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The Code: Five About the Author:

Secrets of Teen
Success
by Mawi Asegdom

BEFORE YOU READ

In The Code: Five Secrets of Teen Success, Mawi

Asegdom shares important life lessons. Then he
uses those lessons to show how he brings about
positive life practices and takes control of his life.
Mawi shares his Secrets so that you can make
them part of your life.
Mawi Asegdom (1976-
This selection from the book introduces an idea
that Mawi talks about throughout his book – Mawi was born in Ethiopia near
“Press Your Life Turbo Button.” It is a major part of the Eritrean border. Because
his first secret, which is “Win the Inner Battle.” there was a civil war in Ethiopia,
Activity: What are they Saying? Mawi’s family left Ethiopia to go
to The Republic of Sudan. In
Sudan, Mawi lived in a refugee
1. Look at the camp for three years before
picture. Ask moving near Chicago, Illinois in
yourselves, the U.S. Mawi faced many
“What do you challenges when he moved to the
think the two
U.S. Life was not easy for his
young men are
family. Drunk drivers killed both
saying as they
play the video his brother and his father. Yet
game?” Mawi met those challenges and
graduated from high school and
2. Work with a then Harvard University. Today,
partner or Mawi inspires students and
small group. teachers through his speeches
Each partner and books about what he calls
takes the role of one of the boys in the picture. Mental Karate.
What are they likely to say as they play a video
game?

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Word Study: Contractions

Mawi writes this book as if he is talking to a good friend. The writing style is informal (not
formal). He uses some everyday language that you might use when talking to a friend but you
would not use when giving a speech in front of the class. Mawi makes choices about sentences,
phrases, and words as he writes for his audience. He also often uses contractions.

Contractions are one form of informal language that is used in conversations among family and
friends. Contractions are formed when two words are combined and one or more letters are
left out. These letters are marked by an apostrophe. These are examples of some of the
contractions used in “The Code,” and the two words they each are made from:

couldn’t could not you’re you are

I’ll I will won’t will not

Activity: Find the contractions

1. Look through the selection to see what other contractions are used. Work with a
partner to make a list and then try to list the two words that form each contraction.
2. Sort your contractions into three categories:
Contractions made with not (couldn’t, wasn’t)
Contractions made with forms of the verb to be (I’ll, it’s)
Contractions that don’t fit in either of the other two categories
3. Ask each other these questions:
a. How many different words are in each category?
b. Why do you think there are so many contractions in this selection?
4. Discuss your answers with the teacher and the class

AS YOU READ
Reading Focus: Main Idea

The main idea of a text is the overall subject. Other ideas in a text are supporting ideas -- they
help the author to tell about the main idea.

Activity: Main Ideas and Supporting Ideas Graphic Organizer

1. Make a graphic organizer like the one below. Use it as you re-read “The Code.”
2. In the circles around the center, write the ideas presented by Mawi.
3. Think about those ideas -- which is the most important? Which idea do all the other
ideas tell about?
4. Write the most important idea in the center of your graphic organizer.

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Supporting
idea

Supporting
Main Supporting
Idea Idea
Idea

Supporting
Idea

Reading Process: Jigsaw

Use Jigsaw Reading for this text. In a jigsaw puzzle, you put
parts together to make a whole. In Jigsaw Reading, each
group of students reads a part of the selection and tells the
other what it was about, putting together the whole.

1. Work in a group of about 4.

2. Everyone reads the first paragraph.
3. Two of you read the first part of the selection: Paragraphs 2-8 (stop at “It’s so close, it’s
hard to see.”)
4. The others read the second part of the selection: paragraphs 9-end. Start at “Where
does the life turbo button lie?
5. Then each group summarizes the part they read for the other group.

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The Code: The Five Secrets of Teen

Success by Mawi Asgedom
The first secret: Win the Inner Battle.
To succeed on the outside -- in activities, school, and your relationships with other people --
you first have to succeed on the inside by taking control of your mind. The 1st secret is the
foundation of all success and the most powerful thing I can teach you.

Press Your Life Turbo Button

A couple years of ago, my little brother Hntsa (HINT-sa) and I were playing Nintendo1
basketball, and he was schooling me. Dunking on me2. Running circles around me.

I couldn’t believe it. It was one thing to lose, but he was destroying me. Game after game, no
matter what I did, I couldn’t come close.

I started to practice in secret. No way my little bro was gonna do me like that. I hooked up the
Nintendo when he wasn’t looking and played for hours. I’ll surprise him, I thought. I’ll practice,
then whip him.

We played again, and he smoked me 3again. And again and again and again.

Finally, I asked him: “Hntsa, how come you’re always killing me, man? What’s going on?”

Hntsa turned his joystick4 upside-down and showed me a button I didn’t realize existed. It was
the turbo button. It made you jump higher, run faster, block harder. No wonder he was
smoking me. No matter what I did, there was no way that I could compete with him: I didn’t
have my turbo button pressed.

Playing video games with Hntsa reminded me of a turbo button I had discovered in life, a secret
button that can launch5 anyone to spectacular success. Like the turbo button on the Nintendo
joystick, the life turbo button is hard to find unless you know where to look. You won’t find it in
school, sports, friends, or music. It’s so close, it’s hard to see.

Where does the life turbo button lie? It’s inside your mind. Next to the button, a label reads:
“PRESS IF YOU WANT TO TAKE ACTION TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE.” Very few people have pressed
this button, but it’s not hard to spot those who have.

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Nintendo the brand name of a computer video (TV based) game machine
2
dunking on me in basketball, jumping up high and putting the ball in the basket
3
smoked me won big over me
4
joystick a lever or handle used to control the movement of images on a screen in a computer or video game.
5
launch starting something quickly, as in launching a rocket

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What separates them? The turbo folks are always taking action to improve their lives. The folks
who haven’t pressed their turbo button, well, they’re always making excuses about something.

You know the type: they always blame bad grades on their teachers or whine6 about how their
parents aren’t cool. You might hear them say:

“It’s not fair my coach hates me. He’s the only reason I’m not starting.”

“I’m just naturally bad at math – there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“My parents pick on me all the time. I wish they’d just see things my way.”

“I can’t do well because someone else is preventing me. I don’t have any power to
improve my life, so I’ll just complain about it.”

Compare those complaints with the words of those who’ve pressed their life turbo button:

I’m gonna talk to my coach and find out what it would take for me to start. Then I’m
gonna do my best to make it happen.

I will talk to my math teacher and see if I can get extra tutoring.

My parents don’t always understand where I’m coming from, but I’m not going to let
that ruin our relationship. I will talk to them and try to see things their way, and
hopefully they’ll respond by doing the same for me.

I know I can’t control everything in life, but I still believe that it’s up to me to create the
life I want. I will make things happen for myself through my own effort.

Which group of people has a better chance of succeeding? Which type of person do you want
to be?

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whine to complain in a sad, annoying voice about something

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AFTER YOU READ

Question, Answer, Response (QAR).

Discuss these questions with your teacher and your classmates.

Right There (Answer, then find in the text)

1. What Nintendo game does Mawi like to play with his brother Hnsta?
2. Who won most of the Nintendo basketball games that they played?
3. Where was the Turbo Button that Hnsta showed to Mawi?
4. What are people who haven’t pressed their turbo buttons always doing?

Think and Search (Short answer)

5. What does it mean to press your life turbo button?

6. What is the difference between the turbo folks and other people?
7. How is the turbo button on a computer game like your life turbo button?

Author and Me

8. Mawi gives some quotes from friends who have not pressed their Turbo Button. Can you give
three possible quotes from your friends who have not pressed their Turbo Buttons?
9. Can you give 3 quotes that you might hear friends say who have pressed their Turbo Buttons?

On My Own

10. Mawi says that “those who have pressed their turbo button believe they can take steps to
improve any area of their life,” for example, home, school, sports, friends, arts. What is one
area that is important in your life?
11. Describe one thing that you can do in that area. Try to describe that thing as clearly and
completely as you can. For example, in the area of arts, someone might say “I need to practice
my guitar for an hour every day. I need to be very careful when I practice to get the notes right.
My teacher says ‘Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.’”

AFTER YOU READ

Think and Talk: More Secrets to Improve Your Life

Press Your Turbo Button is only one of Mawi’s five secrets. Listed below are the other four.
1. Work with a partner to give an example that shows what you think is the meaning of each
secret.
2. Share your best example with the class.
Win every day.

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Give first, receive second.

Never lose hope.
Take smart risks.
3. Now work with your partner to think of your own secret to success, and share that with the
class.

Reading to Writing: A Persuasive Essay Sandwich

This selection is an example of persuasive writing. Mawi is trying to persuade readers to “press their
turbo buttons.” You can also write to persuade someone to do something. Your writing will be like a
sandwich.

The pieces of bread are your introduction -- telling what you are persuading readers to do, and your
conclusion -- summarizing why it’s a good idea. In between are the other parts of the sandwich -- the
reasons and examples why your idea is a good one.

[Insert Figure Code.2 about here. Graphic Organizer of a Persuasive Essay Sandwich]

Topic sentence
Reason one
Reason two
Reason three...
Concluding (summarizing) sentence

Activity: Write a Short Persuasive Essay

1. Think of something you’d like to get someone else to do or believe. Would you like them to
study harder? Join you in a sport? Believe that taking cold showers makes you healthier?
2. Outline your piece using the Persuasive Essay Sandwich Graphic Organizer (above).
3. Work with a partner. Use the ideas in your outline to try to convince your partner about your
idea. Your partner can try to think of a few questions to challenge and encourage you.
4. Trade roles to listen to your partner’s persuasion and ask questions
5. Use the ideas from your partner to improve your outline.
6. Write one paragraph to introduce your topic, one to give your reasons, and a last one to
summarize.