Great Ball of Fire

                                          
                                                                    Sunrise
The Sun is an amazing, blinding, and breathtaking object. It provides light for our entire planet while it rotates and even while being approximately 150 million miles away, it continues to give bright, unwavering light and life to the Earth. Many don't realize it, but the Sun is a star, just a VERY large one, and is located at the middle of the Solar System. It is estimated that the sun is about 109 times the size of the Earth! It makes sense why the heat we receive from it is exactly that, so hot! Sunlight provides us with Vitamin D yet this does not mean we should go out and sit in its light for long periods of time; it is also the Earth's greatest source of energy. However, although the sun and its light are a blessing and necessity, it can also be a curse. Ultraviolet rays from the Sun can be very harmful causing damage to the skin and body and it is necessary that we protect ourselves as much as possible. Wearing sunscreen lotion with the highest SPF(Sun Protection Factor) you can find, especially when out of doors for a prolonged period of time, can help defend us from the Sun's strong rays. The Sun is at its highest point in the sky at midday and during the early afternoon hours following that time; this is when the most caution should be taken. Also, we should never stare straight at the Sun even when we're wearing sunglasses. Doing so can cause temporary or permanent damage to our eyes, specifically to the retina. The Sun is powerful and we have to make sure to stay aware of that. Beautiful but dangerous, let's not allow its stunning exquisiteness to be of harm to us, but only of help.

               
                  Sun at Midday                                             Sunset
Vocabulary
Breathtaking- thrilling, beautiful, astonishing.


Approximately- nearly exact.


Unwavering- unchanging.


Solar System- the Sun together with all the planets and other bodies that revolve around it.


Estimated- to form an approximate opinion or judgement.


Source- any thing or place from which something comes, arises, or is obtained.


Caution- a warning against danger.


Permanent- long-lasting or nonfading.


Dangerous- able or likely to cause physical injury.


Retina- the innermost coat of the posterior part of the eyeball that receives images produced by the lens.


Exquisiteness(Exquisite)- extraordinarily fine or admirable.


Grammar Activity
Directions: Use the vocabulary words to  fill in the blank of each sentence below.
1. After having stitches on my face, I now have a                                scar.


2. There are eight major planets and one dwarf planet in the                                                      .


3. Fire is                                 and we must be careful when dealing with it.


4. There are                                         6,840,507,003 people living on Earth.


5. If you stare at the Sun for too long, the                                  can be damaged.


6. Rivers, lakes, creeks, and springs are all considered a                           of fresh water. 


7. Sarah's                                   support of her school earned her an award.


8. The beauty of the bride was                                .


9. Luke                                   that the Lakers would beat the Heats by more than 15 points.


10. The professionally made cake was                               .


Grammar PointThe majority of this paragraph is written in the present tense, however, there are also some conditional and future tenses included.

Grammar Practice ActivityChoose a planet and using no less than five of the vocabulary words, write a paragraph about it.