Look at the title of the article. What was your first reaction? Before reading the piece, did you think pop culture was helping or hurting you? Helping or hurting our nation? Did the article change or confirm those feelings?
2. On the first page, Gladwell mentions “lowest-common denominator television.” What does he mean by this? Give two examples of current programming that you think meets this definition.
3. How many words are in the informal guides that go along with the Grand Theft Auto video game that Gladwell discusses? He says that this is a higher number of words than in many books and, therefore, shows that kids today are reading a lot. What’s the flaw in this argument?
4. Using your own words, list three things that a 10-year-old kid “learns” while at recess.
5. Using your own words, explain Gladwell’s message about homework. From your personal experience, do you agree or disagree? Explain why.
6. Go back over the article and find three words you don’t know. Write them down. For each word, write down your guess of what the word means based on how it’s used in the sentence. Then, look up the word in the dictionary and write the actual definition. Were you close to guessing the actual meaning?