The Junkyard Wonders, Polacco
Target Words / Story Context / Student-Friendly Explanationbrusque (p. 3) / Mrs. Peterson, the teacher, was described as short, scary, and brusque, with friendly eyes. / To be brusque means that you are rough, or blunt in the way you talk to people.
acquire (p. 5) / Mrs. Peterson told her class that “Genius is neither learned nor acquired…” / To acquire something means to buy something or just pick it up on your own.
tribe (p.12) / Mrs. Peterson divided her class into tribes for their group work and projects. / A tribe is a group of people with something in common that work together.
defy (p. 21) / Gibbie was describing how their remade plane would work when it was done. It would defy gravity and fly to the moon. / To defy something means to resist it or work against something.
sneer (p. 33) / Barton Poole was eavesdropping on their science fair surprise and sneered as he told them he was going to tell the principal about their plans so it wouldn’t work. / To sneer describes what someone does when they look at someone else with hatred or speak in a mean way to them.
Word Associations:
1. Which word or words go with treating someone in an unkind way? (brusque, sneer, defy)
2. Which word or words go with working with others? (tribe)
3. Which word or words go with how we “get” something? (acquire)
4. Which word or words go with going against something or others ? (defy)
Have You Ever….? Turn and Talk and…
1. Describe a time when you have defied someone or something.
2. Describe a time when you acquired something.
3. Describe a time when you’ve seen someone sneer.
4. Describe a time when it would be good to have a tribe work together on something.
5. Describe a time when someone talked to you in a brusque manner.
Which Would…?
1. Which would you rather acquire….a new pet? or a new language?
2. Which would you rather defy…..a bully? or a neighbor?
3. What do you think is more brusque…..Mom saying, “No, you can’t!”? or Mom saying, “We’ll think about it until later”?
4. Would you rather sneer …..at a friendly joke? or at a scary movie?
5. Where would you expect to see a tribe working…..in a science lab? or in a computer lab during MCA testing?
Engage in Conversation about Word Meanings
1. When might you be brusque?
2. When would it be helpful to work in a tribe?
3. How might you acquire football skills?
4. Is it good to defy some things? What things?
5. What would you be feeling when you sneer?
Name ______#____
Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco
1. Use the word acquire correctly in a sentence.
2. Draw a sketch that matches the word tribe. Describe what is happening in your sketch.
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3. What might make someone say, “Fred is looking at me with a brusque look!”
______
4. Circle the word that best matches the word defy. Explain why that’s the best match.
ignore against upset accomplish
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5. Describe a time when you might sneer at someone or something.
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