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The story: Owen and Eli Join the Team

Owen was seven, and Eli was eight. They were friends at an elementary school in Southern California.

One afternoon, they joined the school’s new flag football team. They ran onto the grassy field to meet Coach Rosa.

Each player wore a belt with two bright flags.

“In flag football, we pull a flag instead of tackling,” Coach Rosa said. “First, let’s practice passing and catching.”

Owen held the football. Eli stood a few steps away.

“Ready?” Owen asked.

He threw the ball. Eli reached for it, but it landed on the grass.

“I missed,” Eli said, looking down.

“That’s why we practice,” Owen said. “Let’s try a shorter pass.”

They moved closer. Owen tossed the ball gently. This time, Eli caught it with both hands.

“I did it!” Eli cheered.

Soon, it was time for a practice game. Owen ran into an open space. Eli looked up and saw him.

“Over here!” Owen called.

Eli made a short pass. Owen caught the ball and ran. A player on the other team pulled one of his flags. Owen stopped.

“Nice catch!” Coach Rosa called.

Owen grinned. He had not run far, but he had helped his team.

After practice, the friends took a water break.

“What should we work on next time?” Eli asked.

“Catching,” Owen said. “And learning everyone’s name.”

Eli nodded. “We came here as two friends. Now we have a whole team.”

Words to know

A teammate is someone on your team.

A pass is throwing the ball to a teammate.

A flag is a strip of cloth hanging from a player’s belt.

Practice means doing something again to get better at it.

Find it in the story

1. What team did Owen and Eli join?

Use a voice recording

2. What did each player wear around the waist?

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3. What did the friends change after Eli missed the ball?

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Think about the story

4. Why did Owen stop running? Use a detail from the story.

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5. How did Owen help Eli feel better after the missed catch?

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Your turn to write

Write 3–5 sentences about joining a team or trying a new game. What would you like to learn? How could you help a teammate?

Use a voice recording

You can start with: “If I joined a team, I would…”

About this story

This is a made-up story about fictional friends and a fictional school team in Southern California. In this story, children play flag football and pull flags instead of tackling. The characters are not based on real children.

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AssignmentsGrade 3ReadingWritingSports