Lesson 1     Ruby the Copycat

pleasant - something that is pleasant is enjoyable and makes you happy.

coincidence - a coincidence is when two things happen that seem to fit together but are not connected.

modeled -  if you modeled something, you showed it so that other people could see it.

loyal-  someone who is loyal stands by you in good times and bad.

recited-  if you recited something, you memorized it and then spoke it aloud.

 murmur-  when people murmur, they speak so softly that they can hardly be heard. 

 trudged-  if you walked slowly as though your feet were stuck in mud, you trudged.

 frustrated- when you try and try to do something and cannot, then you might feel frustrated.

 imitated-  if you copied what someone did or said, you imitated him or her.

 gushed- when you were excited about something and talked a lot about it, you gushed.

Lesson 2     The Day Eddie Met the Author

assembly-  an assembly is a group of people who have gathered for a reason.

plenty-  if you have plenty of something, you have more than enough.

dismiss-  to dismiss is to give permission to leave. 

squirmed- if you squirmed in your seat, you kept wriggling around as if you were uncomfortable.

patchwork-  patchwork is cloth made by sewing together small pieces of different fabrics.

autographed- if you autographed something, you signed your name on it.

conquer- when you conquer something, such as a problem or a fear, you win against it and over come it.

resistance- when you feel resistance, you do not want something to happen.

ponder- when you ponder, you take time to think about an idea.

anticipation- when you feel anticipation, you feel excited because something is about to happen.

Lesson 3     Schools Around the World

chore- chores are small jobs that you need to do but may not enjoy.

certain- a certain thing is one particular thing.

resource- resources are materials, money, and other things that can be used.

culture- a culture is made up of a group’s customs and traditions.

tutor-  a tutor is someone who helps another person with schoolwork.

uniform- uniforms are clothes that all the people in a group wear so they are dressed alike.

proper- something that is proper is the way it is supposed to be, or correct.

boarding- when you are boarding someone, you are giving that person a place to live for a while.

literacy- literacy is the ability to read and write.

diverse- if a group of things is diverse, then the individual things in the group are different from each other.

Lesson 4     Ellen Ochoa, Astronaut

talented- a talented person has the special ability to do something very well.

apply- when you apply for a job, you are asking for work.

research- research involves getting information about a question or topic.

 invention- an invention is something completely new that someone has made.

 hinder- when you hinder someone, you make it difficult or impossible for them to do something.

 disappointed- you are disappointed if you are unhappy about the way something turned out.

 persevere- you persevere when you keep trying to do something without giving up.

 confidence- if you are sure that everything will work out, you have confidence.

 ambitious- an ambitious person is eager to reach a goal.

 attain- when you reach a goal, you attain it.

Lesson 5     The School News

viewers- viewers are people who watch something.

 survive- to survive is to remain alive, even after great difficulties.

 camouflage- when something has camouflage, it blends into its surroundings.

 concealed- something that is concealed is covered up so it can’t be seen.

 independent- a person who is independent is someone who does things on his or her own.

 donated- something that has been donated has been given away for free.

 media- the many ways that people communicate, including newspapers, magazines, and television, are all part of the media.

 feature- when reporters do a special report on a topic, the report is called a feature.

 image- an image is a picture of something or someone.

 popular- something that is popular is something that many people like.

Lesson 6     The Babe and I

Lesson 7     Aero and Officer Mike 

Lesson 8     How Animals Talk

charging- If an animal is charging, it is rushing or moving quickly towards something or someone.

ferocious- A ferocious animal looks angry and wild.

dominant- If someone or something is the strongest, it is dominant.

conflict- If two animals are fighting, they are in a conflict.

communicate- When two people or animals communicate, they share information.

flick- When you flick something, you move it or snap it quickly.

alert- If you alert people to something, you get their attention and let them know to be careful.

signal- A signal is a sound or an action that sends a message.

chatter- When animals chatter, they repeat their sounds quickly.

groom- When an animal grooms itself, it makes itself neat and clean.  

Lesson 9     Stone Soup

Lesson 10     The Case of the Three Bears’ Breakfast

investigate- When you investigate something, you try to find out the truth about it.

expert- An expert is someone who knows a lot about a certain job.

laboratory- A place where experiments are done is a laboratory.

various- When there are various objects, there are objects of different types.

suspect- When you suspect someone of doing something; you think that person has done it.

confess- When you confess, you tell the truth about something you did wrong.

perplexed- When you are perplexed about something, you are confused about it.

inquisitive- If you are inquisitive about something, you are curious about it.

inviting- If something looks inviting, you want to take part in it or have something to do with it.

amusing- If something is fun or funny, it is amusing.

Lesson 11     Loved Best

 swooned- If you had a terrible shock or surprise that made you faint or fall, you might have swooned.

 astonished- When you are amazed and surprised by something, you are astonished.

 encourgaging-An encouraging word from a friend can make you feel that you can do something well.

 brief- If something is brief, it does not take much time.

 chuckling- If you are chuckling, you are laughing quietly to yourself.

 soothing- Something that is soothing makes you feel calm.

 sobbed- Someone who sobbed cried very hard.

 praised-If you praised someone, you told that person that he or she did something well.

 envious- If you feel envious, you want something that someone else has.

 rivalry- People who have a rivalry are competing against each other for something.

Lesson 12     A Pen Pal for Max

deciphered- If you have figured out a message that is difficult to understand or that is written in code, then you have deciphered it.

mistaken- If you are wrong about something, you are mistaken.

translate- If you translate something, you say or write it in another language.

repairs- When something needs repairs, it needs to be fixed.

heaving- Heaving is throwing something heavy with great effort.

bothersome- When something is bothersome, it bothers you and causes problems

din- If there is a din, there is so much noise that it is hard to hear anything over it.

dodging- When you are dodging something, you avoid something that is coming toward you.

catastrophe- A catastrophe is something really terrible that has happened.

fortunate- If you are fortunate, you are very lucky.

 Lesson 13     A Tree Is Growing

 tugged- If you tugged something, you pulled it hard.

 paused- If you paused, you stopped what you were doing for just a moment.

 columns- A column is a tall, circular structure that holds up part of a building.

 absorb- Something absorbs a liquid if it soaks up the liquid.

 protects- When you protect something, you keep it safe.

 rustling- When objects are rustling, they are moving and making soft sound.

 dissolve- When something dissolves, it mixes completely with a liquid.

 particles- Tiny pieces of something are called particles.

 scavenger- An animal is a scavenger if it collects leftover and unwanted objects.

 self-sufficient- If something is self-sufficient, it makes everything it needs.

Lesson 14     One Small Place in a Tree

 Lesson 15     Ask the Experts

Lesson 16     Lon Po Po

charming- If you are charming, you have a way of pleasing people with what you say and how you act.

racket- If you make a lot of noise, you are making a racket.

ingenious- If you do something clever or imaginative, you are ingenious.

outwit- If you trick someone by doing something clever you outsmart, or outwit, them.

tender- Something like food, that is tender is soft and easy to chew or cut.

delighted- When you are very happy about something, you are delighted.

brittle- Things that are brittle are so stiff and hard that they break easily.

embraced- If you hugged someone, you embraced that person.

cunning- Someone who is cunning uses smart and tricky ways to get what he or she wants.

disguised- If you are disguised, you are wearing something that keeps people from knowing who you are.

 Lesson 17     Two Bear Cubs

Lesson 18     Me and Uncle Romie

dull- When something is not shiny, it is dull.

towers- Something that is very tall towers over shorter things.

masterpiece- A great piece of art can be called a masterpiece.

heritage- Memories and traditions of your family’s past are part of our heritage.

glorious- If something is so wonderful that you can hardly believe, it is glorious.

memory- A memory is something you remember.

ruined- If something is ruined, it is destroyed.

streak- To streak is to move very fast from one place to another.

crept- If you crept, you moved slowly and carefully so that you wouldn’t be seen or heard.

yanked- When something is yanked, it is given a quick, hard pull.

 Lesson 19     Half-Chicken

 deliberately-  If you move slowly and carefully you move deliberately.

 composed- If you made up a song,, you composed it.

 suggested- If you suggested something, you gave someone an idea.

 enormous- Something that is enormous is very big.

 exclaimed- If you exclaimed something, you said it excitedly.

 swift- Something that is swift moves very quickly.

 vain- If you are vain, you think very highly of yourself.

 overheard- If you overheard what people said, you heard it without them knowing that you were listening.

 gratitude- If you thank someone for something, you are showing gratitude.

 compassion- If you are kind to someone, you are showing compassion.

 Lesson 20     Backstage with Chris and Casey

versions- If there are different versions of a story, the story is told in different ways.

rehearse- To rehearse is to practice for a performance.

mandatory- Something that is mandatory is required.

criticize-When you criticize something, you tell what you think is wrong with it.

immerse- To immerse oneself is to become very involved in something.

dialogue- Conversation between people is called dialogue.

camaraderie- People have camaraderie when they are comfortable with each other and spend a lot of time together.

flawless- If a performance is flawless, there are no mistakes in it.

tragic- A tragic event is something that is horrible and hard to forget.

limp- When something is limp, it is too weak to move or support itself.

Lesson 21     Antarctic Ice

 conserved- If something is rare or important, you protect  or conserve it.

 strict- If you are stern and demand obedience, you are strict.

 absence- An absence means that something or someone is not present.

 shelters- Something that shelters you protects you and keeps you safe.

 permanently- If something stays one way forever, it stays that way permanently.

 drifts- When something drifts, it moves along without direction.

 scarce- Something is scarce if there is not much of it to be found.

 dim- It is dim when there is not much light.

 harsh- If something is hard to stand up to, like a blizzard, it is harsh.

 bleak- If something is cold and gloomy, it is bleak.

 Lesson 22     Bat Loves the Night

Lesson 23     Chestnut Cove

 Lesson 24     Ramona Quimby, Age 8

 Lesson 25     The Robodogs of Greenville

Lesson 26     Charlotte’s Web

bristly- If something is bristly, it is covered with short, stiff hairs.

dreadful- If something is dreadful, it is scary or terrible.

adamant- If someone is adamant, he or she is very determined or stubborn.

inevitable- If something is inevitable, it cannot be avoided or stopped.

nuisance- Something or someone that bothers you can be a nuisance.

boasting- Someone who is boasting is telling other people wonderful things about himself or herself

sway- When things sway, they swing slowly back and forth.

oblige- When you oblige someone, you help the person.

summoning- If you are summoning someone, you are calling for the person to come.

sedentary- If you have a sedentary job or lifestyle, you are sitting down most of the time.

 Lesson 27     Spiders and Their Webs

justice- If you treat others fairly, you are showing justice. 

task- When you finish your work, you have completed a task.

elaborate- If many details decorate something, it is elaborate. 

inventive- A person who creates or solves something in a new way is inventive. 

prey- Prey is an animal that is hunted for food.  

shallow- Something shallow is not very deep. 

reels- A person reels something in by winding up a line attached to it.

strands- Long, thin pieces of something are called strands.

social- A social animal is one that lives in a group with other animals of the same kind. 

spiral- A spiral shape curls around and around in a circle.

 Lesson 28     The Science Fair

humor- When you have a sense of humor, it means you enjoy telling and hearing about things that are funny.

abroad- If you go abroad, you go overseas to a different country.

preparation- Preparation is everything you do to get ready for something.

gimmick- A gimmick is a trick or a way to grab people’s attention.

sprinkled- If something is sprinkled, it means tiny pieces of something else have been scattered over it.

expand- When things expand, they get bigger.

erupt- Something that erupts breaks out of its bounds.

thorough- If you do something in a thorough way, you do a careful and complete job.

deliberation- When something takes a  lot of deliberation, it takes a great deal of thought.

grainy- If something is grainy, it is not smooth but has many small, hard pieces.

 Lesson 29     The Planets

distinct- When there are several similar but separate objects, they are said to be distinct.

slightly- When something happens slightly, you can barely tell it happened.

infinite- When there is so much of something that it cannot be measured, its size it infinite.

expansive- Something that is expansive covers a lot of space.

rotate- Something that rotates spins like a top.

steady- A light that is steady always looks the same and does not change or go out.

reflect- When something reflects, light bounces off its surface instead of passing through it.

surface- The surface of something is the top part of it.

evidence- Evidence is proof of what has happened.

appear- How something appears is the way it looks or seems to be.

 Lesson 30     Voyage Across the Solar System

 magnify- When you magnify something, you make it look larger than it actually is. 

 observed- If you observed something, you watched it carefully to learn more about it.  

 generate-To generate something is to produce it. 

 confirm- When you can prove something is correct, you can confirm it.

 picturesque- Something that is picturesque is pretty enough to be in a picture.

 safeguard- To safeguard something is to protect and guard it. 

 expedition- An expedition is an adventure or a journey to a new place. 

 uncharted- If an area is uncharted, there are no maps of that place.  

 aligned- When two things are aligned, they match up perfectly.

 occur- When something occurs, it happens.