Red Scarf Girl Vocab List Red Scarf Girl
Vocabulary Master List (Chapters 1-4)
Explorer:
Literary Passport Series
Ji-Li Jiang's memoir begins during China's Cultural Revolution (1966). These words reflect the political and social upheaval that changed her life forever.
1. Prosperity
Chapter 1
Definition: A state of being successful, flourishing, or thriving, especially regarding financial status.
2. Bourgeois
Chapter 2
Definition: Relating to the middle class, often used during the Cultural Revolution to describe those with "capitalist" or "non-revolutionary" lifestyles.
3. Da-zi-bao
Chapter 2
Definition: A large-character poster used during the Cultural Revolution to criticize individuals or spread political messages.
4. Eradicate
Chapter 2
Definition: To destroy completely; to put an end to something.
5. Reactionary
Chapter 3
Definition: Opposing political or social progress or reform; considered an "enemy of the revolution" in the book.
6. Proletariat
Chapter 3
Definition: The working class, especially those who do manual labor for wages.
7. Ideology
Chapter 3
Definition: A system of ideas and ideals, especially one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.
8. Xenophile
Chapter 4
Definition: An individual who is attracted to foreign peoples, cultures, or customs.
Sentence Passport
Choose two words from the list and write a sentence for each that demonstrates you understand their meaning in the context of your own life or school experience.
WORD 1:
WORD 2:
Born a Crime Vocab List Born a Crime
Vocabulary Master List (Chapters 1-4)
Explorer:
Literary Passport Series
Trevor Noah's story explores life under Apartheid and the complexities of race and identity in South Africa.
1. Apartheid
Chapter 1
Definition: A policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race, specifically in South Africa from 1948 to 1994.
2. Paradox
Chapter 1
Definition: A seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement that when investigated may prove to be well founded or true.
3. Oppression
Chapter 1
Definition: Prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control.
4. Sovereign
Chapter 2
Definition: Possessing supreme or ultimate power; independent.
5. Amalgamation
Chapter 2
Definition: The action, process, or result of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form.
6. Assimilate
Chapter 3
Definition: Take in and understand fully; to cause to resemble; to absorb.
7. Anomaly
Chapter 3
Definition: Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.
8. Disparate
Chapter 4
Definition: Essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison.
Critical Connections
In the book, Trevor Noah describes himself as an "anomaly." Write about a time you felt like an anomaly or observed something that broke the expected pattern.
The Distance Between Us Vocab List The Distance Between Us
Vocabulary Master List (Chapters 1-4)
Explorer:
Literary Passport Series
Reyna Grande's memoir tells the story of her family's struggle to stay together while her parents seek a better life in "El Otro Lado."
1. El Otro Lado
Chapter 1
Definition: Spanish for "The Other Side"; refers to the United States in the context of Mexican immigration.
2. Abandonment
Chapter 1
Definition: The action or fact of abandoning or being abandoned; desertion.
3. Desperation
Chapter 2
Definition: A state of despair, typically one which results in rash or extreme behavior.
4. Adobe
Chapter 1
Definition: A kind of clay used as a building material, typically in the form of sun-dried bricks.
5. Resentment
Chapter 3
Definition: Bitter indignation at having been treated unfairly.
6. Gringo
Chapter 4
Definition: (In Spanish-speaking countries) a person, especially an American, who is not Hispanic or Latino.
7. Resilience
Chapter 3
Definition: The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
8. Poverty
Chapter 1
Definition: The state of being extremely poor; the state of being inferior in quality.
Character Reflection
Which character in the first four chapters shows the most resilience ? Provide a specific example from the text to support your answer.
I Will Always Write Back Vocab List I Will Always Write Back
Vocabulary Master List (Chapters 1-4)
Explorer:
Literary Passport Series
This memoir alternates between Caitlin in Pennsylvania and Martin in Zimbabwe. Their letters reveal the vast differences—and surprising similarities—in their lives.
1. Pen pal
Chapter 1
Definition: A person with whom one becomes friendly by exchanging letters, typically someone in a foreign country whom one has never met.
2. Perspective
Chapter 1
Definition: A particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.
3. Privilege
Chapter 2
Definition: A special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group.
4. Commotion
Chapter 3
Definition: A state of confused and noisy disturbance.
5. Infrastructure
Chapter 3
Definition: The basic physical structures (e.g. buildings, roads, power) needed for the operation of a society.
6. Corrugated
Chapter 4
Definition: (Of a material, surface, or structure) shaped into alternate ridges and grooves.
7. Tuition
Chapter 4
Definition: A sum of money charged for teaching or instruction by a school or college.
8. Gratitude
Chapter 1
Definition: The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation.
Perspective Shift
Compare the infrastructure of Caitlin’s town and Martin’s town as described in the first four chapters. What is one major difference?
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind Vocab List The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Vocabulary Master List (Chapters 1-4)
Explorer:
Literary Passport Series
William Kamkwamba's story begins in rural Malawi, where he faces the challenges of famine and poverty with curiosity and a scientific mind.
1. Famine
Chapter 1
Definition: Extreme scarcity of food.
2. Maize
Chapter 1
Definition: A Central American cereal plant that yields large grains set in rows on a cob; corn.
3. Innovation
Chapter 2
Definition: A new method, idea, product, or way of doing something.
4. Dynamo
Chapter 4
Definition: A machine for converting mechanical energy into electrical energy; a generator.
5. Superstition
Chapter 2
Definition: Excessively credulous belief in and reverence for supernatural beings or magic.
6. Deforestation
Chapter 3
Definition: The action of clearing a wide area of trees.
7. Subsistence
Chapter 1
Definition: The action or fact of maintaining or supporting oneself at a minimum level.
8. Scavenge
Chapter 4
Definition: Search for and collect (anything usable) from discarded waste.
Engineer's Log
William uses innovation to solve problems. Describe one problem from the first four chapters and how innovation might help address it.
