Listening: Stars and Constellations (Difficulty: Medium)

This is the video to watch for today’s lesson! Here is the link if it isn’t working: https://youtu.be/00F7pKYGtro?feature=shared

Before you watch:

Vocabulary Introduction:

constellation (noun)

A group of stars that forms a picture or pattern in the sky.

⭐ Example:

The Big Dipper is a famous constellation.

telescope (noun)

A tool people use to look at faraway things in space.

⭐ Example:

We used a telescope to see the moon.

pattern (noun)

A shape or design that repeats or fits together.

⭐ Example:

The stars made a beautiful pattern.

galaxy (noun)

A huge system with millions of stars and planets.

⭐ Example:

Earth is in the Milky Way galaxy.

horizon (noun)

The line where the sky and the land seem to meet.

⭐ Example:

The sun disappeared below the horizon.

astronaut (noun)

A person who travels in space.

⭐ Example:

The astronaut worked on the space station.

observe (verb)

To watch something carefully.

⭐ Example:

We observed the stars at night.

orbit (verb)

To move around a planet, moon, or star.

⭐ Example:

The Earth orbits the sun.


Vocabulary Practice Worksheet:


Pre-Listening Questions

Have you ever looked at stars at night?
Do you know any constellations?
What do people use to study space?


‼️Download this file before watching, and complete it while watching or after the video:


Great job! 🙂

Capitalization Lesson – (Difficulty: Easy)

Capitalization Lesson

What Do We Capitalize?

1. Names of People

Always capitalize a person’s name.

Examples:

  • Aunt Rachel
  • Emma
  • Dr. Lee
  • William Shakespeare

2. Titles of Books, Movies, and Plays

Capitalize the important words in titles.

Examples:

  • Romeo and Juliet
  • Finding Nemo
  • Bridge to Terabithia
  • The Lion King

💡 Do NOT capitalize small words like and, to, of unless they are the first word.


3. Places and Landmarks

Capitalize special places.

Examples:

  • Grand Canyon
  • Mount Everest
  • Golden Gate Bridge
  • Han River

4. Cities, States, Countries, and Continents

Capitalize names of locations.

Examples:

  • Arizona
  • Chicago
  • South America
  • New York City

5. Days, Months, and Holidays

Capitalize special days and holidays.

Examples:

  • Monday
  • April
  • December
  • Fourth of July

6. Schools, Stores, and Buildings

Capitalize names of businesses and organizations.

Examples:

  • Hanbit Elementary School
  • Wilson Bookstore
  • Carnegie Hall

Summary

We capitalize:
✅ Names of people
✅ Places
✅ Titles
✅ Days and months
✅ Holidays
✅ Buildings and schools

Mini Series: Let’s Be Detectives! 🕵️ Mystery #3

The Missing Cupcake

This is the last mystery in the series! Good luck!

🔍 Read the Story

The teacher puts 5 cupcakes on the table for the class party.
Before lunch, all 5 cupcakes are there.
After lunch, one cupcake is missing.
Three students are in the classroom: Ava, Daniel, and Sophie.

🧩 Look at the Clues
  • Ava has pink frosting on her notebook.
  • Daniel says, “I went back to the classroom after lunch.”
  • Sophie is carrying three clean paper plates.

Question:

👉What happened?

I think __________ took the cupcake because _________________.

Bonus:

👉 Find ONE clue that is not very important.

I think __________________ is not an important clue because ________________________.

Scroll down for the answer!

Answer:

The criminal could be anyone!

Ava has pink frosting on her notebook.
The cupcake may have touched her notebook when she took it.

Daniel says he went back to the classroom after lunch.
He had a chance to take the cupcake when nobody was there.

Sophie is carrying paper plates for the party.
Maybe she touched the cupcakes when getting the plates.

Again, there is no correct answer here!

…Did you solve the mystery? 😉

Link to Mystery #1:

Link to Mystery #2:

Mini Series: Let’s Be Detectives! 🕵️ Mystery #2

The Red Marker

This story is more open ended, with multiple possible answers! Make sure to have a clear argument or reason.

🔍 Read the Story

The teacher has a red marker.
After class, the marker is gone.
Now, the marker is on the floor.
Three students are in the classroom: Emma, Ryan, and Lily.

🧩 Look at the Clues
  • Emma is standing near the teacher’s desk.
  • Ryan says, “I did not touch the marker.”
  • Lily has a notebook with red marks inside.

Question:

👉What happened?

👉I think __________ moved the marker because __________________________.

Bonus:

👉

Can you think of a different idea?
Maybe ______________ because ______________.

Scroll down for the answer!

Answer:

The criminal could be anyone!

It could be Emma- she is suspiciously close to the teacher’s desk and may have touched the marker. However, she isn’t holding it at the moment.

It could be Lily because she has marker in her book. It may or may not be the teacher’s marker!

Ryan denies that he touched it, but doesn’t everyone when they are going to get in trouble? Maybe if we check his desk…

Again, there is no correct answer here!

…Did you solve the mystery? 😉

Link to Mystery #1:

Link to Mystery #3:

Mini Series: Let’s Be Detectives! 🕵️ Mystery #1

The Dirty Classroom

🔍 Read the Story

The classroom is clean in the morning.
After lunch, the floor is very dirty.
There is paper and trash on the floor.
Three students are in the classroom: Mia, Jake, and Leo.

🧩 Look at the Clues
  • Mia says, “I cleaned my desk after lunch.”
  • Jake has paper in his hands.
  • Leo is putting trash in the trash can now.

Question:

👉What happened?

👉I think __________ made the classroom dirty because __________________________.

Bonus:

👉 Why is it NOT the other 2 students?

I think __________ did not do it because __________________________.

Scroll down for the answer!

Answer:

The criminal is Jake!

Don’t be fooled by Leo, who is holding the trash–he is trying to clean up the mess Jake made!

It can’t be Mia, since she cleaned her desk after lunch.

Jake has been caught in the middle of throwing paper everywhere!

…Did you solve the mystery? 😉

Link to Mystery #2:

Link to Mystery #3:

Mini Series Introduction: Let’s Be Detectives! 🕵️

Note to Parents:

I am going to try something new with my blog: creating mini-lessons that are designed to be fun and less academic. Learning should be fun!

Each Mini-Series will have a theme. This time, we willl be focusing on “Crime”. Don’t worry- it won’t be real! Students will become detectives to solve small mysteries, and there will be accompanying writing/speaking prompts to let kids practice explaining their ideas in detail. Again, these lessons are for fun, and shouldn’t feel like homework!

My hope is that students will find the later mysteries more challenging, which will in turn require deeper thinking skills.

It is very important to ask students why—not just the answer. The goal is to practice either–or both–writing or speaking outputs.


Here is a simple example mystery:

Mystery: Who Took the Cookie?

Story:
Mom made 3 cookies.
Now, 1 cookie is gone.
Tom, Anna, and Ben are in the room.

Clues:

  • Tom has chocolate on his hands.
  • Anna says, “I don’t like cookies.”
  • Ben is sleeping.

Question:
👉 Who took the cookie?

Answer Frame:
👉 “I think ___ took the cookie because ___.”

(The answer is pretty obvious here, I hope!)


Here is an example worksheet that will be used for each mystery:

Again, the goal is to have kids explaining their ideas in detail. I really recommend having your child use as many of the words in the word bank as possible, so that they can get used to having to think a little more deeply about their sentences.

Links to each mystery lesson:

Mystery #1:
Mystery #2:
Mystery #3:

Good Luck, Detectives! 🤪 

Advanced Vocabulary Lesson (3)

Advanced Vocabulary Lesson (2)

Advanced Vocabulary Lesson (1)

Grammar: Adverbs of Emphasis/Degree (Difficulty: Easy)

What are Adverbs of Emphasis?

Adverbs of Emphasis (also called Adverbs of Degree) tell us TO WHAT EXTENT or HOW MUCH.

They don’t describe the action itself; they modify (or “power up” / “power down”) an adjective or another adverb.

  • Intensifiers (Stronger):very, extremely, really, absolutely
    • “It is cold.” (normal)
    • “It is very cold.” (stronger)
    • “It is extremely cold.” (even stronger!)
  • Downtoners (Weaker):a little, slightly, somewhat, quite, fairly
    • “I am hungry.” (normal)
    • “I am a little hungry.” (weaker)

Note: They go BEFORE the adjective or adverb they modify.

Worksheet 1: Choose the Right Word

Worksheet 2: Power Up or Power Down