Grades 7–8: List 6

Vocabulary is key to performing well on Common Core-aligned tests for English Language Arts as well as for building literacy in social studies, science, and technical subjects. This collection features common tier-2 words that are taught and tested in Grades 7 and 8. These words are used in a variety of contexts, exhibit different shades of meaning based on those contexts, and appear commonly in classroom instruction and on standardized assessments.


Here are links to our lists in the collection: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5, List 6, List 7, List 8
20 words 1716 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. speaker
    the narrative voice of a poem (as distinct from the poet)
    "I was a poet in hiding and as a result wrote poems with a speaker always in hiding," she says of the poems written before 2006, when she became a legal permanent resident. Los Angeles Times (May 5, 2016)
  2. quote
    repeat a passage from
    And he quoted the passage and pointed out the error. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
  3. quotation
    a passage or expression that is cited
    All quotations were either from the Bible or Shakespeare. The Westing Game
  4. reference
    a book from which you can seek authoritative facts
    It's a reference book given to me by my sister Amy, and it's full of useful information. Me Talk Pretty One Day
  5. identify
    recognize as being
    The goal of a leitmotif is to help the listener identify a main character or theme in the story. Music and the Child
  6. source
    a document from which information is obtained
    “Well,” Mr. Bonner goes on, “if the person feels as though they have enough information—names, dates, access to primary sources like newspapers and photographs—they can seek out some truth that way.” Fast Pitch
  7. relevant
    having a bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
    It was an interesting question, but not relevant to the matter at hand. Six of Crows
  8. support
    establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
    Our hope, of course, is to find evidence to support the first of these three possibilities. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
  9. research
    systematic investigation to establish facts
    You’ll all be researching your question, because research is fun, fun, fun! The Science of Breakable Things
  10. question
    an instance of querying
    You’ll all be researching your question, because research is fun, fun, fun! The Science of Breakable Things
  11. resolve
    bring to an end; settle conclusively
    Readers may wonder why Spencer decides to end the novel without resolving many of the major plot points he introduces — including several buried secrets unlikely to stay buried in such a small town. Washington Post (Jun 16, 2017)
  12. resolution
    the way the main complication of a literary work is settled
    My former classmates who have published memoirs spoke of their editors' desire for the books to have a resolution, to have everything be better by the conclusion. Salon (Dec 5, 2021)
  13. revise
    make changes to
    I rework every sentence a few times before going on to the next, and revise the whole chapter two or three times before I show it to anyone. The Sense of Style
  14. root word
    the form of a word after all affixes are removed
    “Gala” — the root word that gives us “galaxy” — actually means “milk.” New York Times (Jul 23, 2018)
  15. root
    the form of a word after all affixes are removed
    The word "octave" comes from a Latin root meaning "eight." Understanding Basic Music Theory
  16. sensory
    involving or derived from the senses
    Mr. Martin said that his philosophy as a writer is to show and not tell, and doing so requires “vivid sensory detail.” New York Times (May 2, 2014)
  17. setting
    the context and environment in which something is situated
    The shack is like the setting for a horror movie. King and the Dragonflies
  18. skim
    read superficially
    “You were just skimming the pages. No way could you retain any knowledge.” The Smartest Kid in the Universe
  19. stanza
    a fixed number of lines of verse forming a unit of a poem
    I hummed a stanza of Areida’s favorite song, a sad one, about a farmer whose family is starving. Ella Enchanted
  20. style
    a mode of expression typical of a person, group, or period
    You have written your story with sound grammar and interesting style. The Kite Runner
Created on Tue Jul 19 15:42:28 EDT 2022 (updated Tue Aug 30 15:07:31 EDT 2022)

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