"Synch" or Swim

With this crazy winter weather we are having, many people are looking forward to the summer.  That includes me!  Summer is a time for relaxation, warm weather, and having fun.  School is out and everyone can find some time to enjoy themselves.  The reason I love the summer is because of my summer job.  I know it sounds crazy, but I love working in the summer when I coach synchronized swimming!  As a child, I used to partake in the synchronized team activities, and now I am one of the coaches.  Synchronized swimming is not that popular.  Some only hear of it during the Summer Olympics.  Synchronized swimming is a lot like dancing, but only it is done in a pool.  There are swim strokes, body motions, acrobatic stunts and movements that are performed at the same time to the beat of selected music while swimming.  It is sometimes referred to as water ballet.  I am on a staff of three that coaches girls that range from five years old to age 16.  They all vary in ability and skill.  It is our jobs as coaches to create and teach them various routines according to their ability, and to make sure every team member is synchronized in their assigned routine.  We practice all summer and at the end of the season we put on our ever popular Water Show for the entire community.  Each year our show has a theme and the music selections pertain to it.  For example, last summer the theme was "Calendar Girls" and we had a song for each month of the year.  Another year we used a "Disney" theme, so we had music from popular Disney movies.  What I truly love about my summer job is how close everyone gets.  The coaches and the team members spend so much time together, and everyone is there to help each other.  I have seen girls grow up in this program and it is remarkable to me to see  how they improve from year to year.  Very often the first time I meet them, they are barely able to get across the pool.  Yet, they end up doing a whole routine synchronized, and do it very well.  I truly love working in the summer time!



Vocabulary:
partake- to be a part of
synchronized- together, same time
referred- also known as
vary- different
ability- what one is able to do
range- span
pertain- relate




Vocabulary activity: Unscramble the vocabulary word.  The definition is there to help you.
engar (span)_______________________
aaprtke (to be a part of) ______________________
rerfrede (also known as) _____________________
yrva (different) ____________
chnysrnizedo (together, same time) __________________
aeinprt (relate) _______________
ytbalii (what one is able to do) __________________




Grammar point:
Capitalization is used in the beginning of a sentence or a proper noun that maybe placed anywhere, including the pronoun I.  For example, Are you going to the Justin Timberlake concert at Madison Square Garden?  Are is capital because it starts the sentence and Justin Timberlake as well as Madison Square Garden are capital because they are proper nouns.


Grammar activity: Correct the following capitalization mistakes in the sentences below.
1. i want to go to california.
2. the sky is blue.
3. My favorite movie is called horrible bosses.