"A stunning tale of escape traps its hero in replay"

This hero could've used a magic hammer, but instead, he made do with a squeegee; this saved the lives of five others and changed him forever. Read more about the results of this stunning tale of escape in this list based on the news article by Harry Bruinius.

Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 7 Unit 3's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA series: Tangerine, A stunning tale of escape, To an Athlete Dying Young, Biography of Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Landmarks of Nelson Mandela's Life, Invictus, Playing the Enemy, Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech
11 words 81 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. daze
    feeling of disbelief when something bad happens accidentally
    Jan Demczur leafs through a thick binder of news clippings about his heroic Sept. 11 escape, still in a daze at the story they tell.
  2. venture
    proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
    When he does venture out, he's sometimes overcome with a sense of fear, his head dizzy and heavy, like a big ball of lead.
  3. adorn
    make more attractive, as by adding ornament or color
    It's become a safe new routine, sitting here amid pillows adorned with his wife's cross stitchings, telling how he survived.
  4. ordeal
    a severe or trying experience
    His ordeal was compelling--he was trapped in an elevator with five others after the first plane struck Tower 1, and barely escaped by clawing through the walls with only his squeegee
  5. demure
    shy or modest, often in a playful or provocative way
    Small and demure, he spoke little, and except for occasional mirth in his pale blue eyes, he revealed few emotions.
  6. industrious
    characterized by hard work and perseverance
    Content with a predictable routine, he rarely missed a day at work, was honest and industrious, paid his mortgage, and spent time with his wife and kids.
  7. seep
    pass gradually or leak or as if through small openings
    Later, when smoke started seeping into the car, they knew they had to try to get out.
  8. engulf
    flow over or cover completely
    Soon engulfed in darkness, dust, and confusion, he put his hand on the shoulder of the stranger ahead, continuing down.
  9. numb
    lacking sensation
    As he ran, his eyes were burning, his head was pounding, the dust was choking him, and then his body felt numb.
  10. sheepish
    showing a sense of shame
    A few more blocks away, he noticed how beautiful the day was and, sheepishly admits he began to touch himself to see if he was really alive, like a scene from a silly cartoon.
  11. prefer
    like better; value more highly
    "It is a different kind of life. But I prefer the way it was, when people were alive," Demzcur says.
Created on Wed Sep 03 14:07:56 EDT 2014 (updated Fri Sep 12 00:31:25 EDT 2014)

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