The following lists of words are vocabulary words from the stories in your child’s reading textbook.
For themes 4-6 click here.
GRADE 2
Theme 1-My Family, Friends and Neighbors
Story: Matthew and Tilly
together: with one another
rescue: save from danger
machine: a thing made for doing some kind of work
stomp: walk heavily
customer: person who buys things
squiggly: curved or wavy
Story: The Letter
mail: a letter or package that is sent to a person or place
letter: a written message
mailbox: box for mail delivery at home
envelope: a folded cover for a letter
porch: a covered entrance to a building
snail: a slow-moving animal with a soft body and a spiral shell
Story: Little Nino’s Pizzeria
customer: person who buys things
waiter: a person who serves restaurant meals
chef: a cook
restaurant: a place that sells meals
sauce: a smooth, flavorful mixture served with food
cheese: a solid food made from milk
onion: a vegetable used for seasoning food
tomato: a red fruit with a juicy pulp, used as a vegetable
Story: A Birthday Basket for Tia
ninety: the number that is ten less than one hundred
surprise: something that causes wonder because it is not expected
backyard: space at the back of a house or other building
watch: to look at
butterfly: an insect with a slender body and colorful wings
picture: likeness of people, things, or scenes
Theme 2-Nature at Your Door
Story: Nature Spy
discover: to find out about
curious: wanting to know or find out about something
pod: a covering that contains the seeds of a plant
notice: to see or observe
empty: having nothing inside
pattern: a design; an arrangement of parts
kernel: the seed of certain plants, such as corn or wheat
Story: Home in the Sky
abandoned: left alone
scrap: a small piece or leftover piece of some material
stroke: rub gently
nestle: snuggle; get cozy and comfortable
sweeping: wide; broad
instinct: an animal’s natural way of behaving
Story: Dear Mr. Blueberry
sincerely: truly, honestly
spurt: to rush out suddenly in a stream
creature: any living person or animal
forcibly: strongly
migratory: moving from one place to another with the change of seasons
disappoint: to fail to do or give something
Theme 3- Stretch Your Imagination
Story: Julius
crate: a box made of wood slats, used for packing things
teach: show or help someone learn how to do something
imitation: copying something or someone
flour: a fine powder made by grinding wheat or other grains
jazz: a kind of music with strong rhythms originated by African Americans
ceiling: the inside top part of a room
Story: Truman’s Aunt Farm
knit: use yarn and long needles to make clothing, such as mittens or sweaters
subscription: agreement to pay for and receive a magazine or a newspaper for a period of time
inspection: official review or examination
ranks: rows or lines of people placed side by side
cartwheel: a handspring where the body turns sideways like a wheel
Story: Abuela
beautiful: very pretty
soar: fly in the air
glide: move very smoothly and easily
cousin: a son or daughter of an aunt or uncle
adventure: an exciting experience
Story: The Mysterious Tadpole
collection: things gathered into one set
eager: wanting very much to do or get something
ordinary: normal
enormous: huge
meanwhile: at the same time
delighted: very pleased, happy
convinced: sure
treasure: things that cost a lot of money or that are important
Big Old Bones: A Dinosaur Tale
professor: a college teacher
country: an area of land where people live under the same government
mountain: a high part of the earth
explore: to study carefully
laboratory: a room where scientists work
lizard: an animal with a long body, a tail, four legs, and scales
scientist: a person who knows a lot about and studies a subject in science
amaze: to surprise or fill with wonder
Story: Fossils Tell of Long Ago
million: a thousand thousands; 1,000,000
skeleton: the connected bones inside an animal
mineral: part of the earth that has never been alive, such as a rock, salt, or iron
dissolve: to mix completely with a liquid
ancient: very old
preserve: to keep safe and in good shape
desert: dry, sandy area with few or no plants
tropical: in or from the hot, humid places on earth
Story: The Littlest Dinosaurs
littlest: smallest
balance: ability to stay steady without falling down
weigh: find out how heavy an object is
protect: keep safe from harm
stud: a bony bump on the back of an animal
squeeze: make smaller by pushing together
intelligent: able to think and learn
speedy: very fast
Theme 5-A Gift of Tales
Story: The Bossy Gallito
bossy: tells others what to do
elegant: rich-looking
scold: to yell at or criticize
demand: to ask for something very strongly
quench: to put out; to get rid of
pardon: a polite expression similar to "excuse me"
Story: Two of Everything
humble: not fancy in any way
harvest: all the grain, fruit, and vegetables that are gathered in one season
exactly: without any difference
identical: the very same
clever: having a bright mind; very smart
grateful: full of thanks
Story: Coyote Steals the Blanket: A Ute Tale
dart: to move quickly and suddenly
gap: an opening or pass, such as through a wall or mountain
drape: to cover loosely or hang a cloth over
rumble: deep, rolling sound
outrun: to run faster than someone or something else
glance: to look quickly
graze: to eat or feed on growing grass
whir: to move quickly with a whizzing or buzzing sound
Story: Aesop’s Fables
gnaw: to bite and chew away bit by bit
moral: the lesson a story teaches about how to behave
terrify: to frighten or scare badly
sly: tricky in getting what you want
pace: how slow or fast you walk or run
shepherd: person who takes care of sheep
shallow: not deep
Theme 6-Sharing Our Lives
Story: Aunt Flossie’s Hats (and Crab Cakes Later)
crowd: to pack or fill to full
clatter: to make loud crashing sounds
soldier: a person in the army
ripple: to form little waves
fetch: to go after and bring back
Story: Soon, Annala
voyage: a long trip
calendar: a chart that lists days, months, and years
trolley: a car like a bus that travels on a track on a city street
harborside: the place next to a harbor where ships dock and people can come and go
wharf: a place for ships to load and unload what they are carrying
ferry: a boat used to carry people short distances
Story: Will You Please Feed Our Cat?
greenhouse: a heated building with glass roof and sides, used for growing plants
yank: a sudden, strong pull
whirl: to turn quickly around and around
vase: an open holder used to keep flowers
hurl: to throw very hard
nab: to grab
Page last updated 2/29/00