224 word orphrase. determination ofthemeaninga L.9–10.4.d the meaningofawordorphrase. L.9–10.4.a independently andproficiently. grades 9–10textcomplexityband nonfiction atthehighendof read andcomprehendliterary RI.9–10.10  nursing profession. captivating narrativeofthe investigative meritand has beenpraisedforits the HeroesofHospital Drama, andMiraclesWith Nurses: AYear ofSecrets, Her mostrecent work, John BartlowMartinAward. she wasarecipient ofthe ishighlyregarded;journalism and the Times, including the newspapers andmagazines, She haswrittenforseveral and bestsellingauthor. (b. 1976) isajournalist Alexandra Robbins About the Author

STANDARDS

UNIT 2•OUTSIDERS ANDOUTCASTS MAKING MEANING the Atlantic.

Washington Post, Use contextasaclueto Verify thepreliminary By theendofgrade 10, LosAngeles Robbins’s

The , determine theirmeanings.There are different typesofcontextclues. other words andphrasesthat appearnearbyinthetext—tohelpyou As youperformyourfirstread of“RevengetheGeeks,”youwill Concept Vocabulary Revenge Geeks of the opportunity tocompleteacloseread afteryour firstread. Apply thesestrategiesasyouconductyourfirstread. You willhavean First ReadNONFICTION definitions. first read. Usearesource suchasadictionaryorthesaurustoverify your determine themeaningsofunfamiliarwords youencounterduringyour Apply yourknowledgeofcontextcluesandothervocabularystrategiesto Context Clues encounter thesewords. sadly Antonym, orContrastofIdeas: tycoon Elaborating Details: group behavior. work. Theformerstudyindividualbehavior, whereas thelatterstudy Definition: marginalize have already read. already knowandwhatyou the selectiontowhatyou CONNECT Who the text. NOTICE indolent andoneoftherichestwomeninworld. isinvolved? Insomecases,

the generalideasof What

, butothersworkextremely hard. If thesewords are unfamiliar, tryusing ideas within is itabout? pariah Shewasoncealoner, butisnowamedia

psychologists Somemembersofthegroup are bigotry and the selection. by writingabriefsummaryof the Comprehension Check and you wanttorevisit. vocabulary andkeypassages ANNOTATE RESPOND sociologists by marking context clues by completing dorelated —

© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

of the Revenge 3 2 1 6 5 4 G 1. M especially oneinterested incomputers. however, it hadcometobeusedasageneric,all-purposeinsult.Inthe1970s, in thelatenineteenthcentury,andbymiddleoftwentiethcentury gecke The word BACKGROUND world where [kids]havetothinkabouttheirownstatus.” And for recording artist. music. Lastyear, theGrammywinnerwasnation’s top soon asshesatdownbecausetheydisdainedhertasteforcountry will servehimorherwellaftergraduation. to beexcludedinhighschoolare oftenthesame traitsorskillsthat schools, I’veseenrepeatedly thatthedifferences thatcauseastudent like liberationfrom astate-imposedsentence. consider theoutcasts,studentsforwhomfinishinghighschoolfeels fear ofloststatus.Butascap-and-gownseasonnears,let’salsostopto Kathryn LaFontana,highschoolisthe“firstforay with kidsshedescribesas“outcastsandcomfortable withbeingso.” daydreams.” It’snowonder shewentontowritebookspopulated described herself asabulliedchild“wholivedmostlyinbooksand fashion iconwiththerecognizable catchphrase“Makeitwork.”

foray For many, saysSacred HeartUniversitypsychologyprofessor J. K.Rowling,authorofthebestselling“HarryPotter” series,has Students mockedTim Gunn’sloveofmakingthings;nowheisa Examples abound:Taylor Swift’s classmatesleftthelunchtableas In sevenyearsofreporting from American middleandhigh Alexandra Robbins intheworksofShakespeare, asaword for“fool.”Itbecame

bittersweet nostalgia:Excitementforthefuture istempered by any popularstudentsapproach graduationdaywith n. attempt to do something. to do attempt geek geek cametomean,specifically,“an overlyeager student,” hasalonghistory—oneofitsearliestappearanceswasas eeks 1 intotheadult ­-selling geek

NOTES Revenge ofthe Geeks MULTIMEDIA SCAN FOR ARGUMENT

225 226 MEANING: bigotry MEANING: pariah MEANING: marginalize helped youdeterminemeaning. another strategyyouusedthat Mark contextcluesorindicate NOTES lyz)

v

. UNIT 2•OUTSIDERS ANDOUTCASTS

(puh RY uh)

(BIHG uhtree)

(MAHR juhnuh

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n . 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 make peopledifferent makethemtargets. Inadulthood,however, the other people;that’swhatmakessomeoneunpopular.” and socialstatus,“theworstthingintheworldistobedifferent from teenagers, saysLaFontana,whostudiesadolescentpeerrelationships She’s adifferent kindofathlete.Similarly, wemightacknowledge musician. A sprinterisstillanathleteevenif shecan’tplaybasketball. challenged if hecan’tplaytheviolin.He’sjustadifferent kindof is excludedbyclassmates.We don’tviewasaxophonistasmusically there necessarilysomething wrong withastudentmerely becausehe necessarily leadstomediocrityorworseinadulthood. Butneitheris racism, anti-Semitism,sexism,andotherformsof the exclusionarybehaviorthatmaybefoundation foreventual well inschool.Psychologistspointoutthathigh-status cliquesteach who are popularandinvolved inaggression are lesslikelytodo more likelytodrinkandengage inotherriskybehaviors.Students relational, whichincludesrumors, gossip,andbackstabbing. Theyare be bothtargets andinstigatorsofaggression—whether physicalor can alsomeanthey’re lesslikelytoinnovate.Theyare more likelyto shows thattheyare more likelythanoutsiderstoconform, which distinctively. sources—without peoplewhoare different. Successfulscientiststhink be noprogress—cures fordiseases,waystoharnessnewenergy conference, calls“thesocial Jerry Holkins,creator ofthePenny Arcade webcomicandvideogame profile celebritiesandthrongs of smitten fans. They’re all part of what consciousness. And thenerd prom knownasComicCondrawshigh- are ontherise.Nerdcore hip skills andtheabilitytocollaboratethrough collectiveintelligence. creativity they’vehoned.Gamershavelearnedbothproblem punks, andotherswhopursuetheirartswithfervorbenefitfrom the from beingempatheticandunafraidtodisplayemotion.Skaters, after graduation. to teenagersthatthecharacteristics bound toimprove. That’swhyit’suptoadultsconveyconstantly thing” islikelytotranslateintolatersuccess,orthat“thegirl killing me.” breeze through school..That’sthegoodthing,butgirlthingis get agirl.Thesmartthingrepels girls.Ilikebeingsmartbecause boy inIndianatoldme:“I’malwayssingle,soit’stough.Nevercan qualities thatmakepeopledifferent makethemcompelling. Adults tendtobemature enoughtorecognize thatthere would That’s nottosay, ofcourse,thatpopularityinhighschool popularstudents?Research So whathappenstohighschool’s In theadultworld,beingoutisin.“Geekchic”and“nerd merch” Geeks profit from theirtechnologicalknowhow. Emosbenefit It’s hard toknowwhenyou’re inhighschoolthat“thesmart Some studentsare vaguelyaware ofthisreality. An eighth In therabidlyconformistschoolenvironment, thequalitiesthat pariah ­-hop artistshavepenetratedmainstream outcastaesthetic.” marginalize bigotry themcanpayoff . ­ -grade ­-solving

© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. details withyourgroup. Complete thefollowingitemsafteryoufinishyourfirstread.Reviewandclarify Check Comprehension 15 17 16 Research to Clarify Research RESEARCH 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. the argument?the that detail. what In way the information does you of learned shed light an on aspect nurture kidswhoreject thein students couldunderstandthis. And if schoolsfoundbetterwaysto less sociallysuccessful;they’re justadifferent kindofsocial. that studentswhodon’tfollowthepopularcrowd’s leadaren’t any not aproblem butastrength. better.” Theyneedtoknowbefore graduationthatbeingdifferent is something wrong. interesting, impressionable people—thinkthattheyhavedoneorfelt treatment isthattensofthousandsstudents—imaginative, and independence.Themostheartbreaking consequenceofthis attitudes andprograms thatare importantforfosteringcreativity name

How dosuccessfulscientiststhink,according toRobbins? What doesRobbinsbelievethatadultsshouldconstantlyconveytoteenagers? world forteenagers? According topsychologyprofessor KathrynLaFontana,whatistheworst thinginthe as Swift satdown? According totheauthor, whydidTaylor Swift’s classmatesleavethelunchtableassoon It’s notenoughtomerely tellthemthatinthereal world,“itgets The worstaspectofthetreatment ofstudentoutsidersisn’tthe The educationlandscapewouldbesomuchmore bearableif

Notebook ­-calling. Itisn’ttheloneliness.evendemiseof

Confirm yourunderstandingbywritingasummaryofthe text.

Choose unfamiliar at one least Briefly research detail from the text.

­ -crowd image. ❧ NOTES Revenge ofthe Geeks

227 MAKING MEANING

Close Read the Text With your group, revisit sections of the text you marked during your first read. Annotate details that you notice. What questions do you have? What can you conclude?

REVENGE OF THE GEEKS

Cite textual evidence Analyze the Text to support your answers. Notebook Complete the activities. 1. Review and Clarify Reread the first five paragraphs of the selection. Where does the author state her claim, or main idea, in this argument? Restate the claim in your own words. What three examples does Robbins cite in this section of the text to support this claim? 2. Present and Discuss Now, work with your group to share the passages from the selection that you found especially important. Take turns presenting your passages. Discuss what you notice in the selection, what questions you asked, and what conclusions you reached. 3. Essential Question: Do people need to belong? What has this text taught you about outsiders and outcasts? Discuss with your group.

language development Concept Vocabulary  WORD NETWORK marginalize pariah bigotry Add interesting words related to outsiders from the text to your Word Network. Why These Words? The three concept vocabulary words are related. With your group, determine what the words have in common. How do these word choices enhance the impact of the text?

 Standards Practice RI.9–10.8 Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims Notebook Confirm your understanding of these words by using them in a text, assessing whether the in sentences. Include context clues that hint at each word’s meaning. reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning. Word Study L.9–10.4 Determine or clarify the Notebook Denotation and Connotation The denotation of a meaning of unknown and multiple- word is its literal definition that you would find in a dictionary. A word’s meaning words and phrases based on grades 9–10 reading and content, connotations are its emotional overtones or nuances. For example, the choosing flexibly from a range of word pariah literally means “outcast.” Its connotations are overwhelmingly strategies. negative. This word came into English from Tamil, an Indian language, where L.9–10.5 Demonstrate it signified someone from the lowest social caste, or group. understanding of figurative language, Use a dictionary to research the denotations and connotations of the All rights reserved. or its affiliates. Inc., Education, © Pearson word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. following words from the selection: nostalgia, disdain, conformist, smitten, distinctively. Then, use each word in a sentence that clearly indicates both its L.9–10.5.b Analyze nuances in denotation and its connotation. the meaning of words with similar denotations.

228 UNIT 2 • OUTSIDERS AND OUTCASTS © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Reasoning andEvidence Analyze CraftandStructure have thefollowingqualities: reasoning shouldhaveclear, logicalconnections.Strong evidenceshould reasoning andthequalityof theevidenceheorsheusestosupportit.Strong When reading anargument, itisimportanttoevaluateboththewriter’s writer’s reasons ormainclaim. anecdotes, quotations,examples,andanyotherdetailsthatsupportthe evidence. debatable issue,andthendefendsthatclaimwithsoundreasoning and a typeofnonfictioninwhichwriterstates • • • 4. 3. 2. 1. Practice your responseswithgroup. C writer’s ideas. Relevance: generalizations. it shouldnotdisplaybias,unfoundedjudgments,orsweeping sources. Acredible source maypresent adistinctperspective,but Credibility: facts, data,andquotations.Itshouldcomefrom arangeofsources. Variety:

Cite evidencefrom yourchartasexamples. Write aparagraphinwhichyouevaluatethevalidityofRobbins’s argument. credibility andrelevance. Use thecharttoidentify thetypesofevidence Robbinsusesandtoevaluateits actually workagainstpeoplewhentheyentertheadultworld? How doesRobbinsdevelopherargumentthatbeingpopularinhighschoolmay in highschoolare thosethatmakethemsuccessful inadulthood? How doesRobbinssupportherclaimthatthequalitiesmakestudentsoutcasts LAI Notebook M Evidence

Awritershouldincludedifferent typesofevidence,suchas Evidenceshouldbecurrent andconnectlogically tothe Evidenceshouldbedrawnfrom reliable, authoritative

Work onyour owntoanswerthequestions.Then,shareanddiscuss includesfacts,data,information,explanations, E

V “Revenge oftheGeeks”isan I D EN C E claim, CR orpositionona E D I B essential question: ILIT argument, Y

R ELE to supportyouranswers. CITE TEXTUALEVIDENCE V Dopeopleneedtobelong? AN C Revenge ofthe Geeks E

229 or listening. comprehend morefullywhenreading for meaningorstyle, andto contexts, tomake effectivechoices language functionsindifferent language tounderstandhow L.9–10.3 L.9–10.1.a  230

S

tan UNIT 2•OUTSIDERS ANDOUTCASTS LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

REVENGE OF THE GEEKS THE OF REVENGE Apply knowledgeof

d Use parallel structure. ar d s This chartshowsexamplesofnonparallelandparallelstructure. inconsistency canbeawkward, confusing,ordistractingforreaders. equally significant ideasinanunnecessarymixofgrammaticalforms.This relationships amongideas. Whenwritinglacksparallelism,itpresents Effective useofparallelism creates rhythmandbalanceclarifies the toexpressgrammatical formsorpatterns ideasofequalsignificance. Parallel Structure Author’s Style Write It 4. 3. 2. 1. or inmutiplesentences. “Revenge oftheGeeks.”Parallelelementsmayappearinasinglesentence Mark theparallelsentenceelementsineachofthesepassagesfrom Read It at leastoneexampleofparallel structure. Markyourexamples. words ELEMENTS SENTENCE clauses phrases

sexism andotherformsofbigotry. behavior thatmaybethefoundationforeventualracism, anti-Semitism, Psychologists pointoutthathigh-statuscliquesteachthe exclusionary mean they’re lesslikelytoinnovate. Research showsthattheyare more likely. . toconform,whichcanalso collective intelligence. others .benefitfrom theskillsandability tocollaboratethrough being empatheticandunafraidtodisplayemotion.Skaters,punks, Geeks profit from theirtechnologicalknowhow. Emosbenefitfrom that makepeopledifferent makethemcompelling. people different makethemtargets.Inadulthood,however, thequalities In therabidlyconformistschoolenvironment, thequalitiesthatmake Notebook

Write aparagraphabout“RevengeoftheGeeks.”Include

NONPARALLEL The teachersare good,the hisnewschool: Ari likes world exploration country, and planetoleavethe on that I couldnotwaittohop process. writing the revision and Planning, drafting likes thenewbuilding students are nice,andhe Parallelism, or are three stepsin for some parallel structure, . . The teachersare good,the hisnewschool: Ari likes the world country, and plane,toleavethe that I couldnotwaittohopon process. writing the revising and Planning, drafting, building isnew students are nice,and PARALLEL istheuseofsimilar are three stepsin . to explore . the

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