Junior Scholastic

SKILLS SHEET

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Date:
KEY
STANDARD

BUILDING VOCABULARY

RH.6-8.4

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Words to Know

DIRECTIONS: Read the following definitions and example sentences of vocab words from this issue. Then define
and give an example for two other words from the issue.
1. 
black market (noun): a system in which goods are
bought and sold illegally
example: He was selling Rolex watches at half
price, but only because they were on the black
market.
2. 
civilian (noun): a person who is not a member of
the police or armed forces
example: Maia retired from the Navy and now
shes a civilian again.

8. 
refugee (noun): a person forced to flee his or her
country because of danger or persecution
example: The war in Syria has caused millions of
refugees to flee to other countries.
9. 
statute (STA-choot) (noun): a written law
example: Many states now have antibullying
statutes.
10. suffrage (SUH-frij) (noun): the right to vote
example: The long fight for womens suffrage
finally resulted in the passage of the 19th
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

3. 
climate change (noun): a long-term change
in Earths climate, especially a change due to an
increase in the average global temperature
example: Most scientists agree that climate change
is causing the planets polar ice caps to melt.
4. 
demographics (deh-muh-GRA-fiks) (noun): data
about groups of people characterized by particular
qualities, such as age or gender
example: Using demographics from the U.S.
Census Bureau, we can tell how many teenagers live
in Iowa.
5. 
El Nio (el NEEN-yoh) (noun): a warm ocean
current that develops in the Pacific Ocean and can
cause catastrophic weather conditions
example: The heavy rains in South America this
summer are being caused by an ElNio.
6. 
migrant (noun): a person who goes from one place
to another, especially to find work
example: A group of migrants has come to town to
help with the grape harvest.

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7. 
op-ed (noun): an essay in a newspaper or magazine
that expresses a personal viewpoint and is not the
official stance of the publication
example: Our teacher wrote an op-ed for The
Sacramento Bee denouncing the poaching of
elephants for their tusks.

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JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC SEPTEMBER 7, 2015

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