HomeMy WebLinkAboutRead Aloud Book Gr. 3-Lesson 11The year was 1987. The series was for the championship of the National
Basketball Association. The Lakers had traveled all the way from Los Angeles to
Boston, Massachusetts, to face off against the Celtics. The Celtics had Larry Bird,
an all-star forward. But the Lakers weren’t worried: they had Magic Johnson.
There were seven possible games to be played in the series. Whichever team
won four of those seven games would win the championship. In Game One, Magic
Johnson had control of the basketball. All night long, he went bounding down,
across, and around the court. He wheeled past his opponents with smooth, quick
movements of his feet. The Lakers won Game One by thirteen points.
In Game Two, the Celtics chose to focus on Magic and try to stop him from
scoring points. Celtics players veered toward him from every angle, stepping in
his path. They tried to jostle the ball from his hands. They tried to get him off-
balance so he would careen out of control. But two key Lakers players—Michael
Cooper and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar—stepped in to score big numbers. The
Lakers won again, this time, by nineteen points. They took a 2-0 lead in the series.
But the Celtics weren’t giving up yet. In Game Three, Larry Bird and the rest
of the team swiveled around the Lakers defense time and time again. They
outscored the Lakers 109 points to 103.
And then came Game Four. This was Magic’s time to shine. There were thirty
seconds left in the game. The Lakers had the lead, 104 to 103. Then Larry Bird
sunk a basket, from right in front of the Lakers’ bench. The Celtics took the
lead. Then a Celtics player collided into Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Abdul-
Jabbar got to take two foul shots for the Lakers. One of those shots went in.
The score was now 106 to 105, with the Lakers losing by one point. And
that’s where Magic stepped in. He had the basketball in his hands, and he was
looking at the hoop. He went for it, rushing toward it. And then he jumped. He
held the ball in one hand. Curving that hand high above him, he threw the ball
in an arc. It was called a “hook shot.” It fl oated through the air. And then—
whoosh—it went through the hoop!
The Lakers won that magical game 107 to 106. And two games later, they
became the 1987 NBA champions.
COMPREHENSION What words help you understand the players’
movements on the court? What do you think it takes to be a champion?
42
43
“Where’s Mario going?” Angel asked, watching his brother stride to his car.
“Today he starts his job at the paper,” Mama said. “He’s going to be covering the
City Hall beat.”
Angel plunged his fork down into his French toast. “Covering? Beat? What do you
mean?”
“He’s going to City Hall to fi nd news. Then he will write it in the newspaper so the
whole town can know,” Mama said.
Angel thought about Mario’s new job all day long. It sounded exciting. Why couldn’t
he do a journalist’s job, too? There was plenty of news to report at his school.
He told Mr. Short, his language arts teacher, about his idea. “That’s a great idea,
Angel!” Mr. Short said. “We can make a newspaper for the whole school. You can
be the editor. For your fi rst article, why don’t you interview Ms. Holland, the new
gym teacher?”
Angel frowned and shuffl ed off. He wanted to do the story, but talking to teachers
could be hard. Fortunately, Ms. Holland was happy to be interviewed. Angel learned
that she had been a gymnast. She showed him one of her old routines, where she did
a back fl ip over the pommel horse. “Wow!” Angel said. Ms. Holland explained that
gymnastics is a very diffi cult sport. She told him that gymnasts’ scores are marked down
if they lurch during a routine on the balance beam or land incorrectly after a jump.
The new librarian, Mrs. Allenbee, was also glad to talk to Angel. He volunteered to
help her put books back on the shelves. Angel staggered around the library, carrying
a heavy pile of books. She answered his questions as she put away the books. “I have
always loved children’s books, so it made sense to become a school librarian. Look out!”
she exclaimed, lunging to catch Angel’s pile of books as they wobbled and almost fell.
Angel typed his articles on a computer and then gave them to Mr. Short to read.
“You did a great job!” Mr. Short said. The printer quaked and rattled as it copied
the newspaper. Angel folded the sheets of paper carefully, smiling proudly.
The fi rst issue of “Spring School News” was a hit. Now when his brother leaves to
cover City Hall, Angel leaves to cover his beat—Spring Elementary.
COMPREHENSION Which words help you understand how people in the story
move? What are some things that Angel learns from interviewing the teacher
and the librarian?
44
45