My California Dream: A Diary
My California Dream
Entry 1: September 5th
Dear Diary,
Today marks the beginning of something huge, something I’ve been dreaming about since I was a little kid staring out the window of our cramped apartment in Chicago. We’re moving to California! Dad got a job at a tech company in Silicon Valley, and Mom says this is our chance to "chase the sunshine and opportunities." I’m mostly excited, but also a little terrified. Leaving everything familiar is… well, it’s a lot.
I hope I can make new friends easily. I'm worried people in California will be different than me. Will they like my Midwestern accent? Will they get my jokes? I'm bringing my favorite baseball glove. Maybe playing catch with new friends will be a great way to connect!
Entry 2: September 12th
Dear Diary,
California is… different. The air smells like flowers and something salty, and the sky is so blue it almost hurts your eyes. Our new house is bigger than our old apartment, and it even has a backyard with a lemon tree!
- Apprehensive:
- Anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen.
- Silicon Valley:
- A region in California known for its technology companies.
- Opportunities:
- Chances to do something or improve your situation.
- Passionate:
- Having or expressing strong emotions.
- Perspective:
- A way of regarding situations or topics.
One passage, many ways to practice
Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts — all built from this text.
Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Work out the meaning and effect of words by using clues in the passage.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Point of View
Identify who presents the text and analyze how perspective shapes what the reader receives.
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.
Language & Tone
Interpret nonliteral language and analyze how word choice shapes tone and meaning.
Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
Fix the Sentence
Practice editing sentences drawn from this passage with a printable worksheet.
Ready to use this passage in class?
Start free with the Mixed worksheet and 3 PDF downloads each week. Focused skill sets depend on plan.
Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What was the narrator's biggest fear about moving to California?
- 2How does the narrator's description of California change from the first entry to the second?
Where this passage belongs
About this fiction passage for Middle School
“My California Dream: A Diary” is a fiction reading passage about Personal Goals, written for Middle School. It takes about 4 minutes to read (565 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.