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Would You Want to Be in the Olympics?

From the February 2026 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will identify and write reasons supporting two sides of a debate. Then they will present their ideas.

Lexile® measure: 460L
Featured Skill: Opinion writing

Standards

Yes!

Amelia

Yes, I would love to be in the Olympics! My favorite sport is ice-skating. I take lessons.

Olympic athletes practice all the time. I love to practice ice-skating. I’m always trying to get better.

Also, Olympic athletes compete in front of people. That would be amazing! The crowd would chant “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!”

Finally, I could win a medal. A gold medal means you’re the best in the world. I want one! 

No!

Jack

No, I would not like to be in the Olympics. I like to ski but just for fun. 

Top athletes wake up before the sun rises. They practice all day. Most of their life is practicing and competing. I don’t want to do that! 

I’m also not a fan of doing sports in front of crowds. What if I mess up? I don’t need millions of people watching. 

Finally, medals are cool. But it’s just as fun to watch athletes win them on TV!

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