Article
COURTESY MONIQUE HALL
Word Play,

How I Learned to Roller-Skate

Can you roller-skate? Most people learn to skate as kids, but I learned as a grown-up. It was a little scary trying something new, but I was determined.

By Monique D. Hall
From the December 2020 / January 2021 Issue
Lexile Level: 470L
Guided Reading Level: K
DRA Level: 16-18
Vocabulary: determined, shimmery
Common Core Standards
  • W.2.3 Write a narrative RI.2.1 Key details RI.2.4 Vocabulary L.2.4.a Use sentence-level context as a clue to a word’s meaning RI.2.10 Read grade 2- appropriate texts
TEKS Standards
  • Health
    (2) Health behaviors. The student understands that safe, unsafe, and/or harmful behaviors result in positive and negative consequences throughout the life span. The student is expected to: (C) explain the need to use protective equipment when engaging in certain recreational activities such as skateboarding, rollerblading, cycling, and swimming.
Read the Story
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Finding the Right Skates

COURTESY MONIQUE HALL

 

The first thing I did was buy roller skates. I searched the internet for the right ones. One day, I saw a pair of shimmery silver skates online. They sparkled in the sunlight. I knew these were the skates for me!

Learning the Basics

COURTESY MONIQUE HALL

 

Next, I decided to look up roller-skating lessons. There were plenty of helpful lessons for beginners like me. I learned how to stand up, how to go, and how to stop. I even learned a few dance moves you can do on skates!

Trying to Skate

Finally, I felt ready to go skating. I went to the park. I put on my safety gear and laced up my skates. I stepped onto the path and began to glide. It was going well until I tripped and fell.

I was upset. Then I stood up and started again. I ended up having a great time.

Now I skate all the time. I get better every day. I still fall sometimes, but I never give up!

THINK AND WRITE

Check out this skill-building sheet about this article.

Slideshows (1)
Activities (1)
Skills Activities
Slideshows (1)
Activities (1) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities

More About the Article

Social-emotional Learning Focus

Perseverance

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

1. PREPARING TO READ

Make Personal Connections With Kids (time will vary)

  • Now it’s so important to make personal connections with students. Since this essay is about how our associate editor, Monique, learned how to do something new, you can share with your students something new you have learned to do recently.
  • Start off by dramatically sharing your new skill with the class. You could show off a meal you made, say a new word in a foreign language, wear your yoga clothes and do a pose that’s new to you. The idea is to be funny and personal, and to engage kids.
  • Talk about how you just learned how to do this! And now everyone is going to read about a Storyworks 2 editor who learned to do something new too.
  • Later everyone will write and share something new they have learned.

Preteach Vocabulary (4 minutes)

  • Play the online vocabulary slideshow. This helps preteach the harder words in the essay. This article’s featured words are determined and shimmery. 

2. READ THE ESSAY (10 minutes)

  • Whole class or small group: Read the essay together. You can call on volunteers to read different paragraphs, model fluency by reading it aloud, or give yourself a break and click the Read Aloud button in the digital article to hear it read aloud. Each word is highlighted as it’s read.
  • Individually: Assign the essay to students to read independently.

3. AFTER READING

ELA Focus: Personal Narrative Writing

  • Kids will write their own “How I learned to” essays. They can use Monique’s essay as a model.
  • Point out some techniques that Monique uses. She tells her story in order of what she did first, next, and last.
  • She uses time order words and phrases such as “the first thing,” “next,” “finally,” and “now.” These words can really help kids put their stories in order.
  • She also uses “juicy” words that engage the reader, like shimmery and sparkled.
  • She’s not afraid to share when things didn’t work out!
  • Now use our “Write a Personal Narrative” graphic organizer to help kids organize what they will write about.
  • Then they use the graphic organizer to help them write their own “How I learned to” narrative! 

Tip for Remote or Blended Learning (time will vary)

  • Share Student Work: During a virtual class session, call on volunteers to read their writing aloud to the class. They can also share their writing on a learning management system, such as Seesaw, to see what their classmates are doing and feel connected.
  • After kids have read their “How I learned to” narratives to their classmates, ask, “What is something one of our friends learned that you would like to learn too?”Critical-Thinking Question (10 minutes)

Text-to-Speech