Malik's Family Tree: Picking the Right Dictionary Meaning

Malik's Family Tree

1Malik's class was making family trees, but Malik did not know where to start. So he walked two streets over to visit his grandmother, Nana Ruth. She knows every name in the family.

2Nana Ruth spread a big sheet of paper across her kitchen table. "Every family tree begins with its roots," she said. At the bottom, she wrote the names of her own parents. "These are your great-grandparents."

3Next, they drew a branch for each of Nana Ruth's children. Malik's mother went on one branch. His Uncle Femi went on another. Then Malik added his own name and the name of his baby cousin, Ada.

4"Each row of names is a new generation," Nana Ruth explained. Malik counted the rows. He and Ada shared the very top row.

5When the tree was done, Malik traced each line with his finger, from his own name down to the bottom. He felt proud to see where he came from.

Dictionary Page

branch (noun) 1. a part of a tree that grows out from the trunk 2. one part of a family 3. one office of a larger group, such as a bank

generation (noun) the family members who are at the same step of a family, such as brothers, sisters and cousins

roots (noun) 1. the parts of a plant that grow under the ground 2. the family or place a person comes from

row 1. (noun) a line of people or things side by side 2. (verb) to move a boat by using oars

sheet (noun) 1. a large cloth used to cover a bed 2. a thin, flat piece of paper

trace (verb) 1. to follow a line with your finger or a pencil 2. to copy a picture by drawing over it through thin paper