ILLUSTRATIONS BY JEFF HARVEY
Hi! I’m Question Mark.
Before you read, practice saying these words:
- balance
- compete
- Olympics
Jeff Harvey
Interview With a Skateboard
Listen closely to Question Mark’s in-depth interview with a skateboard.
From the March/April 2022 Issue
Lexiles: 490L
Guided Reading Level: L
DRA Level: 20-24
Vocabulary: balance, compete, Olympics
Featured Skill:
Reading Fluency,
Topic:
Social Studies,
Common Core Standards
Question Mark: Hi! I am here with a skateboard.
Skateboard: What’s up, dude?
Question Mark: My first question is, How can I ride you?
Skateboard: It’s easy! Just stand on me with one leg. Use your other leg to push forward. It just takes a little balance. Oh, and always wear a helmet.
Question Mark: I can do that! What are you made out of?
Skateboard: The part you stand on is called the deck. It is made of wood. I also have four wheels. They are made of plastic.
Question Mark: Where did you come from?
Skateboard: The very first skateboard was made in California in the 1950s.
CHARLES LEHMAN
Question Mark: Awesome! Why do people like riding you?
Skateboard: I am cool because people of all ages can ride me. Sky Brown is the youngest person to earn money for skateboarding. She is only 13 years old.
Question Mark: Sounds cool! Do the best skateboarders compete anywhere?
Skateboard: They can compete in a lot of events—even in the Olympics! They compete against skateboarders from countries all over the world.
Question Mark: Wow, skateboard! I’m going to start practicing. I want to do an ollie.
Skateboard: Good luck, dude!
Activities
(2)
Skills Activities
More About the Article
Social Studies Focus
Culture; Kinds of technology
In-Person Lesson Plan
1. BEFORE READING
Preteach Vocabulary (3-5 minutes)
- Play the online vocabulary slideshow. This article’s featured words are balance, compete, and Olympics.
Pair Kids Up
- Partner kids up. One partner should be Question Mark, and the other should be the skateboard.
- Time for props! The kids who are playing Question Mark should get out a pencil or highlighter pen. That will be their microphone.
Preteach Navigating the Page (3 minutes)
- Point out the numbers in the interview. Explain that kids will read the questions and answers in the order of the numbers. It will be important to pay attention to this when they get to the end of a column.
2. READ THE INTERVIEW MULTIPLE TIMES (15-30 MINUTES)
- Kids will read the interview multiple times.
- Tell kids that they should read with expression. How should questions sound when you read them out loud? What are the personalities of Question Mark and the skateboard?
- Tell kids they can have fun with it. Each time they read the interview, they will get better at it.
- First Read: Each partner should quietly read the interview to himself or herself. This is to get the meaning and the feel of the interview.
- Second Read: Now the pairs will read their parts out loud to each other. Remember, the children playing Question Mark should hold their pencil like a microphone while asking questions. It’s OK if kids stumble on words.
- Third Read: Now kids will read it out loud again. They are getting used to this.
- Fourth Read: They will be amazed at how much more fluently they read this the fourth time around. They just got so much practice with reading fluency!
- NOTE: On our website, you can find this interview read aloud with each word high-lighted along the way. Kids can listen to it to hear fluent reading modeled for them.
3. AFTER READING
ELA Focus: Vocabulary (15 minutes)
- Have students complete the “Skateboard Crossword Puzzle” skills sheet to reinforce the vocabulary words used in this article.
Craft Extension: Make a Microphone (20 minutes)
We will have a Question Mark interview in every issue. Kids can make microphones from balls of tinfoil and toilet paper rolls to use for the interviews. Just stuff the tinfoil ball into one end of the toilet paper roll. You can keep these all year long!
Text-to-Speech