The Sky-High Goal
Leo stood outside the window of The Gadget Garage, his eyes locked on the prize. It was the Sky-High 3000, a sleek silver drone with four powerful propellers and a built-in camera. It looked like it could fly to the moon. However, the bright orange price tag said sixty dollars. Leo reached into his pocket and felt around. He found one nickel, a button, and a very old piece of lint. He had exactly five cents to his name.
Every Saturday morning, Leo’s parents gave him a ten-dollar allowance for helping with the laundry and keeping his room tidy. Usually, that money was gone by Saturday afternoon. He loved the instant thrill of buying a new pack of trading cards or a giant tub of buttered popcorn at the movies. But as he stared at the drone, he realized those small treats were the reason his pockets were empty.
That night at dinner, Leo’s older sister, Maya, noticed him staring gloomily at his mashed potatoes. When he told her about the drone, she didn't laugh. Instead, she took him to her room and pointed to a large glass jar on her bookshelf. It was nearly full of coins and crumpled bills.
- Allowance:
- A regular amount of money given to someone, often a child by their parents for doing chores.
- Instant thrill:
- A quick feeling of excitement that happens immediately after doing or buying something.
- Habit:
- Something that a person does so often that it becomes easy or automatic.
- Patience:
- The ability to wait for something without getting upset or giving up.
- propellers:
- Blades that spin quickly to push air and make a machine, such as a drone or airplane, move forward or lift into the sky.
- trophy:
- A prize or symbol given or kept to celebrate a special victory, success, or accomplishment.
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
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.
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.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What specific item did Leo see in the window of The Gadget Garage that he wanted to buy?
- 2Why was Leo's pocket empty at the start of the story even though he received a regular allowance?
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About this short story passage for Upper Elementary
“The Sky-High Goal” is a short story reading passage about Financial Literacy, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 4 minutes to read (654 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.