6:1 Matrix

When and where did I find this word: I found the word matrix today while I was reading Word Wise and Content Rich by Fisher and Frey (2006, p. 78). The chapter discussed using graphic organizers to help students with vocabulary instruction. The sentence from the chapter said, "It's a matrix of sorts" (Fisher & Fry, 2006, p. 78).

What the word means: From the context of the chapter from Fisher and Frey, I am still not sure exactly what the meaning of matrix is. According to dictionary.com, a matrix is "something that constitutes the place or point from which something else originates, takes form, or develops." http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/matrix.

My level of Familiarity: I remember hearing the term matrix in math classes during high school and somewhat remember it had to do with lines and points of origin. The movie "The Matrix" also was popular when I was in high school and challenged by thinking of the term. The picture is of Neo from the movie and shows the point of origin and path of the bullet.

Do I Believe this is a Word that I should Know Well: Yes, the word was one that I was expected to know in high school and I believe that should know how to use it well because it is a commonly used term.

Do You Believe this is a Word You Want Others to Know Well: I think that others should know the term well because of the popularity of the word with the Matrix movies and because many of our students are expected to know the term for math, I think we should know the word and be able to use it in our own content areas to reinforce the word.

5:2 samizdat

When and Where I found it: Again, I was in search of a funny word to give me a laugh and cheer up my mood. I googled "uncommon words" and clicked on http://wordsmith.org/words/roustabout.html. The word I selected was the word of the day for Oct. 3rd 2010, samizdat. Wordsmith.org (2010) retrieved from http://wordsmith.org/words/roustabout.html.

What it means: The term  samizdat is a noun and according to wordsmith.org means, an underground publishing system used to print and circulate banned literature. I just watched an episode of Boardwalk Empire on HBO and the show highlights the era of prohibition of the 1920's. Mr. Thompson creates samizdat's information on how to make and sell illegal alcohol in the show. (See my image of the bootlegging business)

My familiarity with the word: I have never heard the term before, however, I think it would be a great word to introduce to students when talking about revolutions. I could use this term for my SCALP project for the American Revolution and the information and text that was created during the time.

Should I Know this Term Well? Yes, I think that this is a highly specialized term that I could use when talking about certain periods in history. I think that this would be an interesting word to use with students to talk about underground activity.

Should Others Know This Word Well? No, I do not think that many people will specifically need to know this word. I feel the word is highly specialized and that the average person will not likely use this term.

5:1 Roustabout

Where and When I found it: Since I spent most of my Sunday locked in my room working on lesson planning, I needed a quick laugh. I searched Google for "uncommon words" to see what would come up. I clicked the second link and was quickly amused with the weekly themes of uncommon words that the website had to offer. I selected the category words derived from birds. I clicked on the term roustabout and decided this would be a good word choice. I found the definition at http://wordsmith.org/words/roustabout.html.

What It Means: The word roustabout  is a noun and according to wordsmith.org means a casual or unskilled worker and often refers to a laborer on an oil rig. I love the episode of I Love Lucy when Lucy was a roustabout candy worker stuffing candy in her hat and shirt, what a classic. (see image to go along with my sentence) Wordsmith.org (2010) Roustabout retrieved from http://wordsmith.org/words/roustabout.html.

My level of familiarity with the word: I do not think that I have ever heard of the term before.

Do I Want to Know It Well? I think that it is an interesting term. The word physically reminds me of "roundabout" such as the circle that drivers take to go to a intersection. I think that this is a much gentler term than calling some one an "unskilled" worker" and thus that is why I want to know it well.

Do I think Others Should Know it Well? I believe others should know it well. I am guessing in areas where oil rigs are, people might be more familiar with the term roustabout. Again, I think others should know this word because it is a nice way of calling someone an unskilled worker or someone new to a job field.

4.3 Fictive

When and where did I find this word: I also heard the word fictive from the weekly reading in the Word Wise and Content Rich textbook on page 126. I selected the word because I recognized the "fic" prefix from the word fiction. The word was under the week five vocabulary words with the root "fic and fac" which means to make.

Douglas Fisher & Frey, N. (2008). Wordwise Content Rich. Portsmith, NH: Heinemann.  

What the word means: The root of the word is "fic" which means to make. I know that fiction means to make believe, so I am curious to find the meaning of fictive. Dictionary.com says that fictive is "pertaining to the creation of fiction, imaginary." Fictive used in a sentence would sound like, "the story about the flying elephants was fictive!" http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fictive

My level of Familiarity: Although I had never heard of the word, I knew the word fiction which is a very similar term to the word fictive. I had never heard the word fictive used, but think I will use the word on my own in the future.

Do I Believe this is a Word that I should Know Well: Yes, I think that I should know this word well because it is very familiar with words that I already know. I really like the word and think that others maybe able to understand the word if they know the root "fic or fac."

Do You Believe this is a Word You Want Others to Know Well: I do think that others should know how to use this word well. Learning the word "fic" reminds me of going to the library in elementary school and the librarian explaining the difference between fiction and non-fiction. The term fiction and fictive are very similar and I think that people should know how to use the term.

4.2 Obsequious

When and where did I find this word:  On Saturday afternoon, I read the Word Wise Content Rich book by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey and came across the word obsequious on page 126 which described the vocabulary words of the week that match up by prefix, suffix or root. Obsequious was matched under the week three category with the prefix "ob" which means against.

Douglas Fisher & Frey, N. (2008). Wordwise Content Rich. Portsmith, NH: Heinemann.

What the word means: Breaking down the prefix and suffix of the word obsequious can be the first step for me to try to figure out the meaning of the word with out turning directly to dictionary.com. The prefix "ob" means against and the suffix "ous" means to be full of or have quality of. If I were to guess the meaning of the word, i would think it would mean to be against doing something. To my surprise, my guess was the total opposite. When I looked up the meaning of the word obsequious in the dictionary, I found that it means to be obedient and compliant. Synonyms of the words are submissive and servile. "The young lady was obsequious to her master," would be an example of the word used in a sentence. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Obsequious+

My level of Familiarity: I had never heard the word before coming across it in this weeks reading. I am not sure how to exactly pronounce the word either.

Do I Believe this is a Word that I should Know Well:  I believe this is a word that should some what be known. I do not think that I would use this word on a regular basis, however, it is another word that I can use when referring to working diligently and following directions.

Do You Believe this is a Word You Want Others to Know Well: I think that others may want to know this word because it has to do with work ethic. It might be a good word to use to describe yourself on a resume or to others. I like positive words, and this word is a positive descriptive word!

4.1 Arduous

When and where did I find this word: I was curious about words that my students might encounter when they do SAT prep. I googled student words of the day and came across a website called superkids.com which offers a word of the day for SAT review. I found the word today as I had a short break between school and an open house.

What the word means: According to superkids.com the word means labor intensive, difficult to do or complete, strenuous, requiring great exertion, hard to endure, severe. Once I read the meaning, I could see the connection. The ending "uous" often common to words like strenuous, laborious, vigorous. The connection made sense in my mind when I learned the meaning. http://www.superkids.com/

My level of Familiarity: I have heard the word used once and a while but have never used the term myself. I am pretty sure that I came across this term while I was studying for the SAT's myself. I had one of the Barron's review book and tried to go through may of the words and I am sure this term was in the study guide. I do not think that I ever stopped to take the time to look up the meaning of the word before.

Do I Believe this is a Word that I should Know Well: I do want to know this word well because I have heard it used many times and have not taken the time to learn it up until this point. I think that I can use this word to describe my day or very difficult events and occasions.

Do You Believe this is a Word You Want Others to Know Well: Yes, I think that this term is a word that people should know. The suffix of the word "ous" is very common in words that we use daily. The Suffix "ous" means to be full of or having quality of. I believe that others should know this word because we often say "I had a bad day." Instead of using words like "bad, hard, tiring," we could try to use new, more descriptive words such as "arduous."

3.3 Tenochtitlan

When and Where did I Find it: I found the term on 9/21 as I was lesson planning for my next unit. I was using the same textbook that I will be using for my textbook assignment. I have taught about the Aztec's before but have never come across this term before.

What does it mean? According to my schools textbook (Billmeyer & Barton), Tenochtitlan was one of the greatest cities in the Americas at one time with a highly advanced society. It was the capital of the Aztecs and was one of the largest cities in the Americas during its prime years.

Billmeyer, R., & Barton, M.L.(1998). Teaching reading in the content areas: If not me than who? Alexandria, VA: McRel.

Level of Familiarity: I have never heard this term used up until today. I was surprised that a seventh grade book would have such detailed information. Several of the books I have taught from before did not have this term and information in it.

Do I want to know this word well and why? Yes! This is newly learned knowledge that I have to help me teach and better prepare my students for my next lesson unit.

Do I think others should know this word well and why? I think that most of u.s. have heard of the Aztecs and learned about them during our schooling. We often just learn about their achievements and that they lived in Central Mexico. I think that because this term is a name of an ancient city, many people may not use this word because it is highly specialized. I think that students should learn this word in connection to the early peoples unit in social studies. However, beyond the social studies room, I do not think the average person will need to know this word or be able to use it on a regular basis.