so this is the third grade test probe for next week. i read it and laughed out loud because, let’s be honest, if nick and mike had met in elementary school this is exactly how it would have happened.
Mike was the new kid in fourth grade. He moved from Maine and didn’t know any of his classmates. No one spoke to him or knew his name. Mike came home the first day of school in tears.
“Don’t cry,” Mike’s mother told him. “Just show those boys and girls that you’re a nice and interesting person. Why don’t you bring your marble collection to class tomorrow?”
“Maybe the teacher won’t let me have marbles,” Mike sighed to his mother. “Besides, the kids will probably think marbles are stupid. I’m positive I won’t have any friends this year.”
The next day, Mike brought his marbles to school. He carried them in a leather pouch tied to his hip. As Mike walked, the marbles made a cool clicking sound that made him feel very happy. At recess, a student who had never spoken to Mike before tapped him on the shoulder.
“Hey, man,” he said. “My name’s Nick. What’s inside that bag you’ve got tied to your hip?”
“My marbles,” Mike answered happily. “Would you like to play a game, Nick?”
“I don’t know how to play marbles,” Nick told Mike. “I think my grandpa used to play marbles when he was a little boy though. Who taught you how to play?”
“My grandma,” Mike said with a smile. “She was a marble champion in grade school.”
“If she taught you, you must be really good,” said Nick.
“I’m okay,” Mike said. “I still need a lot of practice, though. If you like, I can teach you, and then we can practice together.”
“That sounds fun,” said Nick. “Can I ask some of my friends to join us?”
“Sure,” said Mike. “I have lots of marbles.”
just picture ten-year-old mike with a bag of marbles strapped to his hip. and ten-year-old nick being impressed by that.
