My Pet

                             I have a pet dog named Dakota. She is still a puppy and her second birthday is approaching on November 13th. As a pet owner, I have several responsibilities to taking care of my puppy. I am responsible for giving her baths, keeping her clean, cutting her claws, and cleaning the residue underneath her eyes. Her dog breed is called an American Eskimo (even though she is not American or an Eskimo). American Eskimos are very intelligent dogs. She is able to perform many tricks such as sitting, speaking, giving paw (both of them), giving a high five, and crawling across the floor.

Because American Eskimos originate from a very cold climate, these dogs have very think fur coats that shed very often. In these cold climates, American Eskimos needed to form adaptations to their environment by having these very thick fur coats. However in the summer in New York, she seems to overheat very quickly. As seen in the pictures, she is a mush and loves to cuddle. Unlike bears, American Eskimo dogs do not hibernate during the winter. Instead, they love the winter and enjoy playing in the snow. Dakota becomes very excited when it starts snowing here in New York. She enjoys when I form a snowball in my hands and throw it up into the air for her to catch it with her mouth. Overall, American Eskimos are very good companions and I cannot wait to celebrate her birthday on Thursday.

Vocabulary

1. Approach (Approaching)- (verb) To come near or close.

2. Responsibility (Responsibilities)- (noun) Taking care of someone else.

3. Claw (Claws)- (noun) The nails on an animal.

4. Residue- (noun) Something left over.

5. Breed- (noun) A type of dog.

6. Intelligent- (adjective) Smart.

7. Originate- (verb) To produce or create something.

8. Climate- (noun) The weather in a certain area.

9. Shed- (verb) To get rid of (fur).

10. Adaptation (Adaptations) - (noun) A change an animal makes to live in the environment.

11.  Environment- (noun) The natural world outside.

12. Hibernate- (verb) When an animal sleeps during the winter.

Vocabulary Exercise

Directions- Circle the vocabulary words in the word search.

My Pet

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ADAPTATIONS	APPROACHING	BREED
CLAWS	CLIMATE	ENVIRONMENT
HIBERNATE	INTELLIGENT	ORIGINATE
RESIDUE	SHED

Grammar Point and Exercise

An adjective is a word that describes or identifies a noun or a pronoun.  For example: They live in a beautiful house.  The adjective is beautiful.  It is describing the noun, house.

Directions: Circle the adjectives in the following sentences. 

1.  Donna is wearing a sleeveless shirt today.

2.  Linda's hair is gorgeous!  

3.  The crown had hundreds of sparkling jewels. 

4.  Martin felt embarrassed by his explosive outburst.

5.  The students in Ms. Gagliardo's class are intelligent.

6.  The baby's loud cries would not let anyone sleep.

7.  It was a warm and sunny day today.

8.  Sam has blue racing bicycle.

  

 Creative Writing

Write a paragraph or two about your favorite animal and share interesting facts or information about them.