Out in the Woods

Eight new words, waiting for you out among the trees.

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

1. 1 branch noun
2. 2 feather noun
3. 3 peek verb
4. 4 tumble verb
5. 5 fuzzy adjective
6. 6 shiny adjective
7. 7 meekly adverb
8. 8 plainly adverb

Nelson's word

noun

Branch. A noun, and I file it under parts-of-a-tree. A branch is the arm of a tree, the part that grows out from the trunk and reaches for the sky. Leaves grow on it, birds land on it, and swings hang from it. A tree has one thick trunk in the middle, and then it has branches, many of them, spreading out in every direction. State it precisely: the trunk is the middle, the branch is the arm.

The little bird hopped along the branch.

Nelson's word

noun

Feather. A noun, and one of the lightest things I file. A feather is the soft, light covering of a bird. Feathers keep a bird warm, and they help it fly. One feather weighs almost nothing at all, so light it drifts to the ground instead of dropping. If you have ever blown a feather across a table, you know just how light it is. Bird outside, feathers on top: I file it exactly there.

A soft feather floated down from the nest.

Vinny's word

verb

Peek! A quick little verb, and I love a quick one. To peek is to take a fast, sneaky look, just a glance and then you duck back. You peek around the corner, you peek behind the tree, you peek through your fingers at the scary part. It is not a long stare, it is a flash of a look. And keep your eyes open, because this word can wear a second hat, and we will catch it wearing it later.

They peek behind the tree to find the hidden fox.

Vinny's word

verb

Tumble! Now THAT is a verb with some action in it. To tumble is to roll or fall over and over, head over heels, round and round. The puppies tumble in the grass, the acorns tumble down the hill, the little climber tumbles into a soft pile of leaves. It is not a plain fall, it is a rolling, spinning kind of fall. Say it and you can almost feel yourself rolling.

The acorns tumble down the hill.

Jake's word

adjective

Fuzzy. Oh, I love this one, and it is mine, because it describes. Fuzzy means covered in soft, tiny hairs, the kind that tickle your hand: a fuzzy caterpillar, a fuzzy peach, a fuzzy little chick. When you touch a fuzzy thing, it is soft, never smooth and never hard. Could we be more specific than 'soft'? We could. We could say fuzzy, and now you can picture the tiny hairs.

The fuzzy caterpillar crept along the leaf.

Jake's word

adjective

Shiny. A describing word, and a bright one, magnifique. Shiny means bright and smooth so that light bounces right off it: a shiny beetle, a shiny new penny, a shiny drop of rain. A shiny thing catches the sun and sparkles back at you. Its Smile is bright, which means almost the same, and its Frown is dull, which is the very opposite. Could we be more specific than 'nice'? We could say shiny, and now the thing sparkles.

A shiny beetle sparkled on the wet leaf.

Benny's word

adverb

Meekly. This is an adverb, and it is mine, the way a coach owns the whistle. Meekly tells you HOW something is done: in a quiet, shy, gentle way. The small rabbit hops out meekly, the new kid waves meekly, the shy voice answers meekly. It does not shout, it whispers. Here is my coaching tip: when you want a reader to feel how shy and soft something is, you can do better than 'quietly.' You can say meekly, and now we can see the shyness too.

The small rabbit meekly hopped out of its hole.

Benny's word

adverb

Plainly. Another adverb, another one of mine, and a useful one. Plainly tells you HOW something is done: in a clear, simple, easy-to-understand way. The guide points plainly to the path, the sign says plainly which way to go, you can see the moon plainly on a clear night. Nothing is fuzzy or hidden, everything is clear. My coaching tip: when you want your reader to know something is easy to see or easy to understand, you can say plainly, and there is no confusion at all.

The guide plainly points to the path home.