Unit 4
Teacher Notes
1. area – n – a particular part of a place, city, country, etc.
 I live in the Chicago area, but my brother lives in the San Francisco Bay area.
 There is a large area in my office where we can store our supplies and extra things.
 When I went to Louisiana last week, the waiting area in the airport was so crowded that
there were no seats available.
2. research – v – to study a subject in detail in order to discover new facts about it
 I went to the library to research Abraham Lincoln. I wanted to learn more about him to
tell my students.
 Many scientists and companies are researching new ways to make energy without using
oil.
3. formula – n – a method that you use to solve a problem or make sure something is successful.
 There is no magic formula for a happy marriage. Different things work for different
couples.
 My formula for staying healthy is to eat plenty of fresh vegetables and get regular
exercise.
 In math class, it was hard for me to remember the formulas to solve problems.
4. available – adj – you can have it, buy it, or use it
antonym = unavailable
 I want to go away for the weekend, but first I have to see if my neighbor is available to
take care of my cat.
 During baseball games at Wrigley Field, it can be hard to find an available parking space
in the neighborhood.
5. issue – n – a subject or problem people discuss
 One of the main issues people are concerned about is the U.S. economy and how it
affects their household income.
 We need to discuss the issue of class attendance to be sure everyone understands our
school’s rules.
 Removing snow and ice from sidewalks is a safety issue for a lot of neighborhoods.
6. consent – n – permission to do something
 I gave my consent to my neighbor to use my car when hers was in the shop.
My boss consented to having a holiday party at a restaurant instead of in the office.When
children ask for their parents’ consent, they expect to get it. If consent isn’t given, children
may ignore their parents’ wishes.
Illinois STAR Vocabulary Booster Workshop, Adult Learning Resource Center, Arlington Heights, IL
www.thecenterweb.org/ALRC
Unit 4 Teacher Notes continued
7. negative – adj – bad or harmful
antonym = positive
 I had a negative reaction to the medication. It made me sick, so the doctor prescribed
something else.
 My neighbor is a negative person. She always thinks the worst about people and she
always expects the worst to happen. I try to always keep a positive attitude.
8. remove – v – take something away
 I removed a tick from my dog’s leg.
 I asked my husband to remove his tools from the kitchen counter so that I could cook
dinner.
 When I visit my friend’s house, I remove my shoes at the door so that I won’t bring dirt
into her house.
9. emphasis – n – special importance
 The crime report put an emphasis on the need for more police in the city.
 My third grade teacher placed a strong emphasis on spelling and grammar.
 (verb form) I use a highlighter marker when I read in order to emphasize the main ideas.
10. technique – n – a special way of doing something
 My aunt showed me her technique for making fried chicken.
 I read about a technique for removing ink stains using milk.
The words on this list were taken from sublists one, two and three of the Academic Word List,
http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/resources/academicwordlist/
Matching Activity
1. ______________________
2. ______________________
3. ______________________
4. ______________________
5. ______________________
6. ______________________
7. ______________________
8. ______________________
9. ______________________
10. ______________________
to study a subject in detail in order to discover new
facts about it (research)
you can have it, buy it, use it (available)
permission to do something (consent)
take something away (remove)
a special way of doing something (technique)
special importance (emphasis)
bad or harmful (negative)
a subject or problem people discuss (issue)
a method that you use to solve a problem (formula)
a particular part of a place, city, country, etc. (area)
Illinois STAR Vocabulary Booster Workshop, Adult Learning Resource Center, Arlington Heights, IL
www.thecenterweb.org/ALRC
Fill in the Blank Activity
1. Not eating well and not getting enough exercise are health _____ for too many
children. (issues)
2. I will not be _______ to go out to the movies next week because I will be out of town
on vacation. (available)
3. Employees often must ask for their boss’ _________ before scheduling vacation
time. (consent)
4. I had a __________ reaction to the bee sting and I ended up at the emergency room
for treatment. (negative)
5. The TV commercial talked about a new shampoo that has a _______ for getting rid
of dandruff. (formula)
6. The students _________ the prices of food in local stores and presented their
findings to the class. (researched)
7. Hurricane Katrina destroyed a large _________ around New Orleans. (area)
8. In many schools, students must _________ their hats when they enter the building.
(remove)
9. Making yeast rolls takes a special____________ so that the rolls turn out well.
(technique)
10. Some employers place an ________ on hiring people with degrees, but other
employers prefer hiring people with job experience. (emphasis)
Fill in the Blanks Activity
1. You can use a ________ to estimate the number of trees in a certain _______ of the
forest. (formula, area)
2. My daughter asked for my ______ to go to a rock concert alone with her boyfriend,
but my response was ________, since I thought she was too young. (consent,
negative)
3. If I want to do _______ about AIDS, I need to read all the __________ information
about it. (research, available)
4. During a presidential election, special ________ is put upon _______ such as health
care and the economy. (emphasis, issues)
5. I utilize a special _________to ________ grass stains from my kids’ clothes.
(technique, remove)
Illinois STAR Vocabulary Booster Workshop, Adult Learning Resource Center, Arlington Heights, IL
www.thecenterweb.org/ALRC
Unit 1
Matching Activity
Directions: Listed below is a definition for each word. Write each word next to its
definition.
area
available
negative
technique
research
issue
remove
formula
consent
emphasis
1. ______________________
to study a subject in detail in order to discover
new facts about it
2. ______________________
you can have it, buy it, use it
3. ______________________
permission to do something
4. ______________________
take something away
5. ______________________
a special way of doing something
6. ______________________
special importance
7. ______________________
bad or harmful
8. ______________________
a subject or problem people discuss
9. ______________________
a method that you use to solve a problem
10. ______________________
a particular part of a place, city, country, etc.
Illinois STAR Vocabulary Booster Workshop, Adult Learning Resource Center, Arlington Heights, IL
www.thecenterweb.org/ALRC
Unit 4
Fill in the Blank Activity
Directions: Fill in a word from the list to complete each sentence. Each word can be
used only once.
area
available
negative
technique
research
issue
remove
formula
consent
emphasis
1. Not eating well and not getting enough exercise are health ______________ for too
many children.
2. I will not be _________________to go out to the movies next week because I will be
out of town on vacation.
3. Employees often must ask for their boss’ ___________________ before scheduling
vacation time.
4. I had a ___________________ reaction to the bee sting and I ended up at the
emergency room for treatment.
5. The TV commercial talked about a new shampoo that has a ________________ for
getting rid of dandruff.
6. The students ___________________ the prices of food in local stores and
presented their findings to the class.
7. Hurricane Katrina destroyed a large ________________ around New Orleans.
8. In many schools, students must _________________ their hats when they enter the
building.
9. Making yeast rolls takes a special_____________________ so that the rolls turn out
well.
10. Some employers place an __________________ on hiring people with degrees, but
other employers prefer hiring people with job experience.
Illinois STAR Vocabulary Booster Workshop, Adult Learning Resource Center, Arlington Heights, IL
www.thecenterweb.org/ALRC
Unit 4
Fill in the Blanks Activity
Directions: Fill in two words to complete each sentence.
area
available
negative
technique
research
issue
remove
formula
consent
emphasis
1. You can use a _____________________ to estimate the number of trees in a
certain ________________ of the forest.
2. My daughter asked for my _______________ to go to a rock concert alone with her
boyfriend, but my response was __________________, since I thought she was too
young.
3. If I want to do _______________ about AIDS, I need to read all the
_______________ information about it.
4. During a presidential election, special ________________ is put upon
____________________ such as health care and the economy.
5. I utilize a special ___________________to ________________ grass stains from
my kids’ clothes.
Illinois STAR Vocabulary Booster Workshop, Adult Learning Resource Center, Arlington Heights, IL
www.thecenterweb.org/ALRC
Unit 4
Sentence Completion Activity
Directions: Complete each sentence.
1. One thing I like about the area I live in is ___________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________.
2. One subject that I would like to research is _________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________.
3. A formula for a happy life is _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________.
4. It is difficult for me to find someone who is available to help me _________________
_____________________________________________________________________.
5. One issue that causes arguments in families today is _________________________
_____________________________________________________________________.
6. I believe parents should never consent to _________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________.
7. I have a negative reaction when _________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________.
8. I wish I could remove __________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________.
9. In reading class, the teacher puts special emphasis on ________________________
_____________________________________________________________________.
10. The technique I use to remember appointments or important dates is ____________
_____________________________________________________________________.
Illinois STAR Vocabulary Booster Workshop, Adult Learning Resource Center, Arlington Heights, IL
www.thecenterweb.org/ALRC
Unit 4
True-False and Why Activity
Directions: Read each statement and decide if it’s true or false. Then explain your
answer.
1. The Chicago area has only a few communities, so the population is small.
2. High schools have to deal with the issue of students dropping out of school.
3. You should get your neighbor’s consent before putting up a fence between your
properties.
4. You can master the technique for making tortillas by hand if you practice a lot.
5. Using a slippery cloth is a good way to remove a tight lid from a jar.
6. Doctors put an emphasis on good nutrition and exercise so that their patients will be
unhealthy.
7. Less research should be done to find a cure for cancer.
8. Parking on the street in downtown Chicago is easy because there are so many
available parking spaces.
9. Cutting down the rainforest will have a negative effect on the environment.
10. A formula for success in life is to lie, cheat and steal.
Illinois STAR Vocabulary Booster Workshop, Adult Learning Resource Center, Arlington Heights, IL
www.thecenterweb.org/ALRC
Unit 4
Ideas for Writing Prompts
1. What are some negative impacts of global warming and how does it affect your
life?
2. What resources should be available for low income families?
3. Describe how we as a community can help prevent the issue of teen pregnancy.
Illinois STAR Vocabulary Booster Workshop, Adult Learning Resource Center, Arlington Heights, IL
www.thecenterweb.org/ALRC
Unit 4
Yes-No and Why Activity
Directions: Answer each question with yes or no, then explain why.
1. Does conducting research on a disease emphasize the importance of that disease?
2. Is it an issue if children don’t ask for their parents’ consent before making a
decision?
3. Are there enough areas in the world for everyone to live near available fresh water?
4. If one part or step of a formula is removed, does that mean it won’t work?
5. If you keep getting negative results from a technique, do you need to change how
you are doing it?
Illinois STAR Vocabulary Booster Workshop, Adult Learning Resource Center, Arlington Heights, IL
www.thecenterweb.org/ALRC