High-Incidence Academic Vocabulary Word List

High-Frequency Academic Vocabulary Word List

Testing Vocabulary Tier 2

achieve

To accomplish a task; to complete a task; to reach a goal

One of the things you must do in Mr. Taylor's class to achieve a high mark, is to complete your Read

and Response assignments.

acquire

To get or gain; to take possession of; to become the owner of something

Most students would like to acquire a car after they get a driver's license.

administrate

To control, manage or direct.

Mrs. Kuhn's job is to administrate education at Rio Vista Elementary School.

affect

1) To influence or help cause a change;

1) Example: Our parents have a big affect (influence) on our attitudes.

2) to pretend you are something you are not -- like dressing in clothes that look like they are expensive, or wearing fake diamonds, etc.; or to pretend to cry to get your way

2) Example: Students have been known to affect (pretend) sickness to get out of taking a test.

appropriate

1) verb: to take without permission

1) Example: It is stealing to appropriate another person's bicycle.

2) verb: to assign or set aside money for some purpose;

2) Example: The Amphitheater School Board has to appropriate money for Rio Vista.

3) adjective: right for the purpose

3) Example: It is not appropriate to wear a bathing suit to school.

aspect

1) facial expression

1) Example: He wore an aspect of gloom while hers was an aspect of happy optimism.

2) appearance to the eye or mind from a specific point of view

2) Example: From the front, buildings in movies have the aspect of being real, when they are often nothing but building fronts.

assist

To help; to give support or aid

Mr. Taylor often asks the best readers in his class to assist other students.

category

A classification; a group of objects, words, people, cars (any kind of things or ideas) that are alike in some way.

If you do your homework everyday, Mr. Taylor will put you in the "good student" category.

chapter

A main division of a book, with a  name or number -- or both.

The first chapter of a book usually introduces the main characters and setting.

commission

1) to give permission to do certain duties or complete a work of art or project

1) Example: Officers in the U.S. armed forces receive a commission from the president of the United States.

2) the act of committing a crime

2) Example: He was arrested in the commission of the crime of stealing a car.

3) a group of people assigned a task

3) Example: The Warren Commission investigated the killing of President Kennedy.

community

1) usually, a group of people who live in a specific place, share a government, and often have similar cultural and historical heritage

1) Example: Mr. Taylor's class is part of the Rio Vista community.

2) an area where a group of people live

2) Example: Students at Rio Vista live in the Tucson community.

complex

Made up of many connected parts or ideas.

1) College math is complex.

2) My apartment complex in Delaware had several hundred apartments.

compute

To solve a mathematical problem; to calculate.

Some students do not like to compute the answers to math problems assigned by Mr. Taylor.

conclude

To end, finish, or decide.

1) Speakers often conclude (end) their speeches with quotations.

2) It was easy to conclude (decide) that it was not a good idea to play outside when the temperature was 115 degrees.

conduct

1) personal behavior; way of acting

1) Example: Mr. Taylor expects his students to conduct themselves well in art and all their "special" classes.

2) direction or management

2) Example: Mrs. Young likes to conduct the Rio Vista bands.

consequent

To follow as a result of some action or statement; to follow logically

Students in Mr. Taylor's class will often lose their recess consequent to talking during a transition.

construct

To build by putting parts together; to draw a geometric figure

1) Boys and girls like to construct model boats or airplanes.

2) Mr. Taylor asked the class to construct an equilateral triangle.

consume

To use up; to destroy; to eat or drink; to spend wastefully

1) If you consume too many colas and fries, you'll get fat.

2) Fire can consume a home very quickly.

credit

1) To recognize someone's contribution to a task or project.

1) Example: Gina gave credit to Michael for his contribution to her science project.

2) A source of pride or honor.

2) Example: Jasmine's behavior in art was a credit to her family.

3) To get something immediately with the promise to pay later.

3) Example: Most people have to buy their homes on credit.

culture

1) The ideas, customs, skills, arts, etc., of a people/nation that are passed from one generation to another.

1) Example: The American culture has spread around the world.

2) Production or improvement of  plants, animals, etc.

2) Example: Agriculture is the science and art of growing food and raising livestock.

design

To plan and prepare a sketch or drawing which shows how something (a bridge; clothes; cars; a piece of art, buildings, homes, etc.) will be made

Many persons are involved in the design of a new school.

distinct

Different in some way; not identical; separate; exceptional.

Mr. Taylor has a distinct way of improving the reading ability of his students.

element

1) One of the pieces that goes to make up something that has a number of parts.

1) Example: An eraser is one element of a pencil. Or the topic sentence is one element of a paragraph.

2) In chemistry, a substance that cannot be separated into simpler substances by chemical means.

2) Example: Hydrogen is the lightest element.

equate

To treat as equals; to put into the form of an equation.

You cannot equate being rich with being nice.

evaluate

To judge the worth (quality; cost; value) of something.

Mr. Taylor will often evaluate how well you are doing the assigned work.

feature

1) Something special about a person, place or thing.

1) Example: Reading Boot Camp is a feature of Mr. Taylor's 4th grade class.

2) A special or special attraction, or the main motion picture at the movie theater.

2) Example: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was a feature film for several years.

final

Coming at the end; last in place, order or time.

The final class of this school year will be in May 2012.

focus

1) To concentrate all your attention on one thing (job, page, assignment, person, etc.).

1) Mr. Taylor expects you to "focus like a laser" on the work he assigns.

2) The clear and sharply defined condition of an image.

2) In the "old days," you had to focus the camera lens by hand before taking a picture.

impact

1) The striking of one thing against another.

1) Example: The impact of a large asteroid with the earth may have caused all the dinosaurs to die.

2) The influence one thing has on another.

2) Example: Reading Boot Camp has a big impact on reading scores.

injure

To cause harm or damage; hurt; wound.

If we do stupid things, we often injure ourselves.

institute

1) To set up; establish; start.

1) Example: Mr. Taylor is trying to get other teachers to institute Reading Boot Camp.

2) An organization or building for carrying out work of an artistic, literary, scientific or educational character.

2) Example: Many children have the chance to study art at the local art institute.

invest

1) To put money to use by putting it into a savings account, or by buying company stock, or bonds.

1) Example: Millions of people in America invest money in the stock market in hopes it will increase in value.

2) To use, or give time or talent for a purpose or to achieve something.

2) Example: Mr. and Mrs. Cherba invest many hours each week into helping Rio Vista students.

item

A separate piece of something, including information or news.

There were hundreds of products in the store, but I only wanted one item.

journal

A daily record of things that happen, experiences or observations; a magazine or daily newspaper.

Mr. Taylor's students must keep a Read and Response journal.

maintain

1) To keep in existence; preserve.

1) Example: If the city doesn't maintain its streets, there will be a lot of potholes.

2) To state an opinion about something.

2) Example: Many people maintain that human beings have little affect on our climate.

normal

Usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.

The normal body temperature of a human being is considered to be 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

obtain

To get through work or request.

You can obtain popcorn in Mr. Taylor's class by behaving and doing your work.

participate

To take part in or share.

Many students like to participate in sports.

perceive

To become aware of, know, or identify by use of our senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste).

It would be difficult to perceive the world around us without the sense of sight.

positive

Something good; being optimistic; the opposite of negative.

You will be much more successful in life if you have a positive attitude.

potential

Possible as opposed to actual; the unused ability each student has.

Mr. Taylor believes each of his classes has the potential to be as good as any 4th grade class in America.

previous

Coming or occurring before something else; prior.

Only one student in the previous class failed the written part of the AIMS exam.

primary

First or of highest importance; chief; principal; earliest.

Mr. Taylor's primary objective is to get all students to do the very best they can.

purchase

To obtain (get) by the payment of money or by effort; buy.

It is easy to purchase books on the internet.

range

1) The extent or scope of something.

1) Example: Mr. Taylor has a wide range of books in his classroom.

2) In a set of numbers, the difference between the highest  number and the lowest number.

2) Example: In a series of numbers, if 20 is the highest and 10 the lowest, the range is 20 minus 10 or 10.

region

A part of the earth's surface (land or sea) or a part of the universe.

Tucson is located in the southwest region of the United States.

regulate

To control or direct by rule or method; to adjust.

Rio Vista has some rules for students to regulate their behavior.

relevant

Connected with the matter; having something to do with the subject.

In your Read and Response paragraphs, the topic sentence should always be supported by relevant details.

reside

To live at one place for some time.

Most Rio Vista students reside a short distance from school.

resource

A source of information, ideas or some physical thing (copper, water, land, iron, etc.)

If you want to know what a word means, the best resource is a dictionary.

restrict

To keep in place; to limit action, choice or quantity.

Grocery stores will often restrict the number of items on special that shoppers can buy at one time.

secure

1) Safe; free from danger.

1) Example: To help keep students secure, Rio Vista requires that all visitors sign in.

2) To get; to make safe; to tie up.

2) Example: Please secure the boat to the dock.

seek

To search for; to try to obtain; to try or attempt.

Scientists are supposed to seek the truth.

select

To pick out; to choose one thing over another.

In 2012, Americans will select a president.

site

The position or location of a town, building, etc., or to place or locate.

Phoenix is the site of the Arizona state capital.

strategy

A plan, method, or series of moves for obtaining a goal or result.

Chess is a game of strategy.

survey

1) Study; examine.

1) Example: Groups survey TV viewers to find out which programs are most popular.

2) To use geometry and trigonometry to find the exact boundaries of a piece of land.

2) Example: One of the things George Washington did as a young man was to survey unsettled land.

text

The actual wording of anything written or printed, or the original words of a speaker.

The newspaper printed the whole text of the speech.

tradition

The long-established or inherited way of thinking or acting passed from parents to children; something handed down from one class to another in a school.

If the University of Michigan football team wins, it is a tradition of marching band members to wear their hats backwards.

transfer

To move something or someone from one place or person to another.

Soldiers often transfer from one fort to another.