Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

Anticipation Guide 1.It is never socially acceptable to call the police while at a party. 2. Silence is the best way to deal with problems. 3. Art class is useless unless you are going to be an artist. 4. People are different on the inside than they appear on the outside. 5. Keeping silent can be more powerful than speaking.

About the Novel: Speak Author: Laurie Halse Anderson Protagonist and Narrator: Melinda Sordino Point of View: first person Genre: Coming-of-Age (Bildungsroman) –A bildungsroman is a story where a protagonist grows psychologically, morally, and physically Setting Place: Syracuse, New York, Merryweather High School of Melinda Sordino, present day Setting Time: Melinda’s freshmen year

Speak Themes Language and Communication Isolation Violence Friendship and Betrayal Depression Transformation and Coming-of-Age Guilt and Blame

Speak Motifs A motif is a recurring idea, symbol, or image which often reveals theme. Predator and Prey Communication, Mouths/Lips, Speaking Trees and art work Mirrors

“Marking Period 1 ” Vocabular y

inconspicuous adjective Not noticeable or prominent The secret agent had to be very INCONSPICUOUS as he did his research.

reconstitute verb To reconstruct or recompose; to return to the liquid state by adding water The RECONSTITUTED mashed potatoes that the cafeteria serves are disgusting!

desperation noun The state of being hopeless or depressed It was an act of DESPARATION.

ponder verb To think about seriously; to deliberate or meditate She PONDERED seriously over her choice of college.

discreet adjective To be careful, considerate, or respectful of others’ privacy The teacher was very DISCREET when she handed back the papers to the student.

solemnly adverb seriously She SOLEMNLY swore that she would finish the test.

vaguely adverb Unclearly He VAGUELY remembered the day of her birth.

flounder verb To make a mistake or to struggle The judges in the Salem witch trials did not want anyone to know that they were FLOUNDERING.

simultaneously adverb To do at the same time; as one They SIMULTANEOUSLY raised their hands.

mayhem noun Chaos and confusion During the hurricane, it was MAYHEM.

“ Marking Period 3 ” and “ Marking Period 4 ” vocabulary

conundrum noun A riddle, the answer to which involves a pun or play on words (What is black and white and read all over? A newspaper) A puzzling question or problem When both of her friends’ birthday parties were on the same day, she was in a CONUNDRUM.

misdemeanor noun A criminal offense defined as less serious than a felony An instance of misbehavior Not paying her parking tickets was considered a MISDEMEANOR.

germinate verb To begin to grow or develop In Botany, to develop into a plant; to sprout The seeds in the garden were finally GERMINATING.

asphyxiate verb To cause to die or lose consciousness by impairing normal breathing, as by gas or choking Many Holocaust prisoners were ASPHYXIATED in gas chambers.

wistful adjective Characterized by melancholy, longing Sadly reflective After his grandmother died, he was very WISTFUL as he pondered about their pastime.

reluctance noun lack of eagerness or willingness; the act of rebelling or struggling against She had RELUCTANCE about going to the party.

tenacious adjective persistent; stubborn; tough Her TENACIOUS personality allowed her to get what she wanted in life.

suffragette noun A female supporter of the cause of women’s voting rights The SUFFRAGETTES advocated for women’s rights to vote.

delinquent noun One who commits wrongful, illegal, or antisocial behavior She was always getting in trouble and was known as a DELINQUENT in her school.

arborist noun A specialist in the care of trees and shrubs Since the trees in our yard were dying, we hired an ARBORIST.