Here are the vocabulary terms I’ve identified (in order of appearance in the textbook). My list of words is larger than the number of highlighted words in the textbook. I’ve hyperlinked the terms to resources that I believe will assist students.

acre, definition #2; how big is an acre?

adoptive (adoption) -I’d really explain the concept of adoption.

appetizing also means looking good enough to eat

attempts

avocado

brilliant, not in the "smart" sense

chartered as in definition #2

circulating

commotion, as in definition #4b;

delicate

dense, as in a big crowd where people are grouped together

endless parade, a long line of people

equivalent

formerly

furrows look like this

guava

Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon)

hysterically (means very excited); as in, "They were yelling hysterically at the football game."

interpreter, definition #1b

irrigation ditch (look at definition #1a) looks like this

jackfruit is a fruit found in Asia

lumber, not wood but moving around ponderously (look at definition #2 of ponderously)

main attraction, what everyone is looking at; for example, "During December, Santa is often the main attraction at the mall."

mischief

mulberry is another popular plant

nevertheless

occasionally is another way of saying once in a while

overwhelm as in definition c; here’s a picture of someone who feels overwhelmed.

ox, (or oxen, if you have two or more): an animal much like a cow (there are different kinds of oxen; for example, here’s a musk ox)

papayas

rafters (of the barn) look like this

rice paddies (paddy)—Why not build a rice paddy or take a good look at a rice plant?

Saigon

silkworm

soybeans are grown in many places around the world

swarming as in definition #2a; compare with swarmed (as in definition #2a)
coves as in definition #2; look for the word cove on this page of landforms; here’s a more scientific explanation of a cove

thatched doesn’t make much sense unless you know what thatch is or what a thatched roof is or what thatch looks like

traditional, see definition #2

Vietnam--I’d try to (carefully) explain the Vietnam War and why many people had to flee. Here’s a short, informative passage about Vietnam. The PBS series Daughter from Danang might help the teacher get a better understanding of this issue. The site has a useful teacher’s guide. A timeline of adoption in America might also be of use.

wok, is a special, bowl-shaped pan used for cooking and, if you aren’t careful, sometimes burning food

yoke, definition #1a; looks like this