Study these terms before completing the activities below.
1. Resistance
Active opposition to oppression; can be spoken aloud, written, or lived quietly through daily choices; the narrator's resistance begins with one raised hand in one classroom
2. Assimilate
To be absorbed into the dominant culture, often at the cost of one's own identity; the narrator was taught to assimilate by becoming invisible
3. Agency
The power to act independently and make choices about how you present yourself; the narrator claims her agency by deciding what deserves space in the conversation
4. Spoken Word
A form of performance poetry delivered aloud, often addressing social justice themes with rhythm and emotional intensity; the girls start a spoken word club
5. Erasure
The act of removing or ignoring the existence or experience of a person or group; staying silent was participating in her own erasure
6. Defiance
Bold resistance to authority or expectation; the spoken word club is a space where defiance is the whole point
7. Amplify
To make louder or more powerful; the curriculum amplified certain voices while silencing others
8. Marginalize
To push a person or group to the edges of power and visibility; the narrator had learned to marginalize herself before anyone else could
9. Subtext
The underlying meaning beneath the surface of communication; there is a subtext to every school day that says certain stories don't belong
10. Complicity
Silent participation in wrongdoing; the narrator realizes her silence was a form of complicity in her own erasure
11. Hegemony
The dominance of one group's culture and values, presented as natural and universal rather than chosen; the hegemony of the canon shaped what the curriculum included
12. Authenticity
The quality of being genuinely yourself — not performing a smaller, edited version of your identity for others' comfort; the spoken word club is built on authenticity
🏭 Etymology Exploration — Where Do These Words Come From?
Use a dictionary or etymonline.com to research each word's origin. Words in this unit often have roots in Latin, Greek, Spanish, or African languages — the history of a word reveals the history of a people.
Term
Language of Origin
Original Meaning
How Has the Meaning Changed Over Time?
1. Resistance
2. Assimilate
3. Agency
4. Spoken Word
5. Erasure
6. Defiance
7. Amplify
8. Marginalize
9. Subtext
10. Complicity
11. Hegemony
12. Authenticity
💬 Connotation vs. Denotation — How Word Choice Shapes Meaning
A word's denotation is its dictionary definition. Its connotation is the emotional feeling it carries. The same idea can feel very different depending on word choice.
Resistance
📖 Denotation (dictionary meaning)
Active opposition to oppression; can be spoken aloud, written, or lived quietly through daily choices; the narrator's resistance begins with one raised hand in one classroom
💬 Connotation (emotional feel)
How does word choice here shape meaning? Write a sentence using Resistance to show its connotation:
Assimilate
📖 Denotation (dictionary meaning)
To be absorbed into the dominant culture, often at the cost of one's own identity; the narrator was taught to assimilate by becoming invisible
💬 Connotation (emotional feel)
How does word choice here shape meaning? Write a sentence using Assimilate to show its connotation:
Agency
📖 Denotation (dictionary meaning)
The power to act independently and make choices about how you present yourself; the narrator claims her agency by deciding what deserves space in the conversation
💬 Connotation (emotional feel)
How does word choice here shape meaning? Write a sentence using Agency to show its connotation:
Spoken Word
📖 Denotation (dictionary meaning)
A form of performance poetry delivered aloud, often addressing social justice themes with rhythm and emotional intensity; the girls start a spoken word club
💬 Connotation (emotional feel)
How does word choice here shape meaning? Write a sentence using Spoken Word to show its connotation:
Erasure
📖 Denotation (dictionary meaning)
The act of removing or ignoring the existence or experience of a person or group; staying silent was participating in her own erasure
💬 Connotation (emotional feel)
How does word choice here shape meaning? Write a sentence using Erasure to show its connotation:
📰 Real-World Usage Hunt
Find 6 of your vocabulary words in the real world — in a news headline, song lyrics, social media post, or book. Write where you found each one and how it was used.
Find #1
Vocabulary word found:
Source (news headline, song, caption, etc.):
How was it used? What does it mean in that context?
Find #2
Vocabulary word found:
Source (news headline, song, caption, etc.):
How was it used? What does it mean in that context?
Find #3
Vocabulary word found:
Source (news headline, song, caption, etc.):
How was it used? What does it mean in that context?
Find #4
Vocabulary word found:
Source (news headline, song, caption, etc.):
How was it used? What does it mean in that context?
Find #5
Vocabulary word found:
Source (news headline, song, caption, etc.):
How was it used? What does it mean in that context?
Find #6
Vocabulary word found:
Source (news headline, song, caption, etc.):
How was it used? What does it mean in that context?
🔁 Word Relationship Maps
For each word, fill in synonyms (words with similar meaning), antonyms (opposite meanings), and thematically related terms from the unit.
Resistance
🔗 Synonyms
↔️ Antonyms
🌐 Related Terms
Assimilate
🔗 Synonyms
↔️ Antonyms
🌐 Related Terms
Agency
🔗 Synonyms
↔️ Antonyms
🌐 Related Terms
Spoken Word
🔗 Synonyms
↔️ Antonyms
🌐 Related Terms
✏️ Paragraph Writing Challenge
Write a paragraph of at least 5–7 sentences using 5 or more vocabulary words from this lesson. Underline each vocabulary word you use. Your paragraph should connect to the themes of Identity & Voice.