Cesars English

​Tutoring: 9-21

By Rebekah Collins

Vocabulary Intro

• Pantomime: "Think of a mime in a striped shirt who's stuck in a box. They tell a story without words. That's a pantomime."

• Stagnant: "Imagine a pond with no fresh water coming in. The water gets still and mucky. It's not moving or progressing, so it's stagnant."

• Limbo: "This is that feeling when you're stuck waiting for something important. Like waiting to find out if you'll get into a new school. You're just waiting in limbo."

• Audible: "This one is easy! If your voice is loud enough to be heard, it's audible. It has the word 'audio' in it, like an audio-book."

• Condolences: "This is what you say to someone when something sad has happened, like a death in their family. You're showing sympathy by offering condolences."

• Stampede: "Picture a scene from The Lion King where all the animals run together in a panic. That's a
  stampede!"

Understanding Refugee Vocabulary

What is a refugee?

• A person who has been forced to leave their country due to war, persecution, or natural disaster

• Someone seeking safety in another country

• Different from immigrants who choose to move for other reasons

• Example: Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud from our story

• Disembark: To get off a ship, plane, or other vehicle

• Immigration: The process of coming to live in a new country

• Makeshift: Temporary or improvised; created as a substitute

• Example from story: Isabel's makeshift boat to escape Cuba

Expressing Emotions

• Mournful: Feeling or expressing great sadness

• Condolences: Words of comfort and sympathy

• Pantomime: To express something without words, using gestures

• Example: How Josef's family receives condolences after sad events

States of being

• Limbo: An uncertain situation while waiting for something to happen

• Stagnant: Not moving or changing; staying the same

• Audible: Able to be heard

• Example: The refugees waiting in limbo at various borders

Movement words:

• Stampede: When a large group of people or animals run together in panic

• Examples from story:

  • Crowds rushing at borders

  • People fleeing dangerous situations

  • Animals moving in large groups

Word Connections: Synonyms

• Loud ↔ Audible

• Imitate ↔ Pantomime Antonyms (Words that Mean Opposite Things):

• Moving ↔ Stagnant

• Permanent ↔ Makeshift

Using words in context

• "The refugees had to _____ from the ship." (disembark)

• "Their voices were barely _____ over the storm." (audible)

• "They built a _____ shelter for the night." (makeshift)

Character Connections

• Josef's family: immigration, disembark, condolences

• Isabel's journey: makeshift, audible, pantomime

• Mahmoud's experience: limbo, stampede, stagnant

Multiple Choice

1. "The Jewish passengers on the MS St. Louis could not understand why they couldn't _________."

   • Tutor Tip: "What's the clue word here? MS St. Louis is a ship! What's the vocabulary word for getting off a ship?"

• disembark

• audible

• limbo

• condolences

• immigrants

Multiple Choice

1. "Isabel's voice was not _________ over the noise of the storm."

   • Tutor Tip: "The clue is noise of the storm. If it's really noisy, you can't be... what?"

• disembark

• audible

• limbo

• condolences

• immigrants

Multiple Choice

1. "The fate of all of the characters in Refugee remains in _________."

Tutor Tip: "We don't know what will happen to them yet. They are in an uncertain state. Which word means that?"

• disembark

• audible

• limbo

• condolences

• immigrants

Multiple Choice

1. "Passengers expressed their _________ to Josef." 9

   • Tutor Tip: "Think about what happened to Josef's father. It was very sad. What do you give someone to show you're sorry for their sadness?"

• disembark

• audible

• limbo

• condolences

• immigrants

Multiple Choice

1. "All of the characters could be considered both refugees and _________." 10

Tutor Tip: "They are all trying to come to a new country to live there. What do we call people who do that?"

• disembark

• audible

• limbo

• condolences

• immigrants