Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

Vocabulary
Week 23

1. lament – to feel or express sorrow or regret for, to mourn over
2. incompetent – lacking qualification or ability; not capable
3. harbinger – a person who goes ahead and makes known the approach of another; a herald – anything that foreshadows a future event
4. capsize – to turn bottom up; overturn
5. oblivion – the state of being completely forgotten or unknown
6. disorient(ed) – confused as to time or place; out of touch
7. idle – not working or active; lazy; not in operation; futile
8. unwieldy– note easily handled or managed in use or action, as from size, shape, or weight; awkward
9. hooligan – a ruffian or hoodlum
10. ambitious – eagerly desirous of achieving or obtaining success, power, wealth or a specific goal
11. contrite – caused by or showing sincere remorse, sorrow, or regret
12. rankle – to continue to cause keen irritation or bitter resentment within the mind; to be painful
13. shenanigans – mischief, prankishness; trickery - tricks
14. rotund – round in shape; rounded, plump; fat
15. clique – a small, exclusive group of people
16. flabbergast – to overcome with surprise and bewilderment; astound
17. differentiate – to form, mark or treat differently; to change or alter; to make different
18. insight(ful)– an instant of understanding the true nature of a thing, perceiving the underlining truth of something.
19. charisma – a spiritual power or personal quality that gives an individual influence or authority over large numbers of people
20. symbolic – something that serves as a representation or expression for something
21. recapitulate – to review by a brief summary, as at the end of a speech or discussion; to summarize

Monday, May 16th, 2011

Vocabulary – Week 23

lament
unwieldy
clique
incompetent
hooligan
flabbergast
harbinger
ambitious
differentiate
capsize
contrite
insight(ful)
oblivion
rankle
charisma
disoriented
shenanigans
symbolic
idle
rotund
recapitulate

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

Vocabulary
Week 22

1. derby – a horse race
2. cavalier – a horseman OR haughty, disdainful
3. fracas – a noisy, disorderly disturbance or fight; uproar
4. limbo – a place or state of transition or oblivion
5. grungy – ugly, run-down, filthy or dilapidated
6. pixie – a fairy, spite or elf
7. defunct – no longer in effect, use or functioning; no longer in existence
8. errant – deviating from the regular or proper course; straying
9. liability – money owed OR something that is disadvantageous
10. nonplus – a state of utter perplexity, puzzled, confusion
11. demoralize – to deprive of spirit, courage, discipline; do destroy morale
12. ungainly – not graceful, awkward; unwieldy; clumsy
13. logistics – the planning, implementation and coordination of the details of a business or other operation
14. opulence – wealth, riches or affluence; abundance, plenty
15. cauterize – to burn with a hot iron, electric current, fire for curative purposes
16. delectable – delightful, highly pleasing; enjoyable; delicious
17. clandestine – characterized or done in secrecy or concealment
18. loiter – to linger aimlessly or as if aimless in or about a place; to move slow or in an idle manner
19. virtuoso – a person who has special knowledge or skill in a field; a person who excels in music or art
20. bemoan (ed) – to express distress or grief over; lament
21. fixated – to focus ones gaze or attention on

Monday, May 9th, 2011

Vocabulary
Week 22

1. derby –
2. cavalier –
3. fracas –
4. limbo –
5. grungy –
6. pixie –
7. defunct –
8. errant –
9. liability –
10. nonplus –
11. demoralize –
12. ungainly –
13. logistics –
14. opulence –
15. cauterize –
16. delectable –
17. clandestine –
18. loiter –
19. virtuoso –
20. bemoan (ed) –
21. fixated –

Vocabulary
Week 21

1. symposium – a meeting or conference for the discussion of some subject, especially a meeting at which several speakers talk on or discuss a topic before an audience.
2. antics – a playful trick or prank
3. burgeon – to grow or develop quickly; to flourish
4. oscillate – to swing, turn or move to and fro, as a pendulum does
5. polymer – a compound of high nuclear weight derived either by the addition of other smaller molecules
6. abstain – to hold oneself back voluntarily, especially from something regarded as improper or unhealthy
7. snivel – to weep or cry with sniffling
8. prognosticate – to forecast or predict (something future) from present indications or signs; prophesy
9. naive – unaffected simplicity, unsophisticated, showing a lack of experiences or judgment
10. intervene – to come between disputing people or groups, to intercede or mediate
11. euphoria – a feeling of happiness, confidence or well-being
12. narcissistic – excessive fascination or love of oneself
13. mirth – jovial or amused, especially when accompanied by laughter
14. parcel – an object or container of something wrapped up or packaged; a portion or fragment
15. scruples – a moral or ethical consideration or standard that acts as a restraining force or inhibits certain actions
16. repute– estimation in the view of other; reputation
17. parasite – an organism that lives on or in an organism or another species, known as the host, from which the parasite obtains nutriment
18. scant – barely sufficient in amount or quantity; not abundant; inadequate
19. preponderance – superior in weight, force or influence, numbers
20. merciless – without mercy; having or showing no mercy
21. synapse – a region where nerve impulses are transmitted and received

Vocabulary
Week 20

1. ingenious – characterized by cleverness or originality of invention or construction, clever
2. blanch – to whiten by removing color; to bleach
3. captivate – to attract and hold the attention of, or interest of, as by beauty or excellence; to enchant
4. exalt(ed) – to raise in rank, honor, power, character, quality; to elevate
5. deprecate – to express earnest disapproval of; to urge against or belittle
6. improvise – to compose and perform or deliver without previous preparation; to make or provide with whatever materials are available
7. credulous – willing to believe or trust too readily, especially without proper or adequate evidence; gullible
8. decibel – a unit used to express the intensity of a sound wave
9. farce – a light humorous play, where the plot exploits the situation more than the characters
10. brackish – slightly salty; having a salty or briny flavor
11. martyr – a person who willingly suffers death rather than renounce his or her religion, belief, principal, or cause
12. perennial – something that is continuing or recurrent
13. epitome – a person or thing that is typical of or possesses to a high degree the features of a whole class
14. orient – to adjust with relation to ones surroundings
15. syndicate – a group of individuals or organizations combined or making a joint effort to undertake some specific job or carry out specific transactions or negotiations
16. novelty – the state or quality of being new, unique; newness
17. patron – a person who is a customer, client or paying guest; a person who supports with money a institution, event, the arts, charity or cause.
18. catty – slyly malicious; spiteful, catlike
19. proliferate – to increase in number or spread rapidly and often excessively
20. depreciate – to reduce the purchasing value of; to lessen the price of
21. grapple – to hold or seize another; to wrestle or engage in struggle with

Monday, April 25th, 2011

Language Arts Quick Hits

* Research Paper Rough Drafts - DUE TODAY 4/25 - Students research paper rough drafts were due today. I tried to take a moment and meet with each student individually to look over their rough draft and make comments. Students were then given time to make corrects and edits in class.

Students seem to be struggling most with introductions and conclusions as well transition sentences - logically transitioning from one paragraph to the next. Some
students are also struggling with how to best organize and group their information, which may be a product of weak or poorly crafted outlines. Have your student read
their paper out loud to you, making corrections as they read.

Students who had their rough drafts completed received full credit for their work, which has been updated in the online gradebook (please note that I was unable to get
through every rough draft today and will complete this process tomorrow.) Students who did not have their rough draft, or had incomplete rough drafts were docked
benchmark points.

* Research Paper Final Draft DUE: FRIDAY 4/29 - With rough drafts being completed and students making final edits, papers should be completed and turned in on time. If your student is unable meet this deadline, please contact me before Friday.

* Week 20 Vocabulary - Students were given time in class to complete the vocabulary which I have listed below in this email and will also post on my blog. I will be checking definitions tomorrow and we will have a quiz on Friday.

* Reading Responses - Reading Responses were collected today and new ones passed out. Remember, Reading Responses are a daily responsibility and missing responses are detrimental to a students overall grade. Students can always get an extra Reading Response from my classroom or download one from my blog.

* MAP TESTING - our next round of MAP testing will be next Monday and Tuesday and will take up the entire block on both days.

Vocabulary – Week 20

ingenious


decibel


syndicate

blanch


farce


novelty

captivate


brackish


patron

exalt(ed)


martyr


catty

deprecate


perennial


proliferate

improvise


epitome


depreciate

credulous


orient


grapple