The Game That Changed History: Air Holden’s Ascent
MS. SHANNON: [Adjusting her glasses and checking a glowing holographic monitor] Everything is calibrated, Holden. The temporal displacement coordinates are locked into the summer of 1992. It is the height of the Dream Team era. Are you absolutely certain you want your graduation gift to be a one-way ticket to the most difficult basketball court in history?
HOLDEN: [Tugging on the brim of his oversized North Carolina baseball cap] Ms. Shannon, I’ve spent every afternoon since the third grade practicing my fadeaway in the driveway. I’ve watched every grainy VHS tape of the Chicago playoffs. I don’t just want to see Michael Jordan play; I want to see if North Carolina’s finest can handle a kid from the future. I’m ready.
MS. SHANNON: [Smiling warmly, her long black hair catching the light of the machine] You have the heart of a champion, Holden. Remember, the machine will only hold the rift open for exactly forty-eight minutes—the length of a professional game. Once the final buzzer sounds, the Chronos-Hoop will pull you back to this lab in present-day North Carolina. Do not lose your focus. To beat the greatest, you must be better than your own best.
HOLDEN: I won’t let you down. Thank you for believing in me, and thank you for building this thing. Best graduation gift ever!
- Temporal displacement:
- The movement of an object or person from one point in time to another.
- Calibrated:
- Carefully adjusted or set to ensure accuracy and precision.
- Trajectory:
- The curved path that an object, like a basketball, follows through the air.
- Silhouette:
- The dark shape and outline of someone or something visible against a lighter background.
- Upset:
- A victory by an underdog or less-favored competitor that is surprising and unexpected.
- anticipated:
- Predicted an action and prepared for it before it occurred.
- iconic:
- Widely recognized, famous, and admired as a distinctive symbol.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What is the specific year and location Holden travels to using the Chronos-Hoop?
- 2How much time does Holden have in the past before the temporal rift pulls him back?
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About this reader's theater passage for 7th Grade
“The Game That Changed History: Air Holden’s Ascent” is a reader's theater reading passage about Time Travel, written for 7th Grade. It takes about 6 minutes to read (956 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.