Michael Jordan No Quitter by Janet Woodward 3 Getty Images; 9 Corbis; 4 8 Susy Boyer Harcourt Education Australia; 10 Getty Images; 11 AAP Images; 12 14 Getty Images Copyright by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be addressed to School Permissions and Copyrights, Harcourt, Inc., 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida 32887-6777. Fax: 407-345-2418. HARCOURT and the Harcourt Logo are trademarks of Harcourt, Inc., registered in the United States of America and/or other jurisdictions. Printed in Mexico ISBN 10: 0-15-350639-3 ISBN 13: 978-0-15-350639-0 Ordering Options ISBN 10: 0-15-350599-0 (Grade 2 On-Level Collection) ISBN 13: 978-0-15-350599-7 (Grade 2 On-Level Collection) ISBN 10: 0-15-357820-3 (package of 5) ISBN 13: 978-0-15-357820-5 (package of 5) If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Harcourt School Publishers retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited and is illegal. Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 050 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06
Michael Jordan is six feet six inches (almost two meters) tall. He can fly through the air to make a basket. Many people think he s the best basketball player that ever lived. 3
Michael was born in 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. A short time later his family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina. At first, Michael was interested in playing baseball. He was also interested in football and basketball. 4
When he played basketball with his brother, Larry, Michael would always lose. This didn t make Michael give up. It made him want to win even more. 5
Michael made up his mind to learn new basketball moves. He practiced for hours. He caught the ball again and again. 6
Michael Jordan s mother and father both worked hard. Michael did, too. He knew that if he worked hard, good things would happen. Michael always wanted to be the best. He wanted to hear the people cheer when he was scoring points for his team. 7
Michael tried out for his high school basketball team in ninth grade. He didn t get picked. This made Michael try even harder. He practiced every day. He grew taller. Soon he made the team. 8
Then Michael became a star player at the University of North Carolina. He helped his team win an important game. It was the beginning of his famous career. 9
Michael went on to play for the Chicago Bulls. In his first season with the team, he was named Rookie of the Year. This meant he was the best new player. 10
He led his team to win many games. Michael was named the Most Valuable Player in basketball five times. 11
Michael left basketball twice during his career. Once it was to play baseball and once to spend time with his family. However, he went back to basketball each time. 12
Michael Jordan was famous for leaping high and shooting the ball straight into the basket. It earned him the nickname Air Jordan. 13
Many people look up to Michael Jordan because he has a will to succeed. No matter what has stood in his way, he has never given up. Today, he still thinks this way in his everyday life as a dad and in his work. 14
Think Critically 1. What sports other than basketball was Michael interested in when he was young? 2. How can you tell that Michael has always been determined? 3. How can you tell that this book is nonfi ction? 4. What sport did you think Michael would become famous for playing? 5. Do you think the title is a good one for this book? Why or why not? Social Studies Make a Storyboard Make a storyboard of the important events in Michael s basketball career. Draw a picture of each part of his career. Write a sentence under each picture. School-Home Connection Tell a family member about the book. Then talk about other people that you admire who play sports. Word Count: 371 15