Connect Reading and Writing

Vocabulary

  • accepted

  • assignment

  • clueless

  • determined

  • disaster

  • glory

  • realized

  • survived

Critical Thinking

  • 1. SUM IT UP Create a card for each vocabulary word. Use at least five of the words to write about the author’s experiences in sports and what he realized about himself.

    Illustration of three index cards with a vocabulary word printed on each card

  • 2. Paraphrase In your own words, explain to a partner why the author thinks of himself as clueless. Use examples from the text to support your ideas.

  • 3. Evaluate Revisit your Anticipation Guide. Do you still agree with your answers? If not, what did the selection help you realize?

  • 4. Compare Explain why both Lubar and the speaker of the poem might call their sports experiences disasters.

Reading Fluency

Expression Read the passage on page 659 to a partner. Assess your fluency.

  • 1. I read

    • a. great

    • b. OK

    • c. not very well

  • 2. What I did best in my reading was ______.

Reading Strategy

Determine Importance

With a partner, discuss how finding meaningful details helped you figure out what was most important in the story.

Vocabulary Review

Oral Review Read the paragraph aloud. Add the vocabulary words.

My first ______ for the school newspaper was to write a story about our first football game. Unfortunately, I was ______ about football. I didn’t want this story to be a ______, so I was ______ to learn about the sport. Eventually, I that I would have to ask my brother for help. I have now ______ the fact that he knows a lot about football. With his help, I wrote a great article about our school’s moment of ______ when we scored a winning touchdown. Without my brother’s help, I don’t think I would have ______ the experience!

Written Review Think about things you are proud of. Write a paragraph about your greatest moment of glory. Use four vocabulary words.

Illustration of the pen icon Write About the Guiding Question

Explore Being a Winner

Can we make our bodies do what we want if we are determined enough? Or does it take more than desire to be good at something? Write your ideas. Reread the selection to find support for your opinion.