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WORD MENTOR SENTENCES PREDICT MEANING RELATED WORDS
proficient
ROOT:
-fic- / -fac-
“make”; “do”
- The company had openings
for proficient proofreaders. - Musicians study for many years
before becoming proficient.
proficiency; proficiently
justify
ROOT:
-jus-
“right”; “law”
- How can Caleb justify
spending so much on a pair
of shoes? - Do crime statistics justify the
use of hidden cameras on
public streets?
diverse
ROOT:
-vert- / -vers-
“turn”
- The population of our country
is so diverse because people
came here from every corner
of the world. - The library houses a diverse
collection of music, from
classical to hip-hop.
catalyst
ROOT:
-lys-
“loosen”;
“break down”
- The events in the story were
tragic, but they proved to be a
catalyst for reform. - The addition of a catalyst
sparked a rapid chemical
change.
assertion
ROOT:
-ser-
“join”;
“attach”
- The candidate’s assertion at
the end of the debate proved
to be persuasive. - The tech company made the
bold assertion that its product
would change everyone’s lives.
Academic Vocabulary: Argument
Understanding and using academic terms can help you read, write, and
speak with precision and clarity. Here are five academic words that will be
useful to you in this unit as you analyze and write arguments.
Complete the chart.
- Review each word, its root, and the mentor sentences.
- Use the information and your own knowledge to predict the meaning
of each word. - For each word, list at least two related words.
- Refer to a dictionary or other resources if needed.
FOLLOW THROUGH
Study the words in this
chart, and highlight them or
their forms wherever they
appear in the unit.
ESSENTIAL quESTION: How do our attitudes toward the past and future shape our actions?
Unit Introduction 239
LIT17_SE12_U03_UOP.indd 239 20/03/16 12:04 AM
Academic Vocabulary:
Argument
Introduce the blue academic vocabulary words in
the chart on the student page. Point out that the
root of each word provides a clue to its meaning.
Discuss the mentor sentences to ensure students
understand each word’s usage. Students should
also use the mentor sentences as context to help
them predict the meaning of each word. Check
that students are able to fill the chart in correctly.
Complete pronunciations, parts of speech, and
definitions are provided for you. Students are
only expected to provide the definition and two
related words.
Possible responses:
proficient adj. (pruh FIHSH uhnt)
Meaning: highly skilled
Additional words related to root -fic/fac-:
proficiency, proficiently
justify v. (JUHS tuh fy)
Meaning: to give a reason, to show to be right
Related words: justification, justified
Additional words related to root -jus-: justice,
judge, injustice
diverse adj. (duh VURS)
Meaning: varied
Related words: diversity, diversely
Additional words related to root -vert-:
diversion, invert, revert, introvert
catalyst n. (KAT uh lihst)
Meaning: person or thing creating or bringing
about change
Additional words related to root -lys-: analyze,
analyst, dialysis, paralyze, paralysis
assertion n. (uh SUR shuhn)
Meaning: statement or declaration
Related words: assert
Additional words related to root -ser-:
dissertation, assertive, desert
PersonAlize for leArning
English Language Support
Cognates Many of the academic words have Spanish cognates. Use
these cognates with students whose home language is Spanish.
justify — justificar
diverse — diverso
Not all English learners will recognize and use these cognates
automatically. Help students build their cognate awareness by pointing
out that these cognates share the same root in both English and
Spanish. ALL LEVELS
Unit Introduction 239
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