General vocabulary to know
Pre-Reading
In the first episode, we meet the family. P.J. is the oldest boy but he is not very responsible or good in school. He likes music more than school. He has formed a band with his friend. Teddy is the older sister. She is smart, studious, and enjoys school. She is quite responsible. Gabe is the middle boy and often plays jokes on his family. He likes magic tricks, too though he is not very good at magic. Charlie is the new baby. She is nine months old. Gabe feels a bit sad that there is a new baby.
Their mom is a nurse in the hospital. She has taken 9 months off work to take care of Charlie. Today is her first day back to work. The dad, Bob, is the owner of a successful, small company. The children think it is funny that he is an exterminator, in other words, he kills bugs in homes and businesses. The mom is going back to work and it will be a chaotic day!
The Main Characters | |
|---|---|
P.J. |
the older brother who is in high school |
Teddy |
the second oldest, a sister who is in high school |
Gabe |
the middle child, a boy |
Charlie |
the baby girl |
the mom |
she works as a nurse at the hospital |
the dad |
he owns a business; he is an exterminator (he kills insects in homes, restaurants and businesses) |
Other characters | |
|---|---|
Spencer |
a high school boy who is friends with Teddy |
Emmett |
P.J.’s friend and music band mate |
Mrs. Dabney |
the grouchy next-door neighbor |
Vocabulary
Parents and Teachers: This vocabulary does not need to be memorized in order to watch the episode. But reading first will be helpful. We call this the “front-loading” of the vocabulary. This way, the student has some knowledge of the vocabulary words when he or she comes upon them. It also helps the student to see the words in context to know what will be coming in the episode.
Unlike the specific scene vocabulary to help the student comprehend the viewing scenes, this vocabulary here is a general, working vocabulary for the English language. Much of this vocabulary will be repeated in many episodes throughout the entire program.
breakfast |
the first meal of the day in the U.S.A. |
lunch |
the second meal, generally eaten at school or work |
dinner |
the bigger evening meal |
the hospital |
a place where the sick person goes to get care |
a doctor |
a person who cares for the sick |
a nurse |
a person who helps the doctors care for the sick |
a home, a house |
a place where a family lives |
“at home” |
to be in the house |
to study |
to prepare for a test |
to do homework |
to do daily schoolwork at home after school (In the U.S.A. this is done at home or a library) |
to pretend |
this is when someone is acting in a way to confuse or cover up something |
to be surprised |
to be startled, shocked by something |
the date |
two people planning to spend time together |
the magic tricks |
a hobby for many boys is doing illusions with magic |
the jokes |
this is when you play a trick on someone or tell them something funny |
responsible |
this describes a person who does as expected by parents or a boss |
grouchy |
not happy, easily bothered |
studious |
a person who studies a lot and enjoys school |
surprised |
startled or shocked |