Ninth graders received a new vocabulary sheet today, which is copied below in its entirety.
A Lesson Before Dying List 1
1. conspiracy NOUN An agreement to perform together an illegal, wrongful, or subversive act The police detective believed that the suspect was acting on his own rather than as part of a conspiracy.
2. modicum NOUN A small, moderate, or token amount Despite the harsh feelings between the two candidates, they were able to maintain a modicum of politeness during the debate.
3. racketeer NOUN A person who commits crimes such as extortion, loansharking, bribery, and obstruction of justice as part of illegal business activities The racketeer pocketed millions of dollars before he was finally apprehended by police.
4. implore VERB To beg for urgently The desperate student implored the teacher to grant him a one-day extension on the research project.
5. inherit VERB 1. a. To receive (property or a title, for example) from an ancestor by legal succession or will. b. To receive by bequest or as a legacy. 2. To receive or take over from a predecessor When Mr. and Mrs .Kimball died unexpectedly, their children inherited all of the family’s wealth and possessions.
6. existence NOUN 1. The fact or state of existing or being. 2. The fact or state of continued being; life For centuries people have debated the existence of a divine being; some people are certain that God exists, while others have their doubts.
7. merciful ADJ Full of mercy; compassionate The jurors were merciful to the convict and sentenced him to only a short time in prison, for they believed he was genuinely sorry for the pain he had caused others.
8. commend VERB 1. To represent as worthy, qualified, or desirable 2. To express approval of; to praise. 3. To commit to the care of another; to entrust The teacher commended her students for their outstanding performance on the STAAR test.
9. just ADJ 1. Honorable and fair in one's dealings and actions 2. Consistent with what is morally right; righteous: 3. Properly due or merited The judge thought deeply about the case in order to determine a just punishment for the crime.
10. satchel NOUN A small bag, often having a shoulder strap, used for carrying books or clothing Eloise has misplaced her satchel, which contained her school books and several personal items.
11. courtesy NOUN a. Polite behavior. b. A polite gesture or remark It is considered common courtesy to ask whether or not the seat is taken before sitting down in an empty chair at the table.
12. illegible ADJ unable to be read or deciphered Harold’s essay was totally illegible; as a result, he earned a failing grade.
13. immovable ADJ 1. a. Impossible to move. b. Incapable of movement.
2. Impossible to alter: 3. Unyielding in principle, purpose, or adherence; steadfast. 4. Incapable of being moved emotionally. 5. Law Not liable to be removed; permanent The president remained immovable in his policy of refusing to negotiate with terrorists.
14. clamp VERB 1. To fasten, grip, or support with or as if with a clamp. 2. To establish by authority NOUN Any of various devices used to join, grip, support, or compress mechanical or structural parts The mechanic used clamps to hold the parts in place while he reconnected them.
clamp down VERB To become more strict or repressive; impose controls The school administrators are clamping down on dress code violations; even a minor infraction will result in SRC.
15. antebellum ADJ Belonging to the period before a war, especially the American Civil War The students toured an old plantation house in Georgia
16. grunt VERB 1. To utter a deep guttural sound, as a hog does. 2. To utter a sound similar to a grunt, as in disgust 3. To utter or express with a deep guttural sound NOUN A deep guttural sound The teacher heard nothing but grunts from his pupils when he announced that recess had been cancelled for the rest of the week.
17. tolerate VERB 1. To allow without prohibiting or opposing; to permit. 2. To recognize and respect (the rights, beliefs, or practices of others). 3. To put up with; endure Some people are better able than others to tolerate warm weather conditions; in fact, some people are not at all bothered by the heat.
18. impatient ADJ 1. Unable to wait patiently or tolerate delay; restless. 2. Unable to endure irritation or opposition; intolerant 3. Restively eager or desirous; anxious The impatient students were unable to settle down; they wanted the carnival to begin—now!
19. flaunt VERB 1. To exhibit or show off shamelessly: 2. To show contempt for; to scorn. 1. To parade oneself ostentatiously; to show oneself off. 2. To wave grandly Knowing that he should have remained in jail much longer than he had, the recently released ex-con flaunted his freedom in front of the cops.
20. pending ADJ Not yet decided or settled; awaiting conclusion or confirmation PREP 1. While in the process of; during. 2. While awaiting; until The school board’s decision is pending; we should know by next week whether or not the updated attendance policies will take effect next year.
Your homework for tomorrow is to write context-rich sentences with the first ten words. Your sentences should conform to the following: three sentences with alliteration; three sentences that are compound with a semicolon; three sentences that are compound with a comma and one of the fanboys; one sentence with a simile.
Juniors engaged in a graded discussion on Malcolm X today and received a Wall Street Journal article entitled "What's Wrong with the Teenage Mind?" for you all to read and annotate for Wednesday. A link to this article is as follows:
Your ADQ resource list is due February 7, 2012; and
Your commencement speech is due February 14, 2012.
You will also have ongoing reading assignments, so please work daily. I suggest 30 minutes daily to prevent stress and poor work products.
Please remember that you have one week from the day of an absence to make up work. This has been a policy since the beginning of school, but a distressing number of people are forgetting it, much to their detriment.
Have a great day!
