Worksheet

Breaking the Ice with the Ski Patrol

Read a student's interview with a ski patroller and explain the idioms, adages, and proverbs she uses, then apply them to new situations.

Grade 5ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toL.5.5.b

Play online Play as a game

PrintLetter-size worksheet Answer keyPrintable answers

Assign to classAssign to your classes, or get a join code

What’s included

Single worksheet
Auto-graded online
1 Common Core standard
Printable answer key
12 questions
Classroom-ready

Details

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

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs using clues in an interview.
Students match idioms and proverbs to new situations where they fit.

How to use

Have partners read the interview aloud, one as the student reporter and one as the ski patroller. Then let students answer on their own and talk about how each saying fits the patroller's job.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

L.5.5.b

Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.

Preview

OwlSheets.com

Name Date

Breaking the Ice with the Ski Patrol

Explain idioms, adages, and proverbs from an interview.

Read the interview

Five Questions for a Ski Patroller

1My name is Tobias, and for our class project on jobs in our town, I interviewed Marisol Bautista, a ski patroller at Blue Hollow Ski Area. I was nervous when we sat down in the patrol hut, so Ms. Bautista broke the ice by asking me to guess which tool she uses most. The answer was a roll of tape! We both laughed, and after that the questions felt easy. Here are her answers.

2What does a ski patroller do? Our main job is to keep people safe on the mountain. When a skier gets hurt, we give first aid and bring the person down the hill in a rescue sled. But helping hurt skiers is just the tip of the iceberg. Every morning before the lifts open, we check the trails, mark rocks and bare spots with signs, and close any trail that is not safe. At the end of the day, we ski every trail one last time to make sure no one is left on the mountain.

3Why do you spend so much time on signs and pads? My first boss liked to say, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Wrapping a lift tower in a thick pad takes us ten minutes. Healing a broken wrist can take a skier many weeks. We would much rather stop an accident than treat one.

4What happens if someone skis on a closed trail? That skier is on thin ice. We close trails for good reasons, such as hidden rocks or snow that could slide. A skier who ducks under a closed-trail rope can lose their lift ticket for the rest of the day. Most people follow the rules once they understand why the rope is there.

5Do you ever have to hurry? We move quickly, but we never rush. When we pull a rescue sled, one bump taken too fast could tip it over. Haste makes waste, so we stay steady and careful all the way down. On busy holiday weekends, though, we are snowed under. Last winter, my radio crackled with a new call almost every ten minutes.

6Were you nervous when you started? Very! The night before my first day, I almost got cold feet. I wondered whether I was really ready to help people in an emergency. Then my mom reminded me how many months I had trained, so I went. I'm glad I did, because I have loved every winter since.

7Before I left, Ms. Bautista gave me one more piece of advice for young skiers. "Pride goes before a fall," she said. "Pick trails that match your skills, not the ones your friends dare you to try. Showing off on a trail that is too hard for you is a good way to get hurt."

Sayings in the interview

An idiom is a phrase that means something different from what its words say. An adage or proverb is a short, well-known saying that gives advice or tells a truth. Use the interview to answer each question.

In paragraph 1, Ms. Bautista "broke the ice." What does this idiom mean?

A. She cleared frozen snow off the steps of the hut.
B. She helped Tobias feel relaxed and ready to talk.
C. She warned Tobias about icy spots on the trails.
D. She showed Tobias how to fix a cracked ski.

In paragraph 2, Ms. Bautista says that helping hurt skiers is "just the tip of the iceberg." What does she mean?

A. It is the hardest and scariest part of her job.
B. It happens mostly at the top of the mountain.
C. It is the last thing patrollers do each day.
D. It is only a small part of a much bigger job.

In paragraph 3, Ms. Bautista repeats the proverb "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." What does this proverb mean?

A. Small amounts of medicine work better than large ones.
B. Heavy safety gear protects you better than light gear.
C. Stopping a problem early is better than fixing it later.
D. A little bit of hard work can bring you a big reward.

In paragraph 4, a skier on a closed trail is "on thin ice." What does this idiom mean?

A. The skier is in danger of getting into trouble.
B. The skier is crossing a frozen pond or lake.
C. The skier is moving too slowly on icy snow.
D. The skier is lost and cannot find the trail.

In paragraph 5, the patrollers are "snowed under" on busy weekends. Underline the sentence from paragraph 5 that gives the best clue to what this idiom means.

We move quickly, but we never rush.When we pull a rescue sled, one bump taken too fast could tip it over.Haste makes waste, so we stay steady and careful all the way down.Last winter, my radio crackled with a new call almost every ten minutes.

In paragraph 5, Ms. Bautista says, "Haste makes waste." What does this adage mean, and why does it matter when patrollers pull a rescue sled? Use details from the interview.

In paragraph 6, Ms. Bautista says she almost "got cold feet." Complete the sentence with a word from the word bank.

Word bank: chilly · hungry · nervous · careless

This means she almost became too to go to her first day of work.

In paragraph 7, Ms. Bautista says, "Pride goes before a fall." What does this proverb mean?

A. People who brag or show off often end up failing.
B. Skiers usually fall the first time they try a trail.
C. Being proud of your work helps you do even better.
D. Taking a fall is the best way to learn a new sport.

Sayings beyond the slopes

Use what you know about the sayings from the interview to answer each question.

Sort each situation under the idiom that describes it best.

Before the class play, Mr. Reyes had costumes to sew, lines to check, and posters to hang.Owen forgot his library book three weeks in a row, and the librarian gave him one last warning.Zara signed up to sing a solo, but the night before the concert she almost backed out.Jaden had been late to practice twice, and the coach said one more time would mean sitting out a game.During the week of the town fair, Dad had forty orders to fill at his print shop.Felipe climbed the ladder to the high dive, looked down, and climbed right back down.

snowed under	on thin ice	got cold feet

10.

Kenji rushed through his math homework so he could go outside sooner. He made so many mistakes that he had to do the whole page again. Which saying fits best?

A. Pride goes before a fall.
B. Two heads are better than one.
C. Haste makes waste.
D. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

11.

Complete each sentence with an idiom from the word bank. One idiom will not be used.

Word bank: broke the ice · snowed under · the tip of the iceberg

The five toys on the floor were only . When Mom opened the closet, dozens more tumbled out.
Our new teacher on the first morning by telling us a funny story about her pet lizard.

12.

Which action is the best example of "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"?