Pretty Wordy for a Young Adult Book...

Brian Jacques uses a wide array of complex and sometimes unusual vocabulary in his novel. I have gathered a list of 28 words or phrases that I found confusing or troubling in the text, that Im sure others found troubling as well. Along with the words I also included the page number where each word or phrase can be found, to help provide context. Using your own copy of Redwall, look up the words that you are assigned, and try to guess the definition based on their context within the story. You will be given a number (1-4), with each number being responsible for 7 of the words or phrases from the list provided. Once you have found these 7 words or phrases in the text and attempted to define them, you will be given an opportunity to meet up with rest of your classmates in the same group, to see how their definitions matched or differed from your own. Finally, after definitions are decided upon, each group will pick one spokesperson to say their words to the rest of the class. Group 1 o Ingratiatingly pg 160 o Smarmly pg 161 o Indulgently pg 171 o Swashbuckler pg 171-172 o Ferment pg 172 o Counter espionage pg 181 o Sweeping servile curtsey pg 183 Group 2 o Agitatedly pg 191 o Jubilation pg 191 o Recrimination pg 240 o Churlish pg 290 o Begrudge pg 290 o Lamentation pg 290 o Scullery fusiliers pg 292 Group 3 o Mock solemnity pg 293 o Stentoriously pg 296 o Aristocrat pg 324

o Rapier pg 349 o Garrulous pg 351 o Laconic pg 381 o Reprobate pg 415 Group 4 o Fusillade pg 260 o Sporadically pg 262 o Insubordination pg 273 o Fastidious pg 275 o Rescinded pg 276 o Frugal pg 291 o Desolation pg 295 The purpose of this assignment is to give students an opportunity to define difficult words

based on the context they are placed within the text, and then think, pair, share their ideas with their fellow classmates. I plan on marking this assignment on completion and not based on how many words they know, because some of the words are much too difficult for high school students. Once students have decided upon and shared their definitions, we will go through as a class the correct definitions of the word, and discuss how they fit into the story. Curriculum Expectations from this Activity:
Reading and Literature Studies Reading Unfamiliar Words 3.2 use appropriate decoding strategies to read and understand unfamiliar words Developing Vocabulary 3.3 identify and use a variety of strategies to expand vocabulary Writing Vocabulary 3.2 build vocabulary for writing by confirming word meaning(s) and reviewing and refining word choice, using a variety of resources and strategies, as appropriate for the purpose