unit 1 – biggie · and they want to see it again like a hundred times. this cat is kind of...

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The Word Up Project: Level Red

Unit 1 – Biggie

1A Introduction

This is the story of a fat cat with a mind of his own. He loves to run around the neighborhood, and even learned how to ride on a skateboard. But one day Biggie didn’t come home…

1B Song Lyrics

This is dedicated to my best friend.

My Biggie, where did you go? Where did you go?My Biggie, where did you go? Where did you go?My Biggie, where did you go? Where did you go?All I know is I miss my Biggie.

Well, I’ve got a cat, and I call him Biggie,Why’s that? Because he’s fatter than Miss Piggy.I mean I treasure my cat, I love him to death,And I have a lot of friends, but Biggie was best.My cat has a special ability, I mean talent,For getting on a skateboard and riding around.When people, they see his trick, they rub their eyes,And they want to see it again like a hundred times.This cat is kind of clever, I mean he’s smart,He rules the whole neighborhood, all of the yards.But Biggie, he has a habit for getting himself lost.“What do you mean by habit?” He does it a lot.But one time Biggie got lost and didn’t come back,Even when I called his name, and I put out some snacks.I got real scared; maybe he got hit by a car,Or what if Biggie was alone, ran out of food and starved? Oh my gosh…

My Biggie, where did you go? Where did you go?My Biggie, where did you go? Where did you go?

actcertain

cleverexplore

habitlocate

oppositestarve

talenttreasure

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Unit 1act / certain / clever / explore / habit / locate / opposite / starve / talent / treasure

My Biggie, where did you go? Where did you go?All I know is I miss my Biggie.

I had to do something, I had to act,So I went to a book and found a neighborhood map.Had to locate my cat, find out where he was at,’Cause if I lost my Biggie, man, I would have been sad.So I searched the trees, and all of the streets, Up and down, all I found was some leaves and concrete.But there was one dark alley across the way,Where the dogs would fight like each and every day.So I started to explore it and look around,All I found was some trash all over the ground.But then I heard “meow,” and I knew it was him,I was certain it was Biggie: “I’m coming my friend!”I thought he was in trouble; it’s the opposite,There was a vat of ice cream; he was on top of it.He was so big now, he looked like a monster pet,Ha ha ha. Welcome home.

My Biggie, where did you go? Where did you go?My Biggie, where did you go? Where did you go?My Biggie, where did you go? Where did you go?All I know is I miss my Biggie.

1C Words Defined

act (verb) 1. To do something. When Paul saw his bike getting stolen, he acted at once

and called the police. 2. To play a part in a movie, play or TV show. Johnny Depp has acted in a lot of movies.

(noun) . 1. Something that is done. Jumping in the river to save that little boy was an act of real bravery. 2. A part of a play or show. Kavita had a big role in the play, but she didn’t come onstage until the second act.

certain (adj) 1. Being positive or confident about something. I’m certain that I fed the dog this

morning. 2. A specific or different thing. My dad only eats a certain kind of cheese that he gets at a special store.

clever (adj) Being smart in an interesting way; creative. That song about “apples and ooples”

is pretty clever.

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explore (verb)

...

. To go somewhere and look around. Though she was now a grandmother, Danielle still loved to explore caves.

habit (noun) . Something that someone does a lot. She has a habit of

scratching her nose when she’s nervous.

locate (verb) . To find out where something is. I went to the carnival, but it was so big I couldn’t locate

my favorite ride. Related word: location. (noun) . The place where something is. Fumi’s store has a great location right near the Empire State Building.

opposite (adj) . Very different from something else. Paul and Jerry

didn’t get too far in their boat, because they were paddling in opposite directions.

(noun) . Something that is very different from something else. I thought I did well on the test, but the opposite was true: I failed.

starve (verb) . To suffer or die from not having enough food to eat. If a polar bear doesn’t eat enough food

before the winter comes, it may starve.

talent (noun) . A natural skill for doing something well. LeBron James sure has

a talent for playing basketball.

treasure (noun) . Something very valuable and worth a lot. The pirates always

guarded their treasure very carefully. (verb) . To care a lot about something. I love my friend Ollie, and I

treasure the time that we spend together.

1D SynonymsCircle the word on the right that matches the meaning of the word or phrase on the left.

1. smart certain clever opposite2. look around explore act treasure3. place act talent location4. absolutely sure certain opposite clever5. perform explore starve act

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1E Fill in the BlankWrite the word in the blank so that the sentence makes sense.

1. I have a bad __________________________________ of tapping my foot when I’m nervous.

location treasure habit

2. By lunch I am so hungry I feel like I’m going to __________________________________ if I don’t eat something.

treasure act starve

3. Katrice used her __________________________________ for singing to try out for the school choir.

talent location treasure

4. When I saw that huge dog barking at us, I ran in the __________________________________ direction. certain opposite clever

5. I will always __________________________________ the jewelry my grandmother gave to me. locate explore treasure

1F ConnectionsEach sentence has a strong connection with one of the words from the unit. Write the correct word on the line below.

1. She always bites her nails when she’s bored.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. My sister is tall and slow, but I am short and fast.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. There were no berries for the deer to eat.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Tanya was sure she studied enough for the test.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. He sailed across the ocean in search of new land.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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1G Applying MeaningsCircle the letter that makes sense or answers the question.

1. If someone acts in a play, what will they do? (A) sit in the audience (B) perform a part(C) make costumes (D) read

2. Which talent do tightrope walkers need?(A) a rope (B) a circus(C) good balance (D) a bad mood 3. Which of the following would you most likely treasure?(A) your favorite book (B) a mean pirate(C) a wolf (D) opposites

4. How could you locate your lost shoes?(A) wear them to school (B) buy them(C) tie them (D) look around your house 5. Which shows that a child is clever? (A) She cries a lot. (B) She solves tricky problems.(C) She tells secrets. (D) She is nice to her friends.

1H ReadingRead the passage below and then answer the questions that follow.

Storm Chasers When most people hear that a huge storm is coming, they quickly find someplace safe. Many people go to underground shelters and cellars to stay away from powerful tornadoes. And then there are the people who do the exact opposite. These people are called storm chasers, and instead of running away from a storm, they run toward it. Storm chasers are people who look at radar and other weather maps in hopes of finding the next big storm. They usually work in teams with one person driving and others studying maps and

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weather patterns. Once they see a storm starting to form, they quickly go to that location and look for a thunderstorm or tornado. Storm chasers have been known to drive thousands of miles across the country to find extreme weather. They usually carry cameras with them so that they can take pictures and record videos of the storms. Storm chasers have a special talent for waiting and waiting. Many times, they will watch and wait for days without seeing a thing. Other times, they will rush to see a storm but by the time they arrive, the weather has changed. But when the big storm hits, they are always ready to run after it. Even if they miss seeing the tornado hit, storm chasers often love to explore the area the tornado has destroyed. This gives them a lot of information about the speed and power of that storm. Being a storm chaser may look fun and exciting. But the act of driving into a big storm can be very dangerous. The driver must not get distracted by all the excitement. Storm chasers are very careful to stay close to a tornado without getting swept away by it.

1. Where do some people go to stay safe during storms?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What are some things that help storm chasers find storms?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What do storm chasers carry with them?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Why do storm chasers like to see the area where a tornado has hit?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What is one danger of chasing storms?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Bonus: Crossword PuzzleSolve this crossword puzzle. Note: Some answers may be different forms of the vocab words above.

1 2

3 4 5

6 7

8

9

10

ACROSS

1 They buried the ________ in a chest so nobody would find it.

6 You have to be pretty __________ to solve a crossword puzzle.

9 I told Ashley to go north, but she went the _________ way and drove south.

10 Firefighters have a special ________ for staying calm.

DOWN

2 Without food or water, the prisoners began to ___________.

3 If you hear the fire alarm, _________ fast and get out of the building.

4 Absolutely sure. 5 To find something on a map. 7 Melanie loves to look for shells

and _________ at the beach. 8 Picking your nose is a nasty

__________.

act / certain / clever / explore / habit / locate / opposite / starve / talent / treasure

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Unit 2ambition / cable / convince / crumple / fatal / globe / grace / intend / responsible / thrill

Unit 2 – When I Grow Up

2A Introduction

Do you have dreams about what your life will be like when you grow up? All it takes is a dream and some hard work, and your dream can come true.

2B Song Lyrics

When I grow up, I intend and planTo always have a microphone in my hand.I want to sing, and my voice will be ableTo travel from the mic through the cable,From the cable to the speakers on the table,And everyone will hear what I say.I’ll sing for the kids whose parents fight,And I’ll sing for the kids who get scared at night.I want to make you believe, so I’ll convinceYou to go and learn to play an instrument.Trumpet, guitar, saxophone, piano,Huh, you could even play the banjo.You can play those with grace and beauty,Just know, you can even act in movies.You’ll feel a thrill, a feeling of joy,I make a choice when I grow up to use my voice!

It’s your choice…when I grow up!I choose to use my voice…when I grow up!

When I grow up, I want to be tall,So I can shoot and dunk balls like LeBron.I won’t be picked dead last in gym class,’Cause I have goals, hope and ambition.Go sightseeing, a trip all over the world,The whole globe. “And what will you learn?”I’ll learn people can’t stop my growth,I’m in charge of my life; I’m responsible.

ambitioncable

convincecrumple

fatalglobe

graceintend

responsiblethrill

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Start thinking ahead and down the road,Don’t wait, that could be deadly or fatal.I’m going to work hard, be the best at my job,A fancy car and buy a home for mom.Take away her two jobs and support her with mine,I believe in my dream; I’m going to take my time.I won’t let my plan get crumpled or crushed,I’m small now, but just watch me grow up.

It’s your choice…when I grow up!I choose to use my voice…when I grow up!

2C Words Defined

ambition (noun) . A strong desire to be good at something or to have something. Karla had so much ambition

to be a great figure skate; she practiced every single day.

cable (noun) . A thick metal rope, or electrical wires covered in plastic. To connect your DVD player to

your TV, you need to plug in the right cables.

convince (verb) . To make someone believe something. By showing him a map,

Rashwon finally convinced his dad that the Pacific Ocean is bigger than the Atlantic Ocean.

crumple (verb) . To crush together into folds and wrinkles. Without a wallet,

Alejandro kept his money in his pockets, and crumpled up his dollar bills.

fatal (adj) . Deadly; causing death. Riding in a car without wearing a seatbelt can be fatal.

globe (noun) . The planet Earth, or a ball-shaped map of the planet Earth.

Beyoncé is so famous that she’s well known all over the globe.

grace (noun) . Beauty, or a pleasing quality. The queen of England has a certain

grace about everything she does. Related word: graceful. (adj) . Being beautiful; having grace. The dancer was very graceful as he moved smoothly across the floor.

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intend (verb) . To mean to do something or try to do something. We intend to visit Grandma on

Saturday and leave on Sunday, but who knows what will really happen.

responsible (adj) . 1. To be in charge of something or take credit for

something. Because he was babysitting, Oliver was responsible for making sure the kids went to bed before nine o’clock. 2. Trustworthy. Beatrice is very responsible and always thinks about what her parents want her to do.

thrill (noun) . A sudden feeling of excitement. Sing felt a thrill when

she played her clarinet in front of the whole school. (verb) . To give someone a sudden feeling of excitement. My

jump out of an airplane last year really thrilled me.

2D SynonymsCircle the word on the right that matches the meaning of the word or phrase on the left.

1. elegant responsible graceful fatal2. rope cable thrill globe3. excitement ambition grace thrill4. meant to crumpled intended convinced5. deadly graceful responsible fatal 2E Fill in the BlankWrite the word in the blank so that the sentence makes sense.

1. Marlo was so frustrated she __________________________________ her paper and threw it away. crumpled convinced intended

2. Though Ashton didn’t want to go on the roller coaster, Demi __________________________________ him to try it. intended thrilled convinced

3. Even when he was little, Barak Obama had __________________________________ to be president. globe ambition grace

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4. If you’re not sure how many continents there are, you should check the __________________________________. cable thrill globe

5. Trevor is __________________________________ for watering the plant every day because he is the class plant monitor.

responsible fatal graceful

2F ConnectionsEach sentence has a strong connection with one of the words from the unit. Write the correct word on the line below.

1. Amanda practiced piano every night because she wanted to be a professional musician when she grew up.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. The ballerina danced beautifully.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Skiing down that big hill was so exciting!

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. I was going to study for the test, but then I forgot to do it.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Jeremy’s jeans were in a wrinkled pile in the corner.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2G Applying MeaningsCircle the letter that makes sense or answers the question.

1. If someone is responsible for feeding their pet, he or she will (A) forget to do it (B) do it every day(C) ask for help (D) trade jobs

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2. If someone traveled around the globe, where did he or she travel?(A) to their friend’s house (B) to their school and back again(C) all around the world (D) from New York to California 3. Which is most likely to be fatal?(A) a plane crash (B) walking down the street(C) having dinner with your family (D) playing Frisbee in the park

4. If someone is convinced to play basketball, what will they do?(A) play soccer (B) ignore their friends(C) watch the game (D) join the game 5. When would you need a cable? (A) to roller-skate down a hill (B) when it’s raining(C) when you are reading a long book (D) to connect a computer to the wall

2H ReadingRead the passage below and then answer the questions that follow.

Evel Knievel Some people have dreams of being a doctor or a teacher when they grow up. Some people dream of being president. Robert Knievel Jr. was a little different from most kids. His ambition was to be a daredevil. Growing up in Montana, Robert loved to do stunts on his bike and show off for the neighborhood kids. When he was eight years old, he saw a car daredevil show and knew that he wanted to do stunts for the rest of his life. When Robert was a young man, he got a job driving a bulldozer for a mining company. While he was driving it, he tilted the bulldozer until it was only on its back wheels (a wheelie). He lost control of the bulldozer and crashed it into an electricity cable. That stunt left the whole city without lights for the rest of the day. One night, Robert met a criminal nicknamed “Awful Knofel.”

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He liked the way the man’s first and last names rhymed with each other. He thought “Evil Knievel” might be a great name for himself. But he didn’t want people to think that he was mean or evil, so he spelled it “Evel” instead and the name stuck. Evel Knievel was always looking for a new thrill. When he was 28, he put together his first daredevil show. He used his motorcycle to do wheelies and used ramps to jump over cages full of snakes and mountain lions. After that, he started lining up cars to jump over. In California, he jumped over 16 cars with his motorcycle. People loved his stunt so much they convinced him to do it again a few months later. This time, he didn’t make it to the other side and he crashed. It took him over a month to get better. A year later, Evel Knievel jumped over a huge fountain in Las Vegas. He made the jump, but the bike slipped when he landed. Many thought his crash would be fatal. But Evel only broke six bones and was in the hospital for a month. And once he was out, he went right back to doing stunts. People all over the country loved watching Evel do stunts on his bike. By the end of his lifetime, Evel had tried 300 different jumps and had only fallen 24 times. He also holds the world record for most broken bones: 35! 1. What was Evel Knievel’s original name?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What made Evel Knievel want to be a daredevil?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. How did Evel Knievel get his name?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Name two things Evel Knievel jumped over with his motorcycle.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. How many jumps did Evel Knievel try to do in his life?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Bonus: Crossword PuzzleSolve this crossword puzzle. Note: Some answers may be different forms of the vocab words above.

1 2 3 4

5

6

7 8

9

10

ACROSS

1 That car accident could have been _______.

5 Some people love the _______ of skydiving.

6 The strong winds ripped down the telephone _______.

9 Reeve was so nervous that he had to be _______ to make it onto the boat.

10 Jorge was _______ enough to make dinner for the family every night.

DOWN

2 Sara has a lot of _______. She wants to be the President of the United States.

3 The hood of the car _______ when it hit the wall.

4 The third-graders checked the _______ to find China.

7 I always _______ to go to sleep early, but sometimes noise in my house keeps me up late.

8 The audience thought that the ballerina was full of _______.

unit 1 – biggie · and they want to see it again like a hundred times. this cat is kind of...

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