VOCABULARY PRESENTATION

theme

• A life lesson
• Noun
• The theme of the story was honesty.

acronym

• an abbreviation for a group of words.
• Noun
• Some of our scholars are in MSOE

RESEARCH

• to look for information
• verb
• I am going to research the Oregon Trail

excerpt

• a part of a piece of writing
• noun
• I read an excerpt from my story to the class

century

• 100 years
• noun
• Not many people live a century

scene

• part of a movie or a play
• Noun
• Scene two in the Nutcracker featured the evil mice

anthology

• a published group of poems or other pieces of writing
• noun

argument (argue)

• give reasons to persuade others
• noun
• I am giving my argument for why you should be going on the Oregon Trail.

assumption (assume)

• a thing that is accepted as true without proof
• noun
• I am making an assumption that you love football, because I see you play it on the playground.

catalog

• a complete list of items, usually in alphabetical order
• noun
• We used the online card catalog to locate the book in the library.

context

• using the words around it to determine the meaning of an unknown word
• We can use the context of the sentence to figure out the unknown word.
• noun

draft

• the first copy of your writing
• noun
• I had to take home my rough draft realistic fiction story for homework.

evaluate (evaluation)

• to draw some conclusions about text
• verb
• Evaluate your mystery book.

figurative language

• when you use like or as to compare something
• noun
• I used figurative language when I said, “Break a leg!”

explain

• to tell about something/someone
• verb

graphic organizer

• a chart or diagram that readers and writers can use to take notes and organize information
• noun
• I used a graphic organizer to compare and contrast two different stories.

problem and solution

• a text that has a conflict and a resolution to the problem
• noun
• My problem was all the cookies were gone. Now I have a solution….my little brother ate them!

reference material

• text that you can use to find facts and information: thesaurus, dictionary, internet
• noun
• I used a dictionary as a reference material to find some words that I didn’t know.

SATIRE

• the use of humor using sarcasm in writing
• noun
• Saturday Night Live uses satire in their show.

allusion

• an expression designed to help you remember something
• example: I was surprised his nose was not growing like Pinocchio’s.” This refers to the story of Pinocchio, where his nose grew whenever he told a lie.
• noun
• The writer used allusion in her story.

simile

• figurative language using like or as
• noun
• He was as big as a hippo.
• I did not understand the simile.

verb

• an action word in a sentence
• noun
• Racing is a verb.

speech

• speaking in front of an audience
• noun
• Martin Luther King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

appendix

• extra information at the end of a text
• noun
• I turned to the appendix at the back of the book to see the timeline.

cause

• a person or thing that gives rise to an action
• noun
• What was the cause for the character’s change?

characterization

• describing specific character traits
• noun
• Our class discussed the author’s characterization of the boy in Swift as someone who was brave and determined.

coupon

• a voucher that gives the person a discount
• noun
• noun Joelle used her Target coupon to buy toothpaste.

debate

• a discussion with two different points of view
• noun
• We had a class debate about “Going Green”.

characterize

• to describe a character’s/person’s personality
• verb
• When you characterized Mr. Sheskey you described him as smart, kind hearted, and friendly.

chronological

• the order in which something happens
• adjective
• Be sure to tell your story in chronological order.

classified ad

• a short ad in a newspaper or magazine
• noun
• She listed her car that was for sale in a classified ad in the Waukesha Freeman.

myth

• an old story that explains nature using supernatural characters.
• noun
• Zues is the god of the sky in the Greek myth.

narrator

• the person who tells the story
• noun
• Some stories have narrators.

persuade

• to change someone’s thinking
• verb
• I persuaded my friend to go to the arctic.

memoir

• writing in which someone describes past experiences
• noun
• I am writing a memoir about a barrier in my life.

resolution

• the ending of a book, play, or movie
• noun
• Every book has a resolution.

rhythm

• movement/beat in music or a poem
• noun
• Every song has rhythm.

employer

• the person who you work for
• noun
• My employer is the School District of Waukesha.

employee

• the person who is hired to work
• noun
• I am an employee of the School District of Waukesha.

punctual

• to be on time
• adjective
• It is important to be punctual for school and work.

applicant

• a person who applies for a job
• noun
• There were fifty applicants for one job.

teamwork

• working and getting along together
• noun
• Employers are looking for someone who values teamwork.

inference

• to draw a conclusion based on the evidence
• noun
• You can make inferences about the character based on what the author describes.

figure of speech

• using an expression such as a simile or metaphor
• noun
• The expression, “I am as tired as a dog” is a figure of speech.

diagram

• a drawing of something that labels the parts.
• noun
• We looked at the diagram of the ship to see all its parts.

exposition

• a clear explanation of an idea
• noun
• There was a detailed exposition of the book’s setting in the lead.

flashback

• a scene in a movie or a book, set back in an earlier time than the main story.
• noun
• There was a flashback to the main character’s childhood.

foreshadowing

• to tell something that may happen in the future.
• noun
• The author used foreshadowing to hint at what the problem was going to be later on in the book.

idiom

• figurative language that cannot be taken literally
• noun
• It is raining cats and dogs.

METAPHOR

• figurative language that cannot be taken literally
• noun
• I used the metaphor, “You are the light of my life.”

onomatopoeia

• a word or sound that is associated with what it is named.
• noun
• I heard the bacon sizzle as it cooked on the stove.

memorandum-memo

• a business note made for future use
• noun
• A memorandum was sent to you at BizTown about your paycheck.