Academic Vocabulary Games

Academic Vocabulary Games and Test Prep Games Grade K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 | EOG, EOC Exams, TerraNova, Stanford 10. Reading, Writing and Math Test Prep Games

Free fun ways to prepare for test using the free reading, writing, and math test prep games. Standardized test use tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary to assess students exposure to academic content. The best test prep for Reading, ELA, and Writing is repeated exposure to “test prep vocabulary” in the form of engaging games. Sean Taylor The Dyslexic Reading Teacher 

FREE ACADEMIC VOCABULARY GAMES: SPARKLE

Have your children stand or sit on their desk so they are facing the teacher. Start at either end of room and give the first child a vocabulary word or definition. They say the definition or kid friendly sentence if given the vocabulary word or they must give the word when a definition is given. The child that cannot give an answer says SPARKLE and must sit down. Continue the game until you are down to one child! The last child that has answered all the vocabulary gets a small bag of popcorn. Every child that answers a hard vocabulary question correctly gets a pretzel, stamp, or a sticker.  They love this and it is great review for challenging academic vocabulary! Start with a mix of easy and hard words to get the kids excited and ready to study the challenging academic words.

Quick Reading and Vocabulary Games! 

Alien Vocabulary Game (Tier 3 Testing Words) (or Chutes and Ladders) Use this free tier 3 academic vocabulary game to build test readiness. The game is designed to be a fun way to build academic vocabulary using a game students already know. A number of "CAMO Aliens" (ladders) and "Blues Aliens" (or "chutes") are pictured on the board, each connecting two specific board squares. The object of the game is to navigate one's game piece from the start (bottom square) to the finish (top square), helped or hindered by CAMO Aliens and Blues Aliens, respectively. Any time you land on an alien you have to draw a new card! If you land on the CAMO Aliens and answer the vocabulary question correctly you beam to the next highest CAMO Alien plus the move allowance on the card. If you land on the Blue Alien and get the question wrong you beam down to the next lowest Blues Alien. If you are on a Blue Alien and answer correctly you stay put until your next turn.

Dragons and AirShips Game

The game is a simple race to the top using the RBC Vocabulary Flash Cards, and is popular with children. 

Dragons and Airships 

Complete Vocabulary Game Card Set

NO EXCUSES TESTING VOCABULARY

NO EXCUSES STANFORD 10 TESTING VOCABULARY Tier 2 Vocabulary

Vocabulary Game RULEs

Alien Vocabulary Game Board

Vocabulary Game Cards Reading

Vocabulary Game Cards 1st
Vocabulary Game Cards 1st B
Vocabulary Game Cards 2nd
Vocabulary Game Cards 3rd B
Vocabulary Game Cards 3rd
Vocabulary Game Cards 4th
Vocabulary Game Cards 4th B
Vocabulary Game Cards 5th
Vocabulary Game Cards 5th B 

Vocabulary Game Cards 5th 6th

Math Vocabulary Game Cards
Vocabulary Game Cards1st
Vocabulary Game Cards 2nd
Vocabulary Game Cards 3rd
Vocabulary Game Cards 4th
Vocabulary Game Cards 5th
Vocabulary Game Cards 6th
Vocabulary Game Cards 7th
Vocabulary Game Cards 8th

HARD GAME CARDS
Power Words 4th Grade Reading Vocabulary
Power Words 4th Grade Reading Vocabulary II
Literary Device
Idioms
Metaphor and Simile
Poetry

Science Vocabulary Cards
Science 4th and 5th Grade

Long Reading and Vocabulary Games and Simulations! 

Steampunk Board Game | Steampunk Reading Comprehension Board Game 

"The Legendary Lands" Steampunk, Sky Pirates, Airships, Myth, Legends and Totally Awesome Literary Adventure Board Game!

Exploring The Legendary Lands 

The Basic Game Contains  

• 8 Character Sheets
• 4 Map Sections
• 12 ELA Reading Knowledge Game Cards
• 6 Money Sheets
• 1 Small Sky Library Poster
• 1 Small Sky Pirate Poster
• 2 Civilization Sheets
• 1 Conveyance Voucher Sheet
• 1 Front and Back Game Cover

The Legendary Lands 
Sky Village Book Mark

The Game Overview and  Description of Play
The board consists of 18 mythical and legendary lands with an ocean at its center. Some lands are named and others are to be named by the new explorers of “The legendary Lands”. The lands have a numerical value of 5 florins to 100 florins based on strategic locations and previous development. The value of the land is used to determine taxes paid to players at the end of game rounds. As the game progresses, players use florins to build, Railway Spurs, Sky Ships, Train Stations, Aerodromes, Universities, Sky Villages, Libraries, Sea Ports, Governments, and Sky Libraries or … use your imagination. Each player begins the game with 250 florins, one randomly selected conveyance ticket, 1 professor, and 4 students on any 5 florin land.

The student’s depth of knowledge determines the ability to acquire florins, explore/conquer new lands, monetize controlled lands, deepen knowledge and inevitably win the game.  Each turn, you'll explore new territories, build alliances with other players, battle adversaries, and use florins you've acquired to build new railway spurs, aerodromes, and sky villages. You can team up, trade florins and resources with other players, you can add new rules and change difficulty levels to ensure all players are able to play. New plots, scenarios, and endless game ideas ensure that The Legendary Lands will give your students hours of fun, imaginative, collaborative learning between players.

The basic objective of The Legendary Lands is to be the first scholar who builds a Sky Library or Two Universities.

 The game can be played like a RISK style territory conquering game or a European Tile | exploration and development game.

The Legendary Lands CCSS ELA Reading Comprehension Board Games

1. Grade k-3 | 300+ Sight Words & 60+ Primary ELA Reading Concepts Covered
2. Grade 4-6 | 130+ Intermediate ELA Reading Concepts Covered
3. Grade 7-9 | 90+ Advanced ELA Reading Concepts & 60+ Poetry, Greek and Latin Affixes and Roots Concepts Covered

CCSS ELA Reading Standards and Concepts Targeted:

• Tier 2 and 3 Academic Vocabulary Development
• Drawing Conclusions
• Inferring
• Compare and Contrast
• Author’s Purpose
• Characterization
• Fact and Opinion
• Main Idea
• Figurative Language
• Text Features
• Summarizing 
• Literary Elements
• Elements of Writing
• Grammar and Conventions
• Elements of Poetry
• Greek and Latin Affixes and Roots
• Sample of CCSS ELA Cards 

"The Legendary Lands" Steampunk Airship Board Game and Literary Adventure Game!

In this RISK style “word domination game“ Steampunk board game of reading comprehension and reading strategies you are battling to conquer the world of literacy, writing elements, plot, text structures, literary elements, poetry and academic vocabulary. To win, you must launch daring adventures, assemble teams of scholars, resolve the quest set before you, build floating sky fortresses of learning (Sky Libraries), seek knowledge on all fronts, and sweep across vast literary lands with boldness and cunning. But remember, the dangers, as well as the rewards, are high. Just when the world of knowledge is within your grasp, your antagonist opponent might strike and take it all away!

 The game was designed to easily teach complex concepts like tier 2 and tier 3 academic vocabularies in a fun and novel way!

PDF Samples of Basic Game

Sample Vocabulary ELA One
Sample Vocabulary ELA Two
Sample Vocabulary ELA Three
Sample Vocabulary Game Cards ELA CCSS ELA Grade 1-2
Sample Vocabulary Game Cards ELA CCSS ELA  Grade 3-4
 Sample Vocabulary Game Cards ELA CCSS ELA   Grade 3-4
Sample Vocabulary Game Cards ELA CCSS ELA Grade 4-5

Science Vocabulary Game Cards I
Science Vocabulary Game Cards II
Science Vocabulary Game Cards III
Science Vocabulary Game Cards IV

Map Section ONE
Map Section TWO
Map Section THREE
Map Section FOUR

Game Money One
Game Money Two
Game Money Three
Game Money Four
Game Money Five
Game Money Six
Conveyance Tickets | Vouchers
Legendary Lands Game Cover
Sky Library Poster Small 
Dragons and Airships

Extra Character Sheets
Lady Alice 
Mr. Taylor the Sky Pirate
Mr. Wolf 
Princess Isabella 
Prior Hornbuckle
Queen Eleanor
Mr. Pirate
The Autistic Dragon
The Sultan
Back Cover














Knowledge of key academic concepts is imperative for success on standardized test. 

Civilization Cards Are Used
For Ongoing Simulations

• The Game can be played as an ongoing simulation with teams or individuals working towards literary goals. Graduating with a diploma[s] from different colleges or building their own University.

• The game can be played similarly to classic risk with the roll of the dice determining the outcome.
• The game can played using the student’s knowledge of tier 2 and 3 academic vocabulary, math facts, quick math problems, reading comprehensions passages, or math terms to determine the outcome.
• The students can invent their own plot ideas, Miss Red R Hood is captured and must be rescued, Queen Eleanor is besieged by Mr. Wolf in the Aquitaine Castle.
• Students can use the Board | Map and Characters and make up their own rule.
• The game is a great teaching tool for all forms of creative writing.
  
  The Legendary Lands Rules
  
  The Game can be played using modified Risk rules, as a teaching aide and or simulation, replacing the dice rolls with the students knowledge to determine the outcome.
  
  The Set Up | Cooperative Learning Groups

The “Boss” may assign students at the table the jobs of ‘banker (Secretary and Scribe), ticket master (Gopher and Cleanup Boss), geographer/chronologist (Praiser keeps the game positive)’ or any other cooperative grouping works above four students. Students playing in small groups can change jobs after a few rounds. The Boss is the Boss. The Banker will make sure all vocabulary cards (Tier 2 and 3 Academic Words), character pieces (glass beads), florins (money); dice are accounted for and will make certain that players’ vocabulary cards are in good condition before the start of the game. The ticket master sells tickets and keeps the game organized. The geographer/ chronologist (praiser) keeps the game positive, moving forward, and ensures the rules are being followed and understood. 

The game pieces are organized and its time to set up the game! 

Rescue Red Initial Set Up 

Most games are played with a plot or mission card. Miss Red is Kidnapped by the Sky Pirates. The sky pirates have kidnapped Miss Red, the other players must work together and rescue her if they can! Each player is limited to a maximum of 5-10 companions and the one sky pirate is limited to 10-20 henchmen depending on ability. Each player earns 25 florin for each correct answer to any knowledge question. All ties the dice determine the winner. The student may ask for the term or the definition on the study cards being played. The sky pirate wins if they defeat any single player on the board. The players win if the defeat the pirate by reducing their minions by half.

Lady Alice Amelia Wonderland

Basic Placement

All players roll for highest dice to start the game and determine initial board placement. The player with the highest roll of the dice will deploy 5 scholars and one professor to any value 5 florin territories as well as become the first player to start the game. Play will proceed clockwise once the starting game player has been determined. If a tie for the highest roll exists, the involved players will roll again until a starting player is determined. Students start with One Main Character (ex. Queen Eleanor) and Five Companions, 200 Florin coins, conveyance ticket handed out randomly face down, and vocabulary cards or dice depending on the lesson or academic level. 

You and your students can make Steampunk characters or use literary characters like Alice in Wonderland.

• Lady Alice Amelia Wonderland |  Airship Designer and Captain
• Lord Jack “The Bean” Quick | Steampunk Mechanic and Engineer
• Mr. Wolf | Sky Pirate 
• Miss Red  R. Hood | Wolf Hunter, Geographer and Cartographer   
• Mr. P. N. Boots | Ships Captain Retired 
• Kate "Bonny Lass" Crackernuts | Restaurateur, Airship Caterer and Chef
• Baron Von Rum Pelstiltskin | Time Bandit and Part Time Gold Weaver
• Mr. Harry "Mad" Hatter | Tea Monger and Clockwork Engineer
• Count Harry Beast | Barrister of Enchantments and Curses

Chronology of “The Legendary Lands”

1.      Placement and hiring of Main Characters and Companions, and movement and or hiring a conveyance

2.      Exploring an unoccupied territory, invading or migrating into an occupied territory. Migration is a good way to make allies or form teams.

3.      Knowledge phase, attack resolution for invaders and defenders, occupying new lands resolution. All knowledge phase activities use the vocabulary cards to determine completion of migration, invasion, or migration action. Dice are used for knowledge question ties, high roll wins the battle.

4.      Payment and Reinforcements

When a player is ending his/her turn they should:

1. State the intent to end turn

2. Decide to execute or not to execute the allowed movement and act accordingly based on that decision

3. Take the Florins if earned for completion of knowledge phase

If a player has not conquered a new Territory during the course of his/her turn then that player is not entitled to receive a Florin payment. If the non conquering  attacker  chooses  to  end  his/her  turn without  overtaking  another  territory then they should:

1. State the intent to hire a conveyance or to end turn

 See Movement

A turn consists of the following actions:

1. If hiring scholars is warranted a player begins by paying the banker 25 florins for each new scholar or 200 florin for a professor. Five scholars and one professor is the maximum reinforce allowance during the reinforcement part of a players turn. New scholars must be deployed to occupied territories immediately. Scholars are deployed, moved or reinforced.

2. You, as the invader or migrant, clearly express the territory you will invade as well as the territory you are defending, you can only invade a territory with a professor and any of his/her accompanying scholars. If a preference exists to answer level 5, 15 or 30 Florin question this must be stated during the attack. If no preference is stated the defender can ask any level question from any vocabulary card.



Steampunk Airship | Steampunk Sky Pirates

3. Attack begins and evaluation of scholars knowledge commences, a win or loss for both sides is determined via the answer to the vocabulary questions. The invader decides to continue with the attack cycle until all desired goals of the attack have been met or retreat is needed to stay in the game. The attacker chooses when to stop the attack cycle. The attacker should state that his turn is ending when attacks for his/her turn are finished.

4. When attacks have been completed the defender has the option to execute a reinforcement or movement from adjacent territory to fortify his/her position.

Rules for movement are as follows: 

A. Scholars/Professors can move to any adjacent territory on the board that is contiguous without a conveyance. Players are not allowed to move across water without an airship, clipper, steamship or ferry!
B.  minimum  of  one scholar must remain on a Territory at all times to show who is in possession of that territory.

C. You may opt not to execute movement.

D. If exploring  a new territory a player will take his/her scholar question to see if they can stay in the new territory.  

Conveyance Movement | Dice Mechanics | Natural Disasters Chart |
Time Bandits, Sky Pirates, Sea Pirates Probability Charts

Legendary Lands Conveyance	Movement	Capacity	Natural Disasters Lose half your scholars	Sky Pirates, Time Bandits, Sea Pirates Lose half your money or lose 2 turns
Airship	6 territories	10 Scholars	Roll 3 or higher	Roll 1
Steam Train	3 territories	30 Scholars	Roll a Six	Roll 1
Clipper	3 Atlantis Miles	5 Scholars	Roll 4 or higher	Roll odd
Steamship	6 Atlantis Miles	30 Scholars	Roll a Six	Roll 1
Ferry	Ferry Crossing	30 Scholars

Teach Reading and Writing the Fun Way!

Trade in Values

Scholars 25 Florin

Professors 200 Florin or 4 scholars

Dice Rolling Rules

Same as Risk 

End of the Game | Students can write their own Plot ideas or stories on cards and play or use the three bellow. Having the students write their own plot is a great tool to teach writing.

The best games are the ones the kids make up! 

Scenario One | First Plot | Limited Rounds 3, 5 or 7 Rounds

When a player has successfully taken control of more territory at the end of the agreed number of rounds  and or his/her territory is more than all other players you have won the game! You may lose if a player has fewer territories but more points from airships, trains and florins. Congratulation! You have reached the end of the game.

Scenario Two | Second Plot | Sky Ship Port Control

When a player has successfully taken control of all 4 Sky Ship Ports they are also the winner! Congratulation! You have reached the end of the game.

Scenario Three  |  Third Plot | Building a Sky Library

Steampunk Airship | Steampunk Sky Library

When a player has successfully built a Sky Library at a cost of 5000 florin they are the winner! Congratulation! You have reached the end of the game.

Honor System! We ask that you make a $5-$10 donation for the use of the games. Please help support Reading Sage with a small PayPal donation to develop more CCSS ELA game content. 

A Sample of the new vocabulary flash cards that can be used with any board game or "The Legendary Lands".  The student reads the definition or the term and provides the correct answer to move or advance in the game. The can be used with Hot Dots! 

New CCSS ELA Game Cards Grade 2

The New CCSS ELA Game Cards are for Grades 2-10! 
Each set of grade level game cards covers three years of tier 2 and tier 3 academic vocabulary and CCSS ELA concepts.  

1. Grades 1-2-3  80 Reading ELA Game Cards
2. Grades 3-4  120 Reading ELA Game Cards  
3. Grades 5-6  120 Reading ELA Game Cards 
4. Middle School  120 Reading ELA Game Cards 
5. High School 120 Reading ELA Game Cards 

New CCSS ELA vocabulary game cards sets!   

Students can use standards based reading passages from released test but this slows down the play. 

Sample Reading Passages

  A solar cell (also called a photovoltaic cell) is an electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect. It is a form of photoelectric cell that when exposed to light can generate and support an electric current without being attached to any external voltage source. The term "photovoltaic" comes from the Greek meaning "light", and from "Volt", the unit of electro-motive force, the volt, which in turn comes from the last name of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, inventor of the battery (electrochemical cell). The term "photo-voltaic" has been in use in English since 1849.  Words 128 reading Level High School

If answered correctly Move 6 or win the Battle


Which of theses statement is correct?

1. A solar cell generates electricity using heat.
2. The term "photovoltaic" comes from the Italian meaning "light"
3. A photo-voltaic cell works without an outside power source.

Read the Passage and answer the question:
  

Learning the CCSS ELA the Fun Way!

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn has a large ring system that consists of nine continuous main rings and three discontinuous arcs, composed mostly of ice particles with a smaller amount of rocky debris and dust. Sixty-two known moons orbit the planet; fifty-three are officially named. This does not include the hundreds of "moonlets" within the rings. Titan, Saturn's largest and the Solar System's second largest moon is larger than the planet Mercury and is the only moon in the Solar System to retain a substantial atmosphere. Saturn is a gas giant with an average radius about nine times that of Earth. While only one-eighth the average density of Earth, with its larger volume Saturn is just over 95 times more massive than Earth. Reading Level Middle School

Which of these statements is not true?

Reading Questions
"The Legendary Lands"

1. Saturn is the largest planet in the solar system and has nine large rings.
2. Saturn is named after the Greek god Saturn.
3. Titan, Saturn’s moon is larger than all others moons in the solar system except one.

     Please email me for more information about the game and an opportunity to receive a free copy of the game!

The Queen

Steampunk Character Sheet Back

Word Work Grade 1, 2, 3, and 4 | Word Work Sight Words

A Fun Free Word Work Game plus Free Word Work Flash Cards! Pre School, Kindergarten, Grades 1, 2, 3, and 4! A sight word game that reinforces basic grade level sight words knowledge! Use the snakes and ladders game boards bellow with the word work flash cards to play a fun game that helps students’ master Dolch sight words.

A sight word is a word whose spelling is not straight forward and, therefore, does not enable an emergent reader to determine what spoken word it represents just by sounding it out according to phonemic rules. Emergent readers recognize sight words from having memorized them or by drawing their meaning from context.

Dedicated to all the reading teachers and parents that help students acquire the great skill of reading. Sean 

Pre School Word Work | Dolch Sight Words Game Cards Pre School

Kindergarten Word Work | Dolch Sight Words Game Cards Kindergarten

1st Grade Word Work | Dolch Sight Words Game Cards 1st Grade

2nd Grade Word Work | Dolch Sight Words Game Cards 2nd Grade

3rd Grade Word Work | Dolch Sight Words Game Cards 3rd Grade

4th Grade Word Work | Dolch Sight Words Game Cards 4th Grade

Use the Game Boards with dice or the Game Cards! 

Snakes and Ladders Board Game

Sorry or Parcheesi Type Board Game

Pre School | Pre-primer: a, and, away, big, blue, can, come, down, find, for, funny, go, help, here, I, in, is, it, jump, little, look, make, me, my, not, one, play, red, run, said, see, the, three, to, two, up, we, where, yellow, you
Kindergarten | Primer: all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, did, do, eat, four, get, good, have, he, into, like, must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please, pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, soon, that, there, they, this, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white, who, will, with, yes
1st Grade: after, again, an, any, as, ask, by, could, every, fly, from, give, giving, had, has, her, him, his, how, just, know, let, live, may, of, old, once, open, over, put, round, some, stop, take, thank, them, then, think, walk, were, when
2nd Grade: always, around, because, been, before, best, both, buy, call, cold, does, don't, fast, first, five, found, gave, goes, green, its, made, many, off, or, pull, read, right, sing, sit, sleep, tell, their, these, those, upon, us, use, very, wash, which, why, wish, work, would, write, your
3rd Grade: about, better, bring, carry, clean, cut, done, draw, drink, eight, fall, far, full, got, grow, hold, hot, hurt, if, keep, kind, laugh, light, long, much, myself, never, only, own, pick, seven, shall, show, six, small, start, ten, today, together, try, warm

4^th Grade Nouns

apple, baby, back, ball, bear, bed, bell, bird, birthday, boat, box, boy, bread, brother, cake, car, cat, chair, chicken, children, Christmas, coat, corn, cow, day, dog, doll, door, duck, egg, eye, farm, farmer, father, feet, fire, fish, floor, flower, game, garden, girl, good-bye, grass, ground, hand, head, hill, home, horse, house, kitty, leg, letter, man, men, milk, money, morning, mother, name, nest, night, paper, party, picture, pig, rabbit, rain, ring, robin, Santa Claus, school, seed, sheep, shoe, sister, snow, song, squirrel, stick, street, sun, table, thing, time, top, toy, tree, watch, water, way, wind, window, wood

The Legendary Lands only Available By Email!

More Academic Vocabulary Games

FREE ACADEMIC VOCABULARY GAMES: SPARKLE

Have your children stand or sit on their desk so they are facing the teacher. Start at either end of room and give the first child a vocabulary word or definition. They say the definition or kid friendly sentence if given the vocabulary word or they must give the word when a definition is given. The child that cannot give an answer says SPARKLE and must sit down. Continue the game until you are down to one child! The last child that has answered all the vocabulary gets a small bag of popcorn. Every child that answers a hard vocabulary question correctly gets a pretzel, stamp, or a sticker.  They love this and it is great review for challenging academic vocabulary! Start with a mix of easy and hard words to get the kids excited and ready to study the challenging academic words.

Vocabulary Pig!

Each turn, a player draws an academic vocabulary card and shows the definition to the other players. The player must give an example or definition to keep the card and continue playing. The player gets to keep every card they can define. If a player cannot give a correct answer they place the card at the bottom of the deck and forfeit their turn. At any time during a player's turn, the player is faced with two options:

Option one, draw the next card and give a correct definition and keep playing piggy piggy piggy.

Option two, pass on the card, and the next player must give the definition or lose all their points!

The first player to score 100 wins!

VOCABULARY Parcheesi Rules of play

Academic Vocabulary Parcheesi is played with one deck of academic vocabulary cards (25-30) cards and the goal of the game is to move each of one's pieces home to the center space.

Each player selects four pieces of the same color and places them in their "nest," or starting area. The game board should be positioned so that each player's nest is to his right. Pieces enter play onto the darkened space to the left of the nest and continue counter-clockwise around the board to the home path directly in front of the player.

  

 Yes / No Phonics and Word Game

Free Yes / No Phonics Game

The Idea behind the Yes No Phonics and Word game is to help students use auditory discrimination to build phonemic awareness by quickly answering Yes No questions. Turn any word list or set of flash cards into a fast fun phonics game. YES / NO Short and long vowels, consonant blends, beginning sounds, ending sounds, syllables, silent e, and so much more.

Sample Yes No Phonics Questions!

Does the word end in a vowel? Yes/No

Does the word begin with a letter____? Yes/No

Does the word end with a consonant? Yes/No

Does the word luck have a ck like the word truck? Yes/No

Does the word read have ea like tea? Yes/No

Does bat, fat, cat, rat, hat, mat, and sat end with et? Yes/No

Does ice have a long I sound? Yes/ No

Does cat have a long a sound? Yes/No

Does the word ship start with ch? Yes/No

Does the word hand end with ng? Yes/No

Does the word slide start with st? Yes/No

Please share your favorite reading and phonics games!

ACADEMIC READING VOCABULARY

VOCABULARY SPARKLE PRIMARY

RBC Sample GAME Cards Vocabulary 3rd ab·bre·vi·a·tion noun a shortened form of a word or phrase used in writing. "Ave." is an abbreviation for the word "avenue." "Tues." is an abbreviation for the word "Tuesday." similar words: condensation, contraction, reduction ad·verb noun a word that describes or modifies a verb, adjective,  or other adverb. Adverbs are also used to modify a  whole sentence. In the sentence "Unfortunately, she spoke  so slowly that most of the audience was  very bored," the words "unfortunately,"  "slowly," and "very" are adverbs. an·to·nym noun a word that has the opposite meaning of another word. "Late" is an antonym of "early." similar words: contrary, opposite a·pos·tro·phe noun a punctuation mark ('). It is used to show where  one or more letters or numbers have been left out.  "Wouldn't" for "would not" and "'87" for "1987" use  apostrophes this way. At·las noun 1. a giant in Greek mythology who had to support the  heavens on his shoulders. 2. (lower case) a book of maps, tables, or charts. cause noun something or someone that brings about a result or effect. Smoking is one cause of lung cancer. A cigarette was the cause of the fire. synonyms: agent, influence, source antonyms: effect similar words: factor, motive, occasion, root, stimulus char·ac·ter noun all those things that make a person, place, or  thing different from others. This neighborhood has a friendly character. He has an honest character. synonyms: air, attributes, essence, identity,  nature, personality similar words: characteristics, complexion,  disposition, features, individuality, reputation con·trac·tion noun an act of contracting. Muscle contractions can cause pain. synonyms: shortening, tightening antonyms: expansion, extension similar words: narrowing, reduction, shrinking, squeeze ef·fect noun something produced by a cause. The effect of the snow storm was a day off from school. synonyms: consequence, impact, result antonyms: cause similar words: by-product, conclusion, fallout,  issue, outcome, reaction en·cy·clo·pe·di·a [or] en·cy·clo·pae·di·a noun a book or set of books that has information on a  wide variety of subjects, or on many aspects of  one subject. Encyclopedias are arranged in alphabetical order. ex·clam·a·to·ry adjective of or expressing exclamation or exclamations. fact noun something said or known to be true. It is a fact that water covers most of the earth's surface. synonyms: truth antonyms: fiction similar words: certainty, given in·ter·rog·a·tive adjective having to do with, forming, or being a question.  "Why don't you take a walk?" is an example of an  interrogative sentence. o·pin·ion noun what one thinks about something or somebody;  viewpoint. An opinion is not necessarily based on  facts. Feelings and experiences usually help a person  form an opinion. In my opinion, our math teacher is the best teacher  in the school. synonyms: conviction, idea, impression, position,  sentiment, understanding, view, viewpoint similar words: attitude, belief, conviction,  feeling, impression, judgment, perception plu·ral adjective having to do with or naming the form of a word  that signals more than one. The word "kittens" is a plural noun. noun the form of a word that names or refers to more  than one thing. The plural of "dog" is "dogs." pos·ses·sive adjective having a strong desire to own and keep things. He is too possessive about his books to  let me borrow one. similar words: greedy, jealous run-on sentence noun in writing, two or more sentences incorrectly  constructed as one. se·quen·tial adjective forming or marked by a sequence of parts or units. synonyms: chronological set noun the scenery for a play or movie. The set for our play included a castle with  hills in the background. synonyms: scenery stan·za noun a group of related lines in a poem that make up  one section within the poem. Stanzas often have a  regular meter and rhyme pattern. sum·ma·rize transitive verb to restate in a concise form. synonyms: abstract, brief, digest, recapitulate,  sketch, sum up, synopsize similar words: abbreviate, abridge, capsulize,  compress, condense, digest, epitomize, restate syn·o·nym noun a word having the same or nearly the same meaning  as another word of the same language. "Abundant" and "plentiful" are synonyms. the·sau·rus noun a book that lists words with their synonyms or antonyms. I looked in a thesaurus for a word that means  the same thing as "useful." similar words: collection, dictionary, encyclopedia verb noun a word that expresses a state of being or an action.  Verbs usually have different forms to express tense,  voice, mood, and number. "Read," "blew," "drives,"  "seemed," and "skip" are examples of verbs. RBC GAME Cards 4th Name: al·lit·er·a·tion noun the repetition of the same sound at the beginning  of words in a phrase or sentence. "She shears sheep" is an example of alliteration. a·nal·o·gy noun similarity or correspondence between two  otherwise dissimilar things. There is an analogy between winter and death. synonyms: affinity, correspondence, identity,  resemblance, similarity antonyms: dissimilarity similar words: connection, equivalence,  homology, kinship, likeness, metaphor,  parallelism, relationship, semblance,  simile, similitude cap·tion noun the words that describe a picture or graph in a  magazine, book, or newspaper. Most photographs in magazines have  captions underneath them. com·pare verb to note or describe the similarities or differences of. The teacher compared the climate in the U.S.  with the climate in Mexico. similar words: contrast con·trast verb to compare in order to make differences clear. The book contrasted women's lives a  hundred years ago with the lives of women today. synonyms: distinguish similar words: oppose double negative noun the use of two negative words in one sentence,  considered substandard when intended to express  a single negation. fa·ble noun a short tale that teaches a lesson. The characters in  fables are often animals who speak and act like people. "The Fox and the Grapes" is a well-known fable by Aesop. synonyms: allegory, tale similar words: folk tale, parable, story, yarn gen·re noun a particular type, sort, or category. The bookstore also sells music CDs of various genres. synonyms: class, fashion, form, genus, kind,  like, sort, species, variety similar words: brand, category, class, type, variety hom·o·nym noun a word that is pronounced and often spelled the  same as another word, but has a different  meaning. In the sentence, "She was mean to  me, but she didn't mean it," the two instances of  "mean" are homonyms. in·dex noun an alphabetical list of subjects, names, or other information in a book, with page numbers given for each item. in·fer·ence noun a conclusion derived from inferring. synonyms: conclusion, consequence, derivation, judgment met·a·phor noun a phrase that describes something by comparing it to  some other thing. "Her words are pearls" is a metaphor. out·line noun a line or shape showing the outside edge of a figure or object. Draw an outline of your own house. synonyms: contour, figure, line, profile, shape, silhouette similar words: boundary, form pre·dic·tion noun a statement that something might happen or is  expected to happen. Jean's prediction was that the coin would land heads up. synonyms: forecast, foretelling, prophecy proof·read verb to examine for mistakes and make corrections. I asked a friend to proofread my report. synonyms: proof quo·ta·tion noun 1. the act of quoting. synonyms: quote 2. a quoted passage from a book or the like. synonyms: excerpt, quote sim·i·le noun a figure of speech in which two different things  are compared by using the words "like" or "as."  "The cake was as light as a feather" is an example  of a simile. topic sentence noun a sentence, usu. at the beginning, that sets  forth the main idea of a paragraph or other  unit of expository writing. RBC GAME Cards 5th

Name:

af·fix

verb

to attach or join physically (usually used with "to"). She affixed a poster to the wall. synonyms: attach, fasten, mount, post, stick antonyms: detach, unfasten similar words: connect, glue, join, nail, paste, pin, staple, tack

al·ma·nac

noun

a book of interesting and useful facts about many different subjects.

ci·ta·tion

noun

the act of citing or quoting, or the passage or source so cited. synonyms: excerpt, quotation, quote similar words: excerpt, extract, passage, reference

clause

noun

a group of words that has a subject and a verb. Clauses can be part or all of a sentence. similar words: clause, dependent, sentence, simple sentence

con·junc·tion

noun

a word that connects other words, phrases, clauses, or sentences. "And," "while,"  and "because" are some conjunctions. similar words: connector

hy·per·bo·le

noun

in rhetoric, an obvious and deliberate exaggeration or overstatement,  intended for effect and not to be taken literally,  such as "He had a million excuses". (Cf. litotes.) Much of the writer's humor arose from  his brilliant use of hyperbole. synonyms: exaggeration, overstatement antonyms: litotes, understatement similar words: inflation

id·i·om

noun

a phrase that cannot be understood by understanding the  meanings of each of its words. The phrase "fall out,"  meaning "have a disagreement," is an idiom. similar words: construction, expression, phrase, slang

im·age·ry

noun

images that are created in the mind while reading or looking at art. The book is full of jungle imagery.

im·ply

verb

to hint or suggest without saying directly. When she said that the floor was dirty, she was  implying that I should mop it. synonyms: allude, hint, suggest antonyms: state similar words: indicate

in·ter·jec·tion

noun

a word or expression that shows strong feeling; exclamation.  "Oh no!" and "Oops!" are examples of interjections. synonyms: exclamation

met·a·phor

noun

a phrase that describes something by comparing it to some other thing. "Her words are pearls" is a metaphor.

nar·ra·tive

noun

a story, description, or account of events. Novels are long narratives. synonyms: account, anecdote, story, tale similar words: description, fiction, history, novel, recital, report

on·o·mat·o·poe·ia

noun

the formation or use of words whose sounds suggest the  meanings of the words, such as "bang," "moo," or "jingle".

per·son·i·fi·ca·tion

noun

a person considered to be a perfect example or embodiment  of some quality or other abstraction. He was the personification of humility. synonyms: byword, embodiment, epitome, image similar words: figure, ideal, incarnation, paradigm,  picture, quintessence, realization, type

point of view

noun

a way of thinking about or looking at something. The coach did not agree with the referee's point of view. synonyms: angle, idea, light, perspective, position, stand

pre·po·si·tion

noun

a word that shows a connection or relation between a noun  or pronoun and some other word. In the sentence, "We went  to the market and talked about the weather," "to" and "about"  are prepositions.

prompt

adjective

done immediately and without pause. This snack bar is known for its prompt service. synonyms: immediate, instant, punctual, quick, swift antonyms: delayed, late, tardy similar words: brisk, rapid

sim·i·le

noun

a figure of speech in which two different things are compared  by using the words "like" or "as." "The cake was as light  as a feather" is an example of a simile.

su·per·la·tive

adjective

of the finest kind or highest quality. He is a superlative flute player. synonyms: ace, best, capital, finest, first-class,  first-rate, prime, superb, supreme, top antonyms: poor similar words: capital, classic, excellent, exceptional,  exquisite, magnificent, outstanding, sterling,  super, superior

theme

noun

the main subject or topic. The theme of his talk was world peace. synonyms: subject, topic similar words: argument, concept, idea,  intent, meaning, notion, point, text

Terms Definitions

nonfiction writing that is true

fables stories with talking animals that have a moral

recipe a set of instructions for making something

fiction writing that is made up

dictionary book that tells what words mean

advertisement a public notice published to get people's attention or to get them to buy something

almanac a book that contains statistical information over a long period of time

repetition the act of repeating something said or done

article nonfiction piece of text usually found in newspapers or magazines

legends folk tales full of people from history like Davy Crockett

fairy tales stories with royalty, good vs. evil, start with "Once Upon a Time" & end with "happily ever after"

rhythm the beat of a poem

folk tales fiction stories that have been told for generations

poet the writer of a poem

mood the feeling you get from a piece of writing

poetry writing that often has rhythm and rhyme, but not always

tall tales folk tales full of exaggeration like Paul Bunyan

atlas book of maps

biography true story of a person's life written by someone else

autobiography true story of a person's life written by the person

speaker the person doing the talking in a poem

stanza part of a poem; like a paragraph

novel long fiction story, usually a chapter book

main idea what a piece of writing is mainly about

summary gives the main idea and important details of a passage

theme a more generally stated topic concerning a passage's main ideas

poem a composition in verse, usually divided into stanzas

fantasy make believe stories that contain magic or other things that couldn't happen in real life

moral lesson in a fable or story

rhyme words in a poem that sound alike

character a person or other creature in a story

setting the time and place of the story's events

author the person who wrote the story or passage

narrator the person who is telling the story

VOCABULARY SPARKLE INTERMEDIATE

non-fiction a type of literature that tells about real-life people, places, events, things, etc.

drama a play written to be performed by actors

myth a folktale (fictional story) about gods and goddesses (mythology)

tall tale an American hero folktale full of extreme exaggerations

fable a folktale, usually with talking animals, that always has a moral to it

main idea what a piece of writing is mainly about

summary gives the main idea and important details of a passage

theme a more generally stated topic concerning a passage's main ideas

genre a classification of literature, such as fiction, drama, poetry, etc.

fiction a type of literature that tells a made-up story

simile a comparison of two unlike things using the words "like" or "as"

realistic fiction a make believe story that could really happen

historical fiction a make believe story which could have happened a long time ago based on historical facts

analogy a comparison that shows a relationship between two things

metaphor a comparison of two unlike things not using the words "like" or "as"

paraphrase restating something using different words (rephrasing)

context clues words, phrases, or sentences that give meaning to unknown words

denotation the dictionary definition of the word- the literal meaning

connotation the extra sense that the word implies-pos. or neg. (cheap/inexpensive)

repetition creating a "special effect" by repeating a sound or word

suspense a feeling of uncertainty or dread about what will happen next

sarcasm an expression that is personal, jeering, and intended to hurt

oxymoron a seemingly contradictory combination of words (jumbo shrimp)

onomatopoeia a word or phrase that imitates the sound (whoosh)

plot the action of the story

resolution the final outcome of the story-or the solution of the problem

character a person or other creature in a story

setting the time and place of the story's events

climax the point of greatest interest or suspense in the story

conflict the main problem the character faces (with others, self, or nature)

personification gives animals or objects human qualities or characteristics

hyperbole the deliberate use of exaggeration

symbolism the use of one thing to stand for or represent another

imagery the use of vivid description to create a picture in the reader's mind

foreshadow gives clues that suggest what might happen in the future

flashback interrupting the story with events from the past

irony a statement meaning the opposite of what is literally stated

idiom a saying that can not be literally translated

allusion a reference to a well-known work of literature, art, music, etc.

audience the person or persons to whom the writing is addressed

author the person who wrote the story or passage

narrator the person who is telling the story

point of view the relationship of the narrator to the story (viewpoint)

1st person pov when a character in the story tells the story (using I, me, my, we, etc.)

3rd person pov when someone not in the story tells the story (like an invisible observer)

dialogue when the characters in a story speak (usually set off by quotation marks)

style/voice the way the author uses phrases and sentences to make his story distinctive

tone the author's attitude about his topic- can be positive, negative, or neutral

mood the feeling or atmosphere in the story set by the author

inference a guess based on a known fact, a conclusion

cause/effect a text structure exploring the reason something happened (cause) and the result (effect)

compare/contrast a text structure showing similarities (comparisons) and differences (contrasts)

problem/solution a text structure examining how conflicts or obstacles (problems) are overcome (resolved)

chronology a text structure presenting events in the order in which they occur (sequencing)

inductive a text structure that starts with specific ideas and works toward a general idea

deductive a text structure that starts with a general idea and works toward specific ideas

spatial order a text structure that shows where things are

categorization a text structure that puts things in categories

fact a statement that can be proved- or disproved

opinion a statement that can not be proven- someone's own belief

bias a strong prejudice for one side over another- favoring only one side

objective a work based on fact, having no bias or partiality

propaganda persuasion techniques

synonyms words that have similar meanings

antonyms words that have opposite meanings

alliteration The repetition of identical consonant sounds in words relatively near to each other (in the same line or adjacent lines).

allusion - a reference to a literary work, or work of art  

Vocabulary Game Cards 1st Math