VOCABULARY WORDS : THEME TWO
STORY ONE: “The Night of San Juan”
wistful: You are wistful if you feel as though your wishes probably won’t come true.
grateful: To be grateful is to feel thankful for someone or something.
grim: If something looks grim, it appears serious and forbidding.
raspy: A raspy noise sounds rough and harsh, like sandpaper scraping word.
swarmed: If animals have swarmed, they have moved quickly and gathered in large numbers.
revelers: Revelers are people who are having fun at a lively party or celebration.
irresistible: Something that is irresistible is difficult to turn away from.
STORY TWO: “When the Circus Came to Town”
fret: When you fret about something, you keep thinking and worrying about it.
assured: If someone assured you of something, he or she has said words to make you feel positive that things will be all right.
nudged: If you nudged a person or thing, you pushed it or poked it gently.
outlandish: If something is outlandish, it is bizzare, strange and unusual.
ruckus: To raise a ruckus is to make a lot of noise and fuss about something.
proclaimed: If you have announced something to a group of people, you have proclaimed it.
STORY THREE: “When Washington Crossed the Delaware”
crucial: If something is crucial, it is extremely important.
crisis: A crisis is a situation that suddenly becomes very dangerous or difficult.
maneuvered: To have maneuvered something is to have moved it or guided it very carefully.
perseverance: If you try hard and don’t give up, you are showing perseverance.
encountered: If you encountered someone, you met that person unexpectedly.
persuading: Persuading someone means trying to get him or her to agree with your plan or opinion.
appealed: If you have appealed to someone, you have made a request with a lot of feeling.
destiny: To believe in destiny is to feel that certain things will happen because they were meant to be.
STORY FOUR: “Leonardo’s Horse”
scholars: Scholars are people who have studied certain topics and know a lot about them.
specialized: Someone who has specialized in something has given it most of his or her time and attention.
gesture: A gesture is something you say or do in order to express a feeling to someone.
envisioned: If you have pictured something in your mind, you have envisioned it.
proportion: If something is in proportion, none of its parts are too large or too small.
resisted: If a person or an object has resisted, that person or object was very difficult or impossible to change.
STORY FIVE: “The Secret Ingredient”
eminent: An eminent person is well known and important.
charity: Charity is showing kindness by giving money or gifts to organizations that need them.
modest: A modest person does not brag or show off.
disgruntled: If you are disgruntled, you are unhappy because things have not turned out the way you wanted.
inadequate: Something that is inadequate is not as good or as large as it needs to be.
aghast: If you are aghast, you feel shocked and disgusted about something.
dismayed: When you are dismayed, you are upset about something and unsure of how to deal with it.
amends: When you amend something, you make positive changes, such as amending a shopping list or a recipe.
absentminded: Someone who is absentminded forgets things easily.
concoction: A concoction is a mix of different things, often put together without much planning.
