Study the word INSIST:
If you insist on something, or if you insist that something must be done, you say that it MUST be true, or it MUST happen. If you're being insistent, then you're being pushy and loud, trying to get your way and change people's minds, maybe even saying or shouting what you want over and over.
(Source)
When you insist on something, people are usually telling you no or arguing with you. You might insist on playing loud music in the family room, even though your siblings insist that you turn it down.
In my family, we had a beautiful Himalayan cat named Meri. I insisted that Meri's eyes were green, but my sister insisted that Meri's eyes were blue. Who was right? Probably my sister! But we would annoy each other with our insistence on being right.
If your parents serve vegetable soup for dinner, but you insist on pizza, you're saying, "I want pizza. I want only pizza. I must have pizza." That's being insistent. And rude!
But insistence isn't always rude. It can be polite. Sometimes, when we want to give a gift or help someone, but the other person says, "Oh no, I can't take that!" or "Oh, no, I can't let you do that," then we say, "I insist." Meaning, "I think you MUST take this gift!" Or, "I think you MUST let me help you." That's often very nice and polite. Here, Homer insists on walking Flanders home. Flanders probably said, "Oh, no, you don't need to do that for me." But Homer said, "I insist."
Study the word STUBBORN:
If you're stubborn, it's hard for other people to help you or change your mind. Stubborn people keep on doing the same things, or keep on believing the same things, and they won't listen when other people try to help them, or try to change what they're doing to make things better for them.
This dog is being stubborn. He does NOT want to walk, and you can't make him! He's just sitting there stubbornly. He won't listen, and he won't change his mind, even if his human says, "Come on, let's walk together! It'll be fun! It'll be good exercise!" Nope. This dog is stubborn.
If a mess or a stain is stubborn, you've tried and tried to clean it, but it just stays and stays. And if a problem is stubborn, you've tried and tried to solve it, but the problem just continues and continues, or even gets worse. What if your cough is stubborn? Yup: it means you cough and cough, day after day.
In Green Eggs and Ham, both of the characters are stubborn! Sam stubbornly pushes his friend to try the green eggs and ham: "Try them! Try them! Try them!" And his friend stubbornly refuses to try them. "No, no, no! I do not like them!" If you've made up your mind and you will NOT change it, or you want something to happen and you will NOT let it go, even when people have told you "no," you're being stubborn.
Study the word TIDY:
A tidy place is neat and clean, and not at all messy. There's a place for everything, and everything is in its place. Things are put away. Spaces are clear. It's easy to work and play there, and it's easy to find everything you need. Ahhh. Don't you love tidy drawers, tidy workspaces, and tidy rooms? I do!
Of course, after a busy day, you might look untidy, with messy hair, food on your face, and wrinkles on your clothes! Spaces, too, can be untidy if they're a mess, with stuff everywhere. It's hard to work or play in an untidy room.
So when your space is untidy, it's time to tidy up! When you're tidying, or tidying up, you're making your space neat and clean. You're putting things away, clearing off the floors and the counters, making everything orderly and organized.
Study the word GASP:
When you're shocked, or surprised, in a good or bad way, so you suddenly breathe in a gulp of air—! That's a gasp. To gasp is to pull air into your mouth suddenly, because you're surprised by something. And, a gasp is the air that you suck in, or the sound of it. When you gasp, you might open your mouth wide, and, to be polite, you might cover your mouth with one or both hands.
(Source) Maybe you've just gotten a papercut. (Gasp!) Maybe you've spilled your entire drink. (Gasp!) Maybe your very favorite song that you haven't heard in a year has just started to play. (Gasp!) Maybe you've just bumped into your teacher outside of school. (Gasp!) Maybe someone has just handed you a wonderful surprise gift. (Gasp!)
(Source)
Usually, you gasp when you're surprised. But you might also gasp if you're exercising hard, and you're trying to get more air into your body. If you just ran a mile, or just did a hundred jumping jacks, you could be gasping for breath.
Study the word SHEEPISH:
You know how we sometimes think of all cats as mean, all dogs as friendly, all lions as proud, all squirrels as excited, all mules as stubborn, and so on? Well, some people think of all sheep as shy, timid, and awkward.
That's why we use the word "sheepish" to describe people who are a little shy, and a little embarrassed. When you're feeling sheepish, or when you're smiling sheepishly, you feel a little weird and a little uncomfortable because people are looking at you and talking to you—but you don't know what to do, and you don't know what to say. Your face might be pink or red, and you might even hide or cover your face.
You might look sheepish if you're dancing all crazy by yourself, and then your friends walk in and see you. You might grin sheepishly if your crush waves at you and blows you a kiss in front of your whole class. And you might exchange a sheepish glance with your best friend after your teacher congratulates you both for earning the highest test scores.
5. The word that means "to say or demand something, or argue for something again and again," is...
...
insist.
My Messy Room
Day 2: Understand
Let's understand how these words connect to our book!
Listen to each question, and decide which answer choice is correct. You can check your answer by clicking "Show Answer." If you make a mistake, don't worry! Just listen to the question again, then try again.
1. Remember: if you're insisting on something, you're arguing that you must have it or that it is true.
(Source) In our book, the narrator insists that she likes her room messy. What does this mean?
A) It means that the narrator says over and over that she really does like her messy room.
2. Remember: if you're acting stubborn, then people are trying to help you or get you to try things or get you to do things differently, but you don't want to!
(Source) In our book, the narrator stubbornly keeps her room messy. What does this mean?
A) It means that, if her parents ask her to clean her room, she'll probably say "No!"
3. Remember: to tidy, or to tidy up, is to put all your stuff away so that your space is neat and clean. Tidy places have plenty of clean, empty space or clean, empty surfaces, with no messes or heaps.
(Source) In our book, the narrator's room stays untidy. What does this mean?
B) It means that the narrator's belongings take up all the space on the floor, the bed, and the desk.
4. Remember: to gasp is to show your surprise by taking in a breath of air, and a gasp is a breath of air that you take in.
(Source)
In our book, when the narrator's mom walks by, she glimpses the messy room and gasps. What does this mean?
B) It means that the mom is shocked by the sloppy heaps of toys, books, and clothes.
5. Remember: to feel sheepish is to feel bashful and a little uncomfortable, not sure what to do or say.
(Source)
At the end of our book, the narrator feels sheepish. What does this mean?
B) It means that she blushes, covers her face a little, and ducks down a little, feeling embarrassed about her messy room.
Finally, let's understand how these words can connect to other situations!
Listen as I describe each situation, and shout out the vocabulary word that comes to mind. You can check your answer by clicking "Show Answer." Remember, if you make a mistake, don't worry! Just listen again, then try again.
1. You're riding in the car with your sibling, arguing about your favorite book. You keep saying that the book is wonderful, funny, and exciting. Your sibling keeps saying that the book is awful, plodding, and boring. Instead of dropping the subject, and instead of agreeing to disagree, you and your sibling just keep on trying to change each other's mind. There's a word that starts with I that describes both of you. What's the word?
insistent
2. You've decided that you dislike all green foods. Your friend has just offered you a cupcake, fluffy and heaped with icing... GREEN icing. Even though you want the cupcake, you want to stick to your principles, specifically your NO GREEN FOODS principle. So, you refuse the cupcake. "No, thanks. I don't like green foods." There's a word that starts with S that describes your attitude. What's the word?
stubborn
3. You smile whenever you open your supply box to grab a pencil or a glue stick. All of your items are clean, neatly arranged, and easy to find. There are no dirty pencil shavings or broken crayons, just sharp pencils (all grouped together) and clean whole crayons (all rubber-banded together). There's a word that starts with T that describes your supply box. What's the word?
tidy
4. You get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, walking slowly across your dark room. You don't know it, but there's a little rectangular Lego right there on the carpet, directly in your path. There's a word that starts with G that describes what you do as soon your bare foot smashes down on that hard, sharp Lego. What's the word?
gasp
5. In Tae Kwon Do class, your instructor asks you to demonstrate a difficult combination of punches and kicks. You execute the moves perfectly, and as you finish, your classmates clap, and your instructor says, "YES. Excellent! Everyone, please try it just like that." Your classmates are still looking at you and clapping, and you turn aside, feeling both proud and embarrassed. There's a word that starts with SH that describes how you feel. What's the word?
sheepish
My Messy Room
Day 3: Illustrate
Grab some index cards, or open Quizlet.com. It's time to illustrate some flash cards!
If you're using index cards, write your word on the front, and on the back, write the definition and draw a picture: something that'll help you understand what the word means. If you're using Quizlet, simply add your words and definitions to your set, and choose any picture you like.
You can copy my definitions below, or you can write your own. And, you can use the pictures I've suggested, or pick your own.
When you're done illustrating your words, be sure to scroll down and tell me about the pictures you picked!
Term
Definition
Picture
insist
to say something, demand something, or argue for something again and again without giving up
stubborn
stuck on the same idea, and unwilling to change
tidy
all cleaned up or all cleared off, with everything put away where it goes
gasp
to suck air into your mouth all of a sudden
sheepish
feeling awkward about yourself, and a little unsure and red-faced, because people are focusing on you
Tell me about your pictures!
Take your pictures one at a time, and tell me: what's in the picture, and how does it connect to the word? For example, let's say I just studied the word "frantic." I could write: "Mickey is throwing clothes into his suitcase as fast as he can. He's frantic because he's worried he'll be late."
For another example, let's say I just studied the word "triumphant." I could write: "The girl just won a contest, and she's holding a big trophy. That's why she's triumphant."
Let's see one more example! Let's say I just studied the word "dumbfounded." I could write: "This girl is dumbfounded because she sees a gigantic birthday cake that's taller than she is; now, she's so shocked that she doesn't know what to say." Maybe that's not REALLY what's happening, but it's okay to use your imagination!
My Messy Room
Day 4: Apply
Today, you'll apply the vocabulary words to your own life! I'll help you write a sentence using each word that expresses your own thoughts, ideas, wishes, and experiences.
For each word below, write your own sentence. You can use either of the two ideas I'll suggest, or you can invent your own. Include as much detail as you can!
(Source) 1. Write a sentence with the word INSIST:
Remember: if you're insisting on something, you're arguing that you must have it or that it is true.
Idea 1: "My (parent, teacher, or coach) insisted that I learn how to (do something)."
Idea 2: "I disagree, but (someone) insists that (something is true, or that something is better than something else)."
(Source) 2. Write a sentence with the word STUBBORN:
Remember: if you're acting stubborn, then people are trying to help you or get you to try things or get you to do things differently, but you're saying "No" and insisting on your own way.
Idea 1: "I'm stubborn about my (food, drinks, clothes, homework, or something else): I always have to (do something in some specific way)."
Idea 2: "I keep trying to (fix or clean) (some mess, problem, or broken object), but it's being stubborn."
(Source) 3. Write a sentence with the word TIDY:
Remember: to tidy, or to tidy up, is to put all your stuff away so that your space is neat and clean. Tidy places have plenty of clean, empty space or clean, empty surfaces, with no messes or heaps.
Idea 1: "I like to keep my (room, bathroom, desk, backpack, or other space or container) nice and tidy, so that it's easy for me to (do something)."
Idea 2: "Before I (do a certain kind of sport or activity, cook a certain dish or meal, or conduct a science experiment), I make sure my (outfit or hair) is tidy and out of the way."
(Source) 4. Write a sentence with the word GASP:
Remember: to gasp is to show your surprise by taking in a breath of air, and a gasp is a breath of air that you take in.
Idea 1: "With a gasp of (surprise, excitement, or horror), I catch a glimpse of (something awesome or scary)."
Idea 2: "After (doing something really tiring, like climbing the stairs to the top of a skyscraper, or pedaling a bike to the top of a steep hill), I pause and lean over, gasping for breath."
(Source) 5. Write a sentence with the word SHEEPISH:
Remember: to feel sheepish is to feel bashful and a little uncomfortable, not sure what to do or say.
Idea 1: "After I (win some kind of game or award), I smile sheepishly and try to hide my face as (someone) (praises me or claps for me)."
Idea 2: "When I saw (someone's) sheepish grin, I knew (he or she) had a secret; I wondered if (he or she had done some specific thing that's kind, silly, or embarrassing)."
When you're ready, paste your sentences into the form below. Now is a good time to read your sentences out loud, and think, "Do I like my sentence? Does it sound good? Do I need to fix anything? Could I add any more details?"
My Messy Room
Day 5: Free-Write
You've studied hard! Today, before you write, please take a few minutes to play with your flash cards.
Try looking at your pictures and recalling your words. Be sure to say them out loud! If your flash cards are in Quizlet, play the Match game.
When you feel comfortable with all your words, you're ready to write!
Pick one topic below:
Look through your flash card deck of all the words you’ve studied recently. First, which word in your deck best connects to the book My Messy Room? How does it connect? Next, which word connects second-best, and how? Finally, which word totally does NOT connect to My Messy Room, and why?
In our book, the narrator insists that she likes her room when it's untidy. She likes to have her stuff all over the place! Do you like to keep your room untidy, too? Or do you like to keep your room tidy? Why? Tell me all about why you enjoy having a tidy OR untidy room.
When you’re done with your draft, look through your flash card deck of all the words you’ve studied recently, and pick one word that could fit into your paragraph. Add it in.
Look through your flash card deck of all the words you’ve studied recently, and pick three words that seem fun or exciting. Use these three words to tell me a story about something crazy that happens because someone's room is too messy. Maybe enormous mushrooms grow in the room and then fairies sprout from the mushrooms, or maybe the room attracts a clan of elves or aliens or intelligent oversized ants. Your story can be as realistic or magical as you like.
When you're all done, it's a good idea to take a little break! Come back later, and paste your first draft (above) into the box below.
Read your work out loud, and think, "Do I like this? Does it sound good? Do I need to fix anything? Could I add any more details?" Please try for three or more sentences.
When you're happy with your second draft below, click the Submit button.
Enroll in "Make Your Point, Jr." for one-on-one tutoring.
