Article
SPENCER GRANT/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Are Trampoline Parks Safe?

Kids have a lot of fun at these indoor parks—but many end up getting hurt too.

By Kara Corridan
From the September 2018 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will take a side on an engaging topic while practicing opinion writing.

Lexiles: 660L, 560L
Read the Story

Download and Print: Lower Level (560L)

Activities (2)
Quizzes (2)
Quizzes (2)
Answer Key (1)
Activities (2) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Quizzes (2)
Quizzes (2)
Answer Key (1)
Can't-Miss Teaching Extras
What Would You Do?

If you’re wondering about the answer to the question posed in the photo caption on page 27, those kids are doing flips and jumping with more than one kid at a time—neither of which is recommended by pediatricians.

Class Discussion

How dangerous are trampoline parks compared to other activities? The answer might surprise you! Click here and scroll down for a simple bar graph you can show your students. (An important point to keep in mind: activities like soccer and baseball are way more common than trampoline parks, so that has an effect on the numbers!)

More About the Article

Key Skills

main idea and supporting details, opinion writing

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

1. PREPARING TO READ

Have students preview the text features. Ask:

    What is the topic of the debate? (Prompt students to use the debate title and the     heading on the chart as clues.) 

    What are the two opinions people might have about this topic?

2. READING THE DEBATE

Depending on the reading level of your students, read the debate as a class or break the class into groups.

Have students read the debate a second time. Prompt them to highlight evidence supporting each side as they come across it. Using two different colors of highlighters would be useful here.

3. DISCUSSING

As a class or in groups, have students discuss:

Which opinion has the best evidence to support it?

Is one side stronger than the other? Why?

What is your opinion? What evidence helped you form your opinion?

For more advanced readers: Do you think the author has an opinion on this issue? What is your evidence?

4. WRITING

Have students complete the chart in the magazine or our full-page printable chart.

Guide students to write an essay on the debate topic, using the chart they filled out.

5. CHECK COMPREHENSION

Have students complete our comprehension quiz.

Text-to-Speech