Knowledge 4 Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Knowledge Unit 4

Lesson 1

Mesopotamia

trade

to exchange goods

Marley went to the market to trade
her eggs for silk.

reservoir

a natural or man-made area
similar to a lake where water is
stored for future use
The reservoir had to be opened due
to the lack of rain this summer.

banks

the sloping
ground on
the sides of
a river

Loni and Mark
decided to
fish on the
banks of the
river instead
of wading in
the water.

canals

ditches dug into the land to
move water from one place to
another; can be used for
transportation
To move around Venice, people travel on small flat
boats in the canals to get from place to place.

flow

to move continuously

The sound of the water flowing over
the rocks is enough to lull one to
sleep.

flow, flowed, flowing

Vocabulary

Knowledge Unit 4

Lesson 2

Writing in

Mesopotamia

symbols

pictures or
shapes
used to
stand for
something
else

Our
alphabet is a
series of
symbols that
represent
sounds.

tablets

flat slabs of stone, clay, or
wood used for writing

The archaeologist unearthed the
ancient tablets at the dig site.

scribes

people whose job is to write
things down
The king called to the scribes to
write his decree that would go out to
all the villages.

cuneiform

the system of
writing in
Mesopotamia
using wedge
shaped symbols

Cuneiform is the
world’s first
written language.

records

information written down in
order to remember it

In order to remember major events
in history, we rely on written records
from the time period.

Vocabulary

Knowledge Unit 4

Lesson 3

Babylon

gods/goddesses

powerful unseen rulers, both
male and female that people in
ancient times believed
controlled things
In ancient times, people believed there were multiple
gods/goddesses that controlled different elements on Earth.

religion

a set of beliefs about how the
world started, why things
happen; how people should live

The universal symbol for the religion of
christianity is the cross.

priests

religious leaders

The priest offered a prayer to end
the service.

temples

buildings created for worship
and practicing religious beliefs

In ancient times, the temple was not
only used for worship but also the
trading of goods and storing of grain.

.

ziggurat

a tall pyramid-shaped structure
with a temple at the top
The people believed the ziggurat should
be the tallest structure so they could
be closer to heaven, the sky, home of
the gods.

Vocabulary

Knowledge Unit 4

Lesson 4

The Hanging
Gardens of

Babylon

caravan

a large group of people on
animals or vehicles for a long
journey

The caravan snaked slowly across
the desert.

chariots

2 or 4 wheeled vehicles pulled
by horses used in ancient times

The crowd gathered in the colosseum
to watch the chariot races.

merchant

someone who buys and sells
goods
Thailand is well known for its street
merchants that sell items from
seafood to baskets.

platforms

flat raised surfaces used to
keep things off the
ground/water
Maya stood on the platform and waved
as the train pulled off from the station.

Vocabulary

Knowledge Unit 4

Lesson 5

People of the

Nile

advantage

something that increases the
chances of success

The player’s height gave him an
advantage in the basketball game.

enriched

added to; make richer

Scarlett’s favorite coffee is
enriched with sweet cream.

enrich, enriches, enriching

.

flooding

large amount of water covering
an area

The governor called for all to
evacuate due to flooding in the area.

Vocabulary

Knowledge Unit 4

Lesson 6

Writing in

Ancient Egypt

hieroglyphics

ancient Egyptian writing system

King Tut’s tomb was decorated with
hieroglyphics to depict his life.

hieroglyphs

pictures that represent sounds,
letters, or words

Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs had
1,000 distinct characters.

.

accurately

correctly;
without
mistakes

On Jeopardy
the
contestants
must answer
the questions
accurately.

Vocabulary

Knowledge Unit 4

Lesson 7

Amon-Ra and the
gods of Ancient

Egypt

blossom

the flower on a plant or tree

Blossoms usher in the beginning of
spring and new life.

lotus

plant with pink flowers that
grow on the surface of the
water
The amazing lotus flower sprouts from
the muddy waters to wish us good luck.

.

depicted

shown in pictures or described
in words

The artist depicted the enormous
size of Noah’s ark in her painting.

Vocabulary

Knowledge Unit 4

Lesson 8

Approaching the
Great Pyramid

afterlife

the next life; believed to begin
after death

Egyptians believed the afterlife was
very similar to their life on Earth.

pharaoh

Egyptian ruler

King Tut is the most well known
pharaoh of Egypt. He became a
pharaoh at the age of 7.

architect

person who designs buildings;
plan to and supervise
construction
Bricks and mortar and just bricks and
mortar till the architect makes
something out of them.

pyramid

a structure with 4 triangular
sides and a square base

You can find pyramids in Egypt, but
another famous pyramid isfound at the
Louvre in France.

.

treasure

something valuable, special, or
important

Treasures can be silver and gold but
nothing is a greater treasure than a
good friend.

Vocabulary

Knowledge Unit 4

Lesson 9

The Sphinx

sphinx

imaginary creature with the
body of a lion and head of a
human
The sphinx is the largest monolith
statue at 241 ft. long and 66 ft. high.

tugged

pulled hard

Rocky tugged on the stick in the
yard.

.

visible

can be seen

The pyramids are visible from
international space station.

Vocabulary

Knowledge Unit 4

Lesson 10

The Story of
Hatshepsut

tradition

way of doing something that
hasn’t changed over many years

Dia De Los Muertos is a Hispanic
tradition of celebrating those who
have died.

declare

to tell; announce

The referee has yet to declare a
winner of the match.

counselors

people who give suggestions
about what to do

Mrs. Melvin, the counselor, helps us
learn how to handle conflict.

accomplishments

things done well; achievements

Out of all her accomplishments,
Taylor is most proud of achieving her
goal of becoming a doctor.

Vocabulary

Knowledge Unit 4

Lesson 11

Tutankhamun,

The Golden
Pharaoh, I

archaeologist

scientist who studies the way
people lived in the past by
looking at what was left behind
Marlo wanted to be a archaeologist when
she grew up, so she could travel the world.

authority

power to make rules, laws and
make sure people follow them
Secret service agents have the
authority to arrest anyone who
threatens the president.

passage

hallway

While digging
for artifacts
the
archaeologist
discovered a
secret
passage.

tomb

places where people are buried

The tomb of the unknown soldier is
guarded 24 hours a day 365 days a
year.

.

valuable

precious or worth a lot of
money

The smugglers tried to steal the
valuable diamond from the museum.

Vocabulary

Knowledge Unit 4

Lesson 12

Tutankhamun,

The Golden
Pharaoh, II

priceless

worth more than any amount of
money

The love of family is priceless and
should be treasured.

triumph

a great success or
accomplishment
Earning a high school diploma is a
triumph for many students facing
difficulties.

.

sarcophagus

stone coffin

The heavy sarcophagus was lifted
out of the pyramid to be examined.

Vocabulary

Knowledge Unit 4

Lesson 13

Three World

Religions

faithful

loyal

Shep was a
loyal
companion for
all of his years
of service.

shrine

sacred or holy place where
people go to show respect/love
for a god by praying
Ise Grand Shrine was built to honor the
Japanese sun god.

Christianity

religion of Christians

Christianity spread throughout
the world as Jesus’ followers
preached the gospel.

Judaism

religion of Jews

Judaism is based on the teachings of
the old testament.

.

Islam

religion of Muslims

Islam is based on the teachings of
Muhammad.

Vocabulary

Knowledge Unit 4

Lesson 14

Judaism

Jewish

belonging to or related to the
practice of Judaism

The wailing wall is a sacred place
for the Jewish people.

Hebrew

1 - related to Abraham and the
1st Jewish people who lived long
ago
2 - ancient language of the
Jewish people

rabbi

religious leader for the Jewish
faith

The word rabbi means “my teacher”
in hebrew.

prophet

a leader in a religion who shares
messages from God
Moses was the prophet from God
who delivered the 10 commandments.

.

synagogue

a house of worship for the
Jewish faith

Tad and his family gathered at the
synagogue for worship.

Vocabulary

Knowledge Unit 4

Lesson 15

Christianity

Christian

a follower of Jesus

As a christian, our goal should be
to be more Christ like in our
everyday life.

church

public house of worship for the
christian faith

Sunday is the day we gather
together for church.

eternal

lasting forever

The grave of President Kennedy has
an eternal flame.

Messiah

christians believe this is Jesus
whom was predicted in the
ancient Hebrew sent to save
mankind
He is the messiah that has come to
save us from our sins.

.

miracle

extraordinary event believed to
be caused by God
Jesus fed the five thousand with 2
loaves of bread and 3 fish as one of his
Earthly miracles.

Vocabulary

Knowledge Unit 4

Lesson 16

Islam

muslim

someone who practices the
religion of Islam

Once in a lifetime, muslims must
make the journey to Mecca.

mosque

a place of worship for muslims

A mosque is a place of prayer for
muslims.

prayer

spoken or silent conversation
with God

Before each meal we hold hands and
offer a prayer.

fast

to not eat for a certain period
of time

Jody had to fast for 2 days before
surgery.