Out and About

Eight words for going out, looking around, and finding your way.

Meet each word one at a time, then take the quiz to lock them in.

1. 1 path noun
2. 2 meadow noun
3. 3 wander verb
4. 4 spot verb
5. 5 mighty adjective
6. 6 tiny adjective
7. 7 quickly adverb
8. 8 slowly adverb

Nelson's word

noun

Path. A noun. I file it under the narrow ways you walk along, the little trails that lead you where you want to go. A path can wind through the woods, cross a park, or curl up a hill. It is not a wide road for cars; it is a narrow way for feet. When a story says the friends took the path home, picture a slim trail, one or two people wide. State it precisely: a path is a narrow way you walk along.

We followed the path through the trees to the pond.

Nelson's word

noun

Meadow. A noun, and a wide one. I file it under the open fields of grass and flowers, the sunny space with no trees to block the sky. Bees hum in a meadow, and tall grass sways in a meadow. It is not a narrow path; it is a broad field you can run across. When you read that the children played in the meadow, picture a wide green field, flowers everywhere. State it precisely: a meadow is a wide field of grass and flowers.

The meadow was full of bees and yellow flowers.

Vinny's word

verb

Wander! To roam, to ramble, to walk with no set path and let your feet go where they please! When the goats wander across the hills, they do not follow a map; they drift wherever the grass looks good. That is the verb, and it is mine, and it feels like freedom. Do not mix it up with wonder, which means to think hard about something. To wander is to walk free, and it is a fine way to spend an afternoon.

The goats wander across the hills all afternoon.

Vinny's word

verb

Spot! To catch sight of something, to see it first, to be the one who yells there it is! When I spot a deer across the meadow, my sharp eyes find it before anyone else does. That is the verb, and it is mine, and it takes a quick eye. But watch out, this word has a secret. Call something a spot, like a sunny spot to rest, and suddenly it is a place, a thing, not an action at all. Same word, two jobs. We sort those hats in Practice.

I spot a deer across the meadow before it runs.

Jake's word

adjective

Mighty. Oh, this is a strong one, and it is mine. As an adjective, mighty means very big and powerful, so big and strong it makes you stop and stare: a mighty tree, a mighty wave, a mighty pile of leaves. Its Frown is puny, the small and weak thing. Could we be more specific than saying a tree was big? We could say it was mighty, and the reader knows to look way, way up and feel its power too. Same tree, bigger and stronger picture. Magnifique.

A mighty tree stood at the edge of the meadow.

Jake's word

adjective

Tiny. An adjective, and mine, describing a thing that is very, very small, so small you might miss it: a tiny ant, a tiny seed, a tiny drop of rain. Its Frown is mighty, the very big and powerful thing. Could we be more specific than saying an ant was small? We could say it was tiny, and the reader leans in close to look. Same ant, sharper picture. It is one of my favorite little words.

A tiny ant carried a crumb along the path.

Benny's word

adverb

Quickly. An adverb, and it is mine. It tells you how something happens: in a fast way. The rabbit hops quickly, the runner starts quickly, the clouds move quickly across the sky. Here is my favorite part, and I want you to catch it. Take the adjective quick, add the ending ly, and you build quickly, which tells you how. That little ly is a builder. Learn it once, and you can make slowly, softly, and a hundred more. You have got this.

The rabbit hops quickly across the meadow.

Benny's word

adverb

Slowly. An adverb, mine, and it tells you how something happens: in a slow way. The turtle walks slowly, the snail crawls slowly, the sun sets slowly at the end of the day. Just like quickly, it is built from an adjective plus ly: slow becomes slowly. Its partner is quickly, the fast way to do a thing. When you want the reader to feel a thing take its time, slowly is your word.

The turtle walks slowly down the path.