A Talent for Ali
Today is the school talent show. The red curtain on the stage is very tall. Ali is taller than Ahmed, and he is the tallest boy in the class. Still, Ali feels very small right now. Everyone has a special talent except him.
Sara goes first. She is good at music. She can sing and dance at the same time! Next, Ahmed walks out. He can play the guitar faster than anyone in the school. He is the fastest player of all.
Other kids show what they can do. Leo can juggle three balls and throw a ball high into the air. Mia is good at words and numbers. She can count to one hundred and spell long words. On a table, Zoe and Ben show food. Zoe can bake a cake, and Ben can make a pizza.
Ali sighs and looks at his shoes. "I am bad at singing," he whispers to his teacher, Mr. Kim. "My voice is worse than a frog's! I am the worst singer here."
Just then, a loud crash comes from the next table. Sam wants to do experiments with a toy robot, but the robot falls into pieces. Sam looks ready to cry.
- talent:
- A special skill or something a person is very good at doing.
- curtain:
- A large piece of cloth that hangs on a stage or window.
- juggle:
- To keep several things, like balls, in the air at once by tossing and catching them.
- whispers:
- Speaks very softly and quietly using breath instead of a loud voice.
- experiments:
- Tests people do to learn how something works or to see what will happen.
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Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
Analyze how sections and organizational choices build the text's ideas or effects.
Vocabulary
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Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Where does this story take place?
- 2Why does Ali feel very small at the beginning of the story?
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About this fiction passage for 2nd Grade
“A Talent for Ali” is a fiction reading passage about Talent Show, written for 2nd Grade. It takes about 2 minutes to read (282 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.