TINA’S TRY-OUT DAYVOCABULARY

CHUCKLED

chuckled ( chuck – led ) verb

Laughed in a quiet way.

I chuckled to myself when my secret plan worked.

DOWNSTAIRS

downstairs ( down – stairs ) noun

A lower or main floor or floors.

Meet me downstairs when you are ready to go.

FUMBLED

fumbled ( fum – bled ) verb

Tried to get hold of or handled in a clumsy way.

I fumbled around in my bookbag trying to

find my homework.

NERVOUS

nervous ( nerv – ous ) adjective

Not able to relax.

Barking dogs make me very nervous.

NONSENSE

Nonsense ( non – sense ) noun

Words or actions that are silly and make no sense.

The talk about a monster hiding in the closet

was pure nonsense.

TRUDGED

trudged ( trudged ) verb

Walked slowly and with effort.

The children trudged up the snow covered hill

to go to school.

COMPOUND WORDS

Compound words are words that are made up of two small words

that have been put together to make a new word.

lunch + box = lunchbox

A box that you put your lunch in is a lunchbox.

base + ball = baseball

A game with a ball and bases is baseball.

side + walk = sidewalk

The walk along the side of the road is a sidewalk.

Tina woke up to her buzzing alarm clock. She rubbed her

eyes and wondered why she was up so early. Then she

remembered: it was try-out day!

A few weeks ago, Tina decided she would try out for the

Comets, her school’s softball team. Tina ran downstairs to

the kitchen. “Mom!” she shouted. “It’s try-out day!”

“I know,: answered Mom. “I made you breakfast.”

Tina rubbed her stomach. “I think I’m too nervous to eat.”

“You’ll have more energy if you do.” said Mom.

Tina still felt a bit sick, but she ate some breakfast anyway.

Then she ran up to her room and fumbled into her clothes.

“Slow down!” Mom chuckled. “You’ll use up all your energy

before you get there.”

Tina got to the field early, but it seemed like everyone

else did too.

“What am I doing here?” Tina asked herself. “I’ll never

make the team.

Her mom gave her a hug. “That’s nonsense,” she said.

“Get out there and do your best. You will be great!”

The girls had to run, field, bat, catch, and throe balls.

Even though Tina stumbled while fielding, she thought

she did well.

Afterward, Tina was really tired and trudged off the field.

One of the coaches called her name.

“What do you think, Tina?” she asked. “Would you like to

join the Comets?”

Tina forgot how tired she was

and jumped high into the air.

“Oh, boy” she shouted. “Would

I ever!”

THINK!

Who are the main CHRACTERS in this story? ________________________________________________________________

What is the SETTING of this story? ________________________________

What happened at the BEGINNING? _______________________________

What happened in the MIDDLE? __________________________________

What happened at the END? _____________________________________

What did you like best about the story? _______________________