Raccoon
/ˈræˌkuːn/
nounA2
Definition
A raccoon is a medium-sized animal that lives mostly in forests or near cities. It has gray fur, black rings around its eyes like a mask, and a long tail with black rings. Raccoons are active at night and often use their front paws like hands to find and eat food.
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See It in Action
The animal itself
- •The raccoon climbed a tree to escape danger.
- •Raccoons often come out at night to find food.
- •We saw a raccoon near the river while camping.
In culture and stories, a symbol of cleverness or mischief
- •The raccoon in the cartoon always gets into trouble.
- •People say raccoons are like little bandits because of their mask.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "raccoon" like "cat" (A1 word), but a wild animal that lives outside and has a mask on its face
- ✓Picture a small, furry animal with a black mask around its eyes and a striped tail, moving quietly at night
- ✓It’s the feeling of surprise when you see a clever animal looking through trash cans in the city
- ✓Sounds like "rack-oon" → imagine a little animal racking (collecting) food with its hands like a small raccoon
- ✓In stories and cartoons, raccoons are often smart and curious, sometimes sneaky like a little thief
- ✓NOT like "dog" (domestic and loud), raccoons are wild and quiet at night
- ✓NOT like "fox" (longer nose and different color), raccoons have a round face and a mask pattern
- ✓NOT like "owl" (bird active at night), raccoons are mammals with fur and walk on the ground
Try Other Words
- •Coon: short form for raccoon (Use in informal or casual speech)
- •Wild animal: any animal living in nature, not tamed (Use when you want to talk about animals like raccoons but not name them)
- •Bandit: a thief (Use figuratively when talking about raccoons because of their mask and sneaky behavior)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: "rac-" + "-coon" (no clear smaller parts; "coon" is also a short form)
- •Etymology: From the Powhatan Native American word "aroughcun," meaning "animal that scratches with its hands"
- •Historical development: English speakers adopted the word in the 1600s when they saw the animal in North America
- •Modern usage: Used to name the animal and sometimes in cartoons or stories to show clever or sneaky behavior
- •Interesting fact: The raccoon's mask helps reduce glare and improve night vision, which helps it see better in the dark
Reflect & Connect
•Why do you think raccoons are often shown as clever or sneaky animals in stories and cartoons?
•How would you feel if a raccoon visited your home at night looking for food?
Fill in the blanks
1.The raccoon comes out mostly at ___ to look for food because it is active at night.
2.People say raccoons look like little ___ because of the black mask around their eyes.
3.Unlike dogs, raccoons are ___ animals that live in forests or near cities.
4.When a raccoon finds food, it uses its front ___ like hands to hold and eat it.
5.The raccoon’s tail has ___ rings that help us recognize it easily.
6.In cartoons, raccoons are often shown as ___ and curious animals.
7.If you see a raccoon near your trash, it probably is looking for ___ to eat.