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Grade 8 English Language Arts Unit 5 Whole-Class Learning

Uncle Marcos Concept Vocabulary & Word Study

Page 1: Overview of Unit

This section serves as an introduction to Unit 5 concerning the work "Uncle Marcos". The resources include concept vocabulary and word study materials designed to enhance the understanding of the text by exploring essential vocabulary.

Page 2: Common Core Standards

The following Common Core Standards are related to this unit:

  • L.8.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases.
  • L.8.4.b: Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots to aid understanding.
Page 3: Concept Vocabulary

The list of concept vocabulary words associated with Uncle Marcos includes:

  1. Decipher – to interpret or understand something.
  2. Invincible – impossible to defeat.
  3. Contraption – a machine that appears strange or complicated.
  4. Ingenuity – the quality of being original and clever.
  5. Newfangled – invented recently; may seem strange.
  6. Improvisations – creations made without prior preparation.

The rationale for selecting these words stems from their relation to themes of cleverness and innovation in the story. Uncle Marcos utilizes these skills as he deciphers an English instruction manual to build a flying machine, while Severo employs his ingenuity in restoring Uncle Marcos’s citizenship rights.

Page 4: Concept Vocabulary - Understanding Uncle Marcos
  • Question: How does the concept vocabulary help the reader understand Uncle Marcos as an inventor?
  • Answer: The vocabulary words enhance comprehension of Uncle Marcos’s inventive processes and how he develops his devices.
Page 6: Additional Vocabulary
  • Additional vocabulary words that reflect Uncle Marcos's inventive character include:
       - Incomprehensible – not able to be understood.
       - Alchemy – a form of medieval chemistry concerned with transformation.
       - Imagination – the ability to form new ideas or images.
       - Mechanic – someone skilled in working with machinery.
       - Clairvoyance – the supposed ability to perceive events in the future or beyond normal sensory contact.
       - Venture – a risky or daring journey.
       - Excursions – short trips or outings.
       - Impressions – an effect or impact on the mind.
Pages 8-13: Matching Concept Vocabulary with Images

In these pages, concept vocabulary words are matched with corresponding images. The varied examples prompt students to identify which vocabulary word fits the given visual context. Words included are:

  • Decipher
  • Invincible
  • Contraption
  • Newfangled
  • Ingenuity
  • Improvisations
Pages 15-16: Practice Sentences

Students are directed to complete the sentences using the vocabulary words:

  1. A person who prefers old-fashioned objects might not want something newfangled.
  2. A spy might have to decipher a code to find the hidden message.
  3. If things do not go according to plan, you might have to think quickly and make improvisations.
  4. You might admire a creative person's ingenuity in solving problems.
  5. People might call a strange or unusual machine a contraption.
  6. A superhero who is invincible has nothing to fear from a villain's attacks.
Pages 17-21: Word Study - Latin Suffix -ity
Suffix Analysis
  • Latin Suffix: -ity signifies