1. Welcome to “Decent Exposure” : Middle School Volume I
“Decent Exposure” will help you teach words explicitly and thoroughly, so that students
will remember and use them. The words have been chosen on the basis
of their frequency in serious literature, the kind of books that students read in school.
Also, these words have synonyms, antonyms, associations, components,
and forms that extend beyond just the single word that might appear on a vocabulary
list.
By showing how these words are used in several contexts, students derive a 360°
perspective as well as model sentences from great literature.

2. Welcome to “Decent Exposure” Volume I
Refugee (Slide 3)
Apparent (Slide 4)
Elaborate (Slide 5)
Bewildered (Slide 6)
Congregate (Slide 7)
Haughty (Slide 8)
Precipice (Slide 9)
Culprit (Slide 10)
Dwelling (Slide 11)
Descend (Slide 12)
Despair (Slide 13)
Ominous (Slide 14)
Ravine (Slide 15)
Valor (Slide 16)
Arid (Slide 17)
Cease(Slide 18)
Beckon (Slide 19)
Recite (Slide 20)
Tranquil (Slides 21)
Jubilant (Slide 22)
Chaos (Slide 23)

3. One million Afghans fled the country as
refugee: person who is forced to
seek safety in another country,
usually because of war or poverty
Any form of refugee will appear once in every 527 pages of text.
refugees
Maelstrom by
Harry H. Neff
Rowan welcomes
and new arrivals
every day.
refugees.
Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell
One million Afghans fled the country as
After the First Death by
Robert Cormier
He took them to a school in a nearby
camp.
Milkweed by
Jerry Spinelli
Maybe she saw me as a needy
from the war.
refugee
Related words:
refuge: a place of safety
fugitive: person who runs away from the law
immigrant: person who moves to a new country
to seek asylum: to go to another country in order
to be safe from a law that is considered
cruel or unfair

4. Incredible as it seemed, he
Apparent: clear to see Related word: appear
Syn: obvious, overt
Ant: obscure, covert
Forms:
Noun: 00 Verb: 00
Adjective: apparent
Adverb: apparently
Artemis Fowl by
Eoin Colfer
Incredible as it seemed, he
intended going toe to toe with the troll.
Apparently
Twilight by
Stephanie Meyer
I hoped my disappointment wasn’t too
in my voice.
New Moon by
Stepenie Meyer
The anesthetic was
losing its effectiveness.
The Hound of Rowan by Harry H. Neff
satisfied, he pressed a button and
rolled down the window.
apparently
apparent
Any form of the word apparent will appear
once in every 56 pages of text.

5. Have you ever noticed that the more you try not to
Elaborate (adjective): detailed; fancy
elaborate (verb): to provide many details when
describing something
Related word: labor
Syn: ornate, fancy, fanciful, decked out, complex
Ant: simple, elegant, bare; simplify
Forms: Noun: elaboration Verb: elaborate
elaborates
Adjective: elaborate elaborating
Adverb: elaborately elaborated
The Secret Life of Bees
by Sue Monk Kidd
Have you ever noticed that the more you try not to
think, the more
your thoughts become?
elaborate
HP and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
A fire was crackling under an
carved mantlepiece.
elaborate
Only when I swallowed did I realize they were looking
at me, waiting for me to
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
He was mad, as if I’d
planned getting sick.
Some Like You by Sarah Dessen
elaborately
elaborate.
Any form of the word elaborate will appear
once in every 246 pages of text.

6. Lou Ann had forgotten it was Halloween, and
Bewildered: completely confused; in a fog
Related word: wild
Syn: befuddled, bemused, dumbfounded
Ant: certain, sure, confident, poised, prepared
was completely
Lou Ann had forgotten it was Halloween, and
when a mob of children
The Bean Trees by
Barbara Kingsolver
came to the door.
and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Jason returned with a
look on his face
The Ultimate Gift by
Jim Stovall
bewildered
He was
not thinking in that direction
at all.
Twilight by
Stephenie Meyer
bewildered,
bewildered
The man was still there, trying to smile, looking
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
bewildered.
Any form of the word bewildered will appear once in every 264 pages of text.

7. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent congregated
Congregate: form a group (of people or animals)
Syn: cluster, flock together
Ant: segregate, disperse
in her room.
The girls had
Julia Alverez,
How the Garcia Girls Lost
Their Accent
congregated
It’s just that it’s very difficult for a large number of
without attracting attention.
HP and the Goblet of Fire
J.K. Rowling
wizards to
In front of the truck, workers
The Wedding
Nicholas Sparks
in groups of five or six.
congregated
He and his groupmates
packaged food.
The Giver by
Lois Lowry
by the tables in front of the auditorium and took their
congregate
congregated
Any form of the word congregate will appear once in every 306 pages of text.

8. laughter, and, as I myself have often done, with evil
Haughty: acting with a superior attitude
Syn: snobby, snobbish, supercilious,
condescending
Ant: humble, modest, unassuming, demure
Forms: noun: haughtiness verb: 00
adjective: haughty adverb: haughtily
They were also
The Maelstrom
--Henry H. Neff
brutal, and selfish.
eyes.
laughter, and, as I myself have often done, with evil
Girls responded with pointed whispers,
Crank
--Ellen Clark
“Fine,” said Hermione
and she marched off.
HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban
--J.K. Rowling
looked
Harry supposed that she was beautiful, with her
HP and the Deathly Hollows
--J.K. Rowling
waist-length hair and floor-length cloak, but she also
and proud.
haughty,
haughtily,
haughty
haughty
Any form of the word haughty will appear once in every 399 pages of text.

9. which I sensed rather than saw.
Precipice: a cliff
Related words: precipitate, precipitation
Forms: Noun: precipice Verb: precipitate, precipitates
precipitated, precipating
Lone Survivor
--Marcus Luttrell
which I sensed rather than saw.
Finally I stopped on the edge of yet another
it dropped like a stone.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
--Roald Dahl
hill and gone over a
Then suddenly, as though it had come to the top of the
New Moon
--Stephenie Meyer
rocky ledge, much too close to the
That was when I noticed four figures standing on a
I gripped the chain-link fence and edged down the
mountain until I stood on the
of the ditch.
October Sky
--Homer Hickham
precipice,
precipice
precipice,
precipice.
Any form of the word precipice will appear once in every 481 pages of text.

10. the room, looking for the
Culprit: guilty person
Syn: criminal, perpetrator
Forms:
Noun: culprit, culprits, culpability Verb: 00
Adjective: culpable
The Host
--Stephenie Meyer
the room, looking for the
He stood over the empty box, head swiveling around
Who are the
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
--Roald Dahl ?
culprits
and bring him to you.
The Looking Glass Wars
--Frank Beddor
I will hunt out the ?
HP and the Chamber of Secrets
--JK Rowling
Have you caught the
culprit
culprit.
culprits
Any form of the word culprit will appear once in every 1,160 pages of text.

11. are magically protected from unwanted Apparators.
Dwelling: (noun): a home
(verb): to live inside a home
Synonym: residence
Near synonym: shelter, habitat
J.K. Rowling, HP and the Half-Blood Prince
are magically protected from unwanted Apparators.
In any case, most Wizarding
dwellings
Lois Lowry, The Giver
at the conclusion of
Go immediately to your
Training Hours each day.
dwelling
Henry H. Neff, The Fiend and the Forge
There, great fires engulfed clusters of
was a small shop.
Yann Martel, Life of Pi
One of the
dwellings
dwellings.
Any form of the word dwelling will appear once in every 80 pages of text.

12. descending slowly in wide circles down toward the
Descend: to lower; to move downward
Forms: Noun: descent
Verb: descend, descends, descended, descending
Adjective: 00 Adverb: 00
Synonyms: drop, fall, precipitate, de-escalate
Antonyms: ascend, climb, elevate, escalate
earth.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers
descending slowly in wide circles down toward the
…a great bird like an eagle high in the air,
descending
like buzzards,
William P. Young, The Shack
recovering Missy’s remains and bagging the sheet
The following day experts
along with whatever else they could.
descended
two or more floors when
J.K. Rowling, HP and the Deathly Hollows
They had
another set of quiet joined theirs.
descended
Scott Westerfield, Uglies
She bent her knees, and her board started to
descend.
Any form of the word descend will appear once in every 82 pages of text.

13. of the Dark Tower had dread and
Despair: hopelessness
Synonyms: dejectedness, sadness, depression, misery,
wretchedness, pessimism
Antonyms: optimism, exuberance, joy, exhilaration,
hopefulness
Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
that Jo was frightened.
She cried so
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers
of the Dark Tower had dread and
For yet another weapon, swifter than hunger, the Lord
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
alone welcomed him.
But when he entered, misery and
despairingly
despair
despair.
Harriet Beecher Stow, Uncle Tom’s Cabin
At last my mother gave up, in
despair.
Any form of the word despair will appear once in every 177 pages of text.

14. but dreary even in the light of morning.
Ominous: threatening; foreshadowing bad
things to come
Forms: Noun: omen, omens Verb: 00
Adjective: ominous Adverb: ominously
Near Synonyms: menacing, looming, foreboding,
scary
Near Antonyms: promising, hopeful
J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
but dreary even in the light of morning.
They looked seldom at it, for it was
ominous
quiet.
J. R. R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
All was
ominously
look.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
…the ruins of the towers: they had an
to me.
Stephenie Meyer, Twilight
against his wrist seemed
The sharp sound as the gloves snapped into place
ominous
ominous
Any form of the word ominous will appear once in every 357 pages of text.

15. Twilight came mercifully early in the deep
Ravine: a deep narrow valley formed by running water
Near Synonyms: chasm, abyss, crevasse
Megan Whalen Turner, The Thief
of the streambed.
Twilight came mercifully early in the deep
Sonia Nazario, Enrique’s Journey
after her mother.
Barefoot, she scrambles down the
ravine
ravine
Christopher Paolini, Eragon
opened beneath them.
Long valleys and
ravines
Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book
rocks and cut up by
The valley opened out into a great plain dotted with
ravines.
Any form of the word ravine will appear once in every 576 pages of text.

16. everyone in the valley can hear your statement of
Valor: Bravery, courage, nobility
Forms: Noun: valor Verb: 00 Adjective: valorous Adverb: valorously
everyone in the valley can hear your statement of
Ted Dekker, Black: The Birth of Evil
Then you cry in a loud voice, so that she knows
are all to make up for what they lacked.
Mark Helprin, Soldiers of the Great War
The stories they tell of comradeship and
valor
went cold, and the
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
of Gondor withered
The shadows closed on men again, and their hearts
into ash.
valor.
Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games
mother and sister, as he presented her, the oldest
The girl stood huddled with her
child, with a medal of
valor
valor.
Any form of the word “valor” will appear once in every
1,030 pages of text.

17. hardly anything grew, and one ate mostly beans
Arid: lacking sufficient rainfall for growth
Synonyms: sere, parched, desert-like
Antonyms: moist, lush, soggy
months, when
Tracy Kidder, Strength in What Remains
hardly anything grew, and one ate mostly beans
August and September were
that had been dried and stored.
therm.
Dan Simmons, Hyperion
mountains, eating only the thick-crusted bread
Sol spent three days and nights in the
he had brought and drinking from his condenser
arid
arid
detached professional voice.
Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
speaking in his
Atticus’s voice had lost its comfortableness; he was
The
Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner
imposing mountains sat along deep
gorges and soared to jagged peaks.
arid,
arid,
Any form of the word arid will appear once in every 1,424 pages of text.

18. At that moment, the door opened, and Snape beckoning.
Beckon: to make an inviting gesture; to call forth
Near synonyms: summon, invite, ignore
Near antonyms: reject, dismiss
Related word: beacon (guiding light)
Henry H. Neff, The Fiend and the Forge
“Gather round,” he said,
them all inside.
J.K. Rowling, HP and the Goblet of Fire
At that moment, the door opened, and Snape
beckoning.
beckoned
Libba Bray, Sweet Far Thing
April is upon us; May
again, this time
J.K. Rowling, HP and the Deathly Hollows
The woman
more vigorously.
beckoned
beckons.
Any form of the word beckon will appear once in every 617 pages of text.

19. and we saw that the fight was over. As we drew near, the firing
Cease: to stop doing something
Synonym: discontinue, desist
Antonym: continue, proceed
Related word: deceased
Forms:
Noun: cessation
Verb: cease, ceases
ceased, ceasing
Adj: Adv: 00
Jack London, Sea Wolf
and we saw that the fight was over.
As we drew near, the firing
gone out of a prisoner.
Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
to be necessary after the spirit has
Chains
Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses
being children.
At the age of eleven or twelve, they had
snarling.
Jack London, White Fang
White Fang had quieted down and
cease
ceased,
ceased
ceased
Any form of the word cease will appear once in every 64 pages of text.

20. “Four score and once upon a time ago,” she began
Recite: to perform or say a memorized
or partially memorized
text, pledge, or prayer
Forms:
Noun: recitation, recital
Verb: recite, recites,
recited, reciting
Adj: Adv: 00
Julia Alverez, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent
“Four score and once upon a time ago,” she began
the alphabet for Zero, then Zero repeated
Louis Sacher, Holes
it without a single mistake. He
charms and spells?
CS Lewis The Silver Chair
stand inside it and
You mean we might draw a circle on the ground and
J.K. Rowling, HP and the Sorcerer’s Stone
the twelve uses of dragon’s blood or practicing wand
It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you
movements.
recited
reciting
reciting.
recite
Any form of the word recite will appear once in every 303 pages of text.

21. first time in quite a while. She notices that she is in a
Tranquil: calm and peaceful
Synonyms: serene, gentle
Antonyms: turbulent, tumultuous, riotous, stormy
Forms: Noun: tranquility
Verb: tranquilize, tranquilizes
tranquilized, tranquilizing
Adjective: tranquil Adverb: tranquilly
mood for the
Hakuri Murikami, After Dark
first time in quite a while.
She notices that she is in a
its water as blue
Ernest Gaines, A Lesson Before Dying
across the river, so
I stood up and stretched and looked across the highway
as the sky.
tranquil
that it seemed to be only a gloss of light.
Mark Helprin, Soldier of the Great War
The air at two thousand meters was so thin and
Victor Hugo, Les Miserables
Go to bed and sleep
tranquilly.
tranquil,
tranquil
Any form of the word tranquil will appear once in every 321 pages of text.

22. The city was in the midst of a
Jubilant: joyful
Synonyms: exuberant
Antonyms: morose, sullen
Forms: Noun: jubilance
Verb: OO
Adjective: jubilant Adverb: jubilantly
gala.
Frank Beddor, The Looking Glass War
The city was in the midst of a
J.K. Rowling, HP and the Deathly Hollows
at his death.
He had expected to hear the cheer of triumph and
Yan Martel, Life of Pi
I would fall back, exhausted but
jubilant
jubilant.
jubilation
scene, one that I would
James Patterson, Kiss the Girls
It was a wild,
never be able to forget.
jubilant
Any form of the word jubilant will appear once in every 2,232 pages of text.

23. of Cherry Hill, Northwood
Chaos: disorder; state of confusion
Synonyms: disorganization, disarray, pandemonium,
anarchy, lawlessness
Antonyms: order, orderliness, organization
Forms: Noun: chaos
Verb: OO
Adjective: chaotic Adverb: OO
of Cherry Hill, Northwood
Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore
was a paradise of neat houses and fastidiously
Compared with the
maintained lawns.
Rick Riordan, The Battle of the Labyrinth
and keep believing.
You have to rise above the squabbling and
Nicole Krauss, History of Love
Without her, our lives would dissolve into
Rick Riordan, The Titan’s Curse
screeching of birds and the general
But I wasn’t sure anyone could hear her over the
chaos
chaos.
chaos,
chaos.
Any form of the word chaos will appear once in every 698 pages of text.