Journeys Fourth Grade Lesson 12 Vocabulary Presentation

2. The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
Imagine this scene: You wake up suddenly; the bed
trembles; a mirror falls from the wall. That is how the day
began for many people in San Francisco on April 18, 1906.
The huge earthquake was one of the worst natural
disasters in United States history. The quake, along with a
huge fire, destroyed tenement after tenement, business
after business. Buildings had not been constructed to
withstand such an event. They fell floor by floor, crushing
hundreds. Large timbers snapped, and one slab of
debris after another feel to the street. Afterward,
residents wandered in the rubble with the few
possessions they had saved. Wreckage surrounded
them. Hundreds of thousands suddenly found themselves
homeless.

3. tremble (verb)
“People sense an earthquake when everything nearby
shakes and trembles” (Journeys, p. 300)
Definition: to shake slightly because of some force
Different forms: trembles (verb); trembles (verb);
trembling (verb); tremble (noun)

4. wreckage (noun)
“Even an earthquake shorter than one minute can leave
a lot of wreckage” (Journeys, p. 300)
Definition: the broken parts of a vehicle, building, etc.
that has been badly damaged or destroyed
Different forms: wreck (noun); wreck (verb); wrecks
(verb); wrecked (verb); wrecking (verb)

5. slab (noun)
“A falling slab, or flat and thick piece, of concrete can
destroy everything under it” (Journeys, p. 300)
Definition: a thick, flat piece of hard material
Different forms: slabs (plural noun)

6. possession (noun)
“A quake can damage people’s possessions. The things
people own might be ruined” (Journeys, p. 300)
Definition: something that is owned
Different forms: possessions (plural noun); possess
(verb); possesses (verb); possessed (verb); possessing
(verb)

7. tenement (noun)
“A tenement, or poorly built apartment building, is
especially at risk in an earthquake” (Journeys, p. 301).
Definition: a large building that has apartments or
rooms for rent and that is usually in a poorer part of a
city
Different forms: tenements (plural noun)

8. crush (verb)
“If falling structures are crushing everything inside
them, the street is the safest place” (Journeys, p. 301)
Definition: to press or squeeze something so hard that
it breaks or loses its shape
Different forms: crushes (verb); crushed (verb);
crushing (verb)

9. rubble (noun)
“It can take a lot of time and effort to clean up broken
bits of rubble” (Journeys, p. 301).
Definition: broken pieces of stone, brick, etcetera from
buildings that have fallen
Different forms:

10. debris (noun)
“After and earthquake, the debris from a badly damaged
road can be dangerous” (Journeys, p. 301).
Definition: pieces that are left after something has
been destroyed
Different forms:

11. timber (noun)
“Houses made of timbers, or wooden beams, can
collapse like toothpick toys” (Journeys, p. 301)
Definition: a large piece of wood that is used to form
part of a building
Different forms: timbers (plural noun); timber
(adjective)

12. construct (verb)
“Buildings can now be constructed in a way that helps
them to survive earthquakes” (Journeys, p. 301)
Definition: to build or make something
Different forms: constructs (verb); constructed (verb);
constructing (verb)

13. The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
Imagine this scene: You wake up suddenly; the bed
trembles; a mirror falls from the wall. That is how the day
began for many people in San Francisco on April 18, 1906.
The huge earthquake was one of the worst natural
disasters in United States history. The quake, along with a
huge fire, destroyed tenement after tenement, business
after business. Buildings had not been constructed to
withstand such an event. They fell floor by floor, crushing
hundreds. Large timbers snapped, and one slab of
debris after another feel to the street. Afterward,
residents wandered in the rubble with the few
possessions they had saved. Wreckage surrounded
them. Hundreds of thousands suddenly found themselves
homeless.