Evergladesp.18 and par.3

"Don't wait too long, or the boat'll get away from you and you'll end up with an Everglades bath."

Noun, a landform which includes swamps and marshes.  

Everglades is an area that consists of swampy land with towering grasses and many slow streams.  

The Florida Everglades is where the story takes place.  The Landon family travels to the everglades to try to solve the mystery of why the manatees in the everglades are getting sick and dying.  

 

(Front side)

(Back side)

teakwoodp.19 and par.3

"He wobbled a little the cooler was heavy, the boat moved from the dock under the pressure of his foot, and his socks must have felt pretty slippery on the teakwood gunwale.

Noun, a type of wood that make the part of gunwale on the boat.  

Teak is an East Indian timber tree, the wood is a hard yellowish brown.  The teakwood is commonly used in shipbuilding.  

By using teakwood it describes the type of wood used to build the ship and also by knowing the wood's color, it shows you what the boat looks like also.  

amberp.22 and par.6

"Once, when Bridger leaned out too far, one of the dolphins clapped its tail hard enough to splash him in an amber shower."

Adjective, a color that can be drawn from the water

A color that is a combination of a dark orange and yellow.

This word adds a deeper description of the water and how beautiful the scenery must be in the everglades.  

mangrovep.23 and par.5

"With one arm outstretched, she pointed to a narrow passage that sliced between tow islands of mangrove trees."

Noun, a type of tree that is abundant in the Florida Everglades.  

Tropical trees or shrubs that form large masses, because of their strong roots.  

Adding mangrove trees in the story describes the habit of the Florida Everglades and gives you a good mental image of the everglades surroundings and environment.  

skittish p.24 and par.1

"I myself pay them no mind, but if any of you is skittish, we can head to another fishing area."

Adjective, a feeling of anxiety or uneasiness.

Skittish can be a feeling of excitement or frightened towards something.  

Skittish describes the tension in the air between the kids when discussing the Watson Place.  By using the word skittish it adds emotional depth into the story.  

cleat p.20 and par.2

"Ashley undid the line from the cleat on the piling, threw it into the boat, then scrambled quickly after it."

Noun, some kind of clasp that holds the line to the piling to add support for the boat when docked.

A clasp that is wedge-shaped that adds support to any object.  

The word cleat in the book provides the reader with information about boats.  Adding such vocabulary about boats lets us know that while around boats that there is certain lingo to use that some people might now know.