Vocabulary Words
for
Martina, the beautiful cockroach
5th Grade
Table of Contents
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Directions
cucaracha
Old Havana
una peineta
una mantilla
shawl
Abuela
un consejo incredible
aghast
suitor
temper
el perico
el prado
el morro castle
abuzz
custom
balcony
daintily
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36.
strutted
splendid
reflection
caramba
crooned
muchacha
hesitated
mock
dismay
clumsy
stunned
humble
cocky
unimaginable
wheezed
pigsty
loafers
charming
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drily
boorish
unsuitable
scarcely
crept
adios
warbled
spat
livid
hissed
icily
cold-blooded
fuming
railing
scurried
squinted
Café cubano
mi amor
“Get It” Worksheet
Directions
To move about the WebQuest, click on the home symbol
to go to the Table of Contents where you will find all of the
vocabulary terms listed. Click on the arrow symbol to go
to the next page.
On each slide, you will find the term, definition, and a link
to the internet to solidify understanding.
After you have explored the last term, which is “mi amor,”
click on the “Get It” link to print and complete the “Get It”
Worksheet.
= Table of Contents
= next slide
cucaracha
-means ‘cockroach’ in Spanish.
-The last name of Martina, the main character.
Click here to see a picture of
a real cockroach.
Old Havana
-The capital of Cuba.
-It lies on the northern coast of Cuba.
-Diego Velazquez de Cuellar founded it in 1515.
-Old Havana refers to a part of Havana that has
been
restored back to its original glory.
Click here to see a
picture
of Old Havana.
una peineta
-means ‘comb’ in Spanish.
-Martina wears a seashell comb that was given to her.
una mantilla
-means shawl in Spanish.
-The shawl was given to Martina by her Mama.
Here is a picture
of the shawl
Martina wears.
shawl
-something women wear over their shoulders or
wrapped around their head.
-It could be made out of fabric, yarn, or lace.
Click here to see some
pictures of various
shawls.
Abuela
-means ‘grandmother in Spanish.
Click here to see a picture of
a grandmother.
Un consejo incredible
-means ‘shocking advice’ in Spanish
-shock in Martina’s case means that she was surprised to
hear her Abuela tell her to purposely spill coffee on her
suitors.
-advice means to give guidance
Click here to see a
picture of a woman
experiencing shock.
aghast
-means shock, but could also mean filled with horror.
-Martina has a look of aghast on her face after her Abuela
tells her to do the Coffee Test on her suitors.
-Like words would be: dismayed, horrified, and/or appalled.
Click here to see a picture of a
man with a horrified look on his
face.
suitor
-A man that pursues a woman in order to
marry her.
-For example, in Disney’s Aladdin, Jasmine
has many suitors who come to see if she
will marry them.
Click here to see a picture
of a suitor aimed to please.
temper
-A state of mind that comes from anger.
-Martina wanted to see what kind of temper her suitors
had.
Click here to see a picture of
a person with a temper towards
another person.
El perico
-means “parrot” in English.
Click here to see a
picture of a parrot.
El Prado
-El prado is a section of Havana, just like Tampa
is divided up into different areas like Tampa Palms,
New Tampa, etc…
Click here to see a picture
of a street called El Prado in the section
of Havana known as El Prado.
El Morro Castle
Click here to learn about El Morro Castle.
Click here to see a picture of
El Morro Castle.
abuzz
-full of activity or talk that is loud like a bee.
Click here to see a group of people
abuzz with conversation
custom
-a way of doing something that is accepted or traditional
to a specific culture, place, or time.
-In Cuban culture, a woman seeking the hand of a suitor
in marriage must do it with her family’s approval or
watchful eye as in Martina’s case.
balcony
-A platform attached to the outside of a building
that is accessed from a door or window.
Click here to see a
picture of a balcony.
daintily
-delicate or graceful movement.
-Martina “daintily” crossed her legs. She
did it slowly, gracefully, and precisely.
strutted
-to walk with arrogance or conceit with body
very tall.
Click here to see a
model strutting down
the runway
splendid
-means magnificent, good, excellent, impressive.
-something that is splendid is a matter of opinion.
Click here to see what I think is
a splendid sunset
reflection
-An image seen on a shiny surface or in a mirror.
Click here to see a reflection of the
camera man in someone’s sunglasses.
caramba
-means ‘golly’ in Spanish.
-One would use it in a excited tone, like when
saying, “Good Gracious” in English.
Click here to go to a website and
hear a Cuban song titled,
“Hey Caramba” by Company Segundo.
crooned
-means to have a soft, low voice or tone.
-For example, the teacher crooned to her class
when it was time for them to calm down and
settle into their activities.
muchacha
-means ‘girl,’ ‘girlie,’ or ‘maid’ in Spanish.
-’girl’ in Spanish in also ‘nina,’ or ‘chica.’
Click here to see a woman
wearing a shawl, like
Martina was.
hesitated
-means to pause with uncertainty before doing something.
Click here to see a squirrel
hesitating to come inside.
mock
It was used as an adjective in the story. Therefore,
It means…’not authentic or real, but without the
Intention to deceive.’
-Martina purposefully spilled coffee on the rooster’s shoes,
but to make it seem like it was an accident, she said, “Oh
my! I am all feelers today!” in a voice that was not as
real, as if she really did accidentally spill coffee on his shoes.
dismay
-means to have feelings of anxiety, usually due
to something unexpected happening.
-Martina said, “Oh my! I am all feelers today!,” with
mock dismay. Therefore, she said it with a ‘not so
real tone,’ but also with some feeling of anxiety.
clumsy
-means to awkwardly handle things.
Click here to see a picture
of a man clumsily handling
folders.
stunned
-means to shock enough where reaction and senses
are temporarily gone.
-Martina was stunned over Don Gallo’s behavior.
Click here to see a picture of
what someone who is stunned
may look like.
humble
It was used at an adjective in the story. It means…
to be of a low or modest pretensions or claim to something.
Click here to see a photo of a man and
a woman.
(It is how I picture Martina and Don
Gallo if they were people.)
cocky
-means to be conceited or arrogant; full of
oneself.
Click here to see a short video of a cocky
man.
unimaginable
-means that what has or will happen is difficult to imagine
happening.
-Martina could not imagine what caused
Don Cerdo, the pig, to smell so bad.
Click here to see a video of a woman that is able to
pop her eyes forward, an unimaginable trait.
wheezed
-means for a person to breath with an unusual whistling
or rattling in the chest, due to the airway being blocked.
-The smell from the pig was so bad, that it actually
choked Martina up, and she wheezed.
The picture of the speaker plays
a sound byte of someone who is wheezing.
pigsty
-Also known as a pig pen.
-It is a place where pigs
live.
Click here to see a picture of a
pigsty.
loafers
-A shoe made out of leather, shaped like a moccasin,
with a low heel.
Click here to see a picture of a loafer.
Click here to see a picture of a moccasin.
charming
-an attractive or alluring characteristic.
-In the fairy tales, if there is a Prince Charming,
everyone wants to marry him because of his
attractiveness and alluring characteristics.
Click here to see a
picture of Prince
Charming.
drily
-Variation of ‘dryly.’
-to say something in a matter of fact way or with dry humor;
Sarcastic.
Click here to see a video where the
host is speaking very dryly.
boorish
-a rude, clumsy, or unmannerly
person.
-Some waiters and waitresses have waited on people
who have boorish qualities.
unsuitable
-means not suitable.
-unfitting or not appropriate.
Click here for a picture of a Santa Claus
who cannot fit into his Santa suit. Therefore,
the suit that is on him is unsuitable for him.
scarcely
-almost not.
-The pig was just scarcely, almost not, out of sight, when
Don Lagarto, the lizard arrived.
Click here to see a USB drive that is
scarcely larger than a quarter.
crept
-Is the past tense of creep.
-means to slowly and carefully move.
Click here to see a squirrel creeping
up on the camera.
adios
-Spanish word for ‘good-bye.’
Click here to here a toddler say adios.
warbled
-means to speak with a quivering voice.
Click here to watch some girls make their
own warbled voices.
(The video is on its side.)
spat
-The lizard, Don Largarto, ‘spat’ when coffee was poured
on his feet. ‘Spat’ is the past tense of ‘spit.’ Therefore,
Don Largarto spit at Martina.
Click here to see a picture of a boy spitting.
livid
-to be angry; furious.
Click here to see a livid character.
hissed
-a sound that sounds like an extended
pronunciation of the letter ‘s.’
-Usually done in anger.
Click here to hear the hissing of a snake.
icily
-for a person to be icily as Martina was, it means…
to have an unfriendly or cold tone; hostile.
-Martina had an icy voice after she heard that
Don Legarto wanted to eat her.
Cold-blooded
-means to have no emotions or pity.
-to be purposefully mean.
-it also denotes particular types of animals
that are cold-blooded, which means their
body temperature matches the environment's.
-Reptiles are cold-blooded animals.
fuming
-to have great anger.
-how anger is shown or expressed.
Click here to see a picture of what
‘fuming’ looks like.
railing
-A fence-like barrier made of bars
which are fixed to a support
such as the ground or a balcony.
Click here to see a picture
of a black metal railing similar
to the railing on Martina’s lamp post.
scurried
-to move with fast, short steps.
Click here to watch
ants ‘scurry’ across the ground.
squinted
-To look at someone or something with eyes half shut,
either because there is bright light, or trying
to focus more.
Click here to see a picture of
someone squinting.
Café Cubano
-’Café’ means coffee in Spanish.
-’Cubano’ means Cuban in Spanish.
Therefore, ‘Café Cubano’ means Cuban coffee.
-Cuban Coffee is an espresso shot that has been
sweetened with sugar while it is in the process
of being brewed.
Click here to see a picture of a woman
with Café Cubano.
Mi amor
-means ‘my love’ in Spanish.
Click here to see a picture of
What my love or ‘mi amor’,
looks like.
“Get It”
Worksheet