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
cross (kros) verb page 238
Photograph of a wooden foot bridge connecting two tall mountains
When you cross something, you go from one side to another. A hiker crosses the bridge.
Related Word: across		dangerous (dān-jur-us) adjective page 235
Photograph of a “No Swimming” sign
Something dangerous is not safe. This sign is warning people that swimming might be dangerous.
Base Word: danger		education (ej-u-kā-shun) noun page 239
Photograph of students working together at a table
Your education is everything you learn. Education can come from books, people, or experiences.
Base Word: educate
Related Words: educator, educated
effort (e-furt) noun page 246
Photograph of a girl crossing a finish line after a race with arms held high
When you put effort into something, you try harder. A runner puts effort into winning a race.		emerge (i-murj) verb page 240
Photograph of a swimmer as his head comes up for a breath of air
When you emerge from a place, you come out of it. A swimmer emerges from the water for air		improve (im-prüv) verb page 244
To improve something means to make it better. Painting a house improves how it looks.
Related Word: improvement
journey (jur-nē) noun page 235
A journey is a long trip. People take a journey across the ocean in a ship.
tend (tend) verb page 232
Photograph of a person watering a plant
When you tend something, you take care of it. The man tends a plant by watering it.		Practice the Words Make a Word Map for each Key Word. Then compare your maps with a partner’s maps.
Illustration of a Word Map for Key Words
Word Map