Free Lesson of the Month
September, 2009
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This month’s Free Lesson is excerpted from our Standards-Based Vocabulary Study series, Book I.
With this lesson, your students will learn to:
•
•
•
•
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Develop strategies to construct word meanings by using context clues
Determine the meaning of unfamiliar or complex words through structural analysis,
identifying roots, prefixes, and suffixes derived from Greek and Latin
Use their knowledge of synonyms, antonyms, homographs, and homophones to uncover the
meanings of unfamiliar words
Understand and interpret the literal and figurative use of words
Determine the meaning of words by recalling their literary, historical, or mythological origins
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LESSON twenty-ONE
Lesson Twenty-One | Exercise I | DEFINITIONS
Exercise I Definitions
Write a brief definition for each of the following words, based on how the
word is used in the sentence.
1. condone (kon d¶n´) – The principal does not condone having cell phones
in school, and he will give you a detention if you’re caught with one.
condone (v.) – to accept, to approve of
2. feint (f¡nt) – With a feint that fooled the other boxer into throwing a bad
punch, Kevin was able to win the match.
feint (n.) – a dishonest action meant to mislead an opponent; (v.) – to
3. flaw (flô) – Bob’s design for his new house had one flaw: he forgot to
add windows.
flaw (n.) – a quality that makes something wrong or less than perfect
4. lethargic (le thär´ jik) – It’s easy to become lethargic on a rainy day and
just lay on the couch napping or watching TV.
lethargic (adj.) – dull; sluggish; very drowsy
5. literate (lit´ ç rçt) – Kelsey’s grandfather wasn’t literate, so he couldn’t
read a book or even write his name.
literate (adj.) – able to read and write
205
Standards-Based Vocabulary Study | Book 1
6. mode (m¶d) – It’s best to set the camera on night mode when taking
pictures in low light.
7. ravenous (ra´ vç nus) – Julius had two helpings of potatoes at dinner
because of his ravenous appetite.
8. root (r¶¶t) – The root of Audrey’s poor test grades is her lack of good
study skills.
9. separate (se´ pç r¡t) – Water and oil don’t mix and will separate when
you try to put them together.
10. symmetrical (si me´ tri kçl) – A face may look symmetrical, but if you
look at each side by itself, you will see that they don’t match.
206
Lesson Twenty-One | Exercise II | FILL IN THE BLANKS
Exercise II Fill in the blanks
For the following paragraphs, fill in each blank with the vocabulary word that
best fits. Use clues from the sentences to help you. Each vocabulary word will
be used only once and may be used in a different form to fit the sentence.
Word Bank
flaw
lethargic
literate
mode
ravenous
1. James was the perfect candidate for the translating job, as he spoke
several languages and was even ____________ in Chinese. His only
____________ was his lack of previous work experience. Therefore,
despite having fantastic qualifications, he wasn’t hired.
2. Some people do not make good leaders because they become ____________
for power. With their power, they can fire employees, both those the leaders
think earn too much money and those who are ____________ and don’t
get their work done. Then, these greedy leaders make sure that their own
paychecks keep getting bigger. This ____________ of running a company
is getting to be more and more common, and companies should be very
careful about who is put in charge.
207
Standards-Based Vocabulary Study | Book 1
Word Bank
condone
feints
root
separated
symmetrical
3. The main ____________ of the meerkat’s home lies under the trunk of
the large tree by the river. There, in a perfectly ____________ system of
tunnels, where every curve is a mirror image of another curve, between
twenty and thirty meerkats work together to keep each other safe. No
meerkat would ____________ leaving a member of the group alone
and in harm’s way. It is truly amazing how they take care of each other.
Meerkats protect the old and the young. They do not allow them to
be ____________ from the rest of the colony for any reason. Usually, a
colony chooses one meerkat to guard the entrance to the tunnels. This
member must be quick and good at making ____________ to fool lions
and other animals that hunt meerkats as prey. These truly unique animals
are a great example of kindness, cooperation, and caring.
208
Lesson Twenty-One | Exercise III | SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS
Exercise III Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms – For each sentence, fill in the blank with a word or phrase that has
the same or nearly the same meaning as the vocabulary word in parentheses.
1. Because he practiced them often, Jimmy’s (feints) __________________________
fooled the other team’s players and gave Jimmy an opening to score a goal.
2. When Charlie met with a tutor, he learned that the (root)
__________________________ of his problem was that he never learned to
multiply and divide.
3. Carlos switched the video camera from record (mode)
__________________________ to play so he could review the events of the party.
4.A good cure for a (lethargic) __________________________ child is a friend
who wants to get up and play.
5. The vase had a small chip on the rim, but that (flaw)
__________________________ didn’t keep me from buying it.
Antonyms – For each sentence, fill in the blank with a word or phrase that
means the opposite or nearly the opposite of the vocabulary word.
1. Zach was told to ________________________________ the two different
colored balls of clay, and once he did, he could not separate them again.
2. One parent may condone the use of text messaging, but another may
________________________________ it.
3. Many ________________________________ adults go back to school to
become literate so they can get better jobs.
4. When the basketball team returned from the game, the players felt
ravenous, but the cheerleaders who ate pizza before the game were
________________________________.
5. In art class, Max learned both how to make a symmetrical painting and a(n)
________________________________ one.
209
Standards-Based Vocabulary Study | Book 1
Exercise IV Complete the Sentence
Complete each sentence in a way that shows you understand the meaning of
the vocabulary word.
1. The football player is known for his ability to feint when he runs, which…
2. It is very important to separate the dogs and cats when…
3. We stayed away from the ravenous bear because…
4. Rochelle’s school does not condone the use of calculators when…
5. A more literate society would…
6. The designer said the symmetrical chairs beside the fireplace made…
7. Rubin felt very lethargic when…
8. The doctor looked for the root of the problem so that…
9. Ben did not use the wood with the flaw in it because…
10. Before the party, Angela went into cleaning mode so…
210
Lesson Twenty-One | Exercise V | EXPLORING WORD MEANINGS
Exercise V Exploring Word Meanings
Homographs – Each sentence contains a bolded vocabulary word and an
underlined word that is spelled the same as the vocabulary word, but has a
different meaning and may sound different. Write a definition for the underlined
word based on how it is used in the sentence.
1. Adam vowed to root out the root of the clogged sink and clear it so that
he did not have to call a plumber.
Definition of root: to dig; search for
2. Victoria wanted to separate her jewelry into two separate groups: those
made of gold and those made of silver.
Definition of separate: unrelated, individual, divided
Homographs – Each sentence(s) contains a bolded vocabulary word and
an underlined word that is spelled the same as the vocabulary word, but has a
different meaning and may sound different. Write a definition for the underlined
word based on how it is used in the sentence.
1. The mouse’s feint, in which it began to run to the left but then ran to the
right, directly over Aunt Gertrude’s foot, made her faint right there in the
kitchen.
Definition of faint: pass out; lose consciousness
2. When Eli put the tractor in cutting mode, he accidentally mowed down
his mother’s flowers.
Definition of mowed: cut down
211
Standards-Based Vocabulary Study | Book 1
Exercise VI Roots, Prefixes, and suffixes
Use the following information about roots, prefixes, and suffixes to answer
the questions.
Roots
The Latin root litera/littera means “letter.”
The Green root metr means “measure.”
Prefixes
sym– means “together.”
ad– means “towards.”
in– means “not.”
dia– means “through.”
1. The word alliteration comes from the prefix ad–, which means
____________, and the root litera, which means ____________. When
a writer uses several words that begin with the same letter in a row, you
have alliteration. For example, a famous tongue-twister begins, “Sally
sells seashells by the seashore….”
2. Many countries use the ____________ system as an official standard of
measurement. Fill in the blank by adding the root meaning “to measure”
to the suffix –ic.
3. The distance from one corner of a square to another is called the
____________. You get this word when you add the prefix meaning
“through” to the word “meter.”
4. When you add the prefix in– to the root litera, it changes to –il, and you
get the word illiterate. Judging by the meaning of the prefix and the root,
what does this word most likely mean?
A) the same size
B) not able to read letters or words
C) measurement
D) sounding the same
212
Lesson Twenty-One | Exercise VII | LITERARY TERMS
5. Circle the letter of the vocabulary word that best connects to the quotation.
“The butterfly’s wings are exactly the same shape and size.”
A. mode
B. literate
C. symmetrical
6. Words from Mythology
Greek mythology tells us of a river that ran through the underworld (the
place where people went after death). The river was called the Lethe, and
it was known as the “River of Forgetfulness.” Once a person touched its
waters, he or she forgot everything.
What do you think the word lethargic means in the following sentence?
Sam’s mother began to worry when her energetic son became lethargic
and dull.
Meaning: sleepy, listless
Exercise VII literary TERMS
Understatement
Understatement is the downplaying of something for effect. For instance,
if a weather reporter is broadcasting from the middle of a huge blizzard,
but says there has been “a snowflake or two,” we know that she is using
understatement.
Who is using understatement in the following dialogue?
Shipwrecked man: I’ve been shipwrecked on this island for a week. I haven’t had any food since I crashed here.
Rescuer: You must be starving! You look like a stick.
Shipwrecked man: I could use a bite.
The shipwrecked man is using understatement.
213
LESSON twenty-ONE
Lesson Twenty-One | Exercise I | DEFINITIONS
Exercise I Definitions
Write a brief definition for each of the following words, based on how the
word is used in the sentence.
1. condone (kon d¶n´) – The principal does not condone having cell phones
in school, and he will give you a detention if you’re caught with one.
condone (v.) – to accept, to approve of
2. feint (f¡nt) – With a feint that fooled the other boxer into throwing a bad
punch, Kevin was able to win the match.
feint (n.) – a dishonest action meant to mislead an opponent; (v.) – to
make a misleading move
3. flaw (flô) – Bob’s design for his new house had one flaw: he forgot to
add windows.
flaw (n.) – a quality that makes something wrong or less than perfect
4. lethargic (le thär´ jik) – It’s easy to become lethargic on a rainy day and
just lay on the couch napping or watching TV.
lethargic (adj.) – dull; sluggish; very drowsy
5. literate (lit´ ç rçt) – Kelsey’s grandfather wasn’t literate, so he couldn’t
read a book or even write his name.
literate (adj.) – able to read and write
205
Standards-Based Vocabulary Study | Book 1
6. mode (m¶d) – It’s best to set the camera on night mode when taking
pictures in low light.
mode (n.) – a method of doing something
7. ravenous (ra´ vç nus) – Julius had two helpings of potatoes at dinner
because of his ravenous appetite.
ravenous (adj.) – very hungry; greedy
8. root (r¶¶t) – The root of Audrey’s poor test grades is her lack of good
study skills.
root (n.) – the origin or center; (v.) – to dig up; remove completely
9. separate (se´ pç r¡t) – Water and oil don’t mix and will separate when
you try to put them together.
separate (v.) – to divide; to pull apart; (se´ pç rçt) - (adj.) –
disconnected, unrelated; individual
10. symmetrical (si me´ tri kçl) – A face may look symmetrical, but if you
look at each side by itself, you will see that they don’t match.
symmetrical (adj.) – having balance and similarity, especially in
shape, size, and position
206
Lesson Twenty-One | Exercise II | FILL IN THE BLANKS
Exercise II Fill in the blanks
For the following paragraphs, fill in each blank with the vocabulary word that
best fits. Use clues from the sentences to help you. Each vocabulary word will
be used only once and may be used in a different form to fit the sentence.
Word Bank
flaw
lethargic
literate
mode
ravenous
1. James was the perfect candidate for the translating job, as he spoke
several languages and was even ____________
in Chinese. His only
literate
____________
was his lack of previous work experience. Therefore,
flaw
despite having fantastic qualifications, he wasn’t hired.
2. Some people do not make good leaders because they become ____________
ravenous
for power. With their power, they can fire employees, both those the leaders
think earn too much money and those who are ____________
lethargic and don’t
get their work done. Then, these greedy leaders make sure that their own
paychecks keep getting bigger. This ____________
of running a company
mode
is getting to be more and more common, and companies should be very
careful about who is put in charge.
207
Standards-Based Vocabulary Study | Book 1
Word Bank
condone
feints
root
separated
symmetrical
3. The main ____________
of the meerkat’s home lies under the trunk of
root
the large tree by the river. There, in a perfectly ____________
symmetrical system of
tunnels, where every curve is a mirror image of another curve, between
twenty and thirty meerkats work together to keep each other safe. No
meerkat would ____________
leaving a member of the group alone
condone
and in harm’s way. It is truly amazing how they take care of each other.
Meerkats protect the old and the young. They do not allow them to
be ____________
separated from the rest of the colony for any reason. Usually, a
colony chooses one meerkat to guard the entrance to the tunnels. This
member must be quick and good at making ____________
to fool lions
feints
and other animals that hunt meerkats as prey. These truly unique animals
are a great example of kindness, cooperation, and caring.
208
Lesson Twenty-One | Exercise III | SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS
Exercise III Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms – For each sentence, fill in the blank with a word or phrase that has
the same or nearly the same meaning as the vocabulary word in parentheses.
1. Because he practiced them often, Jimmy’s (feints) __________________________
tricks, bluffs, ploys
fooled the other team’s players and gave Jimmy an opening to score a goal.
2. When Charlie met with a tutor, he learned that the (root)
__________________________
of his problem was that he never learned to
center, basis, origin
multiply and divide.
3. Carlos switched the video camera from record (mode)
__________________________
to play so he could review the events of the party.
method, state
4.A good cure for a (lethargic) __________________________
child is a friend
listless, inactive
who wants to get up and play.
5. The vase had a small chip on the rim, but that (flaw)
__________________________
defect, blemish, imperfection didn’t keep me from buying it.
Antonyms – For each sentence, fill in the blank with a word or phrase that
means the opposite or nearly the opposite of the vocabulary word.
1. Zach was told to ________________________________
the two different
mix, blend, join
colored balls of clay, and once he did, he could not separate them again.
2. One parent may condone the use of text messaging, but another may
________________________________
it.
disapprove of, prohibit, restrict
unschooled, unable to read and write adults go back to school to
3. Many ________________________________
become literate so they can get better jobs.
4. When the basketball team returned from the game, the players felt
ravenous, but the cheerleaders who ate pizza before the game were
________________________________.
full, not hungry
5. In art class, Max learned both how to make a symmetrical painting and a(n)
________________________________
one.
uneven, irregular, balanced
209
Standards-Based Vocabulary Study | Book 1
Exercise IV Complete the Sentence
Complete each sentence in a way that shows you understand the meaning of
the vocabulary word.
1. The football player is known for his ability to feint when he runs, which…
2. It is very important to separate the dogs and cats when…
3. We stayed away from the ravenous bear because…
4. Rochelle’s school does not condone the use of calculators when…
5. A more literate society would…
6. The designer said the symmetrical chairs beside the fireplace made…
7. Rubin felt very lethargic when…
8. The doctor looked for the root of the problem so that…
9. Ben did not use the wood with the flaw in it because…
10. Before the party, Angela went into cleaning mode so…
210
Lesson Twenty-One | Exercise V | EXPLORING WORD MEANINGS
Exercise V Exploring Word Meanings
Homographs – Each sentence contains a bolded vocabulary word and an
underlined word that is spelled the same as the vocabulary word, but has a
different meaning and may sound different. Write a definition for the underlined
word based on how it is used in the sentence.
1. Adam vowed to root out the root of the clogged sink and clear it so that
he did not have to call a plumber.
Definition of root: to dig; search for
2. Victoria wanted to separate her jewelry into two separate groups: those
made of gold and those made of silver.
Definition of separate: unrelated, individual, divided
Homographs – Each sentence(s) contains a bolded vocabulary word and
an underlined word that is spelled the same as the vocabulary word, but has a
different meaning and may sound different. Write a definition for the underlined
word based on how it is used in the sentence.
1. The mouse’s feint, in which it began to run to the left but then ran to the
right, directly over Aunt Gertrude’s foot, made her faint right there in the
kitchen.
Definition of faint: pass out; lose consciousness
2. When Eli put the tractor in cutting mode, he accidentally mowed down
his mother’s flowers.
Definition of mowed: cut down
211
Standards-Based Vocabulary Study | Book 1
Exercise VI Roots, Prefixes, and suffixes
Use the following information about roots, prefixes, and suffixes to answer
the questions.
Roots
The Latin root litera/littera means “letter.”
The Green root metr means “measure.”
Prefixes
sym– means “together.”
ad– means “towards.”
in– means “not.”
dia– means “through.”
1. The word alliteration comes from the prefix ad–, which means
____________,
and the root litera, which means ____________.
When
letter
towards
a writer uses several words that begin with the same letter in a row, you
have alliteration. For example, a famous tongue-twister begins, “Sally
sells seashells by the seashore….”
2. Many countries use the ____________
system as an official standard of
metric
measurement. Fill in the blank by adding the root meaning “to measure”
to the suffix –ic.
3. The distance from one corner of a square to another is called the
____________.
You get this word when you add the prefix meaning
diameter
“through” to the word “meter.”
4. When you add the prefix in– to the root litera, it changes to –il, and you
get the word illiterate. Judging by the meaning of the prefix and the root,
what does this word most likely mean?
A) the same size
B) not able to read letters or words
C) measurement
D) sounding the same
212
Lesson Twenty-One | Exercise VII | LITERARY TERMS
5. Circle the letter of the vocabulary word that best connects to the quotation.
“The butterfly’s wings are exactly the same shape and size.”
A. mode
C. symmetrical
B. literate
6. Words from Mythology
Greek mythology tells us of a river that ran through the underworld (the
place where people went after death). The river was called the Lethe, and
it was known as the “River of Forgetfulness.” Once a person touched its
waters, he or she forgot everything.
What do you think the word lethargic means in the following sentence?
Sam’s mother began to worry when her energetic son became lethargic
and dull.
Meaning: sleepy, listless
Exercise VII literary TERMS
Understatement
Understatement is the downplaying of something for effect. For instance,
if a weather reporter is broadcasting from the middle of a huge blizzard,
but says there has been “a snowflake or two,” we know that she is using
understatement.
Who is using understatement in the following dialogue?
Shipwrecked man: I’ve been shipwrecked on this island for a week. I haven’t had any food since I crashed here.
Rescuer: You must be starving! You look like a stick.
Shipwrecked man: I could use a bite.
The shipwrecked man is using understatement.
213