Reading Fluency

Practice Expression: “Two Left Feet, Two Left Hands, and Too Left on the Bench”

Expression in reading is how you use your voice to express feeling. Use this passage to practice reading with proper expression. Print a copy of this passage from InsideNG.com to help you monitor your progress.

I followed my teammates to one end of the field. “Lubar!” Mr. Growler shouted at me.

“What?” Wow. I’d already been singled out for attention. I decided I loved football.

“You wanna guard?”

Wow again. He was asking me if I wanted to be a guard. Ten seconds into my sporting career, and I was being given an important assignment. Knowing absolutely nothing about the position of a guard in football, and being a total nerd at heart, I figured I should do the one thing I was good at: seek out information. “Where do I stand?” I asked.

“What?” Mr. Growler seemed puzzled.

“Where does a guard stand?” I asked.

He sighed and stared at me as if I’d just arrived from Pluto. Around me, I could hear kids snickering. Mr. Growler pointed at my head. “Would you like a guard for your glasses?”

“Oh…”