Worksheet

The Turnip Opera: Two Accounts of Opening Night

Compare a student's firsthand blog post with a secondhand newspaper article about a class opera, noting differences in focus and information.

Grade 4ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toRI.4.6

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Single worksheet
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1 Common Core standard
Printable answer key
10 questions
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Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 4
Subject: ELA
Question types: Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students tell a firsthand account from a secondhand account of the same event.
Students compare the focus and the information given in two accounts of one event.

How to use

Read Text A and Text B with the class, then ask students to mark details that appear in only one text before they answer the questions on their own.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

RI.4.6

Compare a firsthand and a secondhand account of the same event or topic, noting differences in focus and in the information given.

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Name Date

The Turnip Opera: Two Accounts of Opening Night

Compare a firsthand and a secondhand account of the same event.

Read two accounts

Read both texts. They tell about the same event.

Text A: My Night as a Turnip (a blog post by Aurelio, Room 9)

1Last Friday night, I sang the main part in our class opera, The Turnip Who Wanted to Fly. I played the turnip, so I wore a round purple costume with green leaves on my head. My hands were shaking when I walked onto the stage.

2We had been working on the opera since October. Our class wrote the story and the words to the songs, and Ms. Dunleavy helped us turn our ideas into music. At first, I thought singing every line instead of talking would feel silly. By the last week, it felt normal.

3The best part was my big song in the second act. I was so nervous that I forgot the first line! Then I looked out and saw my grandpa in the front row. He mouthed the words to me, because he had heard me practice them a hundred times at home. I started singing, and my voice got stronger with every note.

4At the end, the audience stood up and clapped for a long time. I felt like I really could fly. I think every fourth grader should get to write an opera.

Text B: Fourth Graders Write and Perform Their Own Opera (from the Oakmere Valley News)

1Students at Oakmere Elementary School performed an opera they wrote themselves last Friday evening. The opera, The Turnip Who Wanted to Fly, tells the story of a vegetable that dreams of leaving the ground.

2The project began in October. The 24 students in Room 9 spent about five months on the opera. They wrote the story, made up the words to the songs, and painted the scenery. Music teacher Ms. Dunleavy helped the class write the music.

3In most operas, performers sing their lines instead of speaking them. "Many people think opera is only for grown-ups," said Ms. Dunleavy. "These students showed that kids can create one, too."

4About 200 people filled the school gym for the show. Tickets were free, but families were asked to give money to the school's music program. The class collected more than $600, which will be used to buy new instruments. The students will perform the opera again next month at the Oakmere Senior Center.

Compare the accounts

Use both texts to answer each question.

Which text is a firsthand account of the opera, and how can you tell?

A. Text B, because it tells how many people came to the show.
B. Text A, because Aurelio sang in the opera and tells what he saw.
C. Text A, because it gives the number of students in the class.
D. Text B, because a reporter wrote it after talking to the teacher.

Read paragraph 3 of Text A again. Underline the sentence that tells what went wrong during Aurelio's big song.

The best part was my big song in the second act.I was so nervous that I forgot the first line!Then I looked out and saw my grandpa in the front row.He mouthed the words to me, because he had heard me practice them a hundred times at home.I started singing, and my voice got stronger with every note.

Which text gives each detail? Sort the details into Only Text A, Only Text B or Both texts.

The class collected more than $600.The work on the opera began in October.Aurelio's grandpa mouthed the words to him.About 200 people came to the show.Aurelio forgot the first line of his song.Ms. Dunleavy helped the class make the music.

Only Text A	Only Text B	Both texts

How did the writer of Text B most likely get some of the information in the article?

A. by singing the part of the turnip on stage
B. by helping the class paint all of the scenery
C. by asking people such as Ms. Dunleavy about it
D. by writing the words to the songs with Room 9

Which detail does Text A give that Text B does not?

A. The students wrote the story themselves.
B. The opera was performed last Friday.
C. The opera tells a story about a turnip.
D. Aurelio's grandpa sat in the front row.

In Text A, Aurelio says singing every line instead of talking felt silly at first. Read paragraph 3 of Text B. Underline the sentence that gives the same kind of information about operas.

In most operas, performers sing their lines instead of speaking them."Many people think opera is only for grown-ups," said Ms. Dunleavy."These students showed that kids can create one, too."

Which sentence best tells how the focus of the two texts is different?

A. Text A focuses on Aurelio's feelings on stage, while Text B focuses on facts about the whole project.
B. Text A focuses on facts about the whole project, while Text B focuses on one student's feelings.
C. Text A tells about the show last Friday, while Text B tells only about the show next month.
D. Text A explains how operas began long ago, while Text B explains how to write a song.

A student wants to know how the money from the show will be used. Which text should she read?

A. Text A, because Aurelio was there that night.
B. Text A, because it tells about his costume.
C. Text B, because it tells what the money will buy.
D. Neither text, because neither one tells about money.

In paragraph 4 of Text A, Aurelio writes, "I think every fourth grader should get to write an opera." Why does a sentence like this fit a firsthand account?