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Course: 8th grade reading & vocabulary > Unit 3

Lesson 1: Building knowledge
Reading & language arts
8th grade reading & vocabulary
Crossing the Line
Building knowledge
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Crossing the Line: unit vocabulary

Google Classroom
This is a list of some noteworthy vocabulary you'll find in this unit! Some are related to the unit topic, and others are generally useful academic words.
You'll know some of the words already, and some may be new. Take some time to familiarize yourself with them all before you get started on the passages and exercises in the unit.
Word: advocate
(noun)
  • Definition: someone who argues in favor of, or supports, something
  • Sample Sentence: Andrea is a strong advocate of building up core strength to improve performance in the three-legged race.
(verb)
  • Definition: to support, or argue in favor of, something
  • Sample Sentence: Anjali advocated strongly for changing the rules of the cheese-rolling contest to allow pre-freezing the cheese wheels.
Word: elite
(adjective)
  • Definition: best, very successful, top-notch, first-class
  • Sample Sentence: Yolanda was now an elite Poohsticks player thanks to her countless years of hard work and practice.
Word: genetics
(noun)
  • Definition: the influence of genes on people and living things; the study of genes and their influences.
  • Sample Sentence: My extraordinary success at camel trekking is due to more than just genetics.
Word: inequitable
(adjective)
  • Definition: unfair or unjust
  • Sample Sentence: The soccer manager spoke out against the inequitable treatment of her team.
Word: innate
(adjective)
  • Definition: existing since the time you were born; natural
  • Sample Sentence: Most star athletes have always had an innate desire to work hard and succeed.
Word: insight
(noun)
  • Definition: understanding, or "seeing into," something
  • Sample Sentence: Raheem was placed on the committee because he has remarkable insight into how a special gene affects an athlete’s speed.
Word: intensify
(verb)
  • Definition: to become stronger; deepen, heighten
  • Sample Sentence: The pressure on the athlete began to intensify when she missed her third consecutive drug test.
Word: legalization
(noun)
  • Definition: to make something legal
  • Sample Sentence: Very few people support the legalization of drugs in sports.
Word: legitimate
(adjective)
  • Definition: allowed by the rules
  • Sample Sentence: Peyton wondered if Gigi would be considered a legitimate player in the final round when she didn’t play in the preliminaries.
Word: proponent
(noun)
  • Definition: the opposite of “opponent”; a person that supports something
  • Sample Sentence: Dr. Sayed was a proponent of testing all athletes prior to the hot-dog-eating contest.
Word: subjective
(adjective)
  • Definition: based on personal opinions or feelings, rather than facts
  • Sample Sentence: The referee’s calls were more subjective than they should have been, and he was removed from the game due to his favoritism for the home team.
Word: ultimate
(adjective)
  • Definition 1: best, greatest
  • Sample Sentence: Shir's record-breaking throw proved it: she was the ultimate champion of rubber chicken toss.
  • Definition 2: final, last, eventual
  • Sample Sentence: The athletes' plane touched down in Addis Ababa: the destination for the ultimate and deciding round of the World Thumb War Tour.
Word: variant
(noun)
  • Definition: something that varies, or is different.
  • Sample Sentence: So far, no-one has identified any gene variants that give you an advantage at toe wrestling.

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