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Backward on the Roller Rink

4th grade fiction passage about skating backward at a rink: 216 words, seven questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade fiction skating backward at a rink 216 words

Backward on the Roller Rink

Every Saturday, Pilar went to the roller rink with her cousins. She could skate forward just fine. She could even do a wobbly little spin. But everyone else could skate backward, and Pilar always clung to the wall when the music told skaters to turn around.

"It looks scary," she said. "I cannot see where I am going."

Her cousin Ravi showed her a trick. "Do not try to go fast. Stand at the wall, point your toes in a little, and push your heels out, like drawing two small half circles."

Pilar pushed. She rolled backward half a step, then wobbled and sat down with a thump. She tried again. This time she rolled a whole step before sitting down.

By the third Saturday, Pilar could roll the length of one rink panel without touching the wall. Ravi stood behind her with a thumbs-up. "Look over your shoulder," he said. "Your head leads the way."

When the song changed on the fourth Saturday, the lights turned blue and Pilar let go of the wall. She turned her shoulders, looked over her shoulder, and pushed her heels out. She glided backward all the way around the curve.

Her cousins whooped. Pilar felt like she was flying, and she did not hold the wall all day.

Questions

  1. What could Pilar do on skates before this story? in the text

  2. Why did Pilar cling to the wall when the music changed? in the text

  3. What trick did Ravi teach her? in the text

  4. What happened on Pilar's first try? in the text

  5. What advice did Ravi give about looking? in the text

  6. How do you know that Pilar kept practicing? think about it

  7. Why did Pilar feel like she was flying? think about it

Words to know

clung
held on tightly
wobbled
rocked from side to side without balance
glided
moved along smoothly and easily
panel
one flat section of a wall
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One passage, three levels

The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.

● Easier · 189 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.4

Every Saturday, Pilar went to the roller rink with her cousins. She could skate forward. She could even do a wobbly spin. But the others could skate backward. When the music said to turn around, Pilar held the wall.

"It looks scary," she said. "I cannot see where I am going."

Her cousin Ravi showed her a trick. "Go slow. Stand by the wall. Point your toes in a little. Push your heels out, like two small half circles."

Pilar pushed. She rolled back half a step. Then she wobbled and sat down with a thump. She tried again. This time she rolled a whole step.

By the third Saturday, she could roll back one wall panel without touching it. Ravi stood behind her with a thumbs-up. "Look over your shoulder," he said. "Your head leads the way."

On the fourth Saturday, the lights turned blue. Pilar let go of the wall. She turned her shoulders and looked back. She pushed her heels out. She glided backward all around the curve.

Her cousins whooped. Pilar felt like she was flying. She did not hold the wall all day.

▲ This passage · 216 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.9

Every Saturday, Pilar went to the roller rink with her cousins. She could skate forward just fine. She could even do a wobbly little spin. But everyone else could skate backward, and Pilar always clung to the wall when the music told skaters to turn around.

"It looks scary," she said. "I cannot see where I am going."

Her cousin Ravi showed her a trick. "Do not try to go fast. Stand at the wall, point your toes in a little, and push your heels out, like drawing two small half circles."

Pilar pushed. She rolled backward half a step, then wobbled and sat down with a thump. She tried again. This time she rolled a whole step before sitting down.

By the third Saturday, Pilar could roll the length of one rink panel without touching the wall. Ravi stood behind her with a thumbs-up. "Look over your shoulder," he said. "Your head leads the way."

When the song changed on the fourth Saturday, the lights turned blue and Pilar let go of the wall. She turned her shoulders, looked over her shoulder, and pushed her heels out. She glided backward all the way around the curve.

Her cousins whooped. Pilar felt like she was flying, and she did not hold the wall all day.

■ Harder · 233 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.1

Every Saturday, Pilar went to the roller rink with her cousins. She could skate forward without any trouble, and she could even manage a wobbly little spin. But all of the others could skate backward, and whenever the music instructed skaters to turn around, Pilar clung to the wall.

"It looks terrifying," she admitted. "I cannot see where I am going."

Her cousin Ravi demonstrated a useful trick. "Do not try to go fast," he advised. "Stand beside the wall, angle your toes inward a little, and push your heels outward, as if you were drawing two small half circles."

Pilar pushed. She rolled backward half a step, then wobbled and landed on the floor with a thump. She tried again, and this time she rolled a whole step before sitting down.

By the third Saturday, Pilar could roll backward the length of one rink panel without touching the wall. Ravi stood behind her, giving an encouraging thumbs-up. "Look over your shoulder," he reminded her. "Your head leads the way."

When the song changed on the fourth Saturday and the lights turned blue, Pilar released the wall. She rotated her shoulders, glanced behind her, and pushed her heels outward. She glided backward all the way around the curve.

Her cousins whooped with delight. Pilar felt as though she were flying, and she never touched the wall for the rest of the afternoon.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put clung, wobbled, glided and panel on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the story will be about.
  • Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 2 minutes to read aloud.
  • Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
  • Question 6 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
  • Ask students to retell the story in three sentences: how it began, what the problem was, and how it ended.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "Backward on the Roller Rink"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 216 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.9. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.

What do the questions ask?

There are seven. 5 ask for something the text says directly and 2 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.

How long does it take to read?

About 2 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.

Is this passage from a published book?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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