Article
Art By Toby Newsome
Fiction,

Susie the Soccer Star

Susie is the best player on her soccer team. When a new boy moves to town, will he take her place?

By K. A. Mulenga | Art by Toby Newsome
From the March/April 2023 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will read a realistic fiction story and identify how its main character changes from the beginning to the end.

Complexity Factors
  • Levels of Meaning
    The story is about a girl who gets upset when a boy joins her soccer team. She worries she will no longer be the star player. On another level, the story is about the importance of learning to work together as a team.
  • Structure
    The story is in the third person and is chronological.
  • Language
    The language is mostly conversational and includes a lot of dialogue.
  • Knowledge Demands
    No prior knowledge is required. Some familiarity with soccer would be helpful. The story takes place in South Africa.
Lexile® measure range: 500L-600L
Guided Reading Level: O
DRA Level: 34-38
Featured Skill: How a Character Changes,
Other Key Skills: how a character changes, supporting details, character, visual literacy, plot, inference, main idea, connecting to the text, narrative writing
Standards
  • Common Core
    RL.1, RL.2, RL.3, RL.4, RL.5, RL.6, RL.7, W.3, SL.1, L.1, L.2
  • TEKS Grade 3
    1a, 1c, 3a, 3b, 6a, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f, 6g, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7f, 7g, 8b, 8c, 10c, 12a

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Think and Read: How A Character Changes

As you read, think about how Susie changes from the beginning of the story to the end.

Susie Sibanda is the star of her soccer team, the Randburg Lions.

She’s the striker, and her job is to score goals. And she scores a lot of goals. More than any other player on her team. 

Almost everyone in South Africa loves soccer, and Susie is no exception. She’s loved soccer ever since she could walk. She loves dribbling the ball down the field. She loves lining up the perfect shot. And she loves hearing her teammates cheer when she scores. 

Susie practices every day so she can become the best player in South Africa. She’s sure nothing will stop her. But one day, everything changes. 

PAUSE AND THINK: What is Susie’s job on her soccer team?

Art by Toby Newsome

A New Striker

On a rainy morning in March, Susie dribbles a soccer ball as she walks to school. SPLASH! A boy on his bike rides through a puddle and sprays Susie with water from head to toe. 

It takes hours for her clothes to dry. Susie stomps around all day at school, barely talking. But at least she has soccer practice to look forward to! 

When she walks onto the field that afternoon, Coach Tim makes an announcement to the team.

“I have some exciting news,” he says. “Everybody, say hello to Spencer, our new striker!”

Susie can’t believe her eyes. It’s him: the boy who splashed her that morning! 

Susie feels anger bubbling up inside her.

“Coach, I’m the team’s striker. I’m the star!” Susie says.

“Now you’ll have someone to work with,” Coach Tim replies. 

“I don’t need someone to work with. I score plenty of goals on my own,” Susie says back.

But Coach Tim is already blowing his whistle. All week at practice, Susie hogs the ball and barely looks at Spencer.

“You could try passing to Spencer every once in a while, you know,” Susie’s best friend, Kaya, says to her at the end of the week.

“No way,” Susie says firmly. 

PAUSE AND THINK: Why is Susie in a bad mood at school?

Art by Toby Newsome

The First Game

That Saturday, the Lions have their first game of the season. Susie, Spencer, and Kaya run onto the field with their teammates. The whistle blows, and the game begins. 

Before long, Susie has a shot. She aims, shoots, and . . . GOOOOOOAL! She spreads her arms out like bird wings and runs in a circle to celebrate. Her teammates chant, “Susie! Susie!”

But the other team, the Edenvale Elephants, plays well too. Near the end of the game, the score is tied 1-1. Kaya passes Susie the ball, but Susie has two players guarding her. On the other side of the field, Spencer calls out to Susie, “I’m open!”

Susie has a clear pass to Spencer. And Spencer has a clear shot to the goal. Susie pauses for a second. Then, ignoring Spencer, she kicks the ball toward the goal. 

She holds her breath and watches as . . . the other team steals the ball! They race it down the field. Susie looks on, frozen in horror, as the other team scores in the last second of the game. 

PAUSE AND THINK:  Who wins the first soccer match of the Lions’ season?

The Best Soccer Stars

That night before dinner, Susie sits on the soccer field near her house. She can’t believe it. The Lions lost. Her older brother, Sunu, walks over.

“What’s wrong, Susie?” he asks. 

“We lost the game today,” she replies glumly. 

“What happened?” he asks, surprised.

“Well, there’s this new player named Spencer . . .” She tells Sunu everything. 

Sunu listens carefully and then says, “Why didn’t you pass to Spencer? You could have won the game.” 

“Yeah, but then he’d be the new star,” Susie says, looking down. “How will I become the best player in South Africa if Spencer scores all the goals?”

“The best soccer stars work together,” Sunu says. “It doesn’t matter who scores the goal. The whole team gets the point.”

Susie thinks about this as Sunu kicks her the ball. “Now show me some of that star power before dinner!”

PAUSE AND THINK: What advice does Sunu give Susie?

Art by Toby Newsome

A Minute to Go

That week at practice, Susie passes the ball to Spencer. Once the two strikers start working together, the Lions are on fire. Spencer and Susie pass and score all week. They impress Coach Tim. “I think we have a good chance of winning our next match!”

On Saturday, the Lions play against the Benoni Buffaloes. It’s a close match. With only a minute to go, the score is still 0-0. Kaya has the ball. 

“I’m open!” Susie shouts. 

Kaya passes the ball to Susie, who finds herself face-to-face with a player from the Buffaloes. She could shoot, but it’s risky. Then she sees Spencer is open.

Sunu’s words ring in her ears. “The best soccer stars work together.” Susie has a split second to decide what to do. Then she turns and passes to Spencer. He fires the ball past the other team’s goalie, and GOOOOOOAL!

PAUSE AND THINK: What does Susie do in the last minute of the game?

A New Chant

The Lions win! Susie and Spencer run over to each other and high-five.

“Spencer! Spencer!” the rest of the team chants as they run toward Spencer. 

Spencer smiles and says, “Actually, Susie deserves the credit. She passed it to me at the last second.”

Susie beams at him. Then she looks around at Kaya and her other teammates. 

“Actually, Kaya passed it to me. She deserves credit too. We all do,” she says, starting a new chant, “Lions! Lions!” 

Kaya, Spencer, and the rest of the team join in.

As they walk off the field, Susie turns to Spencer. “I’m sorry I didn’t pass to you in the last game,” she says. “I guess I was a little worried you would become the new star.”

Spencer smiles and says, “I get it. I like being a star too. But we were both pretty great out there today.”

Susie smiles back and says, “I guess that’s what happens when two stars work together.”

PAUSE AND THINK: Who does Susie say deserves the credit for winning?

THINK AND WRITE

Imagine you’re Susie. Write a thank-you note to your older brother, Sunu. Explain what decision you made at your last soccer game and what lesson you learned.

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Activities (9)
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (1)
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Activities (9) Download All Quizzes and Activities
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Can't Miss Teaching Extras

Pair this Fiction piece with this issue’s play, “Puffin Protectors.” Both stories feature characters who change by the ending. Ask students to compare and contrast the characters Susie and Zane and the lessons they learn.

After reading this Fiction story about a soccer star, discover about the history of soccer in “The Start of Soccer.”

For another story about the value of teamwork, have students read “The Great Fix-It Fiasco.” Both stories are accompanied by skill builders that focus on how characters change.

In the Fiction feature “The Popsicle-Stick Bridge,” Cassandra, like Susie, learns the value of working with a new partner.

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Table of Contents

1. Preparing to Read

2. Close Reading

3. Skill Building and Writing

4. Differentiate and Customize

Striving Readers, Multilingual Learners, Advanced Readers

1. Preparing to Read

Set a Purpose for Reading/Preview Text Features

  • Ask students to predict what this story will be about based on the title, subtitle, and images on pages 10-11. Review the predictions after reading.
  • Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read box on page 11 and the Think and Write box on page 15. 

Introduce Vocabulary

  • Show or assign the Vocabulary Slideshow to preview challenging words. Then assign the Vocabulary Skill Builder before or after reading.

2. Close Reading

  • Read the story as a class or have students follow along as they listen to the Read-Aloud. Use the Pause and Think questions at the end of each section for a quick comprehension check.

  • Project or assign the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions. (Alternatively, use all or part of the Learning Journey Slide Deck.)

Close-Reading Questions

  • Read the first section. What does Susie Sibanda love about playing soccer? Susie loves dribbling the soccer ball, lining up the perfect shot, and hearing her teammates cheer when she scores. (supporting details)
  • Read “A New Striker.” How does Susie feel when Coach Tim introduces Spencer, the new striker? When Coach Tim introduces Spencer, Susie feels angry and upset. She refuses to work with him because she was the team’s only striker and scores plenty of goals on her own. She considers herself the star of the team. (character)
  • Read “The First Game.” How does the picture on page 13 show what happens in this part of the story? In the picture, Susie is deciding where to kick the soccer ball. Two players from the opposing team guard her. She can see Spencer calling out to her. The picture shows that Susie has a clear shot to Spencer, and he has a clear shot to the goal. It illustrates the moment that Susie pauses to decide whether she should pass to Spencer or kick the soccer ball toward the goal. (visual literacy)
  • Read “The Best Soccer Stars.” Why did Susie decide not to pass the soccer ball to Spencer? Susie doesn’t want Spencer to replace her as the new star of the team. She believes that if Spencer scores the goals, she will never become the best player in the country. (character)
  • Read “A Minute to Go.” Why does Susie pass the ball to Spencer in the final minute of the game? Susie remembers her brother’s words: “The best soccer stars work together.” She realizes it’s risky for her to shoot and that the team is more likely to win if she passes to Spencer. She understands that teamwork is important. (plot)
  • Read “A New Chant.” Why does the rest of the team join Susie’s new chant? They agree with her that all the teammates deserve credit for working together to win the game. (inference)

Critical-Thinking Questions

  • Think about the title of the story. How do Susie’s feelings about being a soccer star change from the beginning of the story to the end? In the beginning of the story, Susie dreams of becoming the best soccer player in South Africa. She thinks that being a soccer star means scoring more goals than anyone else. When Spencer arrives and also starts scoring goals, Susie is worried that he will replace her as the new star of the team. Instead of working with Spencer, she hogs the ball and refuses to pass. But after talking with her brother, Susie learns that being a soccer star means working together. She passes the ball to Spencer and he scores the winning goal. Susie realizes there can be more than one star on a team. (how a character changes)
  • What did you learn about working together with other students after reading this story? Answers will vary. (main idea, connecting to the text)

Class Discussion: Teamwork

  • In this story, Susie learns that it’s better to work together as a team than to try to compete with Spencer to be the star. Talk with your class about what it means to be on a team. Ask them to share a time they had to work as a team (in school, sports, choir, etc.) and share how they felt. What was difficult about working as a team? What was something good about it?

3. Skill Building and Writing

Featured Skill: How a Character Changes

  • Distribute or digitally assign the How a Character Changes Skill Builder.

  • Ask students to write a response to the Think and Write prompt on
    page 15. 

Differentiate and Customize
For Striving Readers

Prepare students for the featured skill by reading the story together or listening to the audio read-aloud while following along in the magazine. Pause after each section. Together, highlight any sentences or phrases that describe Susie’s character. This can include sentences that describe her emotions, goals, or attitude toward other people. After you’ve gone through the whole story, make a list of the descriptions you found in the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Ask students to compare the lists to see how Susie changes.

For Multilingual Learners

The names and mascots of the soccer teams may be challenging to your multilingual learners. Together, go through the story and circle the names of the soccer teams. Practice pronouncing the names together. Then look up pictures of the mascots online. Have students draw a jersey for one of the teams that includes the name and a small drawing of the mascot.

For Advanced Readers

Invite students to go back to the section “The First Game.” Then have them rewrite this section from Spencer’s perspective. How does the scene change when you see it through his eyes? How does Spencer feel by the end of the section?

Text-to-Speech