Check out our Prezi

http://prezi.com/re3thq4lpxom/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Check out a Prezi that I developed along with two of my friends, Gudy and Tom. We presented a grammar lesson on verbs of emotion, in the simple past and simple present tenses.

Best signing in NFL Free Agency

Although my last blog post was about my favorite team, New York Jets, this blog post will be about the best free agent signing in the NFL which, in my opinion, was Ndamukong Suh who signed with Miami Dolphins. Suh is a giant man, 6’4 and weighs over three hundred pounds who plays defensive tackle, one of the more physically demanding positions in football.

His role is to stop offensive lineman from successfully blocking the defensive line by being violent with his hands and having quick feet to get to the running back or the quarterback. He also has to have incredible stamina and great technique to continue to be a disruptive force.

Defensive linemen do not get the praise they deserve. They are a crucial part of the defense in football.  For example, even though the linebackers and defensive backs get the credit for catching interceptions, it’s the defensive linemen who pressure the quarterback to make the bad throw. Also, it’s usually defensive linemen who draw double teams from offensive linemen, for a linebacker to run down and make a tackle for loss yardage.

Suh is a player that no offensive lineman wants to play against. Sometimes, he can be very aggressive, which has caused him to miss games and be fined for thousands of dollars but he is the teammate you want. If I were a professional football player, I would want Suh on my team. I would prefer my defensive tackle to be someone who wouldn’t take nonsense from anyone and a superior athlete with incredible agility. Suh is going to be great football player for Miami Dolphins and a huge headache for me, a New York Jets fan.

Vocabulary:
1. demanding (adjective)- requiring much skill and/or effort
2. blocking (noun)- obstructing actions of an opponent.
3. quick (adjective)- moving fast
4. stamina (noun)- ability to sustain effort
5. disruptive (adjective)- causing disturbance
6. aggressive (adjective)- ready or likely to attack
7. superior (adjective)- high in rank or status

Vocabulary Activity:
If you were an owner of a professional team, would you have signed Ndamukong Suh? Why or why not, using four of the vocabulary words above.


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Grammar Point:

In all of my blogs, I have used different types of sentences. Simple sentences, which includes a subject and verb, compound sentences, which includes two independent clauses joined together with a connector (for, and, but), and a complex sentence, which includes an independent clause, dependent clause, and either a subordinate (because, after, although, when) or relative pronoun (that, who, which).

Grammar Activity:

Directions: Write a blog entry about what you as a sports fan, think is the best signing in NFL Free Agency. Use at least five simple sentences, three compound sentences and two complex sentences.

Welcome Home Revis Island

Being a New York Jets fan is full of ups and downs. Media members and newspaper reporters love to talk down on the New York Jets because they are very inconsistent and don’t see the Jets with a positive view. Jets fans are extremely passionate and we want to root for a winner but we understand that building a championship team  is a process. We also understand that winning in New York is not easy. There is always added pressure to succeed and the bright lights usually scare away top talent.

Darrelle Revis, has been one of the most consistent, dominant defensive players in the NFL for the past eight years. He began his career with the New York Jets and quickly earned the right to be called the best defensive back in the NFL. He has the ability to divide the field in half, and intimidates quarterbacks to throw the football at his direction because of his ability to make plays and stop wide receivers from catching the football.

Unfortunately, Revis was injured in 2012 with a knee injury and the Jets released him. As a Jet fan, it made me upset that we did not give him an opportunity to heal and showcase his ability the next year. It also made sense because Revis was going to sign a very lucrative contract and professional football is a business. As an organization, management didn’t believe in signing a player for millions of dollars that had just missed fifteen games with an injury.

The following year, Revis played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and in 2014, he played for the Jets’ archrival, New England Patriots, where he was a crucial part of the team, which won the Super Bowl. Revis was owed twenty million dollars with the Patriots this year. The Jets wanted bring him back and sign him to the contract he had deserved in 2013.

The new coaches and football operations staff lured Revis back to New York. He signed a new contract that makes him the highest paid defensive back in the NFL. This is the contract he had deserved all along, regardless of the injury in 2012. It makes me happy that the Jets are doing their best to revive a team that has the potential to soon contend for a championship. I hope for smiles and victories for our fellow Jets fans in 2015.
 

Vocabulary:

1) inconsistent (adjective)- not the same throughout

2) pressure (noun)- use of influence to make someone do something

3) dominant (adjective)- most important or powerful

4) intimidate (verb)- to frighten someone

5) showcase (verb)- to exhibit or display abilities

6) lucrative (adjective)- producing a great deal of profit

7) revive (verb)- restore to life

Vocabulary Activity:

If you were a professional athlete, would you re-sign with a team that once had traded or released you from your contract? Explain using four of the vocabulary words from above

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Grammar Point:

A verb is an action, state or occurrence and forms the main part of the sentence. They are the predicate of a sentence. It is difficult to start a sentence without a verb.

Grammar Activity:

Directions: Describe what type of athlete you are or would be. Make sure to use verbs in your description

For example: I would be the kind of athlete to intimidate my opponent by being very strong.

NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

One of the best weekends of sports has passed us by with the second and third round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament being played in arenas all over the United States, from Pittsburgh to Seattle and in between. The tournament consists of 68 teams. The first round consists of four teams playing in a “play-in game”, the winner guaranteeing a game in the second round. Teams are seeded from one to sixteen and the tournament includes four regions (East, West, South, Mid-West). On Thursday and Friday, sixteen games were played beginning at Noon and ending around midnight. The winners of the games on Thursday and Friday played on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. By Monday morning, only sixteen teams were remaining.

Anything can happen in the forty minutes played between the two seeded teams. It doesn’t matter if you are one of the best teams in the country (a two or three seed) or a university that does not get much publicity in the sports world (a twelve or a thirteen seed), any team can be beat. The best overall team is the team that advances on to the next round; it is not necessarily the team with the most talent.

America gets emotionally involved in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament with the use of brackets. The overall tournament is printed on a landscape page and America fills out a bracket, predicting the winners of each game and its national champion.  Even President Obama reveals his bracket on a special TV show on ESPN. Unfortunately, people do place wagers on the games but plenty of people fill out brackets for bragging rights in the office, at school or in challenges on social media.

This weekend coming up is the fourth round, referred to as the Sweet Sixteen, which is played again on Thursday and Friday. The fifth round, referred to as the Elite Eight, is played on Saturday and Sunday. The four teams remaining play in the Final Four, which this year is the weekend of Easter, with the championship being played the Monday after Easter. The Final Four generally sells out crowds of over 70,000-90,000 fans. This year the Final Four is being played at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, a NFL stadium. If you are a fan of basketball, these couple of weekends is full of excitement, drama and greatness.

Vocabulary:
1) tournament (noun)- a series of contests, between competitors who compete for a prize
2) arena (noun)- a level area surrounded by seats for fans where events are held
3) region (noun)- an area that does not have boundaries but has known characteristics
4) publicity (noun)- attention given to someone or something
5) landscape (noun)- all the visible features of an area
6) wagers (verb)- risking a sum of money against someone else's on the basis of a future event
7) greatness (noun)- the quality of being renowned

Vocabulary Activity:
Write four sentences about your favorite weekend and include four of the vocabulary words from above!

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Grammar Point:
The use of parenthesis is frequent in bloggers. It is used when you want to de-emphasize a part of writing. They would not normally fit in writing but you want to include it anyway. To use parenthesis, remember not to capitalize or punctuate the material, even if the material itself is a complete sentence.

Grammar Activity:
Directions: Now add one more sentence to the vocabulary activity. Write a sentence successfully using a parenthesis. Refer back to the blog above for help!

San Antonio Spurs

My favorite basketball team is the San Antonio Spurs. They are located in San Antonio, Texas. They are the reigning National Basketball Association, NBA champions. They are five time champions of the NBA. The coach of the San Antonio Spurs is Gregg Popovich, a stern tactician who has coached the Spurs to over one thousand wins. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker lead the core of the Spurs team. The reason why I am focusing this blog entry on my favorite basketball team is because many people don't know why I root for them and fans of the game are criticizing their performance this season.

I root for the San Antonio Spurs because it is my mother's favorite basketball team. She has been a fan since the mid 1990's with players like David Robertson and Tim Duncan, who was drafted to the NBA in 1997. She always tells me about games that included great performances from the "Twin Towers" which consisted of Robertson and Duncan, two seven foot players who led the team to their first championship in 1999. They have qualified for the playoffs every year since 1998. The big three of Duncan, 38, Ginobili, 37, and Parker, 32, are considered old in basketball years, especially that they have been playing together since 2004.

Lately sports fans are talking negatively about the Spurs and it concerns me. They are currently on their second four game losing streak of the year. The Western Conference is the toughest conference in the NBA and currently are in seventh place. Plenty of sports analysts say that "they are not playing like a playoff team" or "they don't have enough talent to repeat as champions."

In my opinion, the Spurs play like the ultimate team. The way the Spurs pass the ball has influenced multiple teams to emulate their offensive schemes. Fans and media members talk about the decline of the team because father time is catching up to them. People who do not follow the Spurs are tired of seeing the team's success, since they have not missed the playoffs since 1998 or have participated in the past two NBA Finals. I say that as long as the Spurs make the playoffs, they will be a tough team to eliminate.

 

Vocabulary:

1) reigning (adjective)- currently holds particular title

2) champions (noun)- person who has defeated all rivals in competition

3) core (noun)- most important part of something

4) qualified (verb)- be entitled to or have privileged

5) concerns (verb)- to worry; be anxious of

6) analysts (noun)- person who conducts conversation on topics

7) emulate (verb)- reproduce action

8) schemes (noun)- plan or plot

Vocabulary Activity:

Directions: Fill in the blanks using the vocabulary words from above

1) The sports __________ discussed the last play of the game.

2) The criminals had a series of __________ against the bank branch.

3) The winning dodgeball team are the ___________ of the tournament.

4) Ms. Molloy is a __________ nurse.

5) The teacher candidate ___________ what the teacher had taught the period before.

6) San Francisco Giants are the ___________ champions of baseball.

7) Captains of sport teams are usually the __________ of the team.

8) I always have __________ before I take medicine.

Grammar Point:

A noun is a person, place or thing. However, proper nouns name a specific person (Tim Duncan), place (San Antonio, Texas) or thing (the NBA) and is almost always capitalized. Common nouns are everything else that is not capitalized (a basketball).

Grammar Activity:

Directions: Write out three proper nouns for famous people/athletes/celebrities. You could describe who they are, where they are from and what or who do they work for.

For example: Tim Duncan, a basketball player from the Virgin Islands, plays professional basketball for the San Antonio Spurs.

The Best Experience of My Life

The best experience of my life was attending college at Molloy. I graduated from Molloy with my BA in Adolescent Education with a concentration in Spanish. I am one of few people in my family to graduate college.

It was the best experience because I met some great people along the way including people who I consider to be my best friends. I also met my girlfriend of more than two years at Molloy during a semester abroad trip to León, Spain. These people have influenced me to become a better person. I now consider myself to be someone who is hardworking, respectful, and generous.

When I began my undergraduate program at Molloy, I was a spoiled high school student-athlete, who didn't care for meeting new people or having new experiences. I slowly realized that the world doesn't revolve around me, and my experience at Molloy led me to become a man and an excellent student.

I loved my experience at Molloy so much that now I work in the Athletics Department as a Graduate Assistant in Athletic Operations. I look forward to my short commute every morning and come to school with a smile, knowing that I will achieve my objectives in the Athletics Department and my new aim, to be the first in my family to obtain a master's degree.

Vocabulary:

1) concentration (noun)- mental effort

2) consider (verb)- think carefully about

3) abroad (adverb)- in or to a foreign country

4) hardworking (adjective)- a person who performs with energy

5) respectful (adjective)- showing humility

6) generous (adjective)- showing kindness toward others

7) excellent (adjective)- outstanding

8) commute (verb)- travel between home and work on a daily basis

9) objective (noun)- a goal

10) obtain (verb)- to get or secure something

Vocabulary Activity:

Directions: Fill in the blanks using the vocabulary words from above

1) Tatiane traveled __________ to Brazil this past summer.

2) The __________ of the class is to comprehend quadratic equations.

3) The little girl was very __________ to her grandmother by opening the door for her.

4) Each assignment in his accounting class requires plenty of __________.

5) The teacher candidate had to __________ the offer from both school districts.

6) Mr. Martinez had to _________ his doctorate degree in order to be referred to as Dr. Martinez.

7) Tom's __________ is from Hicksville to Rockville Centre.

8) The teenager is __________ because he volunteers at the soup kitchen.

9) The father works two jobs and his co-employees call him a __________ man.

10) The teacher wrote "__________" on his essay because he received an A.

Grammar Point:

An adjective describes a noun in a complete sentence. It describes a particular quality of a word they are modifying. For example: The purple flower. The adjective here would be purple because it describes the color of the flower, which is a noun.

Grammar Activity:

Directions: With emphasis on creating a complete sentence involving adjectives, describe the setting in which you are reading this blog from.

Super Bowl XLIX

Super Bowl XLIX was one of the best football games of the football season. It took place at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. The Seahawks, the reigning Super Bowl Champions from the year prior and the New England Patriots, a team scrutinized for it's off the field behaviors regarding deflated footballs yet well respected for actions on the field, played an even game that was full of excitement, physicality and controversy. The most memorable moment of the game came at the very tail end of the fourth quarter with about twenty seconds left. The Seahawks had marched down the field and had the ball at the one-yard line. The difference between victory and defeat and winning back-to-back championships was three feet away.

I completely remember where I was at the moment, on the couch between my best friend and his brother. I was already feeling negative vibes from the Seahawks, based on how they had lined up on offense. I screamed "Why are they in shot-gun at the one yard line? They have a chance to score and they are going to pass! Oh my, why now?"

The ball had snapped and the quarterback for the Seahawks took two quick steps back and fired a throw to what it looked to be a wide-open receiver only for it to be intercepted by the Patriots. The Patriots defensive back, who was covering the Seahawks wide receiver, stepped in for the ball and took the Seahawks dreams of winning back-to-back championships with it.

My family screamed, "Wow! Unbelievable! Why did they call a pass?" I wanted it to be known that I had stated the play call correctly. "You see! The Seahawks passed the ball. Why did they do that with the best running back waiting for the ball to be given to him one more time to win the game?"

There are certain moments you don't forget. Like graduating from high school or college, driving for the first time or where you were for a certain event, like the Super Bowl last weekend. I am sure I am not the only one who feels this way. I feel worse for Seattle Seahawks fans for having to witness the worst sports lost in history. I bet they feel worse, knowing they were so close, yet so far. I certainly will never forget where I was when that play occurred.

Vocabulary:

1) scrutinize (verb)- to examine closely

2) deflated (verb)- be emptied of air

3) excitement (noun)- a happy feeling

4) physicality (noun)- involves contact related to the body

5) controversy (noun)- a drawn out disagreement

6) victory (noun)- the act of winning verse an opponent

7) defeat (verb)- overcome or beat

8) intercepted (verb)- catch a forward pass

Vocabulary Activity:

Directions: Fill in the blanks using the vocabulary words from above

1) The ball was __________ by the defensive player.

2) The political case was becoming a __________ due to criticism by the media.

3) Because of the cold temperature, the car tires were __________.

4) There was plenty of __________ in the air before the concert.

5) The debate team celebrated the __________ by eating ice cream.

6) It is necessary to __________ the editor of the newspaper for writing a false article.

7) There was plenty of __________ in the wrestling tournament.

8) The football team suffered a terrible __________.

Grammar Point:

Although there are plenty of rules of when to use quotation marks, the use of quotation marks in this blog indicate direct speech. The writer wants to tell the reader what exactly someone is saying, in this case, what I was saying.

Grammar Activity:

Directions: Using quotation marks indicating direct speech, create your own sentence reacting to the last offensive play by the Seattle Seahawks which resulted in a Super Bowl victory for the New England Patriots.

If you have not seen the play, revisit the moment here: http://youtu.be/U7rPIg7ZNQ8