Prepare to Read

Learn Key Vocabulary

Rate and Study the Words Rate how well you know each word. Then:

  • 1. Pronounce the word. Say it aloud several times. Spell it.

  • 2. Study the example.

  • 3. Tell more about the word.

  • 4. Practice it. Make the word your own.

Rating Scale
1=I have never seen this word before.
2=I am not sure of the word’s meaning.
3=I know this word and can teach the word’s meaning to someone else.
Key Words
alarm (u-larm) noun page 290
Photograph of a smoke detector on a ceiling with smoke around it
An alarm warns people of danger. A smoke detector is one kind of alarm.		discover (dis-ku-vur) verb page 292
Photograph of a child looking at a sea star hidden in beach grass
To discover means to find something that is lost or hidden. The boy discovers a starfish at the beach.		explorer (ik-splor-ur) noun page 292
Photograph of two mountain hikers on top of a snow-covered mountain
An explorer travels somewhere to study something. Explorers find out what is special about a new place. Base Word: explore
famous (fā-mus) adjective page 288
Photograph of the Statue of Liberty
Something that is famous is very well known. Many people have seen the famous Statue of Liberty. Base Word: fame		ocean (ō-shun) noun page 290
Photograph of a curl of an ocean
An ocean is a large area or body of salt water. Oceans cover most of the Earth.		passenger (pa-sen-jur) noun page 288
Photograph of people inside a bus holding onto the handrails
When you ride in a car, boat, or other vehicle, you are a passenger. The bus driver took ten passengers to the school.
search (surch) verb, noun page 292
Photograph of a person looking through a pair of binoculars

  • 1 verb When you search for something, you look for it. You might search for something you lost.

  • 2 noun A search is the act of looking for something.

wreck (rek) noun page 293
Photograph of a ship broken in half in the water
A wreck is what is left after a crash. A shipwreck is a broken ship that crashed.		Practice the Words Make a Study Card for each Key Word. Then compare your cards with a partner’s.

wreck What it means: what is left after a crash

Example: car after an accident

Not an example: new car


Study Card