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Learn Key Vocabulary

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.

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.

Key Words
damage (dam-ij) verb page 578
Photograph of a badly damaged home and car
To damage means to cause harm. Wind and water from a storm can damage a building.		issue (ish-ü) noun page 576
Photograph of someone with sign that reads “Water is Our Greatest Natural Resource”
An issue is a problem or concern. Taking care of the environment has become an important issue.		prevent (pri-vent) verb page 576
Photograph of a dummy in a crash test at the moment of impact
To prevent something means to keep it from happening. Airbags can prevent injuries in a car crash.
Related Word: prevention
protect (prō-tekt) verb page 576
Photograph of young penguins sitting on the feet of a parent
To protect means to keep safe. Penguin fathers protect their young from the cold.
Related Word: protection		recycle (rē-sī-kul) verb page 579
Photgraph of children with recycle bins
To recycle means to use again, usually in a different way. People usually recycle glass, paper, and plastic.
Related Word: recycling		resource (rē-sors) noun page 576
Photograph of tree logs in a pile
A resource is something you can use. Trees are a natural resource for wood used in house building.
Related Word: resourceful
source (sors) noun page 580
Photograph of a lake in a wilderness area
A source is where something comes from. Lakes are the source for much of our drinking water.		waste (wāst) noun page 579
Photograph of a garbage truck approaching curbside trash cans for pick up
Waste is something that is left over or thrown away. People put their waste outside to be picked up each week.
Related Words: wasteful, wasted		Practice the Words Make a Study Card for each Key Word. Then compare your cards with a partner’s cards.
recycle

What it means: to use again

Example: I refill a plastic water bottle.

Not an example: I throw out paper when I could use the other side.

Study Card