amnesty (noun) official forgiveness

• Sample Sentence: Some people want the government to give undocumented immigrants amnesty, so that they can become legal immigrants.

• Turn and Talk: Can you think of a reason that a person would be granted amnesty for murder?

undocumented (adjective) without legal papers

• Sample Sentence: Marcos is an undocumented immigrant, someone who doesn’t have papers that prove he has the right to live in America.

• Turn and Talk: Some people who were brought to the U.S. when they were young have done well in school, but because they are undocumented, they can’t get financial aid to go to college. What should be done?

orient (verb) to adjust, to align

• Sample Sentence: Some say the United States should orient its immigration laws toward protecting those who went through the proper channels, not those who “jumped the line.”

• Turn and Talk: Are there enough movies that are oriented to teenagers? Explain.

exclude (verb) to leave out

• Sample Sentence: Programs that help many people in the U.S. often exclude undocumented immigrants.

• Turn and Talk: Do you think it is ever okay to exclude people from a school activity? Explain.

compound (verb) to add to

• Sample Sentence: Some think that forgiving people who entered the country without permission will only compound problems like unemployment.

• Turn and Talk: Does punishing children physically teach them a valuable lesson or simply compound their behavior issues? Explain.

*compound (adjective) having two or more parts

• Sample Sentence: Compound microscopes use two lenses to magnify an object.

• Turn and Talk: A compound word brings together two or more independent words, like lifeguard, babysit, or loudspeaker. Can you think of other compound words?

*alternate part of speech