Study these terms before completing the activities below.
1. displacement
being forced to leave your home, neighborhood, or community due to economic pressure, gentrification, or conflict; the community faces displacement after the city's redevelopment notice
2. redevelopment
the process of rebuilding or renovating an area, often using language like "revitalization" while removing existing residents; the city's redevelopment corridor threatens twelve families
3. solidarity
unity and mutual support among people with a shared struggle; Mrs. Fuentes says the developer is counting on breaking the solidarity of the building
4. documentation
the act of recording and preserving evidence; the narrator becomes the unofficial recorder, documenting what the community has built
5. credibility
the quality of being trusted and believed; Mrs. Fuentes has four decades of credibility as a community anchor
6. voluntary
done by choice; but in this context, "voluntary" buyout means the developer expects compliance; the grandmother explains that "voluntary" is designed to divide neighbors
7. revitalization
the process of renewing a place, presented positively by developers but often involving the removal of existing communities; the project presentation used words like "revitalization"
8. negotiate
to discuss terms in order to reach an agreement; the families who stayed in 1973 negotiated together and got three times the buyout
9. de facto
in practice, even if not officially; the grandmother was the de facto Spanish-language health resource for everyone in the building
10. land trust
a legal agreement that permanently restricts land use to keep housing affordable for future generations; the community secured a community land trust agreement for twelve units
11. corridor
a route or zone; a development corridor designates an area targeted for concentrated change; the building was declared part of a revitalization corridor
12. legacy
what is passed down to future generations; not just possessions but also history, values, and the shape of a community's belonging
🏭 Etymology Exploration — Where Do These Words Come From?
Use a dictionary or etymonline.com to research each word's origin. Words in this unit often have roots in Latin, Greek, Spanish, or African languages — the history of a word reveals the history of a people.
Term
Language of Origin
Original Meaning
How Has the Meaning Changed Over Time?
1. displacement
2. redevelopment
3. solidarity
4. documentation
5. credibility
6. voluntary
7. revitalization
8. negotiate
9. de facto
10. land trust
11. corridor
12. legacy
💬 Connotation vs. Denotation — How Word Choice Shapes Meaning
A word's denotation is its dictionary definition. Its connotation is the emotional feeling it carries. The same idea can feel very different depending on word choice.
displacement
📖 Denotation (dictionary meaning)
being forced to leave your home, neighborhood, or community due to economic pressure, gentrification, or conflict; the community faces displacement after the city's redevelopment notice
💬 Connotation (emotional feel)
How does word choice here shape meaning? Write a sentence using displacement to show its connotation:
redevelopment
📖 Denotation (dictionary meaning)
the process of rebuilding or renovating an area, often using language like "revitalization" while removing existing residents; the city's redevelopment corridor threatens twelve families
💬 Connotation (emotional feel)
How does word choice here shape meaning? Write a sentence using redevelopment to show its connotation:
solidarity
📖 Denotation (dictionary meaning)
unity and mutual support among people with a shared struggle; Mrs. Fuentes says the developer is counting on breaking the solidarity of the building
💬 Connotation (emotional feel)
How does word choice here shape meaning? Write a sentence using solidarity to show its connotation:
documentation
📖 Denotation (dictionary meaning)
the act of recording and preserving evidence; the narrator becomes the unofficial recorder, documenting what the community has built
💬 Connotation (emotional feel)
How does word choice here shape meaning? Write a sentence using documentation to show its connotation:
credibility
📖 Denotation (dictionary meaning)
the quality of being trusted and believed; Mrs. Fuentes has four decades of credibility as a community anchor
💬 Connotation (emotional feel)
How does word choice here shape meaning? Write a sentence using credibility to show its connotation:
📰 Real-World Usage Hunt
Find 6 of your vocabulary words in the real world — in a news headline, song lyrics, social media post, or book. Write where you found each one and how it was used.
Find #1
Vocabulary word found:
Source (news headline, song, caption, etc.):
How was it used? What does it mean in that context?
Find #2
Vocabulary word found:
Source (news headline, song, caption, etc.):
How was it used? What does it mean in that context?
Find #3
Vocabulary word found:
Source (news headline, song, caption, etc.):
How was it used? What does it mean in that context?
Find #4
Vocabulary word found:
Source (news headline, song, caption, etc.):
How was it used? What does it mean in that context?
Find #5
Vocabulary word found:
Source (news headline, song, caption, etc.):
How was it used? What does it mean in that context?
Find #6
Vocabulary word found:
Source (news headline, song, caption, etc.):
How was it used? What does it mean in that context?
🔁 Word Relationship Maps
For each word, fill in synonyms (words with similar meaning), antonyms (opposite meanings), and thematically related terms from the unit.
displacement
🔗 Synonyms
↔️ Antonyms
🌐 Related Terms
redevelopment
🔗 Synonyms
↔️ Antonyms
🌐 Related Terms
solidarity
🔗 Synonyms
↔️ Antonyms
🌐 Related Terms
documentation
🔗 Synonyms
↔️ Antonyms
🌐 Related Terms
✏️ Paragraph Writing Challenge
Write a paragraph of at least 5–7 sentences using 5 or more vocabulary words from this lesson. Underline each vocabulary word you use. Your paragraph should connect to the themes of Resistance & Resilience.