Speak: Second Marking Period

by Laurie Halse Anderson
After calling the police during an end-of-summer party, Melinda is an outcast at school. How can Melinda tell the truth about what really happened when she won't even speak?

Here are links to our lists for the novel: First Marking Period, Second Marking Period, Third Marking Period, Fourth Marking Period

Here are links to our lists for other works by Laurie Halse Anderson: Speak: The Graphic Novel, Chains, Fever 1793, Shout
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. endangered
    in imminent threat of extinction
    We are no longer the Tigers because the name shows “shocking disrespect” for an endangered creature.
  2. buccaneer
    someone who robs at sea or plunders the land from the sea
    We can’t be the Buccaneers because pirates supported violence and discrimination against women.
  3. conjugate
    add inflections showing person, number, gender, or tense
    I do my homework—choose five verbs and conjugate them.
  4. unpredictable
    unknown in advance
    Mr. Neck storms into class, a bull chasing thirty-three red flags. We slide into our seats. I think for sure he’s going to explode. Which he does, but in an unpredictable, faintly educational way.
  5. intolerant
    unwilling to tolerate difference of opinion
    As a citizen, and as a student, I am protesting the tone of this lesson as racist, intolerant, and xenophobic.
  6. xenophobic
    having abnormal fear or hatred of foreigners
    As a citizen, and as a student, I am protesting the tone of this lesson as racist, intolerant, and xenophobic.
  7. harried
    troubled persistently, especially with petty annoyances
    My normally harried, rushed mother always turns into a strung-out retail junkie just before Turkey Day.
  8. anthropologist
    a social scientist specializing in the study of humanity
    I crumple the paper and lay out the bones on the table. Melinda Sordino—Anthropologist. I have unearthed the remains of a hideous sacrifice.
  9. incompetence
    lack of physical or intellectual ability or qualifications
    He is threatening to sue the school district and Mr. Neck for everything from incompetence to civil rights violations.
  10. illegible
    unable to be read
    The other 1,547 votes were write-ins or illegible.
  11. downtrodden
    abused or oppressed by people in power
    It is a sad and downtrodden Ms. Connors who meets me three hours later.
  12. demure
    shy or modest, often in a playful or provocative way
    Ms. Connors did not win a lacrosse scholarship by being demure or hesitant.
  13. humiliation
    strong feelings of embarrassment
    Basketball Pole, aka Brendan Keller, the one who contributed to my mashed-potato-and-gravy humiliation on the first day of school, stands under the basket.
  14. vermilion
    of a vivid red to reddish-orange color
    An unseen hand turned off the radio as he crossed the threshold, and bags of potato chips vanished, leaving the faint scent of salt to mix with vermilion oil paint and wet clay.
  15. demented
    affected with madness or insanity
    She has a warped sense of humor as well as a demented beautician.
Created on Thu Feb 14 08:31:27 EST 2013 (updated Fri Aug 08 14:40:36 EDT 2025)

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