PASSAGE #1
Highlights Audio Story, “The Skating Lesson” http://www.highlightskids.com/audio-story/skating-lesson By Tim Tibbitts Art by Gary Undercuffler “Glide. Good. Step. Glide. Step. Glide. That’s right. You can do it.”" align="left" height="265" hspace="9" width="254"> “Glide. Good. Step. Glide. Step. Glide. That’s right. You can do it.” Before we go out on the ice, Mom helps me lace up my skates. She says it’s important to lace them up really tight for ankle support. After helping me with my skates, she puts on her own. Mom and I have been coming to the rink every Sunday since my lessons began. That was our deal. I take lessons on Tuesdays, and we skate together on Sundays. When we’re ready to go out on the ice, Mom squeezes my hand and puts an arm around my shoulder. We start with a few baby steps. What does Coach always say at the beginning of a lesson? Let’s take a minute to get a feel for the ice. I look up at Mom and smile. She smiles back nervously. I take a short gliding step, and she steps with me, holding my hand tight. We go very slowly the first time across. After a few times back and forth, we stop in the center of the rink. I gently pull my hand from Mom’s grip. “Not yet,” Mom says, reaching for my hand. Keeping my eyes on Mom’s anxious face, I glide slowly away. While Mom stands perfectly still, I try the move Coach taught us this week. I plant one foot firmly on the ice, and leaning forward slightly with my arms stretched in front of me, I slowly raise my back foot as high as I can behind me. I steady myself, then wait a moment while some bigger kids whiz by on hockey skates. It’s hard to concentrate when people skate so close. Then I say,“ OK, Mom. It’s time.” “I know,” she says. “There’s really nothing to be afraid of,” I say. “I know.” “Skating alone is no harder than skating with me, Mom. It’s not like I’m really holding you up or anything.” She lets out a breath. “I know.” Then I do what Coach does when he’s teaching a new skater. “Watch my face, Mom,” I say. “Not your feet. Now, step.” She takes a baby step. “Glide. Good. Step. Glide. Step. Glide. That’s right. You can do it.” We stay until Mom has gone back and forth across the rink three times by herself. When she is done, she glides over to me and gives me a big hug. “I knew you could do it,” I say. She grins. “I couldn’t have done it without my excellent teacher.” PASSAGE #2 Highlights Audio Story, “Onstage” http://www.highlightskids.com/audio-story/onstage By Paige Vinten Taylor Art by Amy Wummer Michelle finished playing the last few bars of her minuet, then bowed to the stuffed animals on her bed. “There, three times in a row with no mistakes,” she said. “I just hope I can play it that well at the recital.” In just an hour she would be playing her first solo, and the thought was giving her butterflies. In fact, her stomach was doing somersaults. “You’re lucky you don’t have to play by yourself in front of everybody,” she said, smoothing Lea the Leopard’s spotted fur and patting See-more Giraffe on the head. Then, gazing down at the smiling face of Zoey the Zebra, Michelle scolded, “You’re a big help. How can you be so happy at a time like this?” She looked around the room at the bear, lion, monkey, and other animals that lined her bed and shelves. “I wish you could all come with me,” she sighed. She gave them one last glance and went to join her parents in the car. “Do I have to play in the recital?” asked Michelle as she climbed into the back seat. “Is my favorite first-grader getting nervous?” her dad asked, smiling. Michelle didn’t answer. She was trying to picture what it would be like to play in front of all those people. “You’ll do fine,” said Mom. “The first time is always the hardest.” When they arrived at the auditorium, Michelle headed backstage. She handed her violin to her teacher for tuning and tiptoed over to where the curtains parted. Looking out, she could see that all the seats were filled, with many more people standing in back. Now her stomach was really doing flip-flops. Nervously she took her violin from Mrs. Allen and sat with the other students onstage. She gulped as the curtains started to open and her teacher picked up the microphone to begin the program. One by one the students played their pieces. Finally Michelle heard Mrs. Allen announce, “Our last student tonight will be Michelle Merrick, who will play Bach’s Minuet in G Major.” Michelle’s heart pounded as she walked toward the front of the stage. She put her violin under her chin and placed the bow on the strings. But she couldn’t remember even her first note. Her eyes filled with tears. She shut them, hoping to blink the tears away. When she opened them again, everything seemed blurry. Oddly, it looked as if all the people in the room had changed into animals. A woman in the front row looked just like Lea the Leopard. A young man behind her might be See-more Giraffe, and she was sure that she saw her smiling Zoey the Zebra standing in back. She felt like giggling. It was almost like being at home. More relaxed now, she remembered her piece. As she played, she looked out at her audience. Some of the animals seemed to be changing back into people. But Michelle was no longer nervous. The audience looked friendly now. Finally she played the last note. She tucked her violin under her arm and took a big bow. She had done it! She had played her first solo! As Michelle walked offstage, her parents greeted her with hugs. “We’re sure proud of you,” said Dad. “Say, let’s go for an ice-cream cone and get away from this crowd. It’s a real zoo in here.” Michelle grinned. “You can say that again,” she whispered. |
|
1. Which detail from “The Skating Lesson” can the reader infer how proud the character in the passage felt after accomplishing something new?
2. Based on the information in “The Skating
Lesson”, the main character was very nervous to try something that was
hard. Which sentence from “Onstage” best supports the conclusion that
all people feel nervous when they try something that isn’t easy.
3. Pick two sentences from “The Skating Lesson” that best support the inference that the girl was a better ice skater than her mother.
Target 1. KEY DETAILS: Given an inference or conclusion, use explicit details and implicit information from the text to support the inference or conclusion provided. (DOK 1,2)