Worksheet

Reporting the Robotics Round

Analyze connotations in a school robotics news report and evaluate how near-synonyms can introduce praise, criticism, or bias.

Grade 8ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toL.8.5.c

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
13 questions
Classroom-ready

Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 8
Subject: ELA
Question types: Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students distinguish connotations of words with similar dictionary meanings.
Students use context to evaluate whether a word introduces supported or unsupported judgments.
Students explain how alternative word choices change a news reader’s impression.

How to use

Read the report before answering the editorial questions. Discuss how factual accuracy and word choice both affect fairness in school news.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

L.8.5.c

Tell apart the connotations of words with similar dictionary meanings, such as stubborn, determined, and persistent.

Preview

OwlSheets.com

Name Date

Reporting the Robotics Round

Examine how a news report’s word choices shape readers’ impressions.

Read the report

Read this original school news report. Consider both what each description means and what attitude it conveys.

A Different Route to the Finish

1Westhaven Middle School’s robotics team placed second at Saturday’s regional competition after changing its machine’s route between rounds. The challenge required robots to collect foam blocks and deliver them to marked zones. Students could revise their programs between attempts, but each machine had to operate without remote control once a round began. Spectators watched from seats behind a low barrier.

2The Westhaven students were competitive throughout the afternoon. Their table stood beside the equipment inspection station. Before the final round, they compared rival teams’ scores to calculate the result they needed to move ahead. A volunteer collected the score sheets after each attempt. Team members wore matching green badges, and their robot carried a paper label with the school’s name.

3The team’s inventive solution used a cardboard guide to direct blocks into its collection tray. Rather than ordering a custom part, builder Nikhil shaped material left from a shipping box. Judges approved the guide during inspection. It worked throughout the final round, although one corner looked uneven. The inexpensive material attracted questions from several visiting students, who asked how the guide stayed attached.

4Programmer Aveline was skeptical when teammates proposed a shorter route beside a narrow scoring zone. She asked to see a practice run before replacing the existing program. During the test, the robot crossed a boundary and lost points. Aveline adjusted the turning command, then supported using the new route after two successful trials. The team saved the earlier program as a backup.

5The final attempt included a daring turn close to the edge of the delivery zone. Students had measured the clearance and tested the turn, but a small error could still cost points. This time, the robot stayed inside the boundary. Westhaven improved its score without overtaking the first-place team. Afterward, students from both schools gathered around the machines to compare their designs.

6For the school news page, reporter Mireya drafted a headline calling Westhaven’s approach aggressive. Her editor asked whether readers would understand that as energetic competition or hostile behavior. Mireya returned to her notes before choosing a headline. The published version read, “Westhaven Changes Route, Takes Second.” Beneath it, the report described the tests, materials, and results that readers could judge for themselves.

In paragraph 2, competitive suggests a strong desire to succeed. What additional judgment would cutthroat introduce?

A. The students preferred individual work to group decisions.
B. The students understood the scoring rules unusually well.
C. The students felt uncertain about their chances of winning.
D. The students pursued victory with ruthless disregard for others.

Underline the sentence from paragraph 2 that shows the team actively planning to outperform its rivals, without showing ruthless treatment of anyone.

Their table stood beside the equipment inspection station.Before the final round, they compared rival teams’ scores to calculate the result they needed to move ahead.A volunteer collected the score sheets after each attempt.Team members wore matching green badges, and their robot carried a paper label with the school’s name.

An editor replaces inventive with gimmicky in paragraph 3. Both words can describe an unusual approach. What would the replacement imply?

A. The guide was a temporary repair required by the judges.
B. The guide was an attention-getting trick of doubtful value.
C. The guide was a familiar design copied from instructions.
D. The guide was a practical example of useful originality.

A photo caption calls the cardboard guide cheap rather than inexpensive. Why might the editor question that choice?

A. Cheap suggests low quality, although the guide functioned throughout the round.
B. Cheap suggests unusual weight, although the report gives no measurement.
C. Cheap suggests high cost, although the team reused a shipping box.
D. Cheap suggests recent invention, although the report gives no design date.

In paragraph 4, skeptical and cynical could both suggest doubt. Which distinction makes skeptical a better description of Aveline?

A. Skeptical suggests seeking evidence; cynical suggests distrust of people’s motives or sincerity.
B. Skeptical suggests fear of change; cynical suggests enjoyment of unfamiliar tasks.
C. Skeptical suggests certainty of failure; cynical suggests uncertainty about results.
D. Skeptical suggests dislike of teammates; cynical suggests concern about measurements.

Which detail from paragraph 4 most directly supports describing Aveline as skeptical rather than cynical?

A. The robot crossed a boundary during the practice run.
B. She supported the new route after two successful trials.
C. The team saved the earlier program as a backup.
D. The proposed route passed beside a narrow scoring zone.

In paragraph 5, daring and reckless both involve risk. Why would reckless give a less accurate impression of the turn?

A. It would imply that the team took the risk without proper care.
B. It would imply that the robot moved faster than other machines.
C. It would imply that the judges had changed the scoring rules.
D. It would imply that the team expected to finish in first place.

Make editorial decisions

Evaluate possible additions to the school news coverage. Choose words according to the impression they create, not just their dictionary meanings.

Paragraph 6 shows that aggressive can suggest either energy or hostility. Which conclusion about connotation follows?

A. A word’s dictionary meaning tells readers precisely how to feel about it.
B. A word used in sports reporting carries the same attitude in other settings.
C. A word with several associations cannot appear in accurate news coverage.
D. A word’s connotation can depend on context and what the writer describes.

These possible headlines describe an interested audience. Underline the TWO that add a clearly negative judgment about the audience’s attention.

Curious Spectators Examine Westhaven’s Cardboard GuideNosy Spectators Pry into Westhaven’s Design ChoicesSpectators Show Interest in Westhaven’s Cardboard GuideIntrusive Spectators Crowd Westhaven’s Design Discussion

10.

An added interview note says, “Aveline feels sure of her programming skills and welcomes corrections.” Which description expresses confidence without implying superiority to others?

A. Aveline sounds boastful when discussing her programming.
B. Aveline sounds self-assured when discussing her programming.
C. Aveline sounds self-important when discussing her programming.
D. Aveline sounds conceited when discussing her programming.

11.

A draft says, “The crowd erupted in an enthusiastic cheer.” Another version calls the cheer overzealous. Both suggest strong feeling. What does overzealous add?

A. Uncertainty that the feeling was joyful rather than disappointed.
B. Approval that the feeling was sincere rather than performed.
C. Criticism that the feeling was excessive rather than appropriate.
D. Surprise that the feeling was shared rather than individual.

12.

An editor wants to praise a team member for remaining calm under pressure. Which sentence does that without suggesting a lack of interest?

A. The team member seemed indifferent as the final round began.
B. The team member seemed apathetic as the final round began.
C. The team member seemed composed as the final round began.
D. The team member seemed unconcerned as the final round began.

13.

An interview note says a team member checked every connection before the final round. One editor proposes cautious; another proposes timid. Explain how these words could create different impressions of the same behavior. Then invent one brief additional fact that would support cautious and a different fact that would support timid. Do not change the original action.