Where are All of the Lightshows?

As everyone knows it is the holiday season and I am very upset at the fact that there are no places putting on lightshows this season. I used to love taking trips to Jones Beach back in high school with some friends and seeing all of the lights. I was planning on going to the Bronx Zoo this year to see the lights, but instead they want to "Go Green" and are doing day activities. I am all for the effort to conserve electricity to help the environment, but I am very upset at the fact that one of my night activities is not a possibility this year.



Vocabulary:

holiday season- time of year when people of different religions and cultures celebrate their holidays.
lightshows- a beautiful decorated path of lights and different holiday themed displays.
Jones Beach- a beach on Long Island in the state of New York.
Bronx Zoo- a zoo full of animals in New York.
Go Green- an attempt to conserve energy.
environment- our surroundings: the air, water, plants, animals and the Earth.


Cloze Excersize:

1. As soon as Thanksgiving starts is when the ______________________ usually begins; everyone starts to get ready for their upcoming holidays.
2. When driving through Long Island going to the south shore towards the water you will hit __________________.
3. It is so sad that because we have an energy crisis companies and families are tryign to _____________________.
4. There are so many things to do at the ____________________ during the holidays other than seeing the animals.
5. When people recycle we are helping to save our _______________________.
6. During the holidays there used to be drive-thru _______________________ to see different light displays during the evening.


Grammar Point:

It is sometimes easy to tell the mood of someones writing by reading the text. You can tell if the person is angry, happy, excited or trying to persuade you.

Your task: Describe the mood of this passage and give some examples of how you came to your answer.

Upstate New York

We are here camping in the beautiful Catskill Mountains. It is Columbus Day weekend; the rain has finally let up and the sun is shining bright. If you look up, between the treetops, you can see stretched across the sky a striking rainbow. The view from the mountain tops to the valley down below is incredible; the rivers that separate the mountains look like a tiny stream, because we are so high up.


Who needs a wildlife conservatory, when you go camping and get it for free? If you are lucky or unlucky which ever you prefer, you will get to see all sorts of animals. The hungry bears will be eating all your food if you do not hang it from tree limbs. Whatever you do don’t bring it in the tent with you! You can probably see the deer grazing early in the morning in the open fields. The animals you should watch out for unless you enjoy tomato sauce baths are skunks. They may look cute and cuddly, but the stench is very difficult to get rid of.


Taking a nature walk is always one of my favorite things to do when I go up to the mountains. The things that you see are unbelievable; the flowers, the birds, and the secret waterfalls. The wildflowers that grow on the sides of a pond are magnificent. The different types of birds that are seen on the tree branches take your breath away. The hidden waterfalls that are found in the middle of the woods are glorious; it makes you wonder how they got there.



Camping is always my first choice for a vacation, because it is inexpensive and it helps you become one with nature. It truly is an unforgettable experience, and even if a little rain falls, there is usually a rainbow that follows.





Grammar Point:


There are four different types of sentences.


Simple sentences have one subject and one predicate.
Example: We are here camping in the beautiful Catskill Mountains.


Compound sentences include at least two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.
Example: They may look cute and cuddly, but the stench is very difficult to get rid of.


Complex sentences have a simple sentence and one or more dependent clauses.
Example: If you are lucky or unlucky which ever you prefer, you will get to see all sorts of animals.


Compound-complex sentences contain two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.
Example: It truly is an unforgettable experience, and even if a little rain falls, there is usually a rainbow that follows.