The Spider-Man Before Spider-Man PDF
The Spider-Man Before Spider-Man PDF
The Spider-Man Before Spider-Man PDF
What is your
dream job ?
KEY IDEA Ever since you were little, people have probably asked
you what you want to be when you grow up. Now that you’re older
and know yourself better, your dream job might be coming into focus.
Is it a job that would take you outdoors? Onto a movie set? Into
a sports arena? Your ideal career probably reflects your individual
talents, interests, and personality. In the following article, you’ll read
about a man who turned his passion into a dream job.
884
elements of nonfiction: text features
Nonfiction articles often contain text features, design elements
A Love of Science
that help organize the material and identify key ideas. Common Bijal Trivedi (bGjPEl
text features include trC-vAPdC) became
fascinated with
• headings—the title of the article
dinosaurs at the
• subheadings—headings that signal the beginning of a age of nine. Soon
new topic or section within a written piece after, she transferred
her interest to the
• sidebars—additional information set in a box alongside,
space shuttle and
below, or within an article astronomy. From an
• bulleted lists—lists of items of equal value or importance. early age, it was clear
This list of text features is an example of a bulleted list. that Trivedi’s dream Bijal P. Trivedi
job would involve born 1970
Recognizing text features can help you find information. As you science.
read “The Spider Man Behind Spider-Man,” notice how the text
Exciting Places and Discoveries Trivedi
features clue you in to the topics and key ideas. studied science in college and earned
master’s degrees in both biology and
reading strategy: summarize science journalism. Because Trivedi didn’t
want to work in a lab, she became a science
Have you ever told a friend about a movie you just saw? If so,
writer. She has written for magazines such
you probably gave your friend a summary. When you summarize as National Geographic, Popular Science,
a piece of writing, you briefly retell the main ideas or key points. and Wired. She says, “Being a science writer
Summarizing is a way to check your understanding, and it can is a bit like being Indiana Jones—you get
help you remember information. As you read “The Spider Man to travel with lots of smart scientists to
Behind Spider-Man,” use a chart to take notes on the key points. exciting places and then write stories about
their discoveries.” Trivedi has won several
Later, you’ll use these notes to summarize the article.
awards for her journalism.
What Steven Kutcher His Training and His Spider-Man more about the author
Does Background Experience For more on Bijal P. Trivedi, visit the
Literature Center at ClassZone.com.
Background
vocabulary in context The Amazing Spider-Man In 1962, writer
Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko created the
The boldfaced words help the author describe one man’s character of Peter Parker, a teenager who
interesting career. Try using context clues to figure out what gains spider-like powers through the bite
each word means. of a radioactive spider and becomes Spider-
Man. Spider-Man first appeared in an issue
1. He has the perseverance necessary to finish the job. of Amazing Fantasy by Marvel Comics and
2. Bill is an engaging person whom everyone likes. then gained a comic book series all his own.
3. Maria has the potential to become a first-rate scientist. The Amazing Spider-Man comics have been
popular ever since. In the movies about
4. Ashley’s watercolor rendition of her dream earned praise the superhero, CGI, or computer-generated
from her art teacher. imagery, made it appear that Peter Parker
could swing from one tall building to another,
stick to walls, and do other incredible feats
that only a Spider-Man could do.
1. Catskills (kBtPskGlzQ): the Catskill Mountain region in New York state. It is a popular vacation area.
2. entomology (DnQtE-mJlPE-jC): the study of insects.
3. ecology (G-kJlPE-jC): the study of relationships among living things and their environment.
4. B.S.; M.A.; Ph.D.: Bachelor of Science, an undergraduate degree; Master of Arts, a graduate
degree; Doctor of Philosophy, a graduate degree that is usually more time-consuming and
difficult to earn than a master’s degree.
So You Want to Be
an Entomologist?
such as plant pollinators,6 insect
D o you get grossed out when
you see a spider or earwig5
crawling up your wall? Or does the
parasites, and insect predators.
5. earwig (îr-wGgQ): an insect that has two pincers protruding from the rear of its abdomen.
6. pollinators (pJlPE-nAtQtErs): animals that carry pollen from one plant to another, causing the
plants to produce fruit.
Typical Tasks
• Study the evolution of insects AVERAGE EARNINGS
• Discover and describe new species
of insects Maximum Salary:
• Conduct research into the impact $71,270
and control of insect pest problems
• Conduct field and laboratory Average Salary:
tests of pesticides to evaluate $47,740
their effect on different species of
insects under different conditions Entry Level Salary:
• Curate museum insect collections $29,260
• Prepare publications that make it e TEXT FEATURES
possible to identify insect, spider, What does this bulleted
list help you better
mite, and tick species science classes. Many students understand?
• Coordinate public awareness and get a general undergraduate degree
education programs e in biology or zoology7 and then f TEXT FEATURES
specialize in entomology at the What does the
information presented
Educational Paths post-graduate level. For those
in the blue sidebar add
Students interested in a career wishing to lead research teams or to your understanding of
working with insects should prepare teach at the university level, a Ph.D. Steven Kutcher and his
for college by taking a variety of is a requirement. f career?
8. radioactive (rAQdC-I-BkPtGv): exhibiting radiation emissions that possibly result from a nuclear
explosion.
9. non-toxic: not poisonous or otherwise life-threatening.
Comprehension
1. Recall What was Steven Kutcher’s first experience on a movie set?
2. Recall Why did the makers of Spider-Man want to use a real spider instead
of a computer-generated spider for most of the spider scenes?
3. Clarify Why was it such a challenge for Kutcher to find the perfect spider
for the movie Spider-Man?
Critical Analysis
4. Examine Text Features Which text features help you find the following
pieces of information? Note your answers in a chart like the one shown.
5. Compare Summaries Using the chart you made as you read, write a summary
of the entire article. Next, trade summaries with a classmate. Compare the
summary you received with the article to see if the summary is complete.
Share your findings with your classmate, and then revise your own summary
as needed.
6. Make Generalizations A generalization is a broad statement about a group
of people or a topic. Based on the information given in the article and the
sidebar, what’s one generalization you can make about the kind of people
who become entomologists?
7. Draw Conclusions Reread lines 11–15 and 35–42. Why do you think Kutcher
wants other people to have a better understanding of insects?