HomeMy WebLinkAboutRead Aloud Book Gr. 3-Lesson 1Marco’s heart was pounding as he stood backstage with his two friends, Ryan and
Jasmine. The three of them were about to perform the opening song at their school
talent show. They had practiced for weeks until the intonation of each musical note
sounded just right.
Hundreds of students sat in the audience. Marco noticed a few restless fi rst-graders
squalling loudly as the older kids laughed and chatted.
“You look pretty scared,” Jasmine whispered to Marco.
“Aren’t you?” Marco blurted in response. “You’re shaking like a leaf!”
Jasmine let out a peal of laughter. “I feel like a thousand ping-pong balls are
bouncing in my stomach,” she said. “But I can’t wait to play our song for Ms. Milano.
She’s going to love it!”
Ms. Milano was the school music teacher. She was best known for her wild gray hair
and cowboy boots. She played a tenor saxophone that sounded low and jazzy one
minute, sharp and lively the next. She taught the kids about all kinds of music, from
opera to rock to hip-hop.
“Hey guys,” Ryan said. “Principal Stone is about to start the show. Time to get
ready.” Ryan fl ipped up his shirt collar, put on a pair of dark sunglasses, and spun on
his heels. “Do I look like a rock star?” he asked.
Marco tried not to laugh. Leave it to Ryan to make a joke at just the right moment.
Once the principal stood on stage, the noise from the audience grew muted, and
then silent. “I am proud to present to you the fi rst act of the show,” Principal Stone
announced. “Please welcome Jasmine, Ryan, and Marco!”
Marco held his drumsticks tightly as he marched onto the stage with his friends. This
was their big moment. “This song,” Marco said nervously into the microphone, “is for
our music teacher.” Then he shouted, “Happy Birthday, Ms. Milano!”
With a 1…2…3…4, Marco and his friends launched into their song. Marco banged
the drums, Ryan jammed on the keyboard, and Jasmine rocked out on her electric
guitar. The audience loved the harmony of the instruments, and when they heard the
words “Happy Birthday to You,” they cheered madly. Never had “Happy Birthday” been
played like this before! Marco beamed. And with one look at Ms. Milano’s face, he knew
this birthday present was one his teacher would never forget.
COMPREHENSION How does music bring Marco, Ryan, Jasmine, and Ms. Milano
together? Which words help you to imagine the different sounds in the story?
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The third-grade spelling bee was about to begin. Alyssa could not contain
her excitement as she walked into the school auditorium.
The clamor inside the auditorium quickly grew louder as more kids arrived.
They were all talking and laughing at once. The noise echoed from the walls
and bounced off the high ceiling. Alyssa enjoyed the tumult as she waded
through the rows of excited kids.
Soon, she found her seat next to the other spellers participating in the bee.
Across the room, Alyssa saw her best friend, Matt, sitting at the judges’ table.
The spelling bee had been his idea, and he looked very proud to be sitting with
the teachers.
After the teachers quieted the kids down, they began the spelling bee. There
was a rustling of papers over the speakers as the teacher, Mr. Patel, prepared
to announce the fi rst word. The fi rst student to spell the word would be Alyssa’s
classmate, Kevin. “I’m ready,” Kevin said. “Just give me an easy one!”
Mr. Patel smiled and said, “Looks like you got your wish, Kevin. The fi rst word
is simple.”
“But that’s hard!” Kevin cried. His voice was at a high pitch.
The audience laughed, and Kevin gave a silly grin. Silently, Alyssa spelled
the word to herself: S-I-M-P-L-E. Kevin gave it a try out loud. Alyssa held her
breath when he spelled it with two M’s. He had gotten it wrong, but his friends
cheered for him anyway. Mr. Patel had to ask the students to quiet down the
commotion so the spelling bee could continue.
The class went through several more words: feather, edge, mirror, costume—
the list seemed endless. Alyssa had gotten the tricky word fi e rc e , but she’d
managed to spell it correctly. She had studied hard for this contest and hoped
she would win fi rst place. Soon, only Alyssa and her classmate, Eric, were left.
“Ready, Eric?” Mr. Patel asked. “The word is misspell.”
Eric didn’t look very confi dent as he gave his answer. “M-I-S-P-E-L-L?”
he asked. But he had misspelled misspell. Quickly, Alyssa gave her response:
“M-I-S-S-P-E-L-L.” Immediately, Matt stood up and yelled “Congratulations!”
Alyssa heard a building crescendo of noise that could only mean one thing:
she’d won the bee!
COMPREHENSION Use words from the story to describe the noises
Alyssa hears. Why do you think the spelling bee is exciting for Alyssa
and the other students?
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