One man had a dream. He wanted to build the world’s tallest sand castle.
He tried once, and his sand castle fell down. On his second try, he failed again.
Could he do it?
dpa picture alliance/Alamy Stock Photo
World's Tallest Sand Castle
What does it take to build the tallest sandcastle in the world?
By Erin Kelly
From the May / June 2021 Issue
Lexile: 500L
Guided Reading Level: K
DRA Level: 16-18
Common Core Standards
Building the Castle
Jim McMahon/Mapman R
He decided to try one last time. He had trucks deliver 25 million pounds of sand to a seaside town. He brought in 20 workers to help.
First, they made a wide base. The base is the bottom. They sprayed water on the sand to make it stick together. Then they stomped on the wet sand to pack it tight.
Finishing the Castle
The castle got taller and taller! It had towers and windows.
Finally, they finished. Judges came. They brought a fire truck with a ladder to help measure the castle. Would the heavy fire truck shake the castle and make it fall?
The judges measured the castle. It did not fall! And the judges said it was the tallest sand castle in the world!
Activities
(3)
Skills Activities
More About the Article
Social Studies Focus
Using a globe
Social-emotional Learning Focus
Perseverance
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
1. BEFORE READING
Preview Vocabulary (3-5 minutes)
This article’s featured word is base.
Preview the Nonfiction Text Features/Visuals (5-10 minutes)
- Take a look at the nonfiction text features. First, focus on the big photo. Ask kids to share what they notice about the sand castle. (It is tall; it is much bigger than the people working on it at the bottom.)
- Can the kids find the caption on the globe inset on page 2? What does the caption say? (Thomas van den Dungen made the sand castle in Germany in 2019.)
Introduce Nosey (3 minutes)
- Point out our doggie character, Nosey, on page 3. Ask someone to read her voice bubble.
- Explain that Nosey pops up throughout Storyworks 2. Not only does she have a long nose to sniff out facts, but she’s also nosy! She’s curious and wants to know about everything.
2. READ THE ARTICLE (10 minutes)
- You can read this short article aloud together as a class, in small groups, or individually.
- Point out the context clues that help define the bold word base.
3. AFTER READING
ELA Focus: Quiz (10 minutes)
- Pass out the quiz for a quick comprehension check.
- We offer both multiple-choice and written-answer formats for the quiz.
ELA Focus: Key Details (20 minutes)
- It’s time to help Nosey fill out her Fact File! Print out Nosey’s Fact File from the Resources section of our website. Kids can find facts from the article.
- Each fact box is scaffolded to help kids know what to write.
- Kids can share their facts with a partner, the other students at their tables, or the whole class.
Text-to-Speech