Unit 1 Week 1

brainstorm: to solve a problem by having group members all contribute ideas freely

flattened: made flatter, or more level of smooth

frantically: act wildly excited due to worry or fear

muttered: spoken in a low, unclear way

official: to be properly approved or authorized

original: to do, make, or think of something new of different

stale: old or not fresh

gracious: to show kindness and courtesy

Unit 1 Week 2

accountable: to be responsible for

advise: to give one’s opinion or to inform

desperately: to try anything to change a hopeless situation

hesitated: waited or stopped, especially because of feeling unsure

inspiration: a person or thing that stirs the mind, feelings, or imagination

self-esteem: to have respect for oneself

uncomfortably: uneasily

humiliated: to be made to feel ashamed or foolish

Unit 1 Week 3

altar: to make different or change

collapse: to fall down or cave in

crisis: a difficult or dangerous situation

destruction: great damage or ruin

hazard: something that can cause harm or injury

severe: very harsh or serious

substantial: of a great amount or size

unpredictable: not able to tell beforehand

Unit 1 Week 4

capabilities: to have the needed skills, powers, or abilities

accelerate: to move or cause to move faster

friction: a force between surfaces that slows objects or stops them from moving

gravity: a force that pulls objects toward each other

advantage: something that is helpful or useful

identity: who a person is or what a thing is

inquiry: a search for information

thrilling: exciting

Unit 1 Week 5

innovative: new or done in a new way

compassionate: sympathetic

enterprise: something difficult or important that person plans or tries to do

exceptional: extraordinary

funds: money that is ready for use

process: a series of actions performed when making or doing something

routine: a fixed way or method of doing something

undertaking: something someone decides to do or start

Unit 2 Week 1

Soared: flew very high in the airAttracted: drew the attention ofDazzling: so bright that it’s almost blindingFabric: material that is woven or knitted, such as clothGreed: a very great and selfish desire to have or get somethingHonest: truthful, fair, and trustworthyRequested: asked forTrudged: walked steadily and slowly

Unit 2 Week 2

Annoyed: to feel bothered or irritatedAttitude: a way of thinking, acting, or feelingCommotion: a noisy disturbanceCranky: grouchy or in a bad moodFamiliar: well-known because it was heard or seen beforeFrustrated: to feel disappointed by being kept from doing somethingSelfish: care only about yourselfSpecialty: something that someone does particularly well or gives extra attention to

Unit 2 Week 3

Crumbled: broke into small piecesDroughts: long periods of dry weather without rainfallEcosystem: all the living and nonliving things in an areaExtinct: something that no longer existsFlourished: thrived or grew stronglyFragile: delicate and tends to break easilyImbalance: parts are not in an equal, steady, or secure positionRipples: forms small waves

Unit 2 Week 4

Camouflaged: hidden by looking like its surroundingsDribbles: to flow or let flow in small dropsExtraordinary: very unusual or remarkablePoisonous: harms or kills by chemical actionPounce: to leap or spring suddenly in attackPredator: an animal that lives by hunting other animals for foodPrey: an animal that is hunted by another animalVibrations: rapid motions back and forth or up and down

Unit 2 Week 5

Creative: show the ability to do something in a new wayBrittle: easily brokenDescriptive: describe or tell about somethingOutstretched: extended to full lengthMetaphor: compares two unlike thingsSimile: compares to things using like or asRhyme: two words when they sounds the same, such as claw and drawMeter: the pattern of syllables in a line of poetry

Unit 3 Week 1

Scrounging: trying to obtain or collect something with difficultyAcquaintance: someone you know but who is not a close friendCautiously: to do something with careComplementary: makes something whole or completeJumble: a confused mixture or conditionLogical: makes sense and is based on reasonScornfully: say or do something in a way that shows dislike or that you are making funTrustworthy: to be reliable

Unit 3 Week 2

Organizations: groups of people who join together for a purposeAssigned: given out as a taskGenerosity: a willingness and happiness to share in an unselfish wayGingerly: to do something carefully or with extreme cautionMature: to show the qualities of being an adultResidents: the people who live in a particular placeScattered: to be spread or thrown aboutSelective: very careful with making choices

Unit 3 week 3

Boycott: a planned joining with others in refusing to buy from or deal with a person, nation, or businessEncouragement: support that inspires hope and confidenceFulfill: to carry out or finishInjustice: a lack of justice or fairnessMistreated: treated badly by othersProtest: people objecting to somethingQualified: a person who has the needed abilities to do somethingRegistered: someone who had his or her name placed on a list

Unit 3 Week 4

Address: a formal speechDivided: something that is separated into parts or piecesHaste: something done with quickness in moving or in actingOpposed: against somethingPerish: to disappear or vanishProclamation: an official public announcement of somethingShattered: completely destroyed or ruinedTension: mental or emotional strain

Unit 3 Week 5

Agriculture: the science and business of raising crops and farm animalsAdvancements: improvements that move an idea aheadCharacteristics: qualities that belong to and help to identify a person or thingConcerns: a worried interest in somethingDisagreed: had a different opinionInherit: to receive from one’s parent or parentsPrevalent: commonly accepted, used, or widespreadResistance: the act of fighting against or overcoming something

Unit 4 Week 1

Democracy: a government that is run by the people who live under itAmendments: formal changes made according to official proceduresCommitment: a sense of obligation toward somethingCompromise: to reach agreement by having each side give up part of its demandsEventually: in the end or finallyLegislation: laws that are made or passed

Privilege: a special right or benefit held by a certain group of peopleVersion: an account given in a particular way

Unit 4 Week 2

Governor: a person elected to be the head of a state government in the United StatesAccompanies: goes along with somethingCampaign: a series of actions planned and carried out to bring about a particular resultIntend: to have a purpose or plan in mindOpponent: a person or group that is against another in a fight, contest, or discussion

Overwhelming: Something overcoming or overpowering completelyTolerate: to put up with or endure someone or somethingWeary: very tired

Unit 4 Week 3

Technology: the use of scienceDecade: a period of ten yearsDirecting: the act of giving instructions, ordering, or commandingEngineering: the work that uses scientific knowledge for practical things such as building bridges and damsGleaming: shining or glowing

Scouted: to have looked at or explored in order to find out and bring back more informationSquirmed: to have turned and twisted the bodyTinkering: puttering or keeping busy in an aimless way

Unit 4 Week 4

Telescope: makes distant objects seem larger and nearerAstronomer: studies the stars and planetsCrescent: a curve that is wider in the middle and tapered at the endsPhases: different stages of the moon

Rotates: turns around on an axisSeries: a number of similar things coming on after anotherSliver: a thin, often pointed piece that has been broken, cut, or torn offSpecific: exact or particular

Unit4 Week 5

Triumph: a great victory or successAttain: means to work hard to achieve a goalDangling: hanging or swinging loosely

Hovering: stays in one place in the airStanza: in a poem can contain any number of linesConnotation: the meaning suggested by a word in addition to its literal meaningDenotation: the basic definition of a wordRepetition: when you repeat words or phrases in a poem

Unit 5 Week 1

Emotion: a strong feeling such as love, hate, happiness, sorrow, or fearBouquet: a bunch of picked flowers

Encircle: to surround or form a circle aroundExpress: to say or show somethingFussy: hard to please and pickyPortraits: pictures of people, usually showing only the face and upper part of the bodySparkles: something that shines in quick, bright flashesWhirl: to turn or spin around rapidly

Unit 5 Week 2

Shrivel: to shrink, wrinkle, or wither

Plunging: when something is falling or moving downward very quicklyProspector: a person who looks for gold, silver, or other minerals in the groundScoffed: to express ridicule or contempt toward an ideaSettlement: a place where people live when they first arrive in an area that is new to themTerritories: large areas of land where people start living in a region new to themTopple: to collapse or fallWithered: has dried up from heat or lack of moisture

Unit 5 Week 3

Procedure: a proper way of doing something, usually by a series of stepsDizzy: having the feeling of spinning and being about to fallExperiment: a test that is used to discover or prove something by watching the results very carefullyGenuine: something is real or what it seems to beHilarious: very funnyMischief: behavior that causes minor harm or annoyanceNowadays: in the present dayPolitician; a person who holds or seeks a government office

Unit 5 Week 4

Magnify: to make something look bigger than it really isCling: to stick closelyDissolves: to pass into a solution with a liquidGritty: something that contains very small bits of sand or stoneHumid: moist or full of water vaporMicroscope: a device for look at things that are too small to be seen with the naked eyeMingle: to mix or come togetherTypical: to show qualities or characteristics of a certain type

Unit 5 Week 5

Archaeology: the study of the way humans lived a long time agoDocument: keep a record of somethingEra: a period of time in history, usually beginning with an important eventEvidence: proof of somethingExpedition: a journey made for a particular reasonPermanent: to last a long time without changingTremendous: very large or greatUncover: to discover something, or make it known

Unit 6 Week 1

Irritating: something that can make someone angry or impatientAncestors: people from whom one is descendedDespised: looked down on as worthless, or scornedEndurance: the power to put up with hardships or difficultiesForfeit: to lose or have to give up because of some fault, accident, or mistakeHonor: to show or feel great respect for a person or thingIntensity: having or showing strong feeling, purpose, or effortRetreated: to have withdrawn or moved back

Unit 6 Week 2

Depicts: shows in pictures or wordsDetested: disliked or hated very muchDiscarded: thrown awayEldest: the one who was born first, or the oldestIgnored: having not paid attention to someone or somethingObedience: the act of following instructions, or doing what someone else says to doRefuge: a shelter or protection from danger or troubleTreacherous: full of danger or hazardous

Unit 6 Week 3

Renewable: able to be replaced or restoredCoincidence: a remarkable occurrence of eventsConsequences: the results of an actionConsume: use something or destroy itConverted: something changed in its character, condition, or useEfficient: get the wanted results with a minimum of time or effortIncredible: hard or impossible to believeInstalled: put in place for use or service

Unit 6 Week 4

Currency: money used in a countryEconomics: the science that studies the way people use resources to produce goods and servicesEntrepreneur: a person who starts and runs a businessGlobal: something that has to do with the worldInvest: to use money to buy something that will make more moneyMarketplace: a place where food and other products are bought and soldMerchandise: goods that are for saleTransaction: the act of carrying out a business exchange

Unit 6 Week 5

Individuality: a quality that makes one person or thing different from othersGobble: to eat quickly and in large chunksMist: a cloud of tiny drops of water or other liquid in the airRoots: a person’s ancestorsMetaphor: compares two unlike things without the use of like or asImagery: the use of words to create a picture in the reader’s mindPersonification: when human characteristics are given to anything that is not humanFree verse: poems that have irregular lines and lack a metrical pattern and rhyme scheme