Excerpt from "Speak"

A high school lunchroom can be dangerous for a new student. Laurie Halse Anderson shows how in the chapter "Spotlight" from her novel "Speak."

Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 9 Unit 1's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA series: Speak, Marigolds, Always Running, 'Race' Politics, WMDs, Chuck Liddell, Address to America's Schoolchildren, An Early Start on College, Why College Isn't for Everyone, Actually, College Is Very Much Worth It
15 words 40 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. acceptable
    worthy of approval or satisfactory
    There is no way of telling what the acceptable fashion will be.
  2. humble
    marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful
    Brown bags--humble testament to suburbia
  3. terminal
    causing or ending in or approaching death
    or terminal geek gear?
  4. insulate
    surround with material to protect from heat, cold, or noise
    Insulated lunch bags--hip way to save the planet, or sign of an over involved mother?
  5. inconspicuous
    not prominent or readily noticeable
    And it gives me time to scan the cafeteria for a friendly face or an inconspicuous corner.
  6. reconstitute
    construct or form anew or provide with a new structure
    The hot lunch is turkey with reconstituted dried mashed potatoes and gravy, a damp green vegetable, and a cookie.
  7. bizarre
    conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
    They all swear at him--a bizarre greeting practiced by athletic boys with zits.
  8. gawk
    look with amazement
    All conversation stops as the entire lunchroom gawks
  9. retina
    a light-sensitive membrane covering the back of the eyeball
    my face burning into their retinas
  10. apologize
    acknowledge faults or shortcomings or failing
    The Basketball Pole apologizes and says something else, but four hundred people explode in laughter and I can't read lips.
  11. bolt
    leave suddenly and as if in a hurry
    I ditch my tray and bolt for the door.
  12. motor
    causing or able to cause motion
    I motor so fast out of the lunchroom
  13. draft
    engage somebody to enter the army
    the track coach would draft me for varsity if he were around
  14. cafeteria
    a restaurant where you serve yourself and pay a cashier
    But no, Mr. Neck has cafeteria duty.
  15. demerit
    a mark against a person or group for misconduct or failure
    You just earned a demerit for wandering the halls without a pass.
Created on Thu Sep 18 14:08:25 EDT 2014 (updated Fri Sep 19 15:24:57 EDT 2014)

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