The Running Dream: Part III

by Wendelin Van Draanen
Track star Jessica is devastated when her leg must be amputated after a terrible car accident — but she is determined to run again.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V
35 words 176 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. scrawl
    write carelessly
    There’s a single line scrawled beneath the checked REPORT TO OFFICE IMMEDIATELY box: Dr. appt.
  2. prod
    push against gently
    He inspects my stump, prods it, measures it, then says, “Outstanding!”
  3. pothole
    a pit or cavity in a road produced by wear or weathering
    The asphalt parking lot is full of potholes and there’s trash blown up against the building.
  4. linoleum
    a floor covering made from linseed oil, cork, and resin
    The waiting room is set up like a doctor’s office, only the chairs are plain molded plastic, and instead of carpeting there’s chipped linoleum.
  5. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    He just sits there, sullen.
  6. smock
    a loose coverall that protects the clothes
    She’s not wearing a nurse-type smock or shoes, just regular clothes—jeans, a knit top, and flats.
  7. accost
    approach and speak to someone aggressively or insistently
    “I don’t usually come out and accost the patients, sorry! It’s just that Hank told me about you and...and I can relate.”
  8. gauzy
    so thin as to transmit light
    He dunks one of the gauzy rolls into the bowl of water, and when it’s wet, he starts wrapping it around my leg, spiraling from the knee down to the end of the stump and back up.
  9. exothermic
    occurring or formed with the release of heat
    “The water creates an exothermic reaction—do you feel it warming up?”
  10. instinctive
    unthinking
    Instinctively, I place her work on top of mine.
  11. convey
    make known; pass on, of information
    The look lasts maybe two seconds, but in that time she manages to convey disappointment, doubt, and resentment.
  12. resentment
    a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
    The look lasts maybe two seconds, but in that time she manages to convey disappointment, doubt, and resentment.