Brave as a Mountain Lion pages Vocabulary

res er va tion

Many Native Americans live on a reservation, land set aside by the government as their home. reservation

Soon the reservation would be covered with darkness. reservation

A reservation is land set aside by the government for Native Americans to live on.

drift ed

As the wind blew, the leaves drifted into a ditch. drifted

Any other night he would have been hoping his father would reach home before the snow drifted too high to push through. drifted

Drifted means piled up because of the wind.

dread ed

I have always dreaded going to school on a test day. dreaded

But tonight was different. Tonight he dreaded his father’s coming. dreaded

Dreaded means looked forward to with fear.

qual i fied

She qualified for the track team because she was able to run fast. qualified

Spider’s father read out loud: “Dear Parent, I am pleased to inform you that your son Spider has qualified for the school spelling bee.” qualified

Qualified means fit or able to do a job or task.

gym na si um

Our school’s basketball games are played in the gymnasium. gymnasium

At recess the next day Spider peeked into the gymnasium. The huge room was empty. gymnasium

A gymnasium is a room or building that has equipment for physical exercise or indoor sports.

swirl ing

The water was swirling around the drain in the tub. swirling

He couldn’t see the far mountains for the swirling snow. swirling

Swirling means moving around and around in a twisting motion.