Illustration of a student feeling embarrassed in class
Art by Teresa Martínez
Fiction,

Don't Ask Me Why

After Ava gets lost in the hallway, she learns a sweet lesson. 

By Meg Richardson | Art by Teresa Martínez
From the September 2023 Issue

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

Complexity Factors
  • Purpose & Levels of Meaning
    The story is about a girl who gets lost in her school. On another level, the story is about learning to be comfortable asking for help when you need it.
  • Structure
    The story is in the first person and is chronological.
  • Language
    The language is mostly conversational and includes a lot of dialogue.
  • Knowledge Demands
    No prior knowledge is required.
Lexile: 500L-600L
Guided Reading Level: M
DRA Level: 20-24
Featured Skill: How a Character Changes,
Other Key Skills: vocabulary, supporting details, character, inference, text features, plot, problem and solution, drawing conclusions, connecting to the text, theme, narrative writing
Standards
  • Common Core
    RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.3, RL.3.4, RL.3.7, W.3.3, SL.3.1, SL.3.2, L.3.6
  • TEKS Grade 3
    1a, 1c, 3a, 3b, 4, 6a, 6c, 6e, 6f, 6g, 6h, 6i, 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7f, 7g, 8a, 8b, 8c, 10a, 10b, 12b

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Think and Read: How A Character Changes

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

The first day of school is tricky when you have a double-A name. Teachers always make you do stuff first. I would know. My name is Ava Acevedo. 

My life would be way easier if I had a double-Z name, like fifth-grader Zoey Zabner. Everything about Zoey is cool, including her name. She can skateboard. She makes her own earrings. People say she ate a worm in first grade. Don’t ask me why that makes her cool, but somehow it does.

“Ava Acevedo,” my teacher calls. She’s holding a piece of paper with a list on it. My name is at the top. Ugh. “You’re going to be our first messenger,” she says.  

“Great,” I say, even though this is not great. This is the farthest thing from great. This is terrible. Last year when I was the messenger, I got super lost. 

I wish I had a B name. I bet Becca Baker will get to do something fun, like take care of our class fish, Cheese. Don’t ask me why his name is Cheese. No one knows.

PAUSE AND THINK: What happened last year when Ava was the messenger? 

Starting to Melt

“Ava, will you take these ice pops to the fifth-grade room?” my teacher asks. “The main office sent them to us by mistake. Do you need help getting there?” The whole class looks at me. 

“Help? Nope,” I say, trying to look cool. My friend Jake catches my eye. He remembers when I got lost last year.

“Are you sure?” he mouths to me.

“I’m good,” I mouth back, giving him a thumbs-up sign. I think he can tell that I am not good.  

I step out of our classroom with the ice pops. The hallway feels endless. I think the fifth-grade room is upstairs. But where is the staircase?

DRIP. The ice pops are starting to melt. I need to hurry!

PAUSE AND THINK: Why does Ava tell her teacher she doesn’t need help?  

Really Melting

I see my older brother Marco walking toward me. Ugh. If Marco sees that I’m lost, he might make fun of me.

“Ava, are you OK?” he asks.

“Of course I’m OK. Are you OK?” I say, making a face at him.

“Seriously, are you lost?” he asks.

“Lost? I never get lost,” I reply.

“Uh, yeah you do. All the time. Remember last year?” Marco says.

“I’m fine,” I say firmly.

“OK, see ya,” he says, walking away. 

DRIP. DRIP. The ice pops are really melting now. I need to find that fifth-grade room—fast.

PAUSE AND THINK: How does Ava feel when she sees Marco in the hallway?   

Ice Pop Explosion

I start running. I know I’m not supposed to run in the hallway, but I’m desperate. The box holding the ice pops is getting soggy. I run past the music room, where the first-graders are playing kazoos. Don’t ask me why anyone would think it’s a good idea to give first-graders kazoos.

Finally, I find the staircase. I’m saved! I bolt up the stairs as fast as I can. As I’m about to get to the top, I slip. I tumble down the stairs. The ice pops fly out of my hands.

WHAM!

I land on the box of ice pops. Some of them explode out of their plastic wrappers. I glance down at my sweatshirt in horror. I have icy blue, red, and green liquid all over my sweatshirt. I look like a tie-dye project gone wrong and smell like a mixture of berry, cherry, and lime. I’m as sticky as a piece of gum. UGH!

I take off my soaked sweatshirt and pick up the ice pops. This would be a little bit funny if it weren’t so embarrassing!

PAUSE AND THINK: What happens after Ava finds the staircase?

Finding a Helper

I see a kid by the water fountain. Phew. Maybe I can ask her for help. But wait . . . it’s Zoey Zabner! 

She’s whistling a Taylor Swift song. She’s wearing a fuzzy purple sweatshirt. Don’t ask me why that looks so cool on her. It just does. 

I wish I had asked my teacher or Jake or Marco for help. Now I have to ask the coolest person in the whole school. 

I sigh and tap Zoey on the shoulder.

“Hey, Zoey?” I whisper in a small voice.

“What’s up, Ava?” she says.

“Can you help me find the fifth-grade room?” I ask.

“Sure thing!” Zoey says, smiling. 

“This school is so confusing. I still get lost sometimes.”

“Really?” I ask. Zoey nods.

“Yeah, everyone needs help sometimes,” she says. I follow Zoey toward the classroom. “Wait, are those ice pops?” she asks.

“Uh, yeah,” I say.

“Sweet!” Zoey exclaims. “My dad dropped those off for my birthday, but I guess the office sent them to the wrong room. Thanks for delivering them!”

“Don’t thank me,” I say sadly. “The pops are melting—and some exploded!”

“There are plenty of extras,” Zoey says cheerfully. “Besides, I had a feeling the pops might melt. My teacher can put them in the cafeteria freezer. Then  we can have them at the end of the day.” 

I hand her the ice pops, unsure. 

“Seriously, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have any ice pops at all,” Zoey says. “You saved my birthday!”

PAUSE AND THINK: How does Ava save Zoey’s birthday?

Soft and Cozy

I can’t believe that I saved Zoey Zabner’s birthday. Me. Zoey seems like the kind of person who would never need help. But I guess she’s right. Everyone needs help sometimes.

Then Zoey looks at my sweatshirt. 

“Hey, do you want to borrow my sweatshirt? You can give it back to me after school,” she says.

I’m about to tell her that I don’t need help. But then I look up at her big smile. I don’t feel embarrassed anymore. And I realize I don’t need to act cool. 

“That would be awesome,” I say gratefully. Zoey’s sweatshirt is so soft and cozy. It feels like a hug.

PAUSE AND THINK: How does Zoey help Ava?

A Good Feeling

That day after school, I wait for the bus with Jake.

“Hey, what happened when you were the messenger? You were gone for a while. And where did you get that fuzzy sweatshirt?” Jake asks.

“Zoey Zabner lent it to me. I got lost, and I asked her for help,” I say.

“Zoey Zabner? Weren’t you embarrassed?” Jake asks.

“Everyone needs help sometimes,” I shrug as Zoey skateboards over to us.

“Here’s your sweatshirt,” I say to her.

“Thanks! And here,” she says, tossing me a frozen ice pop. “There were plenty of extras. You can have one too,” she says, throwing one to Jake.

“Whoa, thanks!” Jake says.

“Don’t thank me, thank Ava,” Zoey says. She gives me a fist bump and then skateboards away.

Jake and I slurp up our ice pops. Don’t ask me why, but for the first time ever, I’m starting to feel good about having a double-A name. 

THINK AND WRITE

Imagine you are Ava. Write a letter to Jake explaining what you learned about asking for help.

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Activities (8)
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (1)
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Activities (8) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (1)
Can't Miss Teaching Extras

Read the fiction story “Veena and the Variety Show” to meet Veena—a character who overcomes her fears just like Ava. Then students can flex their creative muscles during the interactive activities found on the Choice Board.  

Encourage your students to march to the beat of their own drum in “Carla’s Sandwich.” Afterward students can analyze character traits, learn new vocabulary words, and take a quiz. 

Discover how a character changes in “The Stars Below Me,” an inspiring story about a girl who changes her perspective on moving to a big city. Then head to the Resources tab for activities, a Choice Board, and a worksheet on character development. 

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Table of Contents

1. Preparing to Read

2. Close Reading

3. SEL Focus

4. Skill Building and Writing

5. Differentiate and Customize

Struggling Readers, Multilingual Learners, Advanced Readers, Creative Writing

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, the subtitle, and the illustration on page 10. 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 details explain why Ava thinks Zoey Zabner is cool? The details that explain why Ava thinks Zoey is cool are: she’s in the fifth grade; she has a double-Z name; she skateboards; she makes her own earrings; some people say she ate a worm in first grade. (supporting details)
  • Read “Starting to Melt.” How does Ava feel as she leaves the classroom with the ice pops? Ava feels nervous as she leaves the classroom. She thinks the fifth-grade room is upstairs, but she doesn’t know where the staircase is. (character)
  • Read “Really Melting.” Why doesn’t Ava ask her brother to help her find the fifth-grade room? Ava doesn’t want to admit to Marco that she is lost. (inference)
  • Read “Ice Pop Explosion.” How does the middle illustration on pages 12 and 13 show what happens to Ava in this part of the story? The picture shows Ava falling and the box of ice pops flying out of her hands. (text features)
  • Read “Finding a Helper.” How does Zoey react when she learns the ice pops are melted? Zoey isn’t upset that the ice pops are melted. She says her teacher can put the ice pops into the freezer and her class can eat them at the end of the day. (plot, problem and solution)
  • Read “Soft and Cozy.” Why does Ava agree to borrow Zoey’s sweatshirt? Ava realizes she doesn’t have to feel embarrassed about accepting help, and she doesn’t have to act cool. (character)
  • Read “A Good Feeling.” Why does Ava start to feel good about having a double-A name? Teachers always ask students with double-A names to do things first. Now that Ava feels comfortable about asking for help, doing things first doesn’t worry her. (drawing conclusions)

Critical-Thinking Question 

  • How does Ava feel when she first sees Zoey in the hallway? How do her feelings change by the end of their conversation? When Ava first sees Zoey, she feels embarrassed and shy. She doesn’t want to ask the coolest girl in the school for help! By the end of their conversation, Ava realizes that even Zoey gets lost. She learns that everyone needs help sometimes, even the coolest girl in school! She no longer feels embarrassed about asking for help or like she needs to act cool. (how a character changes)

 

Class Discussion: Asking for Help 

  • In this story, Ava learns that it’s more important to ask for help than it is to look cool. Talk to your class about the importance of admitting when you don’t know something and then learning it from someone else. Ask students to share a time they wanted to ask for help. Was it difficult to admit that they couldn’t do something on their own? What happened after they either did or didn’t ask for help? (connecting to the text, theme)

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 prompt in the Think and Write box 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 Ava’s character. This can include sentences that describe her emotions, memories, 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 Ava changes.

For Multilingual Learners

Review the reasons why Ava doesn’t like her name at the beginning of the story, and then why she likes her name at the end of the story. Invite your students to share details about their own names, like what they mean or where they come from. Have students list one or two reasons why they like their names.

For Advanced Readers

Invite students to retell the ending of this story, imagining what would happen if Ava doesn’t ask Zoey for help. How would this change the story and what Ava learns? Have students either write their alternate ending or prepare an oral presentation.

Text-to-Speech