READWORKS1 - 2nd Grade

​“Everything here seems so different,” Martina thought. She had moved to a city far from the farm where she used to live. There were so many more people!​

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Martina missed her friends. Kids in school here did not speak Spanish. They looked surprised when she skipped from English to Spanish in the same sentence. She had to carefully explain each word.​

​It made her proud to know more languages than the other kids. But she also felt lonely. Sometimes she could not find the right word in English. No one understood what she was saying.

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Every Sunday, Martina went to church. She would sit behind rows and rows of people. All she could see was the backs of their heads. At the church she used to go to, almost all the children had the same straight, dark brown hair as she did. It made her feel like they were all part of a big family.​

Here, every head was different. Straight hair. Curly hair. Light hair. Dark hair. Sometimes she even saw purple or green hair! And all the faces were turned away, quiet as mice.​

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​Then, one Sunday, a head turned around. It was a head with curly red hair, very different from Martina’s. It belonged to a boy around seven years old, just like Martina. He was smiling.

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Then, one Sunday, a head turned around. It was a head with curly red hair, very different from Martina’s. It belonged to a boy around seven years old, just like Martina. He was smiling.​

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​The little boy said nothing for a moment. Martina’s heart seemed to stop.

​“My name is Ryan,” he whispered back. Then he smiled again, took a deep breath, and said: “Hola!”

Multiple Choice

Where does Martina move to in the beginning of this story?

• city

• small farm

• small town

• an apartment

Multiple Choice

Who is the main character of this text?

• Ryan

• Martina

• Martina's sister

Multiple Choice

“Kids in school here did not speak Spanish. They looked surprised when she skipped from English to Spanish in the same sentence.”

What do you know about Martina from these sentences?

• Martina knows how to speak Russian

• Martina is learning Spanish

• Martina speaks both English and Spanish

• Martina speaks both English and Russian

Multiple Choice

What is the difference between the church that Martina used to go to and the church that she goes to in this new city?

• In her old church, no one spoke Spanish, but in this new church, everyone only speaks Spanish.

• In her old church, everyone looked similar, but here, people look really different from each other.

• In her old church, they sang songs, but here, no one sings songs during church.

• In her old church, they ate, but here, no one eats during church.

Multiple Choice

What is one major theme of this story?

• People can work together to become friends even if they’re different from each other

• People should always only talk to other people who are the same as them

• Cities are better than places in the country because there are more people

• Only hang around people who are just like you

Multiple Choice

Martina talks to Ryan _____ she is scared at first.

• later

• even though

• because

• now

Open Ended

Martina talks to Ryan in a mix of English and Spanish. How does Ryan answer her?

Open Ended

How does Martina feel when she starts talking to Ryan?

Open Ended

Earlier in the story, the author says that Martina feels lonely. How do you think her feelings might have changed after talking with Ryan?