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Two Paddlers, One River

Read a rafting trip told by two narrators and explain how each one's point of view shapes the way the same events are described.

Grade 5ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toRL.5.6

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What’s included

Single worksheet
Auto-graded online
1 Common Core standard
Printable answer key
10 questions
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Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 5
Subject: ELA
Question types: Multiple choice, Matching, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students describe how a narrator's feelings shape the way events are described.
Students compare how two narrators describe the same events using words from each account.

How to use

Have students read both accounts, then reread the paragraphs about the Washboard side by side. Use the last question for a short discussion of how feelings change a telling.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

RL.5.6

Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences the way events are described.

Preview

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Name Date

Two Paddlers, One River

See how two narrators tell the same rafting trip.

Read the two accounts

Lena and her brother Theo each wrote about the same rafting trip. Read both accounts.

Lena's Account

1Mom says I should write about our rafting trip while I still remember it. Believe me, I will never forget it. The river we floated down was not some gentle, lazy stream. It was a brown, churning monster, and it seemed to be waiting for me.

2Before we climbed into the raft, our guide, Rosa, tightened our life jackets and gave a long safety talk. She showed us how to hold a paddle, how to grab the rope that ran around the raft, and how to float feet first if we fell in. Every word made my stomach twist tighter. Why would she teach us all that unless people fell in all the time?

3For the first mile, the water was calm, and I almost relaxed. Then I heard it: a low roar, growing louder around the bend. Rosa grinned and called it the Washboard. I called it the end of the world. White waves leaped higher than my head, and the whole river seemed to tilt downhill.

4"Paddle forward!" Rosa shouted. I dug my paddle into the water as hard as I could. The raft dropped into a hole, and a wall of cold water crashed over me. For one terrible second, I could not see anything at all. I gripped the rope so tightly that my fingers ached.

5Then, suddenly, we were floating in quiet water. My brother, Theo, was laughing and slapping the water with his paddle, as if nothing had happened. I was soaked and shaking, and I felt very proud that I had made it through.

Theo's Account

1This was my second rafting trip, so I knew what to expect. The river was wide and fast and the color of chocolate milk, and the sun sparkled on every ripple. It was a perfect day to be on the water. Lena sat next to me near the front of the raft, holding her paddle with both hands.

2Our guide, Rosa, gave the usual safety talk before we started. I had heard it all last summer, so I mostly watched a heron fishing along the bank. My sister, Lena, listened to every single word. She even asked Rosa two questions about falling in.

3The first mile was so calm that I was almost bored. Finally, we came around a bend to the Washboard. It is a short stretch of rapids with a row of bouncy waves, and Rosa says it is perfect for beginners. I couldn't wait.

4"Paddle forward!" Rosa shouted. The front of the raft dipped, and a wave splashed over us. The whole thing was over in about ten seconds. I'll admit my heart jumped once, when the raft tipped to one side, but then we were through. Lena paddled hard the whole time, and she never let go of the rope.

5When we reached calm water, I laughed and slapped the river with my paddle. Lena was dripping wet and very quiet. I think she secretly had fun, but she won't say so. Next summer, I'm going to talk her into trying a bigger river.

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