TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Bewilder
The history of the word bewilder is more straightforward than you might think. Roots can be traced back to the Old English words wilde (undomesticated) and deor (untamed animals), eventually combined into the word wilderness. Jessica...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Keister
Originally meaning a woven container, the word keister has roots all over the place. The devil's tool box? Sure. A safe? That too. So, how did it become associated with the buttocks? Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel get to the bottom of...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Sarcophagus
Dating back to the early Roman Empire, the word sarcophagus originally referred to the limestone a coffin was made of, rather than the coffin itself. From flesh-eating stone to a stone coffin, Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel unbury the...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Jade
Now known for its beauty and green hue, the stone jade was previously thought to espouse magical properties, such as kidney treatment. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel explain the word's travels from 15th century to Spain to today. [2:07]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Quarantine
Stemming from the days of bubonic plague in Medieval Europe, quarantines were originally used to prevent potentially plague-infested ships from disembarking at a port city. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel explain how the length of the...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Gorgeous
From whirlpools and ravines to superlative beauty, what is the trajectory of the word gorgeous? Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel reveal the surprising variations in meaning. [2:00]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Window
Metaphoric compounds, like the combination of the words wind and eye to represent a window, populated Norse and Old English. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel describe how this love of metaphor created the word window. [1:57]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Venom
How did venom get its poisonous meaning? Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel follow venom from something to desire to explicit reasons for avoiding a snake. [2:02]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Dynamite
With an explosive meaning, the word dynamite's past is as historical as it is etymological. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel describe how Alfred Nobel invented dynamite. [2:14]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Inaugurate
From avian omens to the beginning of a new policy or the reign of a new politician, Jessica Oreck follows the flight path of the word inaugurate. [2:08]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Earwig
An earwig is neither an ear nor a wig; it is an insect. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel explain how folklore gave this bug its name, combining entomology with etymology. [2:16]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Tuxedo
How did tuxedo's roots extend from Native American history to black tie evening wear? Jessica Oreck reveals what the Delaware Indians and formal fashion have in common. [2:04]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Miniature
Miniature's root may be Latin, but its meaning is rooted in books, where red pigment was used to denote chapter breaks. Jessica Oreck explains how we got from there to the meaning of miniature today: something smaller than others of its...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Noise
The words noise, nausea, and naval all stem from the same Latin root. Jessica Oreck divulges how their spellings and meanings diverged from the original naus. [2:02]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Hearse
Today, we recognize the word hearse as a vehicle that carries a coffin to a funeral. Jessica Oreck explains how this word has, at various times, described a wolf, a rake, and a frame, eventually landing at its meaning today. [2:13]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Yankee
Is it a doodle dandy? A baseball team? The origins of the word yankee are unclear, though its usage in America as a pejorative is well-documented. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel track the varying levels of contempt that the word yankee...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Can You Survive Nuclear Fallout?
Brooke Buddemeier and Jessica S. Wieder explore the possibility of surviving nuclear detonation.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: How Blue Jeans Were Invented
Jessica Oreck shares the humble origins of blue jeans.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: How the Popsicle Was Invented
In the eleventh installment of our 'Moments of Vision' series, Jessica Oreck shares the distracted origins of the popsicle.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: How the Bendy Straw Was Invented
In the twelfth installment of our 'Moments of Vision' series, Jessica Oreck shares the origins of the bendy straw.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Financial Literacy
CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each story or article is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see...
Orca Book Publishers
Orca Book Publishers: 'Spoiled Rotten' Teaching Guide [Pdf]
In 'Spoiled Rotten' by Dayle Campbell Gaetz, Jessica resents her new stepsister, Amy. When Amy follows her on a day hike and then gets hurt, Jessica must face darkness and the threat of bears as she goes for help. This teacher's guide...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Mysteries of Vernacular: Fizzle
From a stinky and crude inception, the word fizzle's history is nothing to poo poo at. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel track the road from flatulence to its modern meaning of a failure or weak ending. [1:50]
Read Works
Read Works: Lonely
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read a story about a girl Jessica who feels very lonely at school. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
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