Taking the first step: words from a story chapter
Many good projects begin with a first step. In a story about starting something, look for the steps in order: the idea, the research (finding facts), the proposal (a plan that someone must agree to), the team and the result. Notice the qualities: courage is the strength to do something that frightens you, such as asking for permission; talent is a natural ability; determination means you do not give up when there is a problem. The verb share can mean to give part of something or to do a job together. To deserve something means you have a right to it because of what you did or what you are. When you answer questions on a story, write complete sentences and use words from the text. Your book has Chapter Two of a serial story on pages 34–35: read it after this lesson and find out which of these seven words describe its characters. Here we practise with our own text.
| Step | Question to ask | In our text |
|---|---|---|
| Idea | What does the character want to do? | Organise a small football tournament. |
| Research | What facts are needed? | How many children, which ground. |
| Proposal | Who must agree? | The manager of the youth centre. |
| Team and result | Who helps? What happens? | Friends shared the jobs; the tournament took place. |
Seif noticed that the children in his street had nowhere safe to play football, so he decided to organise a small tournament. First he did some research: he counted how many children wanted to play, found a flat piece of ground and measured it. Then he wrote a short proposal, a plan that explained what he wanted to do, and showed it to the manager of the youth centre. He was afraid that the manager would say no, but it took courage to ask. The manager liked the plan and said that the children deserved a safe place to play. Seif was not the best player, but he had a talent for organising people, and his friends shared the jobs: one made the schedule, one brought the water and two brought the balls. The first date had to be cancelled, so it took determination to choose another, but the tournament finally took place.
Plan a first step. Choose a small project that you would like to start (for example a book swap or a football match for younger children). Write four lines: the idea, two questions for your research, who must agree to your proposal, and who could help you. Present it to a grown-up in one minute.