✉️ To Parents
This week’s story features Isaac, a confident young athlete who learns an important lesson about leadership and grace under pressure. Children will encounter expressions for emotions, comparative and superlative adjectives, and cause-and-effect transitions (such as "even though", "instead of", "so that"). It promotes reflection on winning, losing, and sportsmanship.
📖 Today's Reading
This Friday was the championship game. The gym was packed with students, teachers, and even some parents holding signs.
The score was tied. Only ten seconds left.
Isaac dribbled down the court, passed one defender, then two. He had a clear shot. But just before he jumped, he noticed his teammate Noah was wide open near the hoop.
Isaac paused for a second.
Should he take the shot himself? He was the captain. Everyone expected him to win the game.
But instead, he passed the ball to Noah.
Noah jumped—and scored just before the buzzer!
The crowd exploded in cheers. Isaac smiled as the team ran to hug Noah.
After the game, a reporter asked Isaac, “Why didn’t you take the shot?”
Isaac shrugged. “I didn’t need to. I wanted us to win together.”
That day, Isaac learned something: being the best player wasn’t always about scoring the most points. It was about making the right choice.
🧠 New Vocabularies
- championship /ˈtʃæm.pi.ənˌʃɪp/ – The team won the championship game.
- defender /dɪˈfɛn.dɚ/ – He ran past two defenders on the court.
- buzzer /ˈbʌ.zɚ/ – He scored right before the buzzer.
- expect /ɪkˈspɛkt/ – Everyone expected him to take the shot.
- teammate /ˈtiːmˌmeɪt/ – He passed the ball to his teammate.
- sportsmanship /ˈspɔrts.mənˌʃɪp/ – He showed true sportsmanship by sharing the win.
✍️ Hi, Kids!
Have you ever shared success with someone, even if you could take all the credit?
Write about a time when you helped a friend win, or made a choice that showed teamwork. Start like this: "In a game or group project, I..."
Explain what happened and how it made you feel inside.
