"If you have only one smile in you give it to the people you love." - Maya Angelou

 

 

February 14th is also known as Valentine's Day. This day is celebrated by thousands of people to celebrate love and friendships. On this day people give each other gifts, flowers, chocolates, or even a card.  People that care for each other such as parents, children, friends, and couples. But how did this holiday begin? The most known theory is that a Emperor Claudius II outlawed the marriage during times of war to make sure that his solider could fight. But a priest named Valentine thought that this law was unjust and he continued to marry young couples. Eventually, the Emperor realized what Valentine was doing and he was captured and put to death on February 14th. Despite the sad beginning for this holiday, it is unknown when it was first celebrated, but it is a beautiful way to show those you love how appreciated they are.
 
Vocabulary:
valentine - a gift given to show love on Valentine's Day
celebrate - to remember someone or an event with ceremonies or festivities.
theory - an idea or belief
emperor - the ruler of an empire
outlawed - to make illegal
solider - a member of the military (Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, etc.)
priest - a person who can perform religious ceremonies
unjust - not fair
realized - to notice
captured - to take and hold by force
appreciated - to be grateful for
 
Vocabulary Exercise:
 

 
 
Grammar Point: Using Capital Letters
Capital letters are important in English, and there are many situations where they need to be used.  Capitalization is used in these five basic situations:

1. Use capitals for the first letter of the first word of a sentence.

• Examples:
• His birthday was last week.
• We decided to have a party for him.

2. Use capitals for the first letter of a name.

• Examples:
• His name is Michael.
• They enjoy Chopin's piano music.

3. Use capitals for the first letter of the names of the days of the week.

• Examples:  
• Sunday, Tuesday, Friday

4. Use capitals for the first letter of the names of the months of the year.

• Examples:
• January, March, August, December

5. Use a capital letter for the first-person singular pronoun:

• Example:
• I love ice cream!

 

Follow-up Activity: Reread the paragraph above and circle each word uses capitalization. After you circle each word place the correct number reason why it needs to be capital.