The Earth Dragon Awakes Vocabulary

Trembles verb When something trembles, it shakes.

Trembles When people are nervous or afraid, they might tremble.

Trembles Have you ever seen a dog trembling with fear?

Trembles During a strong earthquake, you can feel the earth tremble. It feels like something is shaking the room or building you are in .

Trembles What makes you tremble? Is it something that you are afraid of or something that makes you nervous? Turn and tell your partner. Start by saying: “One thing that makes me tremble is…”

Wreckage noun Wreckage is left over bits of something that has been ruined.

Wreckage Hurricane Sandy left a lot of wreckage along the east coast of the United States. Many towns are completely in ruins.

Wreckage It will take many years to clean up and repair the wreckage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

Wreckage A bad car accident can cause a lot of wreckage. This car can not be fixed.

Tenement noun A tenement is a poorly built apartment building. They were very common in large cities many years ago.

Tenement Many immigrants lived in tenement buildings in the early 1900’s when they first came to America. They were inexpensive places to live, but not very nice.

Tenement Many people would live in a small tenement apartment.

Crushing verb Crushing means breaking something into pieces.

Crushing The tractor is crushing cans to be recycled.

Crushing This tool is used for crushing herbs and spices needed for cooking.

Crushing Rocks and concrete are crushed by large machines to be used for many different things, such as roads.

Rubble noun Rubble is broken stones or bricks.

Rubble There will be a lot of rubble to clean up after Hurricane Sandy.

Rubble There is a lot of rubble to clean up after an earthquake.

Rubble Cleaning up rubble can take a lot of time, money, and effort

Constructed past tense verb Constructed is a synonym for built.

Constructed Have you ever seen a house being constructed?

Constructed This sculpture is constructed of metal.

Constructed What are some other things that can be constructed? See if you and your partner can think of 3 other things. Be ready to share with the class.

Constructed verb Construction noun In New York City there is always a building under construction. It is fascinating to watch one of these tall structures being constructed.

Timbers noun Timbers are large pieces of wood or wooden beams usually used for building houses.

Timbers These timbers are ready to be shipped and used for construction.

Debris noun Debris is pieces of broken things. What two other words have we learned that are synonyms of debris?

Debris During a tornado, there is often debris flying in the air. Afterwards there can be debris scattered for miles.

Possessions plural noun Use the sentences below to determine the meaning of the word possessions. An earthquake can damage people’s possessions. The things people own might be ruined. What do you think is the meaning of possessions? Possessions are the things you own. A synonym for possessions is belongings.

Possessions What is one of your most prized, or special, possessions? Turn and tell your partner. Start by saying: “One of my most prized possessions is…”

Slab noun A slab of something is a flat, thick piece of it.

Slab Many people have a concrete slab in their backyard to sit on in the summer.

Slab There is nothing as tasty as a good slab of Nebraska beef.

Time to Review Name three words that mean things that have been broken or ruined. What are most houses made out of? What is another word for belongings? What does the earth do during an earthquake? What is another word for built? What verb means breaking into pieces? What is a place you would not want to live in? What means a flat, thick piece of something?