Sandy

It has been five weeks since hurricane Sandy tore through Long Island. The amount of devestation that I have seen, not only to my own home but to neighboring towns is mind blowing. The worst part is knowing that so many people have homes that are uninhabitable and have been annihilated. My home being one of them. This tragedy has turned our lives upside down. With nine feet of water in the street you could only imagine what went on. Everyday is a struggle and my children are beginning to ask questions. "Mommy when are we going home"?, "Mommy I miss my bed". It has been very difficult to maintain some sense of normalcy after this length of time. Through all of the heartache we are thankful though for the generosity of friends, family, and neighbors. It's amazing how turmoil can bring people together. An unknown neighbor of ours would come by every morning in her minivan with coffee and bagels for the people that were working on tearing out what was left of their homes. Later that day she would come by with hot meals that she cooked at her home, along with more coffee and water. This woman, five weeks later, is still coming by. This is just one example of the kind and sincere gestures made by people throughout this tragedy.

Vocabulary
uninhabitable- home that is not livable
annihilated- destoyed
normalcy- ability to be normal
turmoil- disaster
sincere- caring
gestures- action by someone

Vocabulary Activity
SuperKids WordSearch Puzzle
O B C T C I O R R I G M M H E T
C I C S I J E R Y E I H M P Z T
E E L S I R H H C E E I E O R E
I E N O S N H J L N L P E U A Z
D D S E R E C D A E B E Q T N B
Z U E P G E E E M P A D J D E H
E M S O V B S E R U T S E G E N
I G I M T R O O O E I S S P B Y
S E Q J G P O E N C B A E N P C
S S S C G X N A C Y A E I O O O
L E T C D E T A L I H I N N A C
D D A D U M I S R S N P P R S A
G F A N S F N I O T I E E P A O
D D S X G I W E O A N S M S R D
T E E E E L I O M R U T K C I I
T I O F I B E Y C H A Z O R E N

Grammar Point
Students will use quotation marks to show where and when dialogue is being used to illustrate when a conversation is taking place.


Grammar Activity

Creative Writing Games

Show students a picture of two people engaged in some sort of action. Have them think about what they are talking about and write out a short dialogue. Ask students to come to the front of the room and read them. Ask the rest of the class to vote on the winner. Alternatively, have students write a dialogue for an imaginary situation, such as two people arguing over where to eat dinner, or even two animals engaged in a discussion.