Illustration of kid dancing at school dance
Art by Darnell Johnson
Fiction,

The Definition of Cool

At a concert, all Des wants is for his favorite DJ to notice him. But are his dance moves cool enough? 

By Varian Johnson
From the September 2022 Issue

Learning Objective: As students follow how Desmond, the main character, changes, they will determine the theme of the story: that it’s better to be yourself and not worry about what other people think than to try to be “cool.” 

Complexity Factors
  • Levels of Meaning
    “The Definition of Cool” tells the story of a boy who aims to be cool by dancing at a concert of his favorite DJ. After his peers laugh at him, he learns from two older men that being cool actually means being comfortable with who you are.
  • Structure
    The story is told in the first person. It is in the present tense and is chronological.
  • Language
    The language is mainly conversational and will be familiar to most students. A few challenging words include dedication and scowls. It also contains some colloquialisms, such as ain’t and young’uns.
  • Knowledge Demands
    No special knowledge demands are required.
Lexile: 600L-700L
Guided Reading Level: R
DRA Level: 40
Featured Skill: Theme,
Other Key Skills: character, text clue, inference, word choice, plot, finding the meaning, character’s motivation, text to self
Standards
  • Common Core
    Anchor Standards: R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.5, W.2, SL.1, SL.2, L.4 Grade 4: RL.4.1, RL.4.2, RL.4.3, RL.4.4, RL.4.5, W.4.2, SL.4.1, SL.4.2, L.4.4 Grade 5: RL.5.1, RL.5.2, RL.5.3, RL.5.4, RL.5.5, W.5.2, SL.5.1, SL.5.2, L.5.4 Grade 6: RL.6.1, RL.6.2, RL.6.3, RL.6.4, RL.6.5, W.6.2, SL.6.1, SL.6.2, L.6.4
  • TEKS
    Grade 4: 4.1a, c, d; 4.3a, b; 4.6; 4.7a, b, c, g; 4.8a, b, c, d; 4.9a, f; 4.10c, d, e; 4.11; 4.12d Grade 5: 5.1a, c, d; 5.3a, b; 5.6; 5.7a, b, c, g; 5.8a, b, c, d; 5.9a, f; 5.10c, d, e; 5.11; 5.12d Grade 6: 6.1a, c, d; 6.2a, b; 6.5; 6.6a, b, g, h; 6.7a, b, c, d; 6.8a, f; 6.9c, d, e; 6.10; 6.11d

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UP CLOSE: Theme

As you read, look for the important lesson that Desmond learns. This is the theme, which is a big idea you take away from a story.

I pull the pink-and-peach Hawaiian shirt over my head, then check myself out in the mirror. My shorts are a little too baggy, but otherwise, I look just like DJ Shout from Beat Squad. 

I have been planning this outfit for six months—ever since we bought the tickets to the concert. DJ Shout always picks people from the crowd to show on the jumbotron during his concerts. This outfit is guaranteed to get his attention. I mean, I’m even wearing socks and sandals—just like him. If that’s not dedication, I don’t know what is.

“Des!” I whip around to face my 16-year-old brother, Roosevelt. “Let’s go! Brandy is probably already there. It’s almost . . .” He glances at his wrist, then scowls. He stopped wearing a watch two months ago—I guess they aren’t “in” right now.

“You mean Brandy and my friend Kordell,” I say, following him out of the room. Well, technically Kordell isn’t my friend. Not really. He’s just a cool kid who’s been in all my classes since kindergarten—and Brandy’s little brother. But thanks to Beat Squad, that’s all about to change.

Roosevelt looks over his shoulder and down toward my feet. “Desmond!” he screeches. “You can’t wear that! Socks? And sandals?”

He charges into the kitchen, where Mom and Dad are sitting at the table. “Mom! Dad! Tell Des that he has to change!”

“Roosevelt, stop worrying about what your brother is wearing,” Dad says. “It doesn’t matter how you look—as long as you feel like you look good.”

Mom coughs, clearing what must be a little tickle in her throat. Dad strokes his almost fully gray beard. 

“Maybe I should go with y’all,” Dad continues. “Show you boys what it means to get down.” He starts jutting his neck, like he is a bobblehead. “Back in the day, I could dance for two hours without breaking a sweat.”

Mom rolls her eyes. “That’s not what your deodorant said.”

“I wonder if they have any extra tickets—”

“Dad, we’re going to be late,” I spurt out. 

Dad’s eyes crinkle—just for a moment—and then he grins. “Sounds good, Slick.”

I give him a big high five. Just last year, I was still hugging him. But . . .  that doesn’t seem to be right anymore. I never see any of the other fifth-grade boys hugging their dads. 

“Have fun!” Mom says.

“We will!” Roosevelt says with car keys in hand.

Mom and Dad wave at us . . . and then Dad goes right back to jutting his neck around the kitchen table.

Roosevelt pulls into a parking spot, then checks his phone. “Brandy’s waiting by the entrance.”

As we snake through the crowd, I check out some of the other people there. Most are kids around my age. Some have their parents tagging along. Poor suckers. 

Finally, I see Kordell and Brandy. Then I notice Jacob, another boy from my class, and the Gaines twins, Willa and Max. They went to my school last year but are now in middle school. Out of all of them, I only really know Kordell—and just barely. The others are way too cool for me.

“Hey, Roosevelt! Hi, Desmond!” Brandy says. Her mouth breaks into a huge grin as she looks me up and down. “That’s an . . . interesting outfit.”

I tug at my shirt so she can get a good view of it. “Yeah! I figured I’d dress up since your brother was too . . .” I trail off as I get a better look at Kordell. He’s wearing a T-shirt. And jeans. 

And sneakers.

“I . . . I thought you said you were dressing up,” I mumble to Kordell.

He clamps his hand over his mouth, like he’s trying to contain a laugh. It’s not working. Not at all.

“Dude, I was just joking when I said that.” He shakes his head. “I mean, DJ Shout doesn’t even dress like that anymore.”

“I think Desmond looks adorable,” Brandy says. “And who knows—maybe he’ll end up on the big screen.”

Ugh. Adorable. That’s what Mom says about the ugly Christmas sweaters Aunt Amber sends us every year. But at least Brandy gets that I’m trying to get on the jumbotron.

As we take our seats, the arena starts to chant and cheer. Everything goes dark. Then the lights flash back on, and there they are! Beat Squad!

The crowd erupts as DJ Shout kicks off the track from their newest song. He holds his headphones to his ear with one hand while working the turntables with the other—controlling the beat as the group sings.

Then he starts yelling, “Who wants the spotlight?!”

That’s my cue! I jump up and start to dance. Every few seconds, I peek at the jumbotron, but it’s always showing someone else. I keep dancing.

“He looks like a fool,” Max says behind me.

“OMG! He is so embarrassing,” Willa says next.

I glance at the jumbotron, curious to see who they’re making fun of. But the screen is showing the stage again.

I turn to Roosevelt, still dancing. “What was so funny?”

He quickly shakes his head. “It was nothing. But, um, maybe you should sit down.”

“No way!” I pump my arms harder. “They’re still showing people on
the—”

“Desmond! Look at me!” Kordell yells. 

I spin around—and see Kordell holding up his phone. Filming me.

“This is hilarious!” he says. “Wait till I show everyone at school!”

It takes me a second to realize that I’m still dancing. 

And they’re all still laughing. 

I finally force my feet to stop moving, and a second later, the tears begin building in my eyes. Roosevelt quickly scrambles out of his seat. “Want some popcorn?” He pulls me out of the row and up the stairs toward an exit. 

“You OK?”

I keep my gaze down. There’s no way I can look at him right now. I’m afraid I’ll catch him shrugging, like I should pretend this is all a big joke. 

But instead, he quietly says, “How about we find a bathroom.”

He offers to go inside with me, but I tell him I’d prefer to go in alone. I quickly enter the first stall, then lock the door behind me. 

I wonder if it’s too soon to go home.

I exit the stall as two old men enter the bathroom. Actually, it’s more like they dance into the bathroom. And when I say old, I don’t mean my parents’ age. I mean, like, really old. Like—grandparent old. Like the kind of people who yell, “Get off my lawn!”

“Hurry up, Frank,” the taller one says. “We’re missing the good stuff.”

“You know my bladder ain’t what it used to be, Herman.”

I begin to laugh but quickly bite down on my lip. “Are you here with your grandkids?” I ask, trying to make small talk.

“You kidding? My grandkids are in their 40s! I’m here with my great-grands.”

Wow. Those kids must be so embarrassed. And I thought Dad was bad.

“I think it’s really nice that you came out with them,” I say, hoping that he can’t tell what I’m thinking. 

“I know we look a little out of place, with all you young’uns, but age ain’t nothin’ but a number,” Herman says. “And I’d do just about anything to spend time with them kids—even though they’re spoiled rotten. They’re so busy trying to be hip and cool, they’re missing out on all the fun.”

“That’s too bad for them,” Frank says as he opens the stall door. He does a little shuffle on his way to the sink, and adds, “But they ain’t gonna mess up my groove.”

“Will you hurry up? I’m trying to get on that jumbotron.” Herman looks at me. “Seems like you’re trying to do the same.”

I look down at my clothes. “Well, I was.”

Frank laughs. “What? You too cool to dance? That just gives us more opportunity to get picked.” He winks. 

As I follow the men out of the bathroom, I think about how I laughed at them. I was just as bad—just as cool—as Kordell.

“Des?” Roosevelt walks up to me, frowning. “Want to go home?”

“We should go back.”

He eyes me again. “You sure?”

But I’m too busy walking toward the stairs to respond.

No one says anything as we slip into our seats. DJ Shout is still going strong, playing hit after hit. I really want to get up and dance, but, well . . . I’m not brave enough for that. 

“Do you all want one more chance to be famous?!” I turn to the stage to see DJ Shout yelling into the mic. “Get up and show us what you got!”

I glance at everyone else in the group. Kordell is dancing a little in his seat but stops when Jacob catches sight of him. Max and Willa are nodding their heads a little, but that’s it.

I think about Herman and Frank. I think about Dad.

Before I know it, I’m on my feet—eyes closed. At first, I’m barely dancing, trying my best to pretend that no one is looking at me. But as the music gets deep down into my bones, I start moving and grooving, jumping and jamming, slipping and sliding and—

Then someone bumps into me.

My eyes flash open. It’s Roosevelt. His eyes are closed too. He’s dancing!

Then a spotlight hits us. “And look at these guys!” DJ Shout yells.

I turn to the jumbotron, and sure enough, there we are, dancing in front of the entire crowd.

I’m sure some people are laughing at us, but all I choose to focus on are the cheers. Finally, after the spotlight moves on, we drop back to our seats. Someone bumps me again, but this time it’s Kordell. He takes a deep breath. “About before . . . I’m sorry about—”

“It’s OK,” I say, because it is. Plus, for a while, I wasn’t any better than him.

A few seconds later, Roosevelt wraps his arm around my neck and gives me a squeeze. “I’m proud of you, bro,” he whispers. “And while you were in the bathroom, I heard an announcement about Reedy Jay doing a concert next month. Do you want to get tickets?”

“Reedy Jay! He’s like my second-favorite singer. And he does these dance moves where—”

“OK! OK! We can talk to Dad. Though he’ll probably want to come.”

I don’t even hesitate. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

Roosevelt leans back. “You sure?”

“Yeah.” I smile big and wide. “I think it would be really . . . cool.”

"The Definition of Cool” by Varian Johnson, Copyright © 2021 by Varian Johnson, from Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood by Kwame Mbalia. Used by Permission of Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Write to Win

Why do you think this story is titled “The Definition of Cool”? What does Desmond learn cool really means? Send a well-written response to “Cool Contest” by November 1, 2022. Five winners will each receive a copy of Playing the Cards You’re Dealt by Varian Johnson. Visit the Storyworks Contests page for more information.

This story was originally published in the September 2022 issue.

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Activities (9)
Core Skills Workout
  • The Core Skills Workout is a series of skill-based activities that will help your students "bulk up" in the comprehension skills they need most to become strong, analytical readers. The Core Skills Workout comes with every issue and will support your reading program no matter what your scope and sequence.
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (1)
Looking for more theme practice? Explore our Theme Skill Library, which features an engaging slideshow, plus an interactive guided activity you can share with your students.
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Activities (9) Download All Activities
Core Skills Workout
  • The Core Skills Workout is a series of skill-based activities that will help your students "bulk up" in the comprehension skills they need most to become strong, analytical readers. The Core Skills Workout comes with every issue and will support your reading program no matter what your scope and sequence.
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Table of Contents

1. Preparing to Read

2. Reading and Discussing

Close Reading, Critical Thinking

3. Skill Building and Writing

4. Differentiate and Customize

Striving Readers, Advanced Readers, Multilingual Learners

5. Can’t-Miss Teaching Extras

1. Preparing to Read

Watch a Video, Preview Vocabulary, Set a Purpose for Reading

  • Have students read the title of the story. As a class, generate a definition for the word cool. You can revisit this definition after reading the story. (See the Critical-Thinking Question.) 

  • Let students “meet” author Varian Johnson in our Author Visit Video.
  • Distribute or assign our Vocabulary Skill Builder to preview five challenging words. Students will be able to add other unfamiliar words from the story as well. Vocabulary words include dedication, scowls, clamps, erupts, and scrambles. (Check out “One Word, 3 Ways” on page 30 for multiple meanings of scramble!) 
  • Have a volunteer read aloud the Up Close box for the class. Point out the questions in the margins and the arrows that connect them to lines in bold in the story. Preview the questions together. Prompt students to read the Up Close box on page 10 to set a purpose for reading.

2. Reading and Discussing

First Read: Get to Know the Text (20 minutes)

  • Have students read the story independently or in small groups. They can also listen to our Author Read-Aloud, in which Varian Johnson reads the story himself! 

Second Read: Unpack the Text (30 minutes)

  • Put students in small groups. Ask them to discuss the close-reading questions in the margins. Go over the critical-thinking question together as a class.

Close-Reading Questions

 

  • How does Desmond feel about the outfit he has planned for the concert? Why does he feel that way? (character, p. 11) Desmond feels proud and confident about the outfit, which he has been planning for six months. He is dressed like DJ Shout, and he feels sure that the DJ will pick him to be shown on the jumbotron at the concert.
  • How do Dad’s words give a clue about what will happen later in the story? (text clue, p. 11) Dad’s words reflect what Desmond will learn from the older men at the concert, Frank and Herman—that feeling good about the way you look and who you are lets you be yourself and have fun.
  • What does this tell you about how Desmond wants to be seen? (inference, p. 11) Desmond’s not wanting to hug his dad suggests that he wants to be seen like the other kids. He probably thinks that by fifth grade, it’s not cool to hug your dad anymore.
  • How does this wording help you picture the way Desmond and Roosevelt move through the crowd? (word choice, p. 12) Desmond says that they “snake through the crowd.” This creates the image of them smoothly weaving a curving path through the concertgoers, the way a snake would move.
  • Has Desmond’s outfit worked out the way he planned so far? Explain. (plot, p. 12) No, it has not. First, Brandy grins and calls his outfit “interesting,” as if she thinks it’s strange or funny. Then Desmond sees that Kordell has not dressed like DJ Shout, so he is alone in his attempt to look like the DJ. This probably makes him feel self-conscious. Finally, Brandy calls him “adorable,” which he does not take as a compliment. To him, it’s a word used to try to say something nice even if you think otherwise, the way his mom calls ugly Christmas sweaters “adorable.” 
  • Who are Max and Willa talking about? What can you conclude about them from their words? (inference, p. 12) Max and Willa are talking about Desmond, saying he looks like “a fool” and that he’s “embarrassing.” Their unkind words show that they are mean and judgmental. Earlier, Desmond said they were “way too cool for me,” but their coolness seems to make them look down on others. 
  • How do Desmond’s feelings change in this moment? (character, p. 13) Desmond suddenly changes from dancing happily to feeling embarrassed and betrayed. He finally realizes that the group he’s sitting with is making fun of him, and Kordell has even recorded Desmond’s dancing on his phone to show to people at school.
  • What do you think fun means to Herman? (finding the meaning, p. 13) To Herman, fun means being yourself and doing what you want, without caring what others think. He doesn’t care that he looks out of place at a concert with young people, and he dances when he wants to even if others think it’s not cool.
  • Why does Desmond suggest that “bad” and “cool” are the same thing here? (inference, p. 13) Kordell, trying to act cool, laughed at the way Desmond looked and recorded him dancing. In the same way, Desmond laughs at Frank and Herman and thinks they’re embarrassing because they’re older. Desmond realizes that in both cases of trying to be cool, he and Kordell were actually being bad, or mean toward others. 
  • What makes Desmond decide to dance again? (character’s motivation, p. 14) Desmond looks at the cool kids barely moving, then he thinks about Herman, Frank, and his dad, who aren’t afraid to be themselves. He realizes that he’ll enjoy himself much more if he does what he went to the concert to do: dance, have fun, and try to get on the jumbotron.
  • What has Desmond learned that makes him say this? (theme, p. 14) Desmond has learned he should be himself and not be embarrassed by what other people think of him. He has also learned that the people he didn’t think were cool—like his dad—aren’t so embarrassing after all.

 

Critical-Thinking Question

  • To you, what does it mean to be cool? How would it compare with what Desmond thinks is cool at the end of the story? Has your idea of coolness changed after reading this story? Why or why not? (text to self) Answers will vary. 

3. Skill Building and Writing

Featured Skill: Theme
  • Distribute or digitally assign the Theme Skill Builder, which will help students determine the big idea of the story, based on what Desmond learns. 
  • Ask students to respond to the writing prompt at the end of the story. Encourage them to submit their responses to our writing contest!

Differentiate and Customize
For Striving Readers

This story has many characters. Striving readers may find it challenging to keep track of them. As you read the story together, have students contribute to a class key with character names, including Desmond, Dad, Roosevelt, Kordell, Brandy, Frank, and Herman, and a brief description of who each person is. Display it at the front of the classroom so students can refer back to it as they read or reread the story.

For Advanced Readers

Ask students to imagine what happens after the story ends. Do Roosevelt and Des go to the Reedy Jay concert? Does their dad join them? How does Des’s new definition of cool change how he behaves at this concert? Have students write and act out a short scene that answers these questions.

For Multilingual Learners

This story has a number of slang or colloquial words and phrases. Before reading, introduce students to these words and phrases: y’all, get down, suckers, dude, looks like a fool, OMG, young’uns,  ain’t. Point them out as you read the story together, and define as needed.

Can't-Miss Teaching Extras
Explore the Storyworks Archive

Connect this story with another Storyworks fiction about a kid dealing with embarrassment: “Dad’s New Job” by Tommy Greenwald. Have students discuss what the two stories have in common. 

Enjoy More by the Author

Check out other titles by award-winning writer Varian Johnson. The graphic novel Twins is about sisters who are best friends until they start growing apart after fifth grade. The Parker Inheritance is described as “a clever puzzle wrapped in an urgent and compassionate novel that will capture readers from the first chapter.”

Be Yourself

In this video from CBC Kids, kids talk about the importance of being an individual and the value of embracing differences in others. (Note that this video starts with a short ad.)

 

Identify the Positive

Many kids struggle with insecurity. This simple worksheet from positivepsychology.com helps kids identify their own positive traits and characteristics.

Text-to-Speech