Text Structures

When playing some sports, athletes are required to wear special shoes. Two such sports are golf and bowling. Golf shoes have sharp metal spikes called cleats. These cleats help golfers keep their footing while swinging the club. On the other end of the spectrum are bowling shoes, which are very smooth and have almost no traction at all. Bowling shoes help bowlers slide down the lane while throwing the ball. While both of these types of shoes help athletes perform, I wouldn't wear either of them outside of games. Aside from looking ridiculous, golf shoes and bowling shoes do not have soles that are fit for street use.

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CCSS.RI.4.1

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CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.4.8

One of the most popular, sought-after, and expensive shoes ever marketed are the Air Jordan shoes. The first Air Jordan shoes were released in 1985. These shoes were not legal to wear on the court since they did not have any white on them, but Jordan wore them to every game anyway, getting fined $5000 for each appearance. The next Air Jordan shoes came out in 1986. These shoes were unique for basketball shoes, because they were made in Italy, which gave them a luxury feel. Two years later, the third Air Jordan shoes were released. These were the first shoes with the visible air pocket in the back and were the inspiration for many later shoe designs. The Air Jordan shoe line has had a long history of successful and noteworthy releases.

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CCSS.RI.4.5

Look down at your feet. Are you wearing shoes? Why? People wear shoes many reasons. The first and most important reason is to protect their feet. Shoes keep people from hurting their feet while walking on rough surfaces, but this isn’t the only reason why people wear shoes. Some people wear special shoes that are designed to help them play a game, like bowling shoes or soccer cleats. Some people wear expensive designer shoes so that they appear fashionable and feel good about themselves. And a lot of other people like my dad wear shoes so that their feet won’t stink up the room.

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CCSS.W.4.2B

There are many thoughtful ways to express your love for another person without spending money: you could write a song or cook a meal, but perhaps the best way to express yourself is to create a card.  Creating a card is easy if you have the proper materials.  Get yourself some nice, thick resume paper or cardstock and fold it in half.  Draw some imagery of love on the front of the card; if you're not good at drawing, you can clip out pictures.  If you decide to use markers, be careful not to let them bleed through the paper and ruin the other side.  Lastly, write a poem or heartfelt statement on the inside to your beloved and you're done.  Now isn't that a much better way to express your love than a rose from the gas station? 

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CCSS.RI.4.2

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CCSS.W.4.3A

Some people think that some holidays celebrating love are nothing but clever ploys by marketers to get consumers to buy candy, flowers, and stuffed animals, but who cares?  In America, we celebrate two love themed holidays: Valentine's Day and Sweetest Day.  Valentine's Day is celebrated in the winter, while Sweetest Day is celebrated in the fall.  Valentine's Day is more focused on bringing lovers together, while Sweetest Day is for all of the friends, relatives, and associates whose kindness we've enjoyed.  Both occasions, however, are great times to remember what's most important: the people about whom we care.

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CCSS.RI.4.2

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Money moves most things in our world.  For example the National Confectioners Association, a collection of over seventy major candy manufacturers, wanted to sell more candy.  Apparently, when people buy candy, they make money.  Anyway, they wanted to make more money; so in 1921 they created a "holiday" called Sweetest Day.  They've since spent millions of dollars trying to convince consumers that this holiday exists and that consumers should celebrate this very real and meaningful occasion by purchasing candy.  Card dealer Hallmark has also heavily promoted this specter of commercial interest, prompting the notion that Sweetest Day is a "Hallmark Holiday."  That reminds me: have you ever heard of Give Me a Dollar Day?   

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Every Valentine's Day millions of school children slip each other cards: some sloppily assembled for classmates and friends, others more heartfelt and carefully composed, but most students have no idea how far back this practice dates.  The earliest Valentine's Day card dates back to the 1400s.  When postage rates dropped in the early 1800s, mailing them grew in popularity. Then, in the 1840s, the first Valentine's cards were mass produced.  Today, the Valentine's Day card continues to evolve.  In 2010, an estimated 15 million e-valentines were sent.  But some things never change: Will you be mine? Click "Y" or "N."  

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Some people have a hard time remembering to get their loved ones appropriate gifts on Valentine's Day.  This can lead to painfully long talks about "where the relationship stands."  Perhaps the best way to avoid these talks is by taking the moral highroad.  Instead of forgetting these holidays, choose not to celebrate them.  Inform your loved one that you don't want to buy into the materialism and commercialism of these manufactured holidays.  Tell that person that you want to have a relationship with them, not the marketers, and that you want to celebrate your love everyday, not just one day a year.  It's a tough pitch, but if you can make the sale then you'll be in the clear for life.   

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CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.W.4.1A

Jimmy didn't have any money, but he wanted to show Jane that she meant a lot to him, so he decided to make her a Valentine's Day card.  He got some nice, thick cardstock paper and folded it in half. He cut it into the shape of a heart and drew a cherub on the front of it.  Then, he wrote a thoughtful message on the inside.  When he gave it to Jane, she was so touched that she cried and her tears stained the front of the card.  Thinking the card ruined, Jimmy was so offended that he broke up with her calling her a "crybaby" as he left.  The moral of the story is that young people shouldn't date.

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CCSS.RL.4.1

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CCSS.RL.4.3

When you are riding a bicycle in traffic, it is important to communicate your intentions with the motorists around you. In other words, you have to tell people where you are going with signals. This is not so difficult though. When you want to turn left, just extend your left arm out horizontally in the direction that you are turning. If you want to turn right, extend your left elbow horizontally, but point your fingers up at the sky. This will make an "L" shape and will let the people around you know that you are turning right. If you are breaking, extend your left elbow in the same way, but point your fingers downward. This indicates that you will be stopping suddenly. Practice these signals and you'll be a considerate cyclist. Many motorists will want to accommodate you if let them know what you are doing.

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CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.4.3