The Week in Vocab

Review the Biggest Buzzwords of the Week!

When you follow national and worldwide affairs, you get access to failed rocket launches, international summits, famous TV personalities and more. Each week, we’ll highlight the top buzzwords or terms that your students might not have known or even heard until now. All these words are featured in the most recent edition of The Week in Rap. And once students beef up their vocab, the news will make a lot more sense.

THIS WEEK

debris (noun) — the remains of anything broken down or destroyed

Why it matters? Last Friday North Korea shot a long-range rocket into the air. It exploded, scattering debris everywhere. The U.S. is now searching for the fallen debris in order to find out what went wrong and what kind of technology North Korea has.

insurgent (noun) — a person who rises in forcible opposition to lawful authority, especially a person who engages in armed resistance to a government or to the execution of its laws; rebel

Why it matters? The Taliban attacked the Afghan capital and three eastern cities. Among the buildings that the insurgents attacked were embassies, government buildings and NATO bases.

summit (noun) — a meeting of heads of state or government

Why it matters? Obama recently attended the sixth Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia. He disagreed with Latin American leaders about various topics including communist Cuba and drug policies.

marathon (noun) — a foot race over a course measuring 26 mi. 385 yards. Legend has it that Greek solider Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persia in the Battle of Marathon. After delivering his message, Pheidippides collapsed and died.

Why it matters? The Boston Marathon was run this Monday for the 116th time. The race was won by Kenyan native Wesley Korir. Mr. Korir and others had to run in brutal temperatures of 80°F and higher. The unseasonably hot temperatures forced many runners to drop out of the race and others to seek medical attention.

lavish (adj) — expended, bestowed, or occurring in profusion

Why it matters? Teenagers are now spending upwards of $1,000 for their prom nights. Their lavish expenses include attire, corsages, boutonnieres, limousines, dinner and of course tickets to the dance. People have justified this spending by calling prom a coming-of-age event and a rite of passage.

Did you hear any other big terms this week? Share them in the comments!

Learn all about these stories and more in The Week in Rap.