Life Plans—Reading Comprehension/Writing Response

Objectives: Students will practice writing short responses to questions that are based on reading a short opinion essay. The writer thinks that too many teens are not planning ahead for college and career and setting unrealistic goals for themselves.

Activities: Hand out the worksheet below along with a copy of the December 2010/January 2100 issue of New Youth Connections.

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Name____________________________________________Date_________________

Directions: Read the story “But How Will You Get There?” Answer the questions in essay answer format. (This means you should use parts of the question to start your answer.) Write 3-5 complete sentences for each question. The answer for the first question has been started for you.

1. What is the full title of this story? Who wrote it? Why do you think he thought it was important to write it? [Example: The title of the story is… FOLLOWED BY: The writer wanted to tell readers about how important it is…]



2. What does the title of the story mean? How does it relate to the story?




3. What is the author’s main idea or theme? Do you think it is an important topic?





4. What evidence does the writer present to make her argument?




5. Do you agree with the writer that teenagers should be more serious about setting goals for high school, college, and career? Think about your own experiences or those of others. Include at least one sentence about those experiences that supports your agreement or disagreement.





6. What would the author think about how you have been thinking about your future and making plans? Would she be impressed or would she think you were not doing a good job?