Wow! Your monster truck looks cool. It has flames on it. It has four TALL tires. They are taller than you.
Simon Bratt/Shutterstock.com (Monster Truck); Yuravector/Shutterstock.com (Speed Lines); AHMAD FAIZAL YAHYA/Shutterstock.com (Racecar)
Monster Truck or Race Car
Monster trucks are big. Race cars are fast. They are both fun to drive! You are a kid. But you can dream. Which one would you like to drive?
By Erin Kelly
From the April 2021 Issue
ELA Focus
Lexile Level: 380L
Guided Reading Level: I
Science Focus: Types of technology
Vocabulary: flames, wheelie, engine, sleek, racetrack
Common Core Standards
Monster Trucks Rule!
Do you want to drive a monster truck?
Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images
Monster trucks don’t go on roads. They are only in shows.
Cool Looks
Fun Moves
Marcelo Chello/ZUMAPRESS.com/Newscom
In your monster truck, you drive over cars. The tall tires crush the cars!
Now you do a wheelie. That is when the front wheels lift off the ground.
A Great Feeling
You spin your monster truck. The fans all cheer.
The engine is loud. But you don’t care. You are driving a monster truck. There is nothing better.
Race Cars Rule!
Do you want to drive a race car?
Joe Portlock - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Race cars zoom around a racetrack.
Cool Looks
Your car has a sleek shape. This lets it go super fast! It has four fat tires. They grip the racetrack.
Fun Moves
You start your race car. You race around the track. You go 200 miles an hour!
Now you want to pass another car. Just push a button. You zoom past it. See ya!
A Great Feeling
Cineberg/Shutterstock.com
You race faster now. The fans all cheer.
You are going so fast. The car is hot. But you don’t care. You are driving a race car. There is nothing better.
Activities
(2)
Skills Activities
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Implementation Suggestions
Read-Aloud Time
- Storyworks 1 provides a variety of text types and levels that you can use in different ways. One suggestion is to read “Monster Truck or Race Car” during a whole-class read aloud. Use the articles’ parallel structures to discuss similarities and differences between the texts.
Read-Aloud Time
Writing Block
- Opinion writing is a critical first-grade standard. After reading and discussing the article during read-aloud time, you can return to it later for your writing block. Have students use the information they learned to write an opinion piece.
Using Storyworks 1 Step-by-Step
Reading, Critical Thinking, and Skill Building
1. Before Reading
Preview Vocabulary (3-10 minutes)
- Play the online vocabulary slideshow. This issue’s featured words are flames, wheelie, engine, sleek, and racetrack.
Set a Purpose for Reading and Preview the Article (10-15 minutes)
- Now tell students they are going to read about two types of vehicles: monster trucks and race cars. Then they can decide which one they would like to drive.
- Open your magazines to “Monster Truck or Race Car.” Preview the parallel structure of the paired text. Read the titles, “Monster Trucks Rule!” and “Race Cars Rule!” Point out the subheadings. What do children notice about these two pages? (They look similar. They have some of the same information. But one is about monster trucks, and one is about race cars.)
2. Read the Paired Texts (15-30 minutes)
- Remind children that they are going compare the two vehicles. Then they will decide which they would rather drive.
- Read “Monster Trucks Rule!” After each section, stop and ask students what they just learned. Do the same with “Race Cars Rule!”
- When you finish reading both texts, compare the vehicles. Starting with the first category (Cool Looks), ask how the two types of cars differ. Then ask, “Who likes the looks of the monster truck better? Who likes the looks of the race car better?” Make sure children back up their opinions with reasons. Help them use the word because, as in, “I like the way the monster truck looks because it has flames.” Continue with the rest of the categories.
- After you read all the sections, take a full class vote. Which vehicle do children want to drive? Tally their votes on chart paper.
3. After Reading: Focus on Skills
ELA Focus: Compare and Contrast (15 minutes)
- The Monster Truck or Race Car? printable helps kids compare and contrast. Students will cut out details from the articles and place them in the correct spot on the Venn Diagram.
Writing Focus: Opinion Writing (20 minutes)
- Use the I Want to Drive It! skills page to help children practice writing opinions. They will support their opinion with details.
- They will then draw themselves driving a monster truck or a race car!
Text-to-Speech