sixth grade also has high expectations concerning their academic performance ( doing quality work and completing it ON TIME)...It has not been easy for some of you to grow used to your new teachers/surroundings.

As Winston Churchill once said, "Never give up!" I would encourage you to do the same. Mary's goal was to become fitter and find the key unlocking the 'secret garden'. Your challenge is to decide that you will work HARD and improve your grammar,writing and overall reading comprehension. Just as Mary succeeded, so can you!

Book Chat: The Secret Garden

An excerpt from The Secret Garden....
"If you scream another scream," she said, "I'll scream too---and I can scream louder than you can and I'll frighten you, I'll frighten you!"

"I can't stop!" he gasped and sobbed. "I can't---I can't!"

"You can!" shouted Mary. "Half of what ails is hysterics and temper----just hysterics----hysterics----hysterics!" and she stamped each time she said it.

"I felt the lump---I felt it," choked out Colin. "I knew I should.I shall have a hunch on my back and then I shall die," and he began to writhe again and turned on his face and sobbed and wailed but he didn't scream.
"You didn't feel a lump!" contradicted Mary fiercely. "If you did it was only a hysterical lump. Hysterics make lumps. There's nothing the matter with your horrid back---nothing but hysterics! Turn over and let me look at it!"

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

Why do we even bother choosing books? The answer is easy...it allows you to immerse yourself in a world much like a swimmer immerses him herself underwater.

Madeleine Hanna has a brilliant mind in which the wheels are constantly turning. An avid reader who enrolls in a class (Semiotics). She is about to enter the real world....her parents are hovering over her...which she detests. She is quite tight-lipped about a charismatic young man, Leonard, who is a Darwinist....a lost loner. This relationship is complicated by some disturbing facts surfacing from his childhood. Both parents are alcoholics who rarely have been there to support him. At the same time, her old "friend" Mitchell Grammaticus who's been reading Christian mysticism and generally acting strange----resurfaces, obsessed with idea that Madeleine is to be his mate.

Over the next year, as the members of the triangle in this amazing, spellbinding novel graduate from college and enter the real world, events force them to reevaluate everything they learned in school. Leonard and Madeleine move to a biology laboratory on Cape Cod, but can't escape the secret responsible for Leonard's seemingly inexhaustible energy and plunging moods. Mitchell, while traveling around the world, trying to get Madeleine out of his mind, find himself face-to-face with the ultimate questions about the meaning of life, the existence of God and the true nature of love.

One of my favorite quotes in this book: "The problem is, no matter how much we try to be good, we cannot be good enough.

Madeleine-protagonist who is constantly challenged by her husband, Leonard who antagonizes her with his manic depression. She is a very giving person who tries to be levelheaded but becomes incredibly frustrated by her unpredictable husband. Leonard is hospitalized several times...erratic and angry...makes it very difficult to maintain a home and feelings of goodwill.

The setting for this book is mainly in the northeastern part of the United States...New York and Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Leonard is working in cancer research but loses his position because he is unable to complete trials because of hand tremors and the fogginess of prescribed cluttering his brain.

The major problem stems from Leonard having an incurable disease where he keeps a diary of daily dosage and the side effects...his moods resemble a pendulum in a grandfather clock...some days everything is fine and other days...you must walk on eggshells....

The climax of the book comes when Leonard and Madeleine verbally challenge one another..deciding whether their relationship as a couple or better being apart.

Leonard simply states in the middle east...you say, "I divorce thee, I divorce thee, I divorce thee!" The marriage dissolves...

Voabulary for August 8-14, 2012

Response-answer, reaction, reply, retort
Refrain-chorus of a song (Happy Birthday to YOU!)
Volume-loudness or softness of a sound
Resound-bless, praise, glorify,celebrate


Simile-comparing two unlike things using like or as
Metaphor-compare two unlike things; the first becomes the other
Allusion-a reference to statement, person, place or event
Alliteration-repetition of a consonant sound in a poem or phrase
Imagery-the author paints a picture using descriptive words that are vivid in your mind
Mood-the overall emtion created by a work of literature
Tone-the attitude a wtiter takes toward an audience, subject or character

Symbol-a person, place or thing that stands for something other than itself

Vocabulary For August 11-19, 2011

Prefixes: fore pre post

Fore and pre mean before and forward, while post means afterward and/or behind.

forecast (v) - to predict or estimate in advance
forethought (n) - a thought that comes beforehand, a prediction
forewarn (v) - to warn beforehand
posterior (n) - the back side
posthumous (adj) - happening after someone's death
postpone (v) - put off until a later time
preamble (n) - an introduction or introductory explanation
precaution (n) - care being taken beforehand
premature (adj) - happening or ripening before the natural or proper time
premier (n) - the first performance or showing

Are you reading this summer?

Dear Future Sixth Graders,
I hope you have been reading this summer. It is important that you prepare yourself for Sixth Grade Reading. I am looking forward to seeing you in August. I have been reading several books myself.
This school year, I will be creating book blogs and asking you to do one as well. You need to be thinking about favorite books that you have read in the past. I will require you to read several books this school year. We will be doing projects based on the books read in class.
Have a wonderful summer...school will be starting before you know it! I will be doing a little traveling before I see you in August...Miss Sidebottom and I will have some stories to share...we are off to Brazil on a mission trip.
Mrs. Basham

More States of Being/New Vocabulary

Suffixes to Learn:
ance, ancy........... state of.......... hesitancy, brilliance
ence, ency........... state of.......... resilience
ity......................... state of.......... ability
ship...................... state of.......... hardship


Absurdity (n)- the state of being ridiculously unreasonable or nonsensical

Acuity (n)- sharpness, especially referring to vision

Competence (n)- the state of being capable or fit

Fatality (n)- a fixed, unalterable course of events; an event resulting in death

Fellowship (n)- an association with friends or other people with common interests

Relevancy (n)- the state of being suitable or relating to the case at hand

Reluctance (n)- unwillingness; not wanting to do something or agree with something

Sanctity (n)- the state of being sacred; holiness

Scholarship (n)- the quality of work done by a student; academic achievement

Suffixes----Adding Word Parts to the End

1) Arbitrary (adj)- depending on someone's preference or whim; unreasonable
2) Bribery (n)- giving or taking rewards for acting or deciding in a certain way
3) Cautionary (adj)- urging caution or care; related to a warning
4) Conciliatory (adj)- tending to make peace between people or gain good will
5) Culinary (adj)- related to cooking of the kitchen
6) Drudgery (n)- hard, menial, unpleasant and boring work
7) Heredity (adj)- passed down from an ancestor; transmitted from parent to child
8) Laudatory (adj)- espressing praise
9) Migratory (adj)- related to moving from one location to another
10) Promissory (adj)- related to a promise
11) Ancestor (n)- a person from whom one has descended
12) Astronomer (n)-one who is trained in the science dealing with stars and planets
13) Chauvinist (n)-one who has a blind devotion to a certain cause
14) Chronicler (n)-someone who records events and when they happen
15) Conspirator (n)-one who secretly plans with other people to perfrom an unlawful act
16) Linguist (n)- a person who is skilled in thet study of language
17) Narcissist (n)- one who exhibits abnormal interest in his or her own appearance and importance
18) Conqueror (n)-one who gains control by force
19) Pessimist (n) one who believes tht world is bad or who looks on the dark side of life
20) Proprietor (n)- someone who owns a business or property

Suffixes:
ar, er, or means one who
ist means one who
ary - related to, quality
ery- related to, quality
ory-related to , quality

Today is our Thesauri Party!

Students are using their thesauri to broaden their vocabularies and become better writers. Our on-demand writing has improved this year. However, student writing can continually improve when new vocabulary words are incorporated into their writing! Students have been faithfully using their dictionaries all year and occasionally used the thesaurus to give their writing a little 'spice'.

Some of the words we investigated today are: get-gave, take, receive, obtain, gain (examples from one thesauri we used...)

good great stuff myth real ready quick tease tempt go joy loud mad loose look move narrate open opinion realize imagine improve fable cooperate

Word challenges: meager mediocrity renown honor humanity final fop fiendish exonerate blame

Spare words: boast baffle pretend prefer discipline ready hint color cheer angry announce ample

Writing Prompt: Formal Letter

Situation: During the upcoming (2001-2012) school year, Wellness will not be an option as part of the school day. Write a letter to Mrs.Biever concerning your position about wellness.




Situation: Dur to a decrease in funding, field trips will no longer be funded. Write a letter to the Hancock County Board of Edcation stating why field trips should continue to be funded.

Propaganda Techniques:

Bandwagon-suggests that you need something or you should believe something because everyone else is already has it or believes it. "Joining the crowd, climbing on the bandwagon and joining the parade" are examples of 'bandwagon' lingo.
Testimonial-uses a famous person, such as an actor or an athlete, to promote an idea or a product. People who use snob appeal associate the product or idea they're promoting with power, wealth, or membership in a special group.
Stereotypes-refer to members of a group as they were all the same. For instance, an article stating that all professional wrestlers have limited intelligence is unfair.
Stereotypes often lead to prejudice or forming unfavorable opinions with complete disregard for the facts.
Name-calling-offers no reasons or evidence to support their position. Instead, they attack opponents by calling them names, such as "busybodies," "nitpickers," or "rumormongers."
Emotional appeals-get the reader's feelings involved in the argument. Some writers use vivid language and give reasons, examples and anecdotes.
Logical appeals-makes sense because they're based on correct reasoning. They appeal to your brain with reasons and evidence. Make sure the writer has good reasons to support each opinion or conclusion. (Facts, personal experiences, examples, statistics and statements by experts on the issue should back up each reason.)
Hasty generalization-valid generalizations are based on solid evidence. Not all generalizations are valid.

Combination Test on April 15 (Literary Terms/Propaganda Techniques)

Literary Terms:
Alliteration-The repetition of the same or very similar consonant sounds in words that are close together.
Allusion-A reference to a statement, a person, a place, or an event from literature
Autobiography-The story of a person's life, written or told by that person.
Biobraphy-The story of a real person's life, written or told by another person.
Character-A person or an animal in a story, play or other literary work.
Conflict-A struggle or clash between opposing characters or opposing forces.
Connotations-The feelings and associations that have come to be attached to a word.
Description-The kind of writing that creates a clear image of something, usually by using details that appeal to one or more of the senses: Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste, and Touch.
Dialect-A way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular region or of a particular group of people.
Dialogue-Conversation between two or more characters.
Drama-A story written to be acted in front of an audience.
Essay-A short piece of nonfiction prose.
Fable-A very brief story in prose or verse that teaches a moral, a practical lesson about how to succeed in life.
Fantasy-Imaginative writing that carries the reader into an invented world where the laws of nature as we know them do not operate.
Fiction-A prose account that is made up rather than true.
Figurative Language-Language that describes one thing in terms of something else and is NOT literally true.

Vocabulary (Continued) For Friday's Test!

25) Rhyme-The repetition of accented vowel sounds and all sounds following them.
26) Rhythm-A musical quality produced by the repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables or by the repetition of other sound patterns.
27) Setting-The time and place of a story, a poem, or a play.
28) Short Story-A fictional prose narrative that is about five to twenty book pages long.
29) Simile-A comparison between two unlike things using a word such as like, as, than or resembles.
30) Speaker- The voice talking to us in a poem.
31) Stanza-In a poem, a group of lines that form a unit.
32) Suspense-The anxious curiosity the reader feels about which will happen next in the story.
33) Symbol-A person, a place, a thing, or an event that has its own meaning and stands for something beyond itself as well.
34) Tall Tale-An exaggerated, fanciful story that gets "taller and taller," or more and more far-fetched, the more it is told and retold.
35)Theme-A truth about life revealed in a work of literature.
36)Tone-The attitude a writer takes toward an audience, a subject, or a character.

Huge Vocabulary Test on Friday! Are you ready?

1) Flashback-A scene that breaks the normal time order of the plot to show a past event.
2) Folk Tale-A story with no known author, originally passed on from one generation to another by word of mouth.
3) Foreshadowing-The use of clues or hints to suggest events that will occur later in the plot.
4) Free Verse-Poetry that is "free" of a regular meter and rhyme scheme.
5) Imagery-Language that appeals to the senses--sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell.
6) Irony-A contrast between what is expected and what really happens.
7) Legend-A story, usually based on some historical fact, that has been handed down from one generation to the next.
8) Limerick-A humorous five-line verse that has a regular meter and the rhyme scheme (aabba).
9) Main Idea-The most important idea expressed in a piece of writing.
10) Metaphor-A comparison between two unlike things in which one thing becomes another thing.
11) Mood-The overall emotion created by a work of literature.
12) Myth-A story that usually explains something about the world and involves gods/superheroes.
13) Narration-The kind of writing that relates a series of connected events to tell "what happened."
14) Nonfiction-Prose writing that deals with real people, events, and places without changing any facts.
15) Novel-A long, fictional story that is usually more than one hundred pages in length.
16) Onomatopoeia- The use of a word whose sound imitates or suggests its meaning.
17) Oral Tradition- A collection of folk tales, songs, and poems that have been passed on orally from generation to generation.
18) Paraphrase-A restatement of a written work in which the meaning is expressed in other words.
19) Personification-A special kind of metaphor in which a nonhuman or nonliving thing or quality
is talked about as if it were human or alive.
20) Plot-The series of related events that make up a story.
21) Poetry-A kind of rhythmic, compressed language that uses figures or speech and imagery to appeal to emotion and imagination.
22) Point-of-View-The vantage point from which the story is told.
23) Prose-Any writing that is not poetry.
24) Refrain- A repeated word, phrase, line or group of lines in a poem or song or even in a speech.
*Continued on the next post!!!

Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog

Somtimes love just wants to go for a nice long walk.
It runs you around the block and leaves you panting.
It pulls you in several different directions at once,
or winds you around and around you
until you're all wound up and can't move.

But love makes you meet people wherever you go.
People dwho have nothing in common but love
stop and talk to each other on the street.

Throw things away and love will bring them back,
again and again, and again.
But most of all, love needs love, lots of it. And in return, love loves you and never stops.

By: Taylor Mali

"Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog" An Epithalamion

First of all, it's a big responsibility,
especially in a city like New York.
So think long and hard before deciding on love.
On the other hand, love gives you a sense of security:
when you 're walking down the street late at night
and you have a leash of love
ain't no one going to mess with you.

Love doesn't like being left alone for long.
But come home and love is always happy to see you.
It may break a few things accidentally in its passion for life,
but you can never be mad at love for long.

Is love good all the time? No! No!
Love can be bad. Bad, love, bad! Very bad love. To be continued......

Busy! Busy! Busy! That is what we are.....

New Vocabulary: *Received February 24, 2011
abandon (v) - to leave or give p completely; to discontinue
abdicate (v) - give up power, authority or the throne
abduct (v) - to take away by force, kidnap
abnormal (adj) - not typical, average or normal
aboriginal (n) - the original inhabitants of a country
absolute (adj) - without restraint, not dependent on anything
absolve (v) - to free from blame, debt or responsibility
abstain (v) - to voluntarily refrain from
abstract (adj) - not concrete or related to specific things; no easy to understand
apogee (n) - the point in the moon's or a satellite's orbit when it farthest from the earth or the body it orbits

New Vocabulary!!!!

Prefixes to Learn: co, col---with, together cooperate, collect
com, con----with, together combine, connect
syn, sym---with, together synonym, sympathy

1) coexist (v) to exist at the same time or in the same place
2) coherent (adj) sticking together; connected, related in some way
3) collaborate (v) to labor together
4) collide (v) to come together with great force; to clash
5) composite (adj) made of separate parts or elements
6) compund (v) bring together; (n) a mixture
7) concordance (n) an agreement or harmony
8) congregate (v) to gather together
9) symmetry (n) elements on both sides of a line that have the same shape, size and arrangement
10) synthesize (v) to form a new thing by combining parts from other things; to unite or merge

Upcoming Field Trip

Yippee! The sixth grade has an upcoming field trip to Louisville, Kentucky. We are going to see Tuck Everlasting at the Kentucky Center for the Arts. The students are currently reading or have read this book. We will be using this performance to compare and contrast the book/novel and the 'live' performance. We were fortunate to participating in the 'Play It Forward' program which students to make donations toward ticket prices to lower the cost for each individual.

On-Demand Writing is ongoing! Students are reading and responding to these prompts. They are working to write the best introductions, body paragraphs complete with details and closings that will inspire their peers and community to reach out to each other.

Good luck to the Cougars! The sixth grade teams are playing hard! Go Cougars!

Rules, Freak the Mighty, Lawn Boy, The Outsiders and Across Five Aprils

Skills- Currently this class is reading Rules by Cynthia Lord. The plan is to finish this book by January 12...we have had some interruptions from the weather unfortunately. This book is priceless because it deals with sibling rivalry, puberty and learning to accept who we are as individuals.

Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen is a book that deals with economics and the changes that can happen in a twelve year-old's life when he is presented with a riding lawn mower. Unexpected opportunities fall into this young man's lap...he becomes an entrepreneur overnight. He learns how to become a capitalist who must diversify labor and distribute wealth.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton proves to be a timeless book with lessons to be learned concerning relationships, social class and the importance of connections within our families/communities.

Freak the Mighty pairs two uncommon young men who depend on each other for survival.

Welcome Back to School! Hope your vacation was fabulous!

Dear Students,
I hope you have had plenty of time to rest your mind during Christmas break. I have been sledding, watching ESPN/movies/TV and reading a very good book. I am excited about seeing your faces again.
We have plenty of reading and writing to do before we finish this school year. I have traveled to central Kentucky to watch my son play basketball. I visited a cool dairy farm while I was there as well. I also traveled to two college campuses: Lindsey Wilson and Campbellsville University. My husband and I hiked one very cold winter day to Green River Lake.
At home, I have been playing games with my family. One of the games I especially like is Catch Phrase. Many of you have played this game. I am going to try and modify this game so we play it in class. Scrabble is another one of my favorites...using the dictionary and laptop seems to slow this game down at my house. We have to time some members of my family because they take FOREVER!
I have enjoyed walking around Vastwood Park. Today, I was walking along and was greeted by a dog that had two different colored eyes! At first, I was startled but after the dog did not growl...I realized that it was simply a playful pup.
See you soon at school!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Basham

January Vocabulary (January 3-7, 2011)

Prefixes: dia-through, across diameter, dialogue
per-through, across perceive

1) diagram (n)- a picture drawn to explain an idea
2)diagnose (v)-to identify a disease through symptoms
3)diagonal (n)-a straight line through a figure from one corner to another corner
4)diaphanous (adj) -transparent, capable of being seen through
5)diaphragm (n) - a membrane that separates one thing from another, such as the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity
6)perambulate (v) -to walk through, over or around
7)percolate (v) - to drip through a small opening to filter a liquid
8)perforate (v) - to make holes in something
9)persistence (n) - continuing stubbornly without giving up; determination
10)pervasive (adj) - having the power to be spread or to pass through