Ladies and Gentlemen,
As the Word Finder, it is your job to draft comments that let the group know that you have been able to locate special words. By the end of the book, you will need to have at least 2 comments to this post accepted by Mr. Moore.
Whenever you find a word that is new, different, interesting, funny, hard, or unique, you will post a comment here. In your comment (one for each word) you will need to explain exactly where you found the word. Please list the page number as well as the paragraph number so that we can all go check out your great word!
You will also need to make a prediction about what it means and then give a final definition for the word. Make sure to cite your definition. This means that you need to explain exactly when and where you got your definition. Websites change over time, so it is important that you let people know when you used the website.
One more thing about definitions: if the definition uses words you do not know or understand, then the definition is not helpful. This means that you may need to look up multiple words in order to understand a definition. If you do this, please explain the process you went through as part of your comment.
In your comment, explain how you came up with your prediction. It is always a great idea to include a quote from the book. It helps with your prediction and it helps others see why you chose the word. When you have a discussion day, you can use your words and thoughts as part of the discussion. You can also ask other group members about your words.
One warning though - a word will only be posted one time! In other words, you cannot repeat words that others have already posted. This means that it is a good idea to get this job done quickly as possible. It is also a good idea to make sure that your word has not already been posted before you start working on your comment.
Below, I will post an example of what I expect as a comment for this post.You do not need to copy it exactly, it is just an example to show the quality that is expected.
Thanks,
Mr. Moore
Dear Mr. Moore,
As I was reading last night, I came across the word "flabbergasted" on page 37, paragraph 4. When I read the word flabbergasted, I thought that it meant that a character had a strange look on their face. I had this prediction because I read the sentence,which said "...the flabbergasted look on their faces was shocking!" I looked up the word flabbergasted at http://www.definitions.net/definition/flabbergasted on Monday September 9th, 2010 at about 8:15 am. I found that it means appalled, amazed, or stunned. I can see that I had a pretty good idea of what the word means. However, I did not understand the word appalled. I looked it up at
and I found out that appalled means being filled with fear.
I think I might be able to use this word in my own writing to replace the word scared, especially when a character is also surprised. Also, it will fit into my personal narrative since one of my main characters is flabbergasted when they find out that they had their bike stolen.
Sincerely,
7 comments:
Dear Mr. Moore,
A word I thought was new, different, interesting, funny, hard, or unique, was valise. I found this word while I was reading on September 23, 2010, page sixty nine, paragraph one. The sentence was, "Esperanza opened her valise to check on the doll, lifting it out and straightening her clothes." I was not sure what it meant. Though I thought I had a pretty good prediction. I thought it was a kind of bag, or purse, and I had some evidence from page seventy two, paragraph two. The sentence said, "When the car was less crowded, they put their valises under their heads and tried to sleep on the benches." This is my evidence, because there is really nothing that could fit under their heads except for a purse or bag. The only other thing that would be able to save is like a doll or pillow, and I do not think they, Esperanza, her mother, Hortensia, Alfsono, and Miguel, would carry pillows, and I do not think that the adults would carry dolls around. I looked the word valise on Ninja Words. The definition was, "A piece of hand luggage such as a suitcase or travelling bag." So, I was right, or at least, really close. I think it is a great word to use in stories, and I think I would use this word to substitute for the word bag. I think valise sounds better, and more elaborate. Even though it pretty simple. This is the word I think is new, different, interesting, funny, hard, or unique.
From,
Jay
Dear Mr. Moore,
I was reading on September fifteenth, on page thirteen, paragraph one, and it said, 'But Esperanza loved her more for her capricious ways than for her propriety.' (By her I mean Abuelita, or grandmother) I think the word capricious means calm or graceful. I had this prediction because in the story, Abuelita is always calm and graceful, and quiet, and she sits knitting or crocheting, which is more calm than Mother, who paced the floor. I had this prediction while I read in page fourteen, third paragraph. It says, 'She watched the silver crochet needle dance back and forth in her grandmother's hand.' (Here, her is Esperanza) I looked up capricious on ninja words, and the definition was, Impulsive and unpredictable; determined by chance, impulse or whim. I was not sure what impulsive was, so I looked it up. I looked it up on Shahi, the visual dictionary. The definition was, "A wish or urge, particularly a sudden one. I have a connection to this because sometimes, I am right next to a lake or beach, and I have an impulse to touch the water. Also maybe I am bored, I have an impulse to play games or watch television. I also think impulse would substitute for when I say, I wanted to. Instead, I could say, I had an impulse to. I think capricious would be a great word too for my writing, because I could say, I was capricious or, I did this because I was capricious. I am sometimes unpredictable. This is my word that I thought was difficult, unique, hard, interesting and/or funny.
From,
Jay
On the word finder on page 65 and on paragraph two I wonder what Zacatecas mean? When I read I the sentence that said, "Esperansa she wished that she get to Zacatecas as fast as she had that day on the train instead of travelling on back roads hidden in a slow wagon." Zacatecas is a name of a place because using my conxat clues Zacatecas is capsized so it it has to be a place. Also Esperansa was on a train. The definition is a state in central Mexico. On page 65 on paragraph three I wonder what guavas are? In the book it said, "And even though they have been out of the wagon for some hours,she stilled smelled like guavas".In the book it said,"The locomotive was monotonous as they travel north, and the hours seemed like Mama's never ending thread ball unwinding in front of them."I prediction that guavas are a type of fruit.The definition is the fruit, used for making jam, jelly,and more. The last word that I didn't know is what does monotonous mean? I had that question on page 72 paragraph two. I perdition is being happy. The definition was a sound continuing on one note.
From,
Cheyenne
While I was reading my book last night I came to a funny word that I didn't understand. The word was a name of a chapter and was menchened in the chapter a lot. The word that I was struggling with was ''Guavas.'' I tried looking it up on ''Ninja Words'' but it said it wasn't in the dictionary. I am predicting that it is a fruit because every chapter tittle of the book is a fruit so I am guessing that so is this chapter. Now October 4, 2010 I am look the word up in the dictionary. It says, ''Guava is a yellowish, pear-shaped fruit of a tropical American tree shrub. It is used for making jelly.'' Now I understand but not a lot. The part that I didn't get was shrub. What does shrub even mean? I looked it up on ''Ninja Words'' and found out the definition. It says, ''A woody plant smaller than a tree, and usually with several stems from the same base.'' Now I understand what guavas mean and were they came from. Now every time the word guavas pos up on my book I will know what it means.
Sincerely,
Alexa
Dear Mr. Moore,
During this amazing book, "Esperanza Rising" I have come upon some weird or funny words. One of my words is papaya. When I hear this weird word I think of a wacky fruit shaped like a semicircle or something like that. The true definition is "The large yellowish-orange fruit of a tropical American tree. The papaya looks like a small melon." I found this on pg. 23.
Well Mister Moore, these are my wacky and weird words that I think are pretty cool.
Your wacky one,
Xavier
Dear Jay,
I looked up valise and the definition on Dictionary and Thesaurus-the definition was a little similar to yours Jay and it said,"A small piece of luggage that can be carried by hand, used to hold clothing, toilet articles,and more things. I liked that you used the book to help you Jay. I looked up capricious on the Dictionary and Thesaurus and it said,"
Obsolete, fanciful, or witty." Jay you were close with your predication.
From,
Cheyenne
Dear Mr. Moore I did the word finder job today. The word that I think is very funny but at the same time is complicated to me is the word-- writhing on the second paragraph on page 202. I think it means venomous or it might mean slithery. The reason I think that it means one or another one of those ideas could also work for the sentence. The sentence is: “Esperanza heard a terrible scream from one of the women and several writhing gopher snakes slithered out of the crate.” To me this is just a funny word also. The definition is actually to move by twisting or contorting the body; such as a snake. I found this definition in the dictionary. I found this definition on Ninja Words.
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