“Homeless” by Anna Quindlen problem-solution essay Vocabulary anonymous- adjective – having no known name or origin; lacking qualities that make one different legacy – noun – anything handed down from an ancestor or from the past enfeebled – adjective – lacking force, strength or effectiveness; weakened

“What Do Fish Have to Do With Anything?” by Avi short story Vocabulary contemplate - verb - to consider carefully and at length inevitably – adverb - unavoidably; without fail preoccupied- adjective - lost in thought; distracted retort – verb - to reply sharply threshold – noun - a doorway or entrance urgency – noun - a condition of pressing importance; necessity

“Dirk the Protector” by Gary Paulsen memoir Vocabulary cohort n. a companion or associate conventional adj. usual; traditional decoy n. person or thing used to distract others or lead them in a different direction forerunner n. person or thing that came before hustle v. to gain by energetic effort impasse n. a situation in which no progress can be made; a deadlock predatory adj. given to stealing from or hurting others for one’s own gain puny adj. weak and small

“Sleeping in the Forest” by Mary Oliver and “Gold” by Pat Mora poems Vocabulary lichens – fungi that grow together with algae and form crustlike growths on rocks or tree trunks grappling – struggling saguaro – a tall branching cactus found in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico