Vocabulary Lists

1. 
   Dream Within a DreamPatricia MacLachlan

   Eleven-year-old Louisa doesn't love change but explores new ways of looking at life when she visits her grandparents'...
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2. 
   Love, Ruby LavenderDeborah Wiles

   When her grandmother Miss Eula leaves Mississippi for the summer, nine-year-old Ruby Lavender misses their adventures,...
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3. 
   Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry FarmerKelly Jones

   When twelve-year-old Sophie Brown moves from a California city to a farm her dad has inherited, she is determined to...
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4. 
   Wild RiverRodman Philbrick

   Middle schooler Daniel and his campmates battle for survival on the Crazy River in Montana.
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5. 
   Rain ReignAnn M. Martin

   Eleven-year-old Rose Howard, who prefers rules and routines, struggles when a hurricane changes her life in a New York...
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6. 
   Ms. Bixby's Last DayJohn David Anderson

   Sixth-graders Topher Renn, Brand Walker, and Steve Sakata of Fox Ridge Elementary School learn that their favorite...
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"Easter, 1916" by W.B. Yeats

In this poem by William Butler Yeats, the speaker reflects on the failed Irish uprising against the...

16 Words

"The Hill We Climb," by Amanda Gorman

22-year-old Amanda Gorman became the youngest inaugural poet in American history when she read her...

20 Words

"The Overcoat" by Nikolai Gogol

In this classic Russian short story, a low-level bureaucrat's life is upended when he attempts to...

35 Words

"St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" by Karen Russell

In this short story, the narrator and other girls raised by wolves try to adapt to life in human...

45 Words

1. 
   Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman?Patricia McKissack

   This biography chronicles the life of Sojourner Truth, a woman who was born a slave, and who became the embodiment of...
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2. Society and SolitudeRalph Waldo Emerson

   In this collection of twelve essays, the leader of New England's transcendentalist movement shares his philosophical...
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3. 
   A Thousand SistersThe Heroic Airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War IIElizabeth Wein

   This nonfiction work tells the story of how thousands of young Russian women volunteered to be trained as pilots,...
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4. 
   The Lives of a CellNotes of a Biology WatcherLewis Thomas

   In 29 essays, physician, etymologist, poet, educator, and researcher Lewis Thomas covers a range of topics to illustrate...
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5. 
   CircumferenceEratosthenes and the Ancient Quest to Measure the GlobeNicholas Nicastro

   This nonfiction book recounts the story of how a 245 BCE sea journey from Athens to Alexandria inspired Eratosthenes of...
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6. 
   Here's Looking at EuclidAlex Bellos

   To illustrate his thesis that math is the foundation of human progress, Alex Bellos details achievements throughout time...
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"The Fallacy of Success" by G.K. Chesterton

In this essay from the collection All Things Considered, the English novelist, philosopher, and...

40 Words

"Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry" by Rudolfo Anaya

In this essay, the award-winning author of Bless Me, Ultima shares his thoughts on how descriptions...

40 Words

"The Origin of Species by Natural Selection" by Charles Darwin: Essential Words

Charles Darwin expounded his theories on evolution in "The Origin of Species by Natural Selection."...

13 Words

"Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell

George Orwell reflects on imperialism as he recounts an incident that occurred when he was a police...

30 Words

1. 
   Core Tier 2 VocabularyHigh-Frequency, High-Utility Academic Words

   Mastering these common words is essential success in the classroom and beyond. Students will encounter this foundational...
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 1

Whether you're hoping to improve your comprehension of reading assignments or simply looking to...

10 Words

Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1

Whether you're preparing for a standardized test, hoping to improve your comprehension of reading...

25 Words

The AP English Exam: Rhetorical and Literary Terms 1

20 Words

ASVAB Word Knowledge

The Word Knowledge section of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a vocabulary...

100 Words

This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for March 25–March 31, 2023

Stories about popular shoes, planetary alignment, and TikTok on trial all contributed words to this...

12 Words

This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for March 18–March 24, 2023

Stories about the vernal equinox, contraband peanut butter, and new NASA spacesuits all contributed...

12 Words

This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for March 11–March 17, 2023

Stories about prolific pollen, libeled lobsters, and a downed drone all contributed words to this...

12 Words

This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for February 25–March 3, 2023

Stories about a mythical Mayan creature, a Disneyland devotee, and a new baseball rule all...

12 Words

This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for February 18–February 24, 2023

Stories about a Frappuccino recall, stolen chocolate eggs, and a broken "balloon dog" sculpture all...

12 Words

Burt Bacharach (1928–2023) Tribute List

American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist, Burt Bacharach, is widely regarded as...

14 Words

Raquel Welch (1940–2023) Tribute List

Raquel Welch was an American actress and model, who first won attention for her role in Fantastic...

14 Words

Cindy Williams (1947–2023) Tribute List

Cindy Williams, American actress and producer, began her career in the 1970s starring on stage,...

14 Words

1. 
   Common SenseThomas Paine

   In this pamphlet, Paine urges the American colonists to fight for independence from Great Britain and form a new...
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Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791)

The full title of this declaration includes a focus on citizenship, and it was published two years...

35 Words

The Treaty of Paris (1783)

The Treaty of Paris officially concluded the American Revolutionary War against Great Britain....

30 Words

Preamble to the U.S. Constitution (1787)

This introduction to the United States Constitution lays out the foundational principles of the...

15 Words

"The Declaration of Sentiments" (1848)

The Declaration of Sentiments was presented in July 1848 at the first Women's Rights Convention in...

30 Words

President Biden's Inaugural Speech (January 2021)

On Wednesday, January 20, 2021, Joseph R. Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United...

40 Words

"Ideas Live On" by Benazir Bhutto (2007)

In this speech, Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, argues for the importance of...

25 Words

Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" (1863)

At just 272 words long, Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" is widely considered to be one of the...

14 Words

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "Beyond Vietnam" (1967)

In this speech, delivered at Riverside Church in New York City, King expresses his opposition to the...

45 Words

"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" by Frederick Douglass

In this powerful speech delivered on July 5, 1852, abolitionist Frederick Douglass argued that the...

50 Words

Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I A Woman?" (1863)

Sojourner Truth's speech at the 1851 Women's Rights Convention in Ohio asked a question that could...

20 Words

President Trump's Second State of the Union Address (2019)

President Trump delivered his second State of the Union Address on February 5, 2019. The President...

25 Words

Figurative Language in King's "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)

Learn the vocabulary that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. used to inspire a generation to break free...

30 Words

English Words Derived from Indigenous Languages of the Americas

Here are 15 common English words whose roots come from indigenous languages of the Americas. The...

15 Words

In the Know: Cogn, Conn

Knowledge is power, so learn these words that derive from the Latin roots cogn and conn, meaning...

12 Words

Perfect Ten: Dec, Cent, Mille

These words derive from the Latin roots dec ("ten"), cent ("hundred"), and mille ("thousand"). Start...

14 Words

Power Suffix: -scope

Have a close look at this list of words that include the suffix -scope, meaning "an instrument for...

10 Words

English Words Derived from Arabic

All of the English words on this lists have Arabic origins. While some, like caliph and imam,...

22 Words

Power Suffix: -escence

Learn this list of words that include the suffix -escence, meaning the "process or state of being."

12 Words

Power Suffix: -acy

Derived from Latin, the English suffix -acy in English means "the state of" or "the quality or...

18 Words

More English Words Derived from Yiddish

English has borrowed many words from Yiddish, which is itself an amalgam of German, Russian, Hebrew...

15 Words

Ramadan

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, when Muhammad's first revelation of the Quran is...

20 Words

St. Patrick's Day Vocabulary: Words With Irish and Gaelic Roots

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th, but you won't find the words shamrock or leprechaun...

20 Words

Holi Festival

Holi – the Festival of Colors, Festival of Spring, and Festival of Love – is one of the most popular...

20 Words

American Football, 1st Quarter

It's time to kick-off your mastery of American football with this list of general terms. Here...

15 Words

American Football, 2nd Quarter

Now that the game is going, it's time to huddle around and practice this list of gameplay...

15 Words

American Football, 3rd Quarter

You don't have to worry about fumbling in front of fans with this list of football...

15 Words

American Football, 4th Quarter

After you've dominated this list of football terms, you'll be ready to win...

15 Words

Memorial Day Words

Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as it was originally called in the localities in which it was...

27 Words