Lesson 9
Name ___________________________________________________ Date _______________
Phrases
Read these phrases to yourself as you listen to them read aloud. Repeat reading and
listening until you can read every word on your own.
in the Northwest
too distant to drive
from leaving my jacket
on the bench
through the airport
was stress-free
the typical part
for some unknown reason the behavior of the people
the attendants insisted
government authorities
I went pale
they seized the man
an investigation
associated with this man
eventually we took off
at the airport
my typical response
Story
Read the story to yourself as you listen to it read aloud. Repeat reading and listening
until you know every word.
My dad lives in the Northwest. It is too distant to drive, so at least twice a year I
fly alone to visit him.
During my last trip, aside from leaving my jacket on the bench and having to run
back for it, getting through the airport was stress-free. I settled down in my seat, as
usual, with a good book to read.
That’s where the typical part of my trip ended. Only about an hour into the flight,
for some unknown reason we landed. I couldn’t understand what was happening. I just
knew that we had landed in the wrong city! I was nervous. The behavior of the people
on the plane was strange, too, especially the guy next to me.
The attendants insisted that we all stay in our seats. The next thing I knew,
some government authorities got on the plane. They looked at each person carefully.
When they got to my aisle, they stopped. I think I went pale. Suddenly, they seized the
man sitting next to me! Then, one of them leaned over close to me and said sternly,
“This is an investigation into a drug ring. Are you associated with this man?”
“Uh, uh, no . . . Sir,” I stammered.
“Good,” he said. Then they took the man off the plane. Eventually we took off
again and landed—late, but in the right city.
My dad was there at the airport to meet me. “How was your flight?” he asked as
he always does. He expected my typical response of “Boring,” but this time my answer
would be different.
© Shell Education
#50289—Increasing Fluency with High Frequency Word Phrases
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Lesson 9 (cont.)
Name ___________________________________________________ Date _______________
Story Questions
Think about the story you listened to and practiced. How well do you understand it?
Answer the questions below. You may need to go back and read the story again.
1. Which is the best title for this story?
A. Going to Dad’s
B. My Scare in the Sky
C. Another Typical Trip
2. The next to the last paragraph begins with “ ‘Good,’ he said.” Who is speaking?
________________________________________________________________________
3. In the same paragraph, who is we in the phrase, “Eventually we took off”?
________________________________________________________________________
4. Which of the following best describes the meaning of stammered?
A. replied
D. uttered
B. ordinary
C. predictable
D. unusual
6. Which of these words does not have three syllables?
A. unknown
C. declared
5. Which of these words is the opposite of typical?
A. usual
B. stuttered
B. government
C. insisted
D. behavior
7. Which of the following best describes the writer’s general reaction to the situation
of landing in the wrong city and being questioned by authorities?
A. alarmed and terrified
B. nervous but cooperative
C. amused and calm
On Your Own
Complete this activity in your notebook or on a separate sheet of paper.
Copy the chart below. Then, fill in the missing word in each pair.
Singular (one)
man
Plural (more than one)
authorities
aisle
people
city
attendants
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#50289—Increasing Fluency with High Frequency Word Phrases
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Lesson 9 (cont.)
Name ___________________________________________________ Date _______________
Reading with Expression: Preparing Listeners for
Surprise
When you want to surprise people, you don’t tell them what is going to happen. A
surprise only works when something is not expected. You lead them to expect one thing
and then you do something else that is completely unexpected. Surprise!
This story begins as if it is going to describe a typical trip to Dad’s. The author purposely
makes the beginning sound a little dull—certainly not suspenseful. Leaving a jacket on
the bench and having to go back for it isn’t exactly exciting stuff! Then, all of a sudden,
the author grabs the readers’ attention by saying, “This is where the typical part of my
trip ended.” This is how the writer prepares readers for a surprise and makes them want
to know what it is.
Imagine that you are about to read the story aloud. How do you as a reader prepare your
listeners for a surprise? The trick is to read the parts leading up to surprises in a way
that goes along with what they expect. Then, change your voice to stress the surprise
part. For example, in this story, you would read the first two paragraphs in a voice that
matches the mood: calm and predictable. This sets up the listeners for the surprise to
come. As you read the description of what happened aboard the plane, you would stress
words that build suspense, such as unknown reason, wrong city, nervous, and strange.
Next, you would use the exclamation points and clues the author provides in terms such
as said sternly and stammered to recreate the scene in the listeners’ minds. Finally, you
satisfy the listeners’ need to find out how it all ended by returning to the calm tone of
the ending.
Try It!
As you saw in this story, writers often choose particular words to show precise emotions.
For example, using the word stammered instead of said gives a much clearer picture of
how something was expressed or experienced. See if you can find more of these kinds
of carefully chosen words in the story. Use them to fill in the blanks below.
1. To be more expressive than “I sat down in my seat,” the author chose to write, “I
_____________________ down my seat.”
2. To be more expressive than “Suddenly, they took hold of the man sitting next to
me,” the author chose to write, “Suddenly, they ___________________the man
sitting next to me!”
3. To be more expressive than “The attendants asked us to stay in our seats,” the
author chose to write, “The attendants _____________________ that we all stay in
our seats.”
4. To be more expressive than “Do you know this man?” the author chose to write,
“ __________________________________________ this man?”
© Shell Education
#50289—Increasing Fluency with High Frequency Word Phrases
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Lesson 9 (cont.)
Name ___________________________________________________ Date _______________
Fluency Checkpoint
You have already listened to, practiced, and read the story below. Now, it’s time to
check your reading fluency. Fluency means not only getting the words right, but also
reading at a good rate and with expression. Reread the story as many times as
necessary in order to read it fluently.
My dad lives in the Northwest. It is too distant to drive, so at least twice a year I fly
alone to visit him.
During my last trip, aside from leaving my jacket on the bench and having to run
back for it, getting through the airport was stress-free. I settled down in my seat, as
usual, with a good book to read.
That’s where the typical part of my trip ended. Only about an hour into the flight, for
some unknown reason we landed. I couldn’t understand what was happening. I just
knew that we had landed in the wrong city! I was nervous. The behavior of the people
on the plane was strange, too, especially the guy next to me.
The attendants insisted that we all stay in our seats. The next thing I knew, some
government authorities got on the plane. They looked at each person carefully. When
they got to my aisle, they stopped. I think I went pale. Suddenly, they seized the man
sitting next to me! Then, one of them leaned over close to me and said sternly, “This
is an investigation into a drug ring. Are you associated with this man?”
“Uh, uh, no . . . Sir,” I stammered.
“Good,” he said. Then they took the man off the plane. Eventually we took off
again and landed—late, but in the right city.
My dad was there at the airport to meet me. “How was your flight?” he asked as
he always does. He expected my typical response of “Boring,” but this time my answer
would be different.
Evaluation
Evaluate how fluently you can read this story. First, read it aloud to someone at home who is
older than you are. Explain that you are practicing reading fluently: accurately, at a good speed,
and with expression. Ask your listener if you read it in a way that it was understandable and
enjoyable. Finally, complete these sentences.
The name of the person who listened to me read is _____________________________________ .
1. I think my rate of reading was __________________________________________________ .
(too slow, too fast, just right)
2. When I read the story, I ________________________________________________________ .
(stumbled on words, forgot words, got the words right)
3. I _ _________________________________________ to use my voice to express the mood.
(remembered, didn’t remember, sometimes remembered)
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#50289—Increasing Fluency with High Frequency Word Phrases
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