<p> Mrs. Axelson Eng. Rm 28 Almost Home By Joan Bauer #2</p><p>1. emulate (verb) to try to do something or behave in the same way as someone; copy Children often emulate their parents. 2. engross (verb) to occupy the complete attention of someone Katherine was in a corner completely engrossed in a book. 3. disdain (noun) a feeling that someone or something is bad, worthless or low Mason’s disdain for people without a proper education influenced his vote. 4. vigilant (adj.) watching out for danger or something that might go wrong; watchful Health officials must be vigilant when examining restaurants. 6. tactic (noun) an action that is planned to achieve a goal The tactics that Mr. B used to get his students to learn helped Sugar enormously. 7. quell (verb) to cause a feeling to become less intense; calm City officials were trying to quell public fears about the spread of the disease. 8. resilience (noun.) the ability to become strong after a difficult situation Sugar’s amazing resilience helped her to survive all of her struggles. 9. merit (verb) to deserve something Mr. B asking the kids to “sell it” to make them think, merits mentioning. The play merits the awards its won. 10.tenacious (adj.) very determined Tenacious Tammy refused to give up climbing until she had reached the top of the mountain. 11. rudimentary (adj.) basic, simple The math assignment was so rudimentary that everyone could do it. 12. sabotage (verb) to secretly destroy something so that the enemy cannot use it. Her adversary sabotaged her plan. 13. ambiguous (adj.) unclear because it could have more than one meaning Her ambiguous answer to the question left everyone puzzled and unsure. Correct Letter Format Sept. 28, 2017 Dear Sugar,</p><p>We just wanted to thank you for your incredible example of resilience and positivity. No matter what difficulty you faced, or how often you were looked on with disdain, you remained positive. Even your ambiguous father wasn’t able to sabotage your plans. Being engrossed in the wisdom of your grandfather, King Cole, helped a lot. His ideas helped quell your fears from uncertainty. Your mom’s game of writing thank you notes also merits mentioning. The thank you notes that you wrote helped everyone. Your tactic of door painting left a special sweetness in the lives of those in need. We loved how vigilant you were with your mother. She really was a special lady. We are glad that she named you Sugar because you really do add sweetness to everything and everyone. Lexie’s great love and care is worthy of emulation. Your behavior is too. Your tenacious, but sweet manner really helped you succeed. Your amazing examples have changed us forever. We will never forget you. Sincerely, Millikan Students</p><p>P.S. Please give a thank you pat to Shush too. There’s nothing rudimentary about your fabulous dog.</p>