Vocab Treasure Hunt

1. Vocab Treasure Hunt

2. What do all of these people have in common?

3. They’re all Word Warriors! • It’s true! Pirates, pop stars, and politicians all use words to win battles, not just weapons. • And the better they are with words, the better word warriors they are!

4. What’s a Word Hoard? • Ancient Vikings were mighty warriors, but they used words as weapons in their “beots” or “boasts.” These were kind of like modern rap battles or smack-talk sessions. • I, Hrothgar, son of Feodor, have more gold than there are glimmers of sunlight on the sea, more warriors than there are ants swarming under the stones. If you want to fight with me, I will hew your head from your ugly trunk and rest my boots upon your bloody stump. • A great warrior had to have a lot of good words in order to triumph. Because of this, Vikings called their vocabulary their “word hoard.”

5. Why to build your own Word Hoard • Studies show that the more words you know, the more money you make, regardless of what career you go into. • Words are money, so it’s time to strike it rich!

6. Your Vocab Treasure Hunt • Every chapter, you will become an expert on a word or two you’ll see in the chapter. • Look up and record the part of speech & definition of the word. • If you find it in the text, record the sentence in your text where the word appears. Be sure to cite it properly! • “Quote from book” (Author page #) • If you can’t, use it correctly in an original sentence. • Find the connotation: What do we associate with the word? Is it a good thing or bad thing? • Draw a picture of the word in action to help everyone remember the meaning of the word.

7. For Example: Tainted • Adj. polluted, discolored, spoiled • V. to make dirty, corrupt, or contaminated • “It was the best meal Lina had had in a very long time---but her enjoyment of it was tainted just a little by the question of where it had come from” (DuPrau 148) • It connotes bad or ruined.

8. Sharin’ yer Booty • Once you’ve done all three, you’ll email your word, sentence, definition, connotation, and picture to me. • I will then send the compiled set to the class.

9. Wielding your Word-Weapons • If you don’t practice with a weapon, it’s worthless in a fight. • If you don’t practice with these words, you’ll use them wrong when it really counts.

10. Creating your own Challenges • Instead of getting worksheets printed out of some boring old book, you will make your own vocab assignments. • Each chapter, you will create one fill-in-the-blank sentence question, one synonym question, and one antonym question. • Email the completed questions to me. • Then I’ll make your assignments and quizzes out of the questions you create!

11. How to make a good Fill-in-the-Blank question • Write a sentence that uses your word, but leave a blank where your word goes. • When Bob farted, it tainted the air. • When Bob farted, it ______ the air. • There has to be a CLUE in the sentence that a smart reader can use to figure out what goes in the blank. • BAD: The food was ___________. • GOOD: The food was ___________ after flies laid eggs in it.

12. How to make a goodSynonym question • Find 2-3 words or phrases that mean the same thing as your word. • TAINTED: Spoiled, turned bad • ________ : Spoiled, turned bad • Make sure the words aren’t too difficult. • ________ : Sullied, marred, defiled • Make sure the words aren’t off-topic. • ________ : Changed, switched up

13. How to make a goodAntonym question • Find 2-3 words or phrases that mean the opposite of your word. • TAINTED : cleaned up, purified • _________ : cleaned up, purified • Make sure the words aren’t too difficult. • _________ : expurgated, lustrated • Make sure the words aren’t off-topic. • _________ : opened a window, polished