VOCABULARY

Many of the words below are time-bound, in that they were used frequently in the past but are almost obsolete now (e.g., breeches); or are place-bound, in that they refer to a traditional agricultural environment (e.g., drover); or have a special meaning within the context of the story (e.g., cow-boys, vanguard). To help students understand and share these story-words' meanings, assign partners to be Word Sleuths. Word Sleuths define three or four words via story context and via research in dictionaries and historical encyclopedias. Partners (1) write the word's definition as it's used in the story; (2) write an original sentence using the word correctly; (3) write a “distracter sentence” in which the word is used incorrectly; (4) read the two sentences to classmates and ask them to identify the one that uses the word correctly; (5) read the definition aloud.