The Fifth Grade Frontier: Maya’s First Day
August 28th – 6:30 AM
I am currently staring at my bedroom ceiling, and the only thing I can think about is that in exactly two hours, I will be walking through the front doors of Oakwood Elementary for the very last ‘first day’ of my life—well, at least for elementary school. Being a fifth grader feels like standing on the edge of a very high diving board. I’ve spent years watching the ‘big kids’ run the morning announcements and lead the safety patrol, and now, suddenly, I’m one of them. My stomach feels like it’s full of hyperactive butterflies that have had too much orange juice. I’ve already checked my backpack four times. I have my new notebooks, my favorite mechanical pencils, and a lunchbox that I’m worried might look a little too ‘fourth grade,’ but it has a sturdy handle, so I’m sticking with it.
- Metaphor:
- A figure of speech where a word or phrase is used to describe something by comparing it to something else without using 'like' or 'as'.
- Frontier:
- A new or unexplored area of knowledge or discovery.
- Intimidating:
- Something that makes a person feel nervous, frightened, or less confident.
- Brittle:
- Hard but easily broken or shattered into many pieces.
- fidgeting:
- making small, restless movements with the hands or body, often because of nervousness or excitement
- accomplish:
- to successfully complete or achieve a goal through effort
Educational example text · Diary Entry
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1At the start of her diary entry, why does Maya compare herself to someone on a high diving board?
- 2What specific concern does Maya have about her lunchbox?
Where this passage belongs
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About this diary entry passage for 5th Grade
“The Fifth Grade Frontier: Maya’s First Day” is a diary entry reading passage about School Transitions, written for 5th Grade. It takes about 7 minutes to read (1,055 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.