Headshot of Serena Williams and Tom Brady
WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images (Serena Williams); Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group/TNS/Alamy Live News (Tom Brady); ose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images (Lionel Messi); Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images (Michael Jordan); Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images (Lebron James); Francisco Seco/AP Images (Simone Biles)
Background Builder,

Meet Some GOATs

In sports, a GOAT is an athlete who is the Greatest Of All Time. Find out what makes them great. 

From the February 2025 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will build background information about great sports players to prepare for the Big Read-Aloud.

Lexiles: 400L
Featured Skill: Vocabulary, Main Idea,
Common Core Standards
  • RF.1.1 Features of print RF.1.3 Decoding RI.1.1 Key details RI.1.3 Connecting information RI.1.4 Vocabulary RI.1.5 Text features RI.1.6 Distinguish between information from words and images RI.1.7 Use visuals SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative discussions with peers and adults
TEKS Standards
  • Health
    (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: (A) discuss ways to be kind to self and how to identify areas for growth; and (B) explain the importance of goal setting and task completion.

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1. Meet a Tennis GOAT

Serena Williams

Serena started as a kid.
She was just 3 years old! She practiced her whole life. That is how she got great.

GOATs work hard. 

2. Meet a Football GOAT

Tom Brady

Tom became a great player. Then he helped other players. He told them they could win. With help from Tom, they did!

GOATs are team players.

3. Meet a Soccer GOAT

Lionel Messi

Even a soccer star can have a hard time. Lionel kept barfing on the field! Yes, people laughed. But Lionel did not quit. Now he slows down and eats healthy food.

GOATs don’t quit when things get messy.

4. Who is the basketball GOAT?

Michael Jordan (left) and LeBron James (right)

Some say it’s LeBron James. He scored more points. Others say it’s Michael Jordan. He won more championships.

Fans don’t always agree on the GOAT. 

Still the GOAT?

Simone Biles

Simone Biles was the best gymnast ever. But then she messed up. Could she still be the GOAT? Read the Big Read-Aloud to find out.

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

More About the Article

English Language Arts Focus

Key details

Social Studies Focus

Culture

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”

Before-Reading Resources

  • Vocabulary slideshow (5 minutes) GOAT, athlete, championship
  • Video: Be a Good Sport (5 minutes) Build background knowledge on how to be a good sport.

Suggested Reading Focus

Build background knowledge (20 minutes)

  • Activate children’s background knowledge by asking them if they know what a GOAT is. Tell them that it is an acronym, which means each letter stands for a word. Ask if they know of anyone who is considered a GOAT.
  • Preview the article by pointing out the nonfiction text features. Ask them what they notice about the pictures.
  • Read the article. Stop to check for comprehension with each of the bolded vocabulary words.
  • Ask students to recall something they learned from the words or pictures in the article. Summarize their learning through discussion or on chart paper.

After-Reading Skills Practice

Skills: Parts of speech; key details; main idea/growth mindset (15 minutes each)

Text-to-Speech