Because of Mr. Terupt: November–January

by Rob Buyea
A new teacher inspires a class of fifth graders — but when Mr. Terupt suffers a devastating injury, his students struggle to come to terms with their responsibility for the accident.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: September–October, November–January, February–March, April–June
35 words 800 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. gauntlet
    a severe or trying experience
    I think he was on a mission to put us through his math gauntlet (dollar word).
  2. holler
    call out loudly
    “No way!” Nick was hollering (dollar word).
  3. stampede
    run away in a headlong rush
    We marched downstairs and out the front doors by the office. Then we stampeded down the sidewalk until the end of the building.
  4. anxious
    eagerly desirous
    It’s funny how when you’re anxious to get somewhere the journey seems to take forever, and when you’re not too anxious the journey is over in no time.
  5. eventually
    after an unspecified period of time or a long delay
    There were a few other children in the room and Miss Kelsey eventually introduced us to all of them.
  6. distracted
    having the attention diverted especially because of anxiety
    I became distracted at this point because Jeffrey had walked over to Joey and started playing the game Memory with him.
  7. astonished
    filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise
    Anna and I exchanged astonished looks. I was confused.
  8. spout
    talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner
    He spouted off facts nonstop as he looked at each picture.
  9. component
    one of the individual parts making up a larger entity
    When Mr. Terupt announced the project, he said, “Your centers will need to include a research component, a game, an arts and crafts activity, and food. Your center will need to operate all by itself, because you’ll be visiting the other centers when people come to visit yours.”
  10. collaborate
    work together on a common enterprise or project
    Jeffrey and I collaborated on the research, while Anna and Danielle were in charge of designing the arts and crafts activity.
  11. tireless
    characterized by sustained hard work and perseverance
    Danielle was nearby organizing the arts and crafts materials that she and Anna had been working tirelessly to create.
  12. spare
    refrain from harming
    My turn to be hurt came next. Alexia didn’t spare me.
  13. escort
    accompany
    He escorted her out of the room. They were gone for a while.
  14. peer
    look searchingly
    I could feel Mr. Terupt’s eyes on me. He leaned forward, trying to peer up into my face. He tried to make eye contact with each of us.
  15. likelihood
    the probability of a specified outcome
    I sometimes wonder what’s the likelihood (dollar word) Peter will grow up to be a world-famous thief.
  16. antic
    a playful, attention-getting act done for fun and amusement
    It wasn’t worth getting upset over. Besides, I’m sort of used to Peter’s antics.
  17. outwit
    beat through cleverness
    Maybe I don’t get upset with Peter because I know I’ll always outwit him.
  18. shenanigan
    reckless or malicious behavior that causes annoyance
    Mr. Terupt was still busy with a different group so he didn’t see any of Peter’s shenanigans or me leaving the classroom.
  19. tolerate
    put up with something or somebody unpleasant
    “I like you, Lexie. I want some of your classmates to like you, too. I’m trying to help. I want you to be friendlier [dollar word]. I will not tolerate your meanness anymore.”
  20. eavesdrop
    listen without the speaker's knowledge
    I didn’t want it to seem obvious that I’d been eavesdropping, but I was eager to tell somebody about what I had just seen.
  21. flail
    thrash about
    I’d barely walked through the door before I stepped in a puddle of water. My feet went up and my arms flew out. I flailed like an ostrich trying to catch its balance.
  22. linoleum
    a floor covering made from linseed oil, cork, and resin
    Somehow I managed to stay upright after sliding across the linoleum floor to the carpet.
  23. infamous
    known widely and usually unfavorably
    He likes to put his thumb over the opening of the drinking fountain (dollar word) and push the button. It’s another one of his infamous stunts.
  24. gawk
    look with amazement
    We all gawked at her multicolored flower underwear.
  25. discombobulated
    having self-possession upset; thrown into confusion
    We all gawked at her multicolored flower underwear. And that’s not the best of it—or the worst of it, if you’re Mrs. Williams. Her underwear was a bit discombobulated.
  26. marrow
    network of connective tissue filling the cavities of bones
    “Then the summer before fourth grade I gave my bone marrow to Michael. It was his last chance. Everything else had failed.”
  27. plunge
    begin with vigor
    One day during recess—while doing some stick sketching in the dirt—I took a deep breath and plunged ahead.
  28. blunt
    characterized by directness in manner or speech
    I sat all quiet. Mom’s bluntness really zapped me.
  29. genuine
    not pretended; sincerely felt or expressed
    “Those are genuine people, Anna,” she said. “You’ve found a good friend there. You can get as close to her as you want.”
  30. adjourn
    break from a meeting or gathering
    “We could plan for part of the day to be spent inside, playing games, then we’d get some fresh air. I’ll think about it some more and let you know. But first you need to earn the last link. Meeting adjourned,” he said.
  31. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    I raised my hand tentatively and waited for Mr. Terupt to call on me.
  32. glare
    look at with a fixed or angry gaze
    Peter glared at me. I couldn’t look at him.
  33. jot
    write briefly or hurriedly; write a short note of
    Most everybody jotted down random guesses, but I took a ruler and measured the length of what we had and the length left to reach the floor.
  34. colleague
    an associate that one works with
    My colleagues (dollar word) and I were in for a treat.
  35. mope
    move around slowly and aimlessly
    Dad has started going to work again, but Mom mopes around the house.
Created on Thu Apr 11 13:38:52 EDT 2019 (updated Thu Apr 11 13:56:32 EDT 2019)

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