The Big Test
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Jason has first test today. He worked hard studying all his spelling words, but will he be able to remember them all when he needs to? Students will read the story and answer follow-up questions about the character, plot action, and other story elements and use context clues to decipher the language.
Topic(s): Realistic Fiction. Skill(s): Context Clues, Story Elements. Genre(s): Prose
Jason looked out he window of the school bus. Normally, he liked to count the number of dogs he saw on the way to school. They always looked so happy on their morning walks. But today was different.
Jason had a test.
Jason had never taken a test before. He had heard about them, but tests were for big kids. Though now that he was in second grade, his teacher announced that the whole class would take a spelling test. She stood in front of the whole class and told everyone at once in a loud, clear voice. She explained that to do well on the test, the students would have to memorize their spelling words and rewrite them without any mistakes.
This made Jason feel very nervous. What would happen if he made a mistake? He was pretty good at spelling, but sometimes words sounded different than they looked. He practiced all of is words five times each last night. He hoped it was enough.
When Jason got to school, he didn’t feel well. His stomach hurt. Jason went straight to the nurse’s office, but the nurse told Jason that he wasn’t sick. “Sometimes when you’re nervous or scared, it can make your tummy hurt,” the nurse said. “Try taking some deep breaths to relax. And good luck on your test!”
And with that, the school nurse sent Jason to class.
“Oh, good!” Jason’s teacher said when he walked in the door. “I’m glad you’re here. We were just about to start the test.” She handed Jason a piece of paper. It was numbered one to ten, but had no other writing on it.
Jason put his name at the top like he always did. Then the teacher said “Number one: friend.”
The students were supposed to spell the word “friend” in the first blank space. Jason did his best. He hoped that he didn’t mix up the i and the e. That was the tricky part.
The test continued that way, and before long, it was over. Jason’s stomach didn’t hurt any more either. He smiled as he handed his paper to the teacher.
“I think I did okay,” thought Jason. “And I’m very glad that’s over!”
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