The Life and Times of the Ant

Vocabulary IntroductionUnit 6, Week 5

solitary- alone

A solitary creature lives alone.

A solitary house stood on top of the cliff.

What is an antonym for solitary?

overcome- to get the better of; to beat

What are some types of challenges that people might have to overcome?

If you overcome something, you rise above it.

Phil worked very hard to overcome his shyness.

I overcome my fear of heights!

communication- sharing of feelings, thoughts, or information

Communication is an exchange of information.

Scientist are interested in dolphin communication.

Why might good communication be an important skill of a leader?

nutrients- things needed by people, animals, or plants to live and grow

Nutrients are vitamins and minerals needed for life.

Nutrients from plants feed fish.

What are some of the nutrients you need each day?

territory- any large area of land; region

The territory of an animal is the area in which it lives.

Buffalo territory almost disappeared when the West was settled.

Why is it important for some animals to have their own territory?

investigates- looks into carefully to find out facts and get information

If someone investigates something, he or she finds out about it.

A botanist investigates the life of plants.

What is a synonym for investigates?

astronomer- a person who studies the sun, stars and planets

An astronomer studies the stars.

Today’s fine telescopes make it easy to see like an astronomer.

What are some activities an astronomer might do ?

prehistoric- belonging to a time before people started writing history

People in prehistoric times lived before recorded history.

Many prehistoric peoples hunted and collected nuts and berries.

What do you know about prehistoric people?