1-page, Section-by-Section Vocabulary Printables

A high-value Tier 2 word students meet across academic reading. The portrait of Grandfather, eyes 'so shrewd and yet so loving,' is the section's richest excerpt and pairs cleverness with warmth, deepening both the word and the character a target-grade student must picture.

A pervasive Tier 2 word worth real teaching time. Mistress Eaton's complaint that 'the summer trips are tedious, just back and forth up and down the river' models the dull-through-sameness sense cleanly for a target-grade student.

A pervasive Tier 2 word for disbelief. John's 'incredulous' voice at the idea that Kit reads plays and history gives a clean, motivated context, and the word recurs widely in academic reading where students must read tone.

A strong Tier 2 word and a key descriptor of Nat, who stays 'aloof, absorbed in a totally male world of rigging and canvas.' It recurs as his stance toward Kit, so teaching it pays off across the section for a target-grade student.

A high-value Tier 2 adverb. The father who 'furtively' slips Prudence an extra morsel shows the sneaking-to-avoid-notice sense in one vivid image, and the word transfers widely to other reading a target-grade student will do.

A strong Tier 2 word that names Kit's defining manner. She answers the captain 'haughtily,' chin lifted, arrogant pride the reader sees enacted. It recurs around Kit and Judith, so it earns its slot for a target-grade student.

A common academic Tier 2 word for sharp frustration. Judith snatching the stirring stick 'in exasperation' gives a concrete, relatable picture of the feeling that a target-grade student can carry to other texts.

A strong Tier 2 feeling word. 'A wail of anguish broke from the child' makes the intensity unmistakable, and the word recurs across academic and literary reading worth a target-grade student's time.

A solid Tier 2 word in its 'uninviting, threatening' sense. Kit's view of the 'forbidding shore' recurs and contrasts bright Barbados with bleak Connecticut, giving a target-grade student clear support for the meaning.

Names Kit's central trait and drives the plot: she sails to America, jumps for the doll, and unpacks the trunks all 'on a sudden impulse.' Most students half-know it, but its high importance to following Kit makes the precise sense well worth teaching.

constraint: Strong Tier 2 word that narrowly missed the quiz; the 'constraint between them' lifting is a touch abstract, and the last slot went to a word more central to the plot.

disheartening: A good Tier 2 word with a vivid bleak-shore excerpt, but fairly transparent in parts and edged out by stronger academic words.

wistful: A rich emotion word that recurs around Prudence's longing, but its lower academic recurrence left it just below the line.

glowered: A vivid synonym for glare in Matthew's fierce stare, but narrower in academic reach than the words selected.

chagrin: A distinctive, rare word for embarrassed dismay; strong, but less likely to recur in academic reading than the chosen words.

dour: A rich, rare character word for the gloomy family, but low in comprehension stakes and academic recurrence.

bewitched: Thematically tied to the book's title via the 'bewitched' ship, but a familiar word with little new to teach a target-grade student.

mocking: Recurs as Nat's manner toward Kit, but well-known and limited in the shades worth teaching.

quizzical: A nuanced word for an amused, questioning look, but lower in comprehension importance than the selected words.

The loyalty-to-the-king-versus-the-colony theme runs through both dinner scenes; a target-grade student needs 'allegiance' to follow the political conflict, and it is a high-value word for academic reading. The strong, recurring excerpt makes it the section's top pick.

Captures Bulkeley's patronizing manner toward Kit once he learns her grandfather was knighted, a precise, uncommon word a target-grade student is unlikely to know but will meet in academic reading. The excerpt shows the superior, talking-down sense clearly.

A rich Tier 2 word; John's reading falling 'with a musical cadence' is a lovely excerpt that models the rhythmic rise-and-fall sense. Worth teaching for vocabulary growth and literary appreciation, and useful across music, poetry, and speech.

Matthew's blunt 'He is a hypocrite and a whited sepulcher!' is a vivid, central judgment. A widely useful word a target-grade student will apply across reading and life; the strong excerpt makes the pretends-to-virtue sense unmistakable.

A familiar word in an extended, figurative sense, Mercy as 'the pivot about whom the whole household moved.' Teaching this metaphorical use stretches a target-grade student beyond the literal meaning; strong excerpt and high Tier 2 value.

Kit fleeing 'blind to reason or decorum' sets proper behavior against her panic, giving clear context. A strong Tier 2 word about social propriety that a target-grade student will meet often in academic reading.

'Her uncle's wrath had descended on her head' gives dramatic, clear context for intense anger. A high-value literary word; the form is less familiar to a target-grade student than the idea behind it, making it worth teaching.

Kit 'recoiled' at the pillory, whipping post, and stocks, a strong excerpt modeling the draw-back-in-revulsion sense. A useful Tier 2 verb; the vivid objects make the physical and emotional recoil clear to a target-grade student.

The congregation's 'reverent silence' captures deep respect and awe. A strong Tier 2 word a target-grade student will meet across reading; the excerpt is solid and clear, though less vivid than the section's top passages.

John 'hanging on every word from this pompous opinionated man' shows the self-important sense in action. A high-value Tier 2 word for describing character; clear context and good for vocabulary growth, edged out of the top spots only by stronger excerpts.

aghast: Strong, vivid excerpt, but a notch less likely to recur in academic reading than the Tier 2 words chosen.

rapt: Rich, vivid 'rapt, innocent gaze,' but slightly lower academic recurrence kept it just below the line.

contempt: High-value word with clear context, but the meaning is more familiar to a target-grade student than the picks.

encroaching: Useful cross-curricular Tier 2 word, but its excerpt is solid rather than memorable; just missed.

brandishing: Vivid action verb in a strong excerpt, but less likely to recur in academic reading than the words chosen.

conspicuous: High-value, useful word, but 'She was conspicuous enough' is too brief to teach from well.

veritable: Strong 'veritable mountain' excerpt, but the reader loses little without it, lowering its value.

wizened: Memorable 'wizened owl' simile, but a rare word unlikely to recur in academic reading.

implacable: Rich, rare word, but not important to comprehension here and narrow in academic use.

inexorably: Rich, rare adverb with notable craft, but low comprehension importance kept it out.

The thematic heart of this section's politics thread: Kit's 'But that is treason!' against Nat's 'What is treason, Kit?' frames the betray-your-country meaning and recurs. Losing it costs the most for following the argument about loyalty to the King, so it is the section's most essential word.

A high-value academic word a target-grade student meets often on tests and in nonfiction. 'What William thought, it was impossible to discern' models the make-out / perceive-with-effort sense cleanly, and its strong Tier 2 value makes it worth teaching even with brief context.

A rich, common Tier 2 word with a strong excerpt: glimpsing real passion 'under Nat's nonchalant surface' sets the casual, unconcerned pose against true feeling, so the contrast itself teaches the meaning. Balanced across difficulty, nuance, and academic usefulness.

Strong, versatile Tier 2 word in a vivid moment: Kit 'indignant' that swamp land is taxed shows the angry-at-unfairness sense at a glance. High nuance and clear context make it an excellent teach for a target-grade student.

The hardest of the section's strong words (few target-grade students know it) and a prime academic word. 'To her consternation' Nat walks home with her shows the dismay / alarm sense in clear context; well worth the slot for vocabulary growth.

Vivid Tier 2 word; Bulkeley's 'fervent defense of the King's policies' shows the passionate, intense sense in strong context and ties into the section's political tension. Useful and uncommon enough for a target-grade student to gain from.

A valuable Tier 2 noun a target-grade student meets in academic reading. Kit's 'moment's misgiving' about drawing Prudence into her secret shows the uneasy-doubt sense plainly; good nuance and difficulty make it a clean teach.

Strong, versatile Tier 2 word: Kit aching 'with her own stifled protests' shows the held-back / suppressed sense, and the same word covers 'stifling' heat. A notable excerpt and broad usefulness earn it a slot over similar words.

A prime academic Tier 2 word worth teaching for vocabulary growth even though the plot survives without it. The sun's 'almost tangible weight' is striking imagery that fixes the touchable, physically-real sense in mind; high difficulty for a target-grade student.

Rich word with a memorable, recurring image: the 'cold little lump of foreboding' Judith's teasing raises captures the sense of dread about what is coming. A strong excerpt and high nuance edge it past similar words for the final slot.

impassive: Strong Tier 2 word in a good excerpt ('behind that impassive face'); just edged out by words with slightly higher academic reach or richer passages.

reproof: Valuable, uncommon word; Kit flushing at the 'gentle reproof' is clear, but slightly lower academic reach left it just below the line.

drudgery: Useful Tier 2 word with a vivid excerpt ('no more endless drudgery'); a near miss, edged by words with stronger academic recurrence.

exquisite: Strong word and vivid hornbook imagery, but it matters less to following the story, so it yielded to words more central to comprehension.

conjured: Rich word fitting the witch theme ('conjured up a vision'), but more ordinary academic value left it just short of a quiz slot.

rebuked: Solid Tier 2 verb; Matthew 'rebuked her' is clear, but its excerpt and nuance sit a notch below the chosen words.

contradictory: Solid Tier 2 word; Kit puzzling over 'what a contradictory person' Nat is reads clearly, but it is less distinctive than the selected words.

invariably: Strong Tier 2 adverb ('as it invariably did'), but low in nuance and not central to comprehension, so it just missed.

sparse: Solid Tier 2 word ('the sparse furnishings'); clear but limited in nuance, edged out by richer choices.

diligently: Useful Tier 2 adverb ('threw herself so diligently'); plain and limited in nuance, so it landed just below the line.

A pervasive academic word and the engine of this section's crisis — sixteen young people 'stricken with the mysterious fever.' Uncommon in this grave participle sense, vivid in context, and central to following the plot; clearly stronger than the gentler illness words below the line.

Names the section's political turning point — 'Connecticut is annexed to Massachusetts.' A target-grade student likely won't know it, it carries real Tier 2 value, and missing it loses the outcome of the charter plot.

Central to the section's contrast of Andros's pomp with the plain townsfolk; 'the magnificence of Andros' recurs and reshapes Kit's view of her uncle. Strong comprehension role and a solid Tier 2 word worth precise teaching.

Carries the witch-hunt accusation that drives the climax — Hannah 'consorting with the devil.' Rich in its disapproving overtone, uncommon for a target-grade reader, and comprehension-important; a stronger teaching word than the plainer verbs below.

A strong Tier 2 word in a vivid excerpt — the punishment Kit 'shrank from' as 'the ordeal before her.' Uncommon, rich in connotation, and useful well beyond this text; an easy keep.

A pervasive academic word in a clear, evocative excerpt — the 'somber group that straggled back to their neglected chores.' Good difficulty and connotation for a target-grade reader, and broadly useful in later reading.

A strong Tier 2 word with notable craft — 'the clamor of voices struck against them' conveys the mob's threatening din. Uncommon, vivid, and comprehension-supporting at a tense moment; clearly quiz-worthy.

Captures resistance and wounded pride at once — 'that lonely defiant figure,' and the related 'defiance' recurs. A solid Tier 2 word with rich connotation and a memorable excerpt; more worth teaching than the higher-frequency 'despair.'

An uncommon, connotation-rich word that recurs in the section ('heedless screaming,' 'heedlessly'), giving repeated exposure. The 'heedless screaming of the women' shows reckless disregard well; strong teaching value.

A strong Tier 2 word for high spirits, uncommon enough to teach and rich in feeling — 'She felt curiously elated' marks Kit's secret pride. Edges out the close calls on its academic usefulness and clean excerpt.

chagrined: Strong difficulty and connotation in a clear excerpt, but slightly narrower academic reach than the chosen ten.

despair: High comprehension value, but a well-known word most target-grade students already use confidently.

delirious: Vivid and comprehension-important, but the surrounding context nearly hands the meaning to the reader.

convulsed: Vivid verb with notable craft, but several equally strong words crowded its level.

seething: Rich, craft-bearing word, but lower comprehension stakes than the selected ten.

serene: Beautiful imagery and a strong word, but it serves mood more than following the events.

brusquely: Good difficulty and connotation, but a less pivotal moment and excerpt than the chosen words.

blasphemy: Comprehension-rich in this Puritan setting, but a slightly weaker excerpt than the selected words.

buoyancy: Vivid figurative word, but its lightness matters less to comprehension than the chosen ten.

A vivid, high-value Tier 2 word a target-grade student will meet across academic reading. The courtroom 'pandemonium' at the trial's peak gives an unforgettable picture of chaotic uproar, and the strong scene makes the meaning stick.

A strong Tier 2 word at the emotional center of this section: Kit who 'groaned in remorse' over neglecting Prudence models painful regret for one's own wrongdoing. Common in academic and literary reading and worth teaching precisely.

Strong Tier 2 word a target-grade student often confuses with 'flaunt.' Kit seeing she 'undermined his authority by flouting his orders' fixes the sense of openly defying authority and ties directly to the trial's stakes.

Teaches a familiar word in an unfamiliar sense - to defend or support, not a winner. Imagining William 'coming to champion her' makes the verb sense concrete; high value because students rarely know this meaning.

A strong, broadly useful Tier 2 word. The haunting joy that 'eluded her' shows something slipping just out of reach; rich connotation and a clear excerpt make it a strong teaching word for a target-grade student.

Rich Tier 2 word worth exploring. The 'tantalizing hint of beauty still withheld' in early spring captures the sense of something tempting yet out of reach - a memorable excerpt and a word students reuse in academic writing.

Vivid Tier 2 word used figuratively: Goodwife Cruff's 'venomous hiss' carries spite through an image literally about snake poison. Strong craft and a clear emotional moment make the meaning easy to teach and remember.

A common, high-value Tier 2 word a target-grade student should own. Goodwife Cruff's eyes glittering 'with contempt' shows scornful disdain for another person in a sharp, memorable moment.

A precise, testable Tier 2 word with a legal sense students often only half-know. The magistrate's warning that 'the penalty for slander is heavy' teaches damaging false speech and resolves the trial's aftermath.

A common, useful Tier 2 word for a target-grade student. 'The meager comfort of a warming pan' against the bitter winter shows the sense of something scanty and insufficient, in an evocative excerpt.

interceded: Strong Tier 2 verb, plot-relevant as Matthew 'interceded for her,' but edged out by stronger words in a deep field.

abate: Useful Tier 2 word ('the bitter cold did not abate'); just missed in a field crowded with stronger excerpts.

arduous: Solid Tier 2 word for a demanding, tiring task; a quieter excerpt left it just below the line.

vouch: Plot-relevant Tier 2 word (vouch for her character), but a plainer excerpt and lower difficulty kept it off.

frenzy: Vivid word for wild agitation, but its short excerpt and a crowded field of malice words left it just short.

afflicted: Comprehension-rich in the formal charge, but the charge itself defines it, lowering its urgency as a quiz word.

dubious: Useful everyday Tier 2 word ('its dubious appearance'); solid but outranked by stronger teaching excerpts.

blanched: Vivid 'turned pale' verb in a strong excerpt, but less likely than the chosen words to recur in academic reading.

countenance: Literary word for the face in a strong excerpt, but narrower academic use kept it below the line.

inveigled: Rich, difficult verb ('inveigled the child'), but unlikely to recur in academic reading, so it just missed.