Illustration of an owl dreaming about being first
Art by Rebecca Elliott
Fiction,

Eva Gets Sporty

Enjoy an original Owl Diaries story.

By Rebecca Elliott
From the February 2025 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will read a fiction story and compare it with a nonfiction text.

Lexiles: 540L
Featured Skill: Main Idea,
Common Core Standards
  • RF.1.3 Decoding RL.1.1 Ask and answer questions RL.1.2 Retell stories RL.1.3 Describe characters, settings, and major events RL.1.5 Compare fiction and nonfiction RL.1.9 Compare the experiences of characters in stories SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative discussions with peers and adults
TEKS Standards
  • Health
    (3) Mental health and wellness—social and emotional health. The student identifies and applies strategies to develop socio-emotional health, self-regulation, and healthy relationships. The student is expected to: (A) identify their own feelings and emotions; (B) discuss and explain how emotions can interrupt thinking and the self-management process; (C) describe and practice calming and self-management strategies. (4) Mental health and wellness—developing a healthy self-concept. The student develops the capacity for self-assessment and evaluation, goal setting, and decision making in order to develop a healthy self-concept. The student is expected to: (B) explain the importance of goal setting and task completion.

Magazine View
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Monday

Hi, Diary!

It’s me, Eva Wingdale, your favorite owlet! I’m very eggcited because this Friday is our school owlympic games night! I can’t wait for all the games and races! 

Mrs. Featherbottom split the class into two teams.

I don’t want to let my team down, so I asked my brother Humphrey to coach me. He has won LOTS of owlympic gold medals.

Today he showed me how to warm up. 

PAUSE AND THINK: What is Eva  “eggcited” about?

Friday

Humphrey helped me all week. At last, it was time for the games. I really wanted to win my first-ever gold medal!

But just as the games started, I got nervous. Everyone was watching me. I was so scared I was going to mess up!

PAUSE AND THINK: How did Eva feel when the games started?

Because I was so nervous . . .

I did not throw my twig far in the twig throw . . .

I fell over in the sack race . . .

And I dropped the pine cone in the relay race. All the games were fun, but I felt bad that I let my team down.

PAUSE AND THINK: How is Eva doing so far in the games?

There was one more game left­—the three-winged race.

I asked my BFF (Best Feathery Friend) Lucy to fly with me. This time I warmed up the way Humphrey showed me.

Lucy and I tied our wings together. Then, as soon as we looked at each other and smiled, all my nerves were gone.

We flew so fast. And, Diary, WE WON!! So did Team Red!

PAUSE AND THINK: What happened during the last race?

Both teams partied together the rest of the night.

Oh Diary, I loved the owlympic games so much—and not just because I won a medal but because we all had flaptastic fun! 

video (1)
Activities (3)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
video (1)
Activities (3) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)

About the Story

English Language Arts Focus

Comparing texts

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Implementation

  • Whole group

Pairings and Text Connections

  • In this issue: “Big Read Aloud: Simone the Star”
  • From the Storyworks 1 archive: “Early Reader Fiction: Eva Rocks Out” (December 2023/January 2024)
  • Suggested books: Owl Diaries series by Rebecca Elliot

Before-Reading Resources

  • Video: Fiction and Nonfiction (5 minutes) Use this video when pairing this article with the Big Read-Aloud.

Suggested Reading Focus

Comparing fiction and nonfiction (20 minutes)

  • For the first reading, focus on comprehension and enjoyment. Read the story aloud while students follow along in their magazines. Model summarizing each section and asking comprehension questions at each Pause and Think. Summarize the central message of the story.
  • For the second reading, encourage students to think about what makes “Eva Gets Sporty,” a fiction story, similar to and different from “Simone the Star,” a nonfiction article. When you’re done reading, compare the two stories. What are the two texts about? What lessons do they both teach? What makes a fiction story like “Eva Gets Sporty” different from a nonfiction story like “Simone the Star”?

After-Reading Skills Practice

  • Skills: character traits; following directions; comparing texts (15 minutes)

Text-to-Speech